Category: News

The first reviews for Wonder Woman 1984 are rolling in, and critics seem to be here for the latest outing from director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot. Thanks to the pandemic, the highly-anticipated sequel has seen its release shifted a few times before becoming the first Warner Bros. movie to break the seal on a simultaneous HBO Max and theatrical release, which would soon become the studio’s controversial strategy for its entire 2021 film slate. But now that it’s here critics seem to agree that Wonder Woman 1984 is a much-needed dose of escapism during a time when audiences need it the most (as of this writing, the reviews of the film are 89% positive, according to Rotten Tomatoes). The film is also being favorably compared to the ’80s classics of yesterday like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Richard Donner’s Superman.

But don’t take our word for it. Here’s a sampling of what the reviews are saying, and don’t worry, each excerpt is spoiler-free.

Mike Ryan, Uproxx:

Wonder Woman 1984 is like eating dessert. There’s really nothing here that’s particularly healthy or substantial – even for a superhero movie. There’s no secret green bean hidden under all the gooey, colorful, and brightly lit frosting. No, Wonder Woman 1984 is pure sugar. But here’s how I’m looking at it: Dammit, we all deserve dessert right now.

Brandon Davis, Comic Book:

Wonder Woman 1984 learns from the critiques of its excellent predecessor, delivering a much more contained finale by comparison to its extravagant and over-sized blow-out third act in the first movie. … The team delivers an exciting and inspirational new tale, with a surprising level of worldly commentary considering when it was shot, along with a much-needed message of hope.

Peter Dubrege, Variety:

Wonder Woman 1984 accomplishes what we look to Hollywood tentpoles to do: It whisks us away from our worries, erasing them with pure escapism. For those old enough to remember the ’80s, it’s like going home for Christmas and discovering a box full of childhood toys in your parents’ attic.

Nicholas Barber, BBC:

A funny, sweet-natured, brightly-coloured standalone adventure, it is so reminiscent of the likes of Raiders of The Lost Ark and Ghostbusters in its jokes, its plotting, its locations and its general atmosphere that it fills you with the same warm feelings that they did – one of those feelings being wonder.

Brian Truitt, USA Today:

Throw in a soaring Hans Zimmer score and together the two lovebirds [Gadot and Pine] give the film an exciting, earnest vibe that’s the closest recent DC superhero projects have come to Christopher Reeve’s original Superman.

Mary Sollosi, Entertainment Weekly:

Who better to swoop in and remind us of the thrill and possibility of movies, to offer us hope right here on the precipice of a much newer New Year than most, than Wonder Woman herself? That may sound like an unfair demand of a film that was finished before 2020 began, intended for a traditional release in a traditional year. But if any movie is up for the task of taking on more, this would be the one.

Wonder Woman 1984 hits theaters and HBO Max on December 25.

Giannis Antetokounmpo will be with the Milwaukee Bucks for the foreseeable future after putting pen to paper on his 5-year, $228 million supermax extension, with an opt-out for the fifth year. Giannis joins a short list of players that have signed the supermax deal and puts to rest the rumors that have swirled for a year-plus about his potential future outside of Milwaukee.

That incessant conversation on sports television, radio, and beyond has been frustrating for many fans who have grown tired of the constant discussion of a star player’s future, particularly those in small or non-glamorous markets who are so often projected to leave for the league’s flagship franchises. So, when SportsCenter called up Jay Williams for his thoughts on Giannis’ extension, Bucks fans found themselves rolling their eyes when the conversation turned to whether he can win a title in Milwaukee.

Williams responded with something that is very viable, which is for the next few years LeBron James and Anthony Davis stand in the way of anyone looking to win a championship, but his discussion of the Lakers depth took a decidedly shocking twist as he brought up second-year man Talen Horton-Tucker, who has been great this preseason but, again, it’s the preseason.

Again, the general premise here isn’t wrong. The Bucks won’t be favorites this year or, likely, any year until after they’ve won a championship already or made another big move, simply because the Lakers exist and have two of the league’s five best players. That said, when discussing why the Lakers are an impediment to anyone’s title dreams, I beg of you, the first name out of your mouth cannot be Talen Horton-Tucker, who seems to be a nice young player but figures to be maybe the 11th man off the bench in L.A. this year.

Annie Clark has kept busy with one endeavor or another since releasing her most recent St. Vincent album, 2017’s Masseduction. She has confirmed now, though, that a follow-up to that album is finally coming in 2021.

In a new interview with UK magazine Mojo (via r/indieheads on Reddit), Clark confirmed a new album currently planned for late spring or summer, saying:

“It’s locked and loaded, and I’m American so I will only use gun metaphors. [The album marks] a tectonic shift. I felt I had gone as far as I could possibly go with angularity. I was interested in going back to the music I’ve listened to more than any other — Stevie Wonder records from the early ’70s, Sly And The Family Stone. I studied at the feet of those masters.”

She also noted in the piece that she thinks her next tour is going to look different than he previous one, saying, “My last tour was a whole bunch of production and high-concept video and razzle-dazzle and I can’t go any further with that. I’m going to come down and just play. I don’t think high-gloss sheen is going to be that resonant with people because it will feel very much ‘let them eat cake.’”

St. Vincent re-confirmed the news on Twitter today, writing, “The rumors are true. New record ‘locked and loaded’ for 2021. Can’t wait for you to hear it.”

Elsewhere in the Mojo piece, Clark talked some about her upcoming film with Carrie Brownstein, so read the whole thing here.

The Jurassic World movies (and the Jurassic Park installments that came before them) can’t go wrong by continually returning to one core certainty. That is to say, much like Jeff Goldblum finding a way to unbutton his shirt and life finding a way, people will find a way to keep f*cking with nature. And nature will f*ck with them right back, which is why Netflix’s animated Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series put its collection of Isla Nublar campgoers in peril with a cliffhanger. As I wrote of the show’s first season, it’s a visual feast and thrill-ride for (almost) all ages, and Netflix has rallied with a second season that will arrive mere months later (in January).

Surprise, surprise. The trailer picks up with the kids awaiting rescue after the camp’s destruction when the dinos all escaped from their cages. The kids are dodging dinosaurs who are alternately doing their best Zoolander faces and trying to gobble up humans in their path, and it’s a disaster. Somehow, the kids realize that they’re not all by their lonesome, too. Has help arrived, or does the logline’s description of something that “not only threatens their rescue but may uncover something more sinister” give us a better clue? This series takes place at the same time as the first Jurassic World flick, so let’s hope that the “sinister” thing isn’t a pair of Bryce Dallas Howard’s old high heels.

Once again, the show’s arriving on Netflix with visuals that are courtesy of DreamWorks Animation (at the behest of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment). It’s a gorgeously rendered series, and Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall are all on board as executive producers. One certainly can’t complain about the swift TV pace here, given that franchise fans won’t see Jurassic World: Dominion in theaters until June 10, 2022.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 2 arrives on January 22, 2021

It’s been just about ten months since Kevin Parker released Tame Impala’s fourth studio album, The Slow Rush. The album took five years to complete and debuted alongside extensive touring plans, which were completely scrapped just a month after its release. To suffice, Parker has offered videos alongside several of his The Slow Rush tracks and brought the songs to a handful of late-night talk show performances. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, Parker has shared an animated video for his album’s fan-favorite “Breathe Deeper.”

The visual, directed by Butt Studio, reflects the song’s washed-out, disorienting sound with equally convoluted animation. It follows the perspective of a dragonfly escaping the jaws of a predator and embarking on a psychedelic journey across a swampy landscape.

Ahead of the video’s release, Parker opened up about his songwriting process on The Slow Rush, saying “Breathe Deeper” was actually inspired by walking around stoned in public. “I’ll do anything that gets me inspired, causes those lightning bolts,” he said. “And, with this album, I was doing things that made me uncomfortable just for the purpose of being creative. Because I’m the most creative when I’m uncomfortable. Like I hate being stoned in public. So I’ll get stoned and go to the shops.”

Watch the “Breathe Deeper” video above.

The Slow Rush is out now via Modular. Get it here.

In her first briefing with the media in 13 days, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany declined to acknowledge Joe Biden as the President-elect, despite even Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating Biden. She instead ranted about the “continuation of power,” and when asked for Trump’s thoughts on the Electoral College making the election result official on Monday, McEnany replied, “The president is still involved in ongoing litigation related to the election. Yesterday’s vote was one step in the constitutional process, so I will leave that to him and refer you to the campaign for more on that litigation.” As press secretary, she is part of the campaign, but alas.

The contentious briefing ended with McEnany calling out the mainstream media for not covering the Hunter Biden “scandal” more, if at all (probably because it’s a non-story). “Really interesting turn of events, and good for those who covered what was a story all along and not Russian disinformation,” she said, walking off the podium without fielding any more questions. But that didn’t stop CNN’s Jim Acosta from asking one more: “Isn’t it hypocritical of you to accuse others of disinformation when you spread it every day?”

A good question; an even better comeback. McEnany did not respond.

Acosta later offered a factcheck…

… and his tenacity was appreciated on social media.

(Via Mediaite)

It wouldn’t seem that Billie Eilish and Michael Bublé have a ton in common musically, aside from the fact that they’re both categorized under the broad umbrella term that is “pop.” However, Eilish has revealed that one of Bublé’s biggest hits was actually a driving force behind one of her recent singles.

In an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Eilish told the story of how Bublé’s 2009 song “Haven’t Met You Yet” was a primary inspiration behind “My Future,” saying:

“The idea came subconsciously from a video that I found of myself from when I was, I think, 13 or 14. My Snapchat was like, ‘Four years ago today…,’ and it was this video of me, I think at 14, and I was listening to ‘Just Haven’t Met You Yet’ by Michael Bublé. And that song, when I was that age, I used to listen to it night and day just because it made me hopeful. I was also really depressed at the time and sad all the time, and that song made me excited for the future. […] I sent [the video] to my friend and she was like, ‘True, that is sad, but at the same time, I love this video of you because it almost looks like you’re talking about your future self, like, ‘I just haven’t met you yet, and I’m excited to meet you.” And I was like, ‘That’s so cuuute.’ I didn’t even think about that until after I had written the chorus, but I knew that it was subconscious. I was totally thinking about that. It was so exactly what I was feeling and thinking and wanted to convey and wanted to say and wanted to be heard.”

Check out the interview clip below.

Michael Bublé is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In a similar move to Netflix, HBO Max has announced that it will stop streaming episodes of Chappelle’s Show following a personal request from Dave Chappelle. According to Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys, the show will be pulled from the service at the end of the year despite HBO Max having no legal obligation to remove the show or a current working relationship with the comedian. Via Variety:

“We had a conversation with Dave. I won’t get into it, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique and specific and emotional issue he’s got,” Bloys told Variety‘s executive editor of TV, Daniel Holloway. “So at the end of the year, at the end of this year, December 31st, we’re going to honor his request and take the show down.”

Considering HBO Max has been making aggressive moves to boost its content offering, the decision to pull the iconic sketch comedy series is surprising, but it also speaks to Chappelle’s power in the entertainment industry. The comedian is a huge draw for Netflix, which agreed to stop streaming Chappelle’s Show after the comedian approached them with his opinion that airing the show is like “fencing stolen goods.” Chappelle revealed the exchange with Netflix in a surprise stand-up clip posted to Instagram where he detailed his feelings on his old show being sold without his involvement.

“I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.” Chappelle said in the video. He went on to explain how Netflix did right by him when they simply could’ve kept streaming the show. “That’s why I f*ck with Netflix. Because they paid me my money, they do what they say they’re going to do, and they went above and beyond what you could expect from a businessman.”

(Via Variety)

Twitch streamer, TikTok star, and UPROXX Recon host SushiBAE’s mind is always thinking about new content. Whether he’s offering his own spin on the latest trends, stream sniping his favorite gamers, or digging through his closet for clothes to show off, he remains hyper-aware of how something is going to present on camera and translate to his growing audience.

“I tend to wear brighter stuff,” SushiBAE tells me over the phone. “It fits my personality. It’s like the sun, always bright and shiny.”

He also shares a preference for casual and comfortable clothing that looks good on camera but doesn’t get in the way of his restless drive to produce more meme-able content and build his audience. Though to call SushiBAE’s 4.5 million followers an “audience” is a disservice to how he views his fans. What SushiBAE is seeking to build is a community where he can express himself unabashedly.

“When I was having my tough times in school and people weren’t treating me the best,” SushiBAE says, “gaming was an escape. It helped me forget all the things that were happening in school, it put a smile on my face because I was doing things I love to do. But as I progressed and I was watching my gaming heroes I thought, ‘wow I really want to do this one day and I want to be a part of that scene.’”

Piece by piece, SushiBAE started working towards being a fixture in the very gaming scene he was escaping into.

“I slowly moved into it by buying one thing at a time,” he says. “The newest console, recording systems, figuring out how to do online gaming… It was a really slow but fun grind.”

SushiBAE worked tirelessly at making his dreams a reality until he was at a place where the stress and hard work were the last things on his mind and the thrill to create took over.

“I went through a lot of stress,” he says. “You’ll always have ups and downs where people love you and then hate you… If you really love something you put every ounce of sweat into it to make the dream come true. Now I’m at the point where it’s purely creative. I’m thinking about what can be funny, what can be awesome, what can be epic. That’s what’s on my mind before I make a video.”

While SushiBAE continues to grow his fanbase, he hasn’t lost sight of what brought him into the world of gaming in the first place, and he’s still pushing to create a community that is welcoming to everyone and above all else, fun. No matter how hard the grind to get there is.

“I love being part of the community, the trends are what get me excited to create. Whether I do the same trend or a spin on the trend… I love to see everyone’s reactions and what they think. What really gets me excited to create is making a positive impact, making people smile and laugh with me and at my content.”

At just 18 years old, Billie Eilish boasts a number of awards and several top-charting songs. But at the same time, she’s still a normal teen. Her upcoming Apple TV documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry will offer an inside look at her personal life and her rise to stardom.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler, the documentary premieres globally February 26, but the first trailer was released Tuesday. As seen in the preview, the documentary will give an intimate look Eilish’s extraordinary life as she tours the world and records her acclaimed debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Along with following her career, The World’s A Little Blurry will share some of the singer’s personal milestones, like getting her driver’s license and being gifted her dream car.

In other Eilish news, the singer recently revealed what her favorite song of the year was — and her choice was a bit unexpected. The singer named The Strokes’ song “At The Door” as her top pick and praised their The New Abnormal album as a whole. “I wish I could put this whole album [The New Abnormal] as my first choice,” she said. “It’s been my favorite album in many years. There is something about The Strokes, I don’t know what it is, man. I love ‘At The Door,’ I love the melodies, I love the lyrics, I love everything about it. The Strokes hit a nerve.”

Watch the Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry trailer above.