July. November. November. November. November. Those are when the films starring last year’s Best Supporting Actor nominees were released. The year before: November. August. October. October. December. Point is, it’s hard to get nominated for an Oscar; it’s harder to get nominated in an acting category if your film comes out before the fall; and it’s hardest to get nominated in an acting category if your film comes out before the fall, and the world is in chaos. Delroy Lindo has a lot working against him (including the Academy’s history of failing to recognize incredible performances from Black actors), but in Spike Lee’s Netflix movie Da 5 Bloods, he gives the first Oscar-lock performance of the year. He may not win, but he’s damn sure going to get nominated.

It’s not that there haven’t been Oscar-worthy performance this year. There have been plenty. But I have a hard time imagining the Academy acknowledging Sidney Flanigan’s powerfully internalized work in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, or Margot Robbie as chaos personified in Birds of Prey (if Suicide Squad can win an Oscar…), or Elisabeth Moss in Shirley, or Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man, or Elisabeth Moss in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, which isn’t out yet, but come on. It’s Elisabeth Moss.

I hope I’m wrong, and they’re all nominated, but I know that I’m right about Lindo.

Da 5 Bloods is about four Vietnam War veterans — Paul (Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), and Eddie (Norm Lewis), as well as Paul’s son David (Jonathan Majors) — who return to the Southeast Asian country for the remains of their long-deceased squad leader Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman) and buried gold. Few directors make educational films as entertaining as Lee, and this is one of his best: it’s funny, violent, anguished, insightful, and a little long, but every time the action begins to drift, something comes along to reignite your interest and Lee’s fury; he successfully taps into the centuries-old trauma that fuels the Black Lives Matter movement.

Also, there’s a great soundtrack. More movies should use multiple Marvin Gaye songs.

The “bloods,” as they call themselves, have lived very different lives since the fall of Saigon in 1975, but as former-soldiers, they all share the same trauma; especially as Black soldiers, who fight and disproportionately die for a country that doesn’t grant them the same opportunities as white Americans. Paul, who proudly wears a Make America Great Again hat and has a contemptuous relationship with his actual flesh-and-blood, has internalized his anger and sadness (and PTSD) the most. But his guilt and paranoia begin to leak, like toxic ooze, the longer he stays in a place he’d rather forget.

Lindo has worked with Lee before, including Malcolm X and Crooklyn, but he gives a career-defining performance in Da 5 Bloods. You feel and sympathize with his pain, even when he’s at his worst; while his comrades dance and pal around like they’re attending a high school reunion (Whitlock, Jr. treats the trip as such, often holding a tropical drink), Paul seethes. “We won’t let nobody use our rage against us. We control our rage,” Stormin’ Norman advises to his fellow soldiers in a non-digital de-aged flashback (it’s not as distracting as you might think). Paul can’t control his rage any longer. It’s stunning.

Lindo was initially hesitant to put on the MAGA cap, and doesn’t personally know any black Trump supporters, but as he told the Guardian, “I have a cousin who was in ’Nam and it still rankles him that he was reviled as a ‘baby-killer.’ So if one extrapolates that kind of rejection, one can end up at a place where you say, OK, here’s a man, Trump, who’s saying I’m going to make things right for Americans. I like what he’s saying.” Paul likes what Trump’s saying, but Lindo plays him with a complexity that transcends politics.

Late in the film, Paul begins to speak directly to the camera while hacking his way through the jungle with a machete, his sanity slipping with every step. It’s the Colonel Kurtz scenes we don’t see in Apocalypse Now (which is referenced multiple times in the movie). Lindo’s monologue is raw and powerful, and sweaty. So sweaty! I’ve always thought the key to a great live album is when you can hear the sweat pouring from the singer on stage. Next February, Lindo better be on stage, too, holding an Oscar.

‘Da 5 Bloods’ is available to stream now via Netflix.

During his career that launched in the early ’70s, John Prine released a lot of music before his death earlier this year due to coronavirus complications. His latest release was his well-received 2018 album, The Tree Of Forgiveness. Prine recorded some music since then, though, and now, his estate has shared “I Remember Everything,” Prine’s final recording.

The song also comes with a simple video, a single shot showing Prine recording the song in his living room, playing acoustic guitar and singing. Unsurprisingly given the title, the tune is a reflective one. Prine looks back at intimate moments in his career and personal life, singing, “And I remember every town and every hotel room / And every song I ever sang with a guitar out of tune / I remember everything, things I can’t forget / The way you turned and smiled on me, on the night that we first met.” The track was produced by Dave Cobb and co-written by Prine and longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin.

This video comes right after Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine, a livestream tribute show in Prine’s honor. That took place last night, and it featured Bill Murray, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kurt Vile, Jason Isbell, and Kevin Bacon.

Watch the “I Remember Everything” video above, and revisit Picture Show below.

The second season of Hulu’s Ramy, the critically acclaimed Muslim-American comedy series from Hulu (produced by A24) with a title character who’s loosely fashioned upon creator Ramy Youssef, recently released its second season. This remains a poignant series, although less sweet this time around, and it arrived during what can only be described as a fraught time for marginalized U.S. communities. The timing is purely coincidental, of course, but the show does provide an opportunity to watch one young adult’s attempts to truly grasp his own culture as he fruitlessly works toward enlightenment. And Ramy (this part is fascinating), like those who hashtag their way into feeling like they’re making a difference without action, often ends up inadvertently doing more harm than good, despite his professed desire to be a decent person.

Actually, Ramy (the character, not the series, which is still great) becomes pretty insufferable by the end of this season. I trust that the show’s writers have a plan for him, and that he might eventually experience true growth, rather than always trying to maximize his personal gains without any effort to earn what he’s already got in hand. He’s a guy who coasts on his apparent earnestness and but ends up f*cking over those who trust in him. By the end of the season, he’s lost almost all his allies, and it will be interesting to see how he can truly claw his way to redemption.

In the meantime, I’m going to attempt to spoil as little as possible while providing some reasons why you should watch Ramy — after all, Youssef joked during his Golden Globe win that “you guys haven’t seen my show” — and appreciate that life might feel tough right now, but at least you didn’t make half the mistakes he’s made lately.

1. So Much Comeuppance For A Lead Character:

Yes, Ramy’s the protagonist, but damn, he’s one hell of a hot mess, and I appreciate that the show doesn’t indulge him without consequence. During the first season, I simply appreciated watching a young adult male looking for love in all the worst places while feeling pressured by his family (and culture) to tie the knot with a nice young lady. That’s something that women feel all the time, regardless of social or religious affiliation, and it’s still reflected throughout popular culture even though romcoms at the movies haven’t been a real thing for years. This year, though, it was time for Ramy to make good on his promises, and boy did he screw them up. And the show was prepared, especially in this second season, to not let him escape unscathed.

Look, Ramy isn’t a terrible person at heart, but he does a lot of indefensible things. He’s also guilty of believing that wanting to be a good guy gives him endless chances to f*ck up and hurt people while pleading for forgiveness that he hasn’t earned. He has terrible judgment, and a lot of times, people get hurt as a result. Sometimes, they get hurt physically (and brutally), but many other times, he hurts people emotionally and spiritually. This doesn’t always involve his love life — he befriends and thoughtlessly vouches for a PTSD-afflicted Iraqi vet (despite the guy really loathing Muslims), and this turned out disastrously. Ramy simply doesn’t think beyond himself because “helping” the vet was a way for him to try and pump up his own reputation with Sheikh Malik.

That brings me to my next point…

2. Mahershala Ali, That’s The Whole Point:

The Oscar winner does not disappoint while joining the show’s sophomore run. Yes, he’s being referred to as the “Hot Sheikh” (a play on the fox-fearing Hot Priest from Fleabag), but Mahershala drives his role home with the utmost seriousness. The truly telling development is that while he’s Ramy’s new spiritual advisor, he also ends up learning a lot along the way as well. This Sheikh’s governed by peace and coolness, and while he’s rarely ruffled, he finds himself tested by his charge. He even alludes to his “old ways” at one point, and we don’t learn what he’s talking about, but it sure sounds ominous.

If Mahershala Ali ever said this ^^^ to me, I’d be terrified into changing my ways forever. Will Ramy adapt, though? This show leaves him in a precarious position after an impeccably plotted lead-up. And it’s a wise (and bold) move for the show to not only roast its protagonist but use such a charismatic and in-demand actor to do so. Ramy also builds up its “sidelined” characters along the way, as I’ll touch on below. That way, other players can shine, and we’re not simply hate-watching the leading dude.

3. Some Engrossing Character Studies:

The second season keeps itself poppin’ by knocking out some capsule episodes to flesh out Ramy’s family, including some arguably overdue focus for his sister, Dena, portrayed by May Calamawy. She plays a “normal” Muslim women, meaning that she’s not simply written under the male gaze, and it’s a refreshing approach. Dena gets her own capsule episode, along with much more face time during the second season, while all hell crashes down around her brother. The character’s up for the challenge, deftly illustrating the difference between generations while dancing between tradition and modernity as she navigates being treated differently as a practicing Muslim than her brother.

Another valuable show inclusion occurs near the end of Season 2 with Dena and Ramy’s uncle, Naseem (Laith Nakli). This guy is everyone’s racist uncle. He’s truly abhorrent (and homophobic) and can often be found swinging his d*ck around in the gym’s weight section. He’s a womanizer who degrades and sexualizes every female, including his own niece, and he’s filled with frustration because he’s probably the most inauthentic person on the series. We learn a lot about Naseem (and his ilk) during his capsule episode, including how he became this way and why he’s such a danger to not only the Muslim community but the world at large. It’s a powerful display from the show on how it’s not only willing to highlight the positive examples within the community but the bad-PR bunch as well. And hopefully, we won’t see Ramy turn into this guy.

4. A Rare Deep Dive For The Muslim-American Experience:

The subject of a practicing Muslim family attempting to feel out life in New Jersey isn’t exactly something that’s been explored in popular culture (especially at this level of depth) until now. Despite all of Ramy’s departures from intent, the Muslim faith receives the utmost respect in this series while also showing its struggles. Take Ramy’s trip to Egypt, for example, when he was left aghast to be told that he was joyriding through other people’s trauma. And look at how he attempted to only seize upon practices (like rationalizing that he should have more than one wife) that are convenient to him. The show doesn’t shy away from illustrating exactly why American (and in Ramy’s case, Muslim-American) stereotypes of the community can hurt (a lot).

More than that, the experiences of the women in Ramy’s family aren’t shoved to the backburner. His mother, Maysa (Hiam Abbass), takes on a telling journey during her Lyft gig, which she insists upon doing to overcome her loneliness. She is, of course, hapless while attempting social skills on her rides, but she’s trying, which is more than what one can say for her son. And when she becomes a U.S. citizen, she tells a portrait of President Trump exactly what she thinks. Granted, I’m not sure that most people would want to be in the United States in 2020, if given the chance to be in, say, New Zealand or even Antarctica. Yet under ideal U.S. circumstances, it’s a fine place to be, and Ramy’s mom has made it known that she ain’t leaving.

5. Ramy Encourages Our Own Self-Examination:

As discussed above, Ramy presents us with an exceedingly flawed protagonist. The show doesn’t want to make him an example, and we not only see the beautiful aspects of his experiences but also the ridiculous ones. We watch him struggle to observe Ramadan, and we’ve seen him attempt to justify a porn addiction because it keeps him from having premarital sex (that doesn’t last long). And he’s exceedingly greedy (details would be a spoiler) this season in his love life. Yet Ramy is a mirror for the audience to gaze upon itself and consider the ways that we can become better. Maybe we don’t need to be perfect, but we all must learn how to coexist without hurting others.

That’s what it all comes down too, that Golden Rule. And as much as we’d like to admit, Ramy’s actions are rarely as far-fetched as viewers would like to imagine. He makes the wrong decisions, time and time again, not unlike characters from Always Sunny or Seinfeld, and with often more permanent and damaging consequences, but he is relatable. I want to believe that Ramy’s capable of living without causing collateral damage, which is something that should be a universal aspiration. And I’m looking forward to seeing if he improves (after all that naval-gazing) in a third season.

The second season of Hulu’s ‘Ramy’ is currently streaming.

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When WWE first put out their statement condemning racial injustice, in which they noticeably avoided the phrase “black lives matter,” a lot of us wondered what, if anything, they actually planned to do about it. That’s a queston that continues to linger after Stephanie McMahon’s recent appearance on The Female Quotient, a YouTube channel about women in business, in which she talked about the issue of race in the U.S. and WWE’s theoretical dedication to doing something about it, but didn’t offer much in the way of specifics.

As transcribed by 411Mania, Stephanie spoke about the importance of speaking out:

I do think sometimes there is fear in speaking out. And it’s not that there’s not fear. It’s not that we’re not afraid, but there’s so much fear, we all need to speak. And yes, sometimes we might misspeak, we might misstep, we might not all say exactly the right thing. But it’s important to have a voice. And Dr. King’s words ring so true to me: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

And I had the honor of being part of a fellowship, and it was actually — we were an experiment, which I didn’t know. We were the most diverse grouping of people that they had ever put together. And one of the readings that we read is ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ And in it, Dr. King talks about, you know, being a moderate. Being a white moderate in particular, but being a moderate. And that means not using your voice. And what this quote means and what’s funny is, internally I had some feedback because I actually posted this. And there was some strong reaction right away like, “No, we’re not supposed to be silent right now. You don’t want to post that.” And I’m like, “Guys, re-read the quote. It’s not about being silent, it’s about not being silent.” It’s about the worst thing that your enemy can say, what’s worse than that is your best friend not saying anything. Not doing anything.

Then she went on to add that speaking, while important, isn’t enough — you have have to do something. And WWE is doing something, she insists. Now’s not the time to say what, but something.

Well you know, it’s not enough to just put out a statement and say you’re going to do something. So we’ve actually been doing any number of things across multiple sectors. So from employees, we’re looking at different types of training and resources and platforms to really encourage our employees to speak, and to let them know that they are heard. And of course, any action items that come out of that. We’re also looking to partner with a few different organizations to really make sure that we’re able to amplify and use out platforms in the best way possible — education, I think to me at this moment, being primary. So we’re, you know, I’m not ready to make some kind of formal announcement yet, but we’re getting further down the pike in something I think will be very meaningful hopefully for our entire community. For the WWE community and larger than that. Because it is not enough to just say “Oh yeah, I take a stand.” You have to prove it. And that’s something that I believe in wholeheartedly.

I would say it will be enlightening to find out what WWE is working on that she’s not ready to announce yet. But I also remember how Stephanie McMahon promised in 2016 that LGBT characters were coming to WWE, and in the four years since they’ve declined to let Sonya Deville pursue a gay storyline, and have offered nothing more to LGBT viewers than a few lines of dialogue during a straight wedding angle that didn’t lead anywhere or please anyone. So Steph’s right — a statement with no action behind it isn’t enough. But time will tell if WWE will actually be doing anything more.

DaBaby and Roddy Ricch have the No. 1 song in the country right now with “Rockstar,” and they recently teased a new edition of the track. Earlier this month, DaBaby previewed a new verse addressing police brutality, a verse that appears on the new “BLM Remix” of the song that dropped today.

DaBaby raps on the track. “As a juvenile, police pulled their guns like they scared of me / And we’re used to how crackers treat us, now that’s the scary thing / Want anything we good at and we cherish it / Now we all fed up and n****s comin’ back for everything / Rockstars, n****, just watch the news, they burnin’ cop cars, n**** / Kill another n****, break the law, then call us outlaws, n**** / What happened? Want us to keep it peaceful.”

After the song reached the top of the charts last week, DaBaby offered a reflection on his origins, writing, “I came from nothing. Nah fr, I really came from nothing. I’m not perfect at all but look, I done been through it all, and still got PLENTY more to go through. If you willing to go through it with me, grab my hand let’s go. If not, F*CK YA. I wish you the best.”

Listen to the “BLM Remix” of “Rockstar” above.

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Netflix is giving cinephiles a real gift this week. That’s because Spike Lee’s Vietnam War thriller is finally making its way to the streaming platform. An all-star cast, a genre-bending story, and a director with a proven track-record for injecting exciting relevancy into forgotten history means that this is a film you’ll definitely want to add to your queue. And after you’ve done that, consider bingeing more Patriot Act from Daily Show vet, Hasan Minhaj. You’ll laugh, and you’ll learn some sh*t. Win, win.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix this week of June 12.

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix film streaming 6/12)

This Spike Lee streaming joint couldn’t come at a better time. Lee’s recruited a talented cast that includes Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman to shine a light on another little-known part of history with this story about a group of Black Vietnam war vets, who risked their lives for their country and weren’t rewarded for it. Boseman plays the squadron leader. His team returns to the country decades later to retrieve his remains, and find the buried gold they left behind. It’s part history lesson, part war-flick, part thriller and it does all genres well.

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: Volume 6 (Netflix original series streaming 6/7)

Speaking of good timing, Netflix is bringing us another volume of Hasan Minhaj’s informative talk show when we need it most. As host, Minhaj has perfected a formula that’s equal parts comedy and valuable information, and he’s only getting better this season as he takes on everything from police brutality to COVID-19 and the whitewashing of the legalized marijuana industry. Will you laugh over his beef with Nick Lachey? Yes, but you’ll also learn a hell of a lot about racism, social distancing, police training, and more.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 6/6
Queen of the South: Season 4

Avail. 6/7
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj: Volume 6 (Netflix Original)

Avail. 6/8
Before I Fall

Avail. 6/10
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 5
Lenox Hill (Netflix Documentary)
Middle Men
My Mister: Season 1
Reality Z (Netflix Original)

Avail. 6/11
Pose: Season 2

Avail. 6/12
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix Film)
Dating Around: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
F is for Family: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
Jo Koy: In His Elements (Netflix Comedy)
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: Season 2 (Netflix Family)
One Piece: Alabasta
One Piece: East Blue
One Piece: Enter Chopper at the Winter Island
One Piece: Entering into the Grand Line
Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Netflix Family)
The Search (Netflix Original)
The Woods (Netflix Original)

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 6/16
The Stanford Prison Experiment

There’s a bounty of just-released goods from Netflix today, including Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and a surprise comedy special from Dave Chappelle (it’s available on YouTube). In 8:46, named after the length of time white police officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on the neck of unarmed black man George Floyd, Chappelle riffs on police brutality, conservative pundits Candace Owens and Laura Ingraham, and CNN host Don Lemon calling out celebrities for “sitting in your mansions and doing nothing.”

“[Lemon] says, ‘Where are all these celebrities? Why are you not talking?’ This n*gger said, ‘Everybody.’ I was screaming at the TV, ‘I dare you to say me, n*gger, I dare you!’ Has anyone ever listened to me doing comedy? Have I not ever said anything about these things before? So now all of a sudden this n*gger expects me to step in front of the streets and talk over the work these people are doing as a celebrity,” Chappelle told the socially-distanced crowd in Beavercreek, Ohio, where 8:46 was filmed.

He continued, “Answer me: Do you want to see a celebrity right now? Do we give a f*ck what Ja Rule thinks? Does it matter about celebrity? No, this is the streets talking for themselves, they don’t need me right now. I kept my mouth shut. And I’ll still keep my mouth shut. But don’t think my silence is complicit… Why would anyone care what their favorite comedian thinks after they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds? I can’t get that number out of my head.”

Chappelle didn’t randomly pick Ja Rule — it’s a reference to one of his most famous jokes. In his 2004 special For What It’s Worth, the Chappelle’s Show star reminisced about the time MTV asked for the rapper’s thoughts on the September 11 attacks.

“I remember right around September 11, Ja Rule was on MTV. That’s what they said: ‘We got Ja Rule on the phone. Let’s see what Ja’s thoughts are on this tragedy.’ Who gives a f*ck what Ja Rule thinks at a time like this? This is ridiculous. I don’t want to dance. I’m scared to death. I want some answers that Ja Rule might not have right now. You think when bad sh*t happens to me, I’ll be in the crib like, Oh! My God, this is terrible. Could somebody please find Ja Rule? Get hold of this motherf*cker, so I can make sense of all this. Where is Ja? Help me Ja Rule!”

Ja Rule jokes hit even harder now.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Coachella had been canceled for 2020. That news didn’t come via festival organizers Goldenvoice, though. Instead, it was Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser who said the festival had been shut down. Now, Coachella has offered a statement, in which they confirm the cancelation and reveal when the 2021 installment will take place: On two weekends in April.

The message from Coachella begins, “Under the continuing health guidance of the County of Riverside, Coachella and Stagecoach 2020 will not take place this October as previously rescheduled. This is not the future that any of us hoped to confront, but our main focus remains the well-being of our fans, staff, artists, desert partners and everyone involved in the festival.”

It goes on to reveal the dates for next year’s festival, as well as the dates for Stagecoach 2020: “A year without Coachella and Stagecoach is hard for us to comprehend, but we have every intention of returning in 2021. As of now, Coachella weekend one will take place April 9-11, 2021 and weekend two will be April 16-18, 2021. Stagecoach is set for April 23-25, 2021. We look forward to sharing our new lineups and more information. We can’t wait to be together in the desert again when it is safe.”

Coachella’s message doesn’t address the reports that Coachella could be operating at a reduced capacity in April, so time will tell if that ends up being the case.