Category: Worldwide

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

10. Shotgun Wedding (Amazon Prime)

Well, what do we have here? Let’s start at the top. Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Lopez are having a, you guessed, destination wedding and, you guessed it again, things do not go exactly as planned. Armed bad guys show up. People are taken hostage. At one point, if the trailer is to be believed, Jennifer Coolidge picks up an automatic weapon and leads a resistance. That’s… it’s certainly something! More movies should let Jennifer Coolidge play an armed wedding attendee. We have always said this.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

9. The Banshees of Inisherin (HBO Max)

In Bruges hive assemble for this reteaming of writer/director Martin McDonagh and stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. More sparse, but no less brilliant in its well-chosen dialogue than the 2008 crime comedy classic, Banshees Of Inisherin is a beautifully told tale of loneliness, the hazards of both bluntness and naivete, and what happens when a friendship crashes into the rocky shores. Set on an island near Ireland 100 years ago, the film is a slow burn in every sense of the term with tough love, hard feelings, and severed digits scattered all over the place. Things never do stay the same for as long as you need them to, do they? What a gutting treasure of a movie.

Watch it on HBO Max

8. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Plus)

That loud whooshing sound you heard this summer could have been one of two things: the sound of jet engines blasting out of movie theaters around the country or the sound of massive crowds rushing into and out of those same theaters to hear those jet engines in Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel to the original movie — released over 35 years later, which is kind of wild — picks up right where the first left off, in spirit if not chronology, with Tom Cruise and a bunch of new hotshot pilots (Miles Teller and Glen Powell leading the way) taking back to the skies and talking trash and sometimes riding motorcycles. It is a lot of fun and better than it has any right to be and one of the first real-deal, must-see movie theater movies we’ve had in a while. It was nice to get one of those again. Let’s do it again in another 35 years when Tom Cruise is… uh, 95 years old. He’ll probably still be up for it. You will, too. Don’t lie. Watch it on Paramount Plus.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

7. Sick (Peacock)

A group of friends decides to hunker down during the COVID-19 lockdown together at nice little lake house and… wait a second. This sounds like the plot of a horror movie. Which makes sense because… it is the plot of a horror movie. This horror movie. The Blumhouse team is at it again, with a slasher on the loose and a deadly virus in the air and about four other things to be terrified of. Maybe there’s a monster in the lake, too. Who knows? Only one way to find out…

Watch it on Peacock

6. Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix)

Pamela Anderson gets the full documentary treatment from Netflix. Which makes sense. Very few people have defined an entire era of sex appeal and beauty standards — for better or worse — than the Baywatch star did in the 1990s. This look at her life covers, well, all of that, as well as the infamous sex tape and various rock star marriages and her activism for animal rights. It’s kind of a lot, really, which also makes sense. The woman has lived a big life, in a bunch of ways, and now she’s telling the story in her own words.

Watch it on Netflix

5. The Pez Outlaw (Netflix)

We all have our little preoccupations and collections. Baseball cards, Funko Pops, creepy victorian dolls with their watchful eyes and secrets. Pez Outlaw is about, you guessed it, collecting pez dispensers, those cheap plastic candy dispensers of yore. But it’s also about making cold hard cash, the lengths one will go to feed their habit for pez and profits, black markets, and international intrigue. So pop back the head of this doc and bite out the sweet treat of infotainment with this hyper-stylized doc.

Watch it on Netflix

4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc with a whole new cast of potential murdermakers to relish. Dave Bautista as a scantily clad social media sensation is only one of the ensemble highlights, and the endless buffet of cameos can not be stopped, nor do the story’s twists feel gratuitous or implausible. Instead, the film dances through mischief and swings bigger and better with a series of bewitching wrinkles and knots that will make you forgive the runtime. In fact, you’ll barely notice the passage of time because this film is fun and cerebral and makes perfect sense when all is revealed. Also, one of the greatest TV murder detectives in history makes a (bittersweet) cameo, for crying out loud. Netflix really should have run with a longer theatrical window, but at least it’s streaming for you now.

Watch it on Netflix

3. You People (Netflix)

Black-ish creator Kenya Barris makes his directorial debut in this movie that appears to star too many funny people. We’ve got Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill (who plays one half of a couple completed by Lauren London) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sam Jay to bring laughs. Also look for a hefty dose of Nia Long and David Duchovny, who plays a dad (bye bye, Fox Mulder and Hank Moody, who was a different kind of dad). The subject matter happens to be romance and cultural clashes, but fortunately, yes, there are many funny people here.

Watch it on Netflix

2. Tár (Peacock)

Tár is a performance piece for Cate Blanchett, which is great because Cate Blanchett always deserves a place to do stuff like that. Here, she plays composer Lydia Tár, a kind of mad genius who is a few days away from a huge symphony performance and dealing with everything around her falling apart. It’s a psychological roller coaster and can be a heavy lift but if you want to see Cate Blanchett give it the full Cate Blanchett, buddy, Tár is the movie for you.

Watch it on Peacock

1. The Menu (HBO Max)

A horror-comedy set on an island where a fancy young couple has traveled to dine at a world-class restaurant led by a world-class chef who may have other things in store for them beyond your standard filets and Caesar salads. It’s… weird. But also surprisingly fun. Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult are out there — apologies for this awful pun but it had to be done — making a meal of it all. In a good way. Definitely in a better way than their characters do. It’s a good time. Just maybe don’t start it before dinner.

Watch it on HBO Max

Music fans love Spotify, as they’ve made it the most-used music streaming platform in the world. Artists, though, often have mixed feelings about it, mostly due to the platform’s often-criticized payment rates. Now, Drake has come up with an idea to inspire other artists on the streaming front.

In an Instagram Story posted last night (February 1), Drake shared a news story about being the first artist to pass 75 billion streams on the platform. He also wrote, “We should get bonuses like athletes to motivate the future artists to be consistent and competitive…so feel free to send me a Lebron sized cheque I have enough dinner plates [crying laughing emoji] [heart emoji] @spotify.”

That’s certainly an idea. While Drake would certainly benefit from an arrangement like that since he’s one of the platform’s most successful artists, it’s hard to envision a world where rolling out a system like what he described wouldn’t lead to backlash from smaller artists, sitting on the sidelines as they watch the rich get richer.

Indeed, Spotify has helped make Drake rich: In 2021, it was estimated that Drake had earned over $52 million in Spotify royalties thanks to 21.5 billion streams. Given that he has many more plays than that now, he’s likely earned much more than that estimate.

For years, James Cameron has shot down theories that Jack could’ve survived at the end of Titanic had Rose just let him on the door that she was using a raft. In fact, Cameron touted back in December that he had done a “scientific test” that would arrive in February and put the matter to rest.

“We took two stunt people who were the same body mass of Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water and we tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was, there was no way they both could have survived,” Cameron told The Toronto Sun. “Only one could survive.”

Well, that test has arrived in the form of the NatGeo special, Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron, and it appears that the Avatar director may have oversold the results. After running a few simulations, Cameron learned that Jack could’ve survived on the raft with Rose and held off hypothermia until help arrived hours later. Via Rolling Stone:

“Final verdict: Jack might have lived,” confesses a smirking Cameron, “but there’s a lot of variables.”

“In a well-lit experiment in a test pool, we can’t possibly simulate the terror, the adrenaline, all the things that would have worked against them,” he continues. “[Jack] didn’t get to run a bunch of different experiments to see what worked the best. Jack’s survival might have come at the cost of her life.”

He adds, “Based on what I know today, I would have made the raft smaller so there’s no doubt.”

You can watch a preview of the NatGeo special that airs February 5 below:

(Via Rolling Stone)

Yesterday, Ozzy Osbourne devastated many fans with the announcement of his retirement from touring. “This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans,” he began, explaining that his “body is still physically weak” after he damaged his spine.

In a new interview with Billboard, the rock star discussed his new album Patient Number 9, which had many features from artists like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Josh Homme, and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins who tragically passed last year. “He died literally a week or two after he worked on my album,” Osbourne said when asked about Hawkins.

When asked if the Black Sabbath frontman has a favorite memory with Hawkins, he answered, “He kept saying to me, ‘I work for Dave Grohl, I work for Dave Grohl.’ I went, ‘Yeah?’ ‘I play drums for Dave Grohl.’ I say, ‘Yeah?’ ‘I mean, he’s my boss.’ ‘Oh yeah, yeah,’ I said. I don’t know if he was joking or what.”

Upon the death of Hawkins, Osbourne took to Twitter to share a tribute: “@TaylorHawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side – Ozzy.”

Watch the interview above.

A startling number of professional athletes face financial hardships after they retire. The big reason is that even though they make a lot of money, the average sports career is relatively short: 3.3 years in the NFL; 4.6 years in the NBA; and 5.6 years in MLB. During that time, athletes often dole out money to friends and family members who helped them along the way and can fall victim to living lavish, unsustainable lifestyles.

After the athlete retires they are likely to earn a lot less money, and if they don’t adjust their spending, they’re in for some serious trouble.

In a candid interview with NFL Hall of Famer and TV personality Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco (legally Chad Johnson) revealed that he saved 80 to 83% of the $48 million he made in the NFL by faking his lavish lifestyle because it made no sense to him.

The former Cincinnati Bengal, New England Patriot and Miami Dolphin was known for being a diva on the field but was financially conservative when he took off his jersey. He wore fake jewelry from Claire’s and prefers to fly coach instead of private.

u201c.@ochocinco saved 83% of his salary by flying Spirit & wearing fake jewelryu201d

— shannon sharpe (@shannon sharpe)
1675126258

“I ain’t flying private. Put me on Spirit,” Ochocinco told Sharpe. “Exit row, window seat, that’s all I need. As long as I get from point A to point B. I don’t need private.”

Ochocinco didn’t need to project an image because his reputation spoke for itself. “If you can get to a point in your career where your name becomes bigger than anything you can purchase, there’s your value,” he said. “My name itself, Ochocinco, at one point, was bigger. We talk about watches and jewelry and chains—never bought real anything while I was playing. What was the point? I went to Claire’s.”

The former NFL wide receiver doesn’t need a fancy watch when it’s free to ask someone the time.

“Why am I buying a $50,000 watch? An $80,000 watch? What time is it real quick?” Ochocinco asked Sharpe. “How much that cost me? Time is free,” Ochocinco said.

He admitted that spending all your time and money trying to impress people is a losing game that doesn’t get anyone anywhere. “People aren’t going to listen because we are caught up in looking a certain way, living a certain way, trying to appease others who don’t really care nothing about you, just to say ‘Oh, I got it.'”

He admitted that he gives his kids whatever they need and lets them splurge some but wants them to understand the importance of living within their means.

“I allow the kids to enjoy, but I need them to understand there’s gonna come a time you’re gonna have to get off that payroll, but for right now, I will always be there for them,” he told Sharpe. “No matter what they want. Long as you don’t try to live a lifestyle that you know you can’t afford.”

Even though Ochocinco was a multimillion-dollar athlete and one of the biggest names in sports, his message pertains to just about everyone. People should spend their time, energy and money creating a reputation for themselves rather than wasting their resources trying to impress people.

Fancy cars, jewelry and friends who like you for your money won’t be around for long. But your name lasts forever.

Having a baby is not an easy feat no matter which way they come out. The pregnant person is either laboring for hours and then pushing for what feels like even more hours, or they’re getting cut from hip to hip to bring about their bundle of joy. (Unless you’re one of those lucky—or rather not-so-lucky—folks who get to labor for hours only to still end up in surgery.)

Giving birth is hard and healing afterward can feel dang near impossible, especially given that most states in the U.S. only offer six weeks of maternity leave and it’s typically unpaid. But did you know that not everyone has that experience?

A mom who had her first child in the U.S. before meeting her current husband and relocating to Germany is shedding light on postpartum care in her new country. The stark contrast is beyond shocking to women living in the U.S. and she’s got a few considering crossing the ocean for a better quality of life.

Aly, whose TikTok username is @usa.mom.in.germany, took to the platform to explain the resources provided to postpartum moms provided completely free. “Daily in-home visits with a nurse-midwife to check on me and the baby, up to three years parental leave while my job is protected, mental health therapy appointments every other week,” Aly recounted.

Wow. Just those few things are beyond impressive, especially given that they’re free, but she wasn’t done. The list seemed neverending and people who live in the U.S. had some feelings about it.

“Every video you make gets me closer to actually moving to Germany,” one woman said.

Another wrote, “Why did this make me sob. It feels like I was robbed of the early years living with my babies in the US.”

“Sobbing as I’m currently pregnant with my second, and I need a break to love my kids the way they deserve,” one mom shared.

Honestly, I relate. My third child spent the first six months of his life in an airplane hangar because I had to return to work, still swollen from my c-section, and my husband was out of paternity leave. We had to work opposite shifts to make it work and the hour overlap meant my son got to watch F-15s take off wearing noise-canceling earphones much too big for his tiny baby head. Not the ideal situation, but who knew there was another way?

Germany, apparently. They seem to have some things figured out over there. See for yourself below:

@usa.mom.in.germany

Postpartum Resources as a U.S. American 🇺🇸 in Germany 🇩🇪 In the wake of the news of Lindsay Clancy, it becomes overwhelmingly obvious how many of these resources are unavailable in the USA. We need so much more for postpartum mothers. #livingingermany #germanyvsusa #postpartum #lindsayclansy

Tipping culture is rapidly changing in America, so understandably a lot of people aren’t sure what to do when they buy a coffee and the debit card reader asks for a tip. It used to be that people only tipped bartenders, drivers, servers and hairdressers.

Now people are being asked to tip just about any time they encounter a point-of-sale system. There is a big difference between tipping a server who lugged around hot plates of food for an hour-long meal and someone who simply handed you an ice cream cone.

“We’re living in an era of inflation, but on top of that, we’ve got tipping everywhere—tipflation. I take it a step further and call it a tipping invasion. Because that’s really what I think it is,” etiquette expert Thomas Farley (aka Mister Manners) told CBS 8.

A lot of people are tipping just because they are uncomfortable saying no to the person hovering over them at the counter.

“What is happening is what I like to call the ‘guilt tip.’ So we know about a guilt trip. This is the guilt tip. Where because you know you’ve got to flip that screen around ultimately at the person waiting and who’s going to see how much you tipped,” Farley added. “Not to mention the three people standing in line behind you are going to see what you tipped.”

Things have really come to a head now that Starbucks has gone from a place with a tip jar to adding a gratuity option to its point-of-sale system.

Fitness influencer Meghan Elinor, a former server, went viral on TikTok for posting a video where she emphatically said we shouldn’t be tipping for a cup of coffee. The video has racked up over 1.3 million views and fanned the flames of the debate about tipping culture.

WARNING: Video contains strong language.

@meghanelinor

“No ma’am, we are not tipping at the Starbucks drive-thru,” Elinor says in the video. “That s*** is hard—being a server, being a busser, being a runner—like, that s*** is real difficult, so yes, I will 100% tip you 20, 30, 40 percent every single day of the week,” she claims. “But Starbucks workers, listen, I love y’all, I do, but I’m not going to f***ing tip you when all you’re doing is taking a cup and handing it to somebody outside the window.”

Elinor’s aggressive tipping refusal struck some people on TikTok as being anti-worker.

“U do u but imma keep tipping them bc i know they deal with some of the WORST customers and they deserve their tips,” Caprist wrote.

“You tip a bartender to make a drink what’s the difference with coffee?” Jessica Downie added.

“It’s so cute that you think all we do is pick up a cup and hand it to you,” Laura wrote.

Many current and former Starbucks workers added that the tip isn’t just for the person who hands you the coffee. “You don’t have to tip but to inform you the tip goes out to everyone that worked that day not solely the person at the window,” Lyssa wrote.

The tip request is also a double-edged sword because some people tip because they believe the staff is underpaid. But the tip jar also lets management off the hook for lower wages. “I used to work at Starbucks, all the tips are added up then divided among all the workers, they use the tips so they can pay the workers less,” user3391398860792 wrote.

The tipping debate is difficult, especially for well-meaning people who want those with service jobs to be well taken care of but also don’t want to be overcharged for a cup of coffee.

In the end, people should make economic decisions without feeling coerced, so the decision to tip or not should be a simple one. In situations where tips aren’t essential to the workers, such as getting a cup of coffee, give them one if you feel it’s deserved but never because you feel guilty.

While a catchy hook might make a song go viral, very few songs create such a unifying impact that they achieve timeless resonance. Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is one of those songs.

So much courage and raw honesty is packed into the lyrics, only to be elevated by Chapman’s signature androgynous and soulful voice. Imagine being in the crowd and seeing her as a relatively unknown talent and hearing that song for the first time. Would you instantly recognize that you were witnessing a pivotal moment in musical history?

For concert goers at Wembley Stadium in the late 80s, this was the scenario.

The year was 1988. Seventy-two thousand people gathered—along with 600 million more watching along on their televisions—to see headliner Stevie Wonder as part of Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday tribute concert.

However, technical difficulties (or perhaps some divine timing) rendered Wonder unable to perform his act. Chapman had already played a three-song set earlier in the afternoon, and yet she agreed to step up to the microphone.

Armed with nothing but herself and a guitar, the shy and stoic Chapman captivated everyone to silence. And the rest is history.

Watch:

Using just a simple story, “Fast Car” conveyed a million different themes—the challenges of class and poverty, seeking escape from a small town and yearning for freedom and new opportunity. It’s easy to see why some find the song heartbreaking, while others find it hopeful.

After the Mandela gig, the song became a worldwide hit, earning Chapman Grammy awards and shooting her to stardom. What’s more, she introduced a new wave of socially-conscious music filled with gentle, yet brutally truthful introspection. Since that fateful day, her name is forever synonymous with a quiet revolution. We are quite lucky to get to experience it so many years later.

Life is full of precious and magical moments, from watching a baby take its first steps, to saying “I do,” to witnessing an artist transcend in a way we’ve never experienced. These moments touch something deep inside us and etch themselves in our memories, enabling us to draw on their joy for years to come.

That’s one of the coolest things about joy. Some might think of it as a fleeting feeling, but it’s always there within us, ready to rise to the surface when it gets tickled.

Bringing out people’s joy is one of the things we love doing at Upworthy, which is why we curate these collections of smile-worthy finds each week.

In this week’s roundup, we’ve got some adorable kids and inspiring grown-ups, some delightful dancers and sassy public servants, and even a cute quokka thrown in for funsies. Enjoy!

1. Wee one discovers his ability to walk and his reaction is priceless.

@alissa_and_b

It’s the #pterodactyl noises for me! 😍😍😍 #babytok #babysfirststeps #lgbtqfam

His little roar, followed by that precious smile? It doesn’t get any cuter.

2. Iraqi-Irish wedding musical mashup has everyone dancing with joy.

See on Instagram

Cultures coming together, especially in the context of love and family, is such a beautiful thing. Read the full story here.

3. Oliver James has taught himself to read in his 30s with the help of BookTok and he’s an inspiration.

@oliverspeaks1

Learning and reading books has literally saved my life. How do you feel about books what has reading done for you.? #books #bookshelf #readingbooks📚 #booktok

In this video, James explains how much anxiety it used to give him to go shopping, not being able to read. Now he has a goal to read 100 books this year, and book lovers on TikTok are helping him out. Read more about James’ journey to literacy here.

4. A couple asked their grandmothers to be flower girls at their wedding and look how gorgeous they were.

What a wonderful idea. Let’s make this a thing.

5. 13-year-old ventriloquist wows with her impressive and hilarious rendition of ‘You Don’t Own Me.”

Ana-Maria Mărgean was the winner of “Romania’s Got Talent” and is now competing in “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars.” What’s amazing is that she just started learning ventriloquism during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Read the full story here.

6. Whoever runs the National Park Service Twitter account deserves a raise.

See on Instagram

Swipe through to see the follow-up tweets. The whole account is full of delightful silliness, and we are here for it.

7. Dad gets emotional while singing to his NICU baby who raises his tiny little hand.

@fritojohnson89

Remington Hayze Johnson. Proof that God is faithful. Born 4 months early and given a 21% chance of survival. Today we are 2 1/2 months old giving God all the praise He deserves. #worship #nicu #nicubaby #dadsinging #elevationworship

Having a baby in the NICU can be exhausting and worrisome. What a special moment for this family. Read the full story here.

8. Little girl hears a sax in the subway and feels the music in her soul.

See on Instagram

Children are so pure and the way they react to music is always fun to see. What a wonderful exchange and testament to the power of live musicians.

9. She brushed her bald dad’s ‘hair’ and her cackle is too adorable.

See on Instagram

Gotta love it when a kid goes all in on their own joke. She’s just cracking herself up.

10. May we all be as happy and content as this quokka enjoying a beet.

u201cQuokka eating beetroot.. ud83dude0au201d

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1675022909

Quokkas always look like they’re smiling anyway, but there’s no mistaking the joy in this one’s snack time. (Also, I want a quokka. Does anyone know where I can get a quokka?)

Hope that gave you a little serotonin boost! Come back next week for another collection of delights. (And if you’d like to have posts like these delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.)

The most-watched movie trailer to premiere during last year’s Super Bowl was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This year, Marvel will hope to replicate the success of the Doctor Strange sequel with multiple spots for upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe features. New trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5) have been confirmed by Deadline to premiere during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, while there’s rumblings of a teaser for The Marvels (July 28), as well. Disney also ponied up expensive ($7 million for 30 seconds!) teasers for The Little Mermaid (May 26), Pixar’s Elemental (June 16), and “possibly” Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30).

If a Marvel movie ends up not being the biggest trailer to premiere during Super Bowl LVII, that’s because Fast X — starring Vin Diesel and Jesus Momoa — will have the honor. Another Universal film, the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear (February 24), is also anticipated to have “a 15-second pre-game spot,” while Warner Bros. is bringing “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” The Flash (June 16).

Paramount is expected to have a big night, with teasers for Scream VI (March 10), Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (March 31) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9), but sadly no Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14). Deadline also notes “it wouldn’t be a surprise” if Creed III (March 3) or John Wick: Chapter 4 (March 24) had a presence during the game, although neither is confirmed. Kick anyone who talks or even coughs during the John Wick trailer out of the party.

Could we get a Barbie trailer? Maybe — but that would overshadow the game itself.

(Via Deadline)