An annual tradition to start every NBA season is Charles Barkley going on Inside the NBA on TNT and illustrating how little he paid attention to the offseason player shuffle with a game of “Who He Play For?” On Tuesday night’s show, Barkley went 0-5 after missing on players like the Lakers’ Alfonzo McKinnie and the Bulls’ Garrett Temple, which was admittedly entertaining.
However later in the show, Ernie Johnson was plugging a new addition to the show’s social media strategy for the new season, which allows fans of Inside to play “Who He Play For?” on Instagram and compete with Chuck, when Barkley started feeling himself and boasted that he could surely beat “the public.”
Those are strong words from a man who had just literally gotten zero of the questions right minutes beforehand, but of course it’s Barkley, so he’s going to be cocky. The response from Johnson, though, was the punchline to the whole encounter:
Way to say what we’re all thinking, EJ! The game is fun and all, but at a certain point, you’ve gotta question how Barkley gets away with not knowing some of these guys. It’s not like Temple is a deep cut by any means, he was just playing in the Bubble and was a key figure in the players’ union during negotiations this year. Not that Barkley needs to know every Bulls eighth man, but most of these guys are in NBA rotations right now. They may very well be on TNT’s airwaves before long.
Johnson said what we were all thinking and Barkley, in a rare moment, was speechless.
Four years ago, The Weeknd said that he would not make music about politics. But after a full year of tragic global events, the singer can’t help but center his upcoming music around some of 2020’s unfortunate-yet-memorable moments. After his album After Hours was snubbed by the Grammys, the singer is already starting to work on his next LP — and it’s inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests, the pandemic, and the tensions in the U.S. election.
The Weeknd opened up about his next album’s plans in an upcoming 100-page zine for Tmrw. In his interview, the singer offered some insight into his musical inspirations:
“I have been more inspired and creative during the pandemic than I might normally be while on the road…The pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the tensions of the election have mostly created a sense of gratitude for what I have and closeness with the people near me.”
Elsewhere in the piece, The Weeknd added that he thinks After Hours is a way of culminating his decade in the music industry. “I was laser focused back then and I’m laser focused right now,” he said. “This has been the story of my 20s. I feel like I spent the last 10 years creating a sound and most of my career I’ve either been running away from it or duplicating it. After Hours was the perfect piece of art for me to show my tenure in the industry.”
His discussions about infusing politics into his music marks a drastic shift just a few years earlier in his career. Back in 2016, the singer opened up about his support for the Black Lives Matter protests, saying that he donated a large sum of money but wasn’t ready for his music to reflect his political views. “I wish I could make music about politics,” he said in a 2016 interview with V Man Magazine. “I feel like it’s such an art and a talent that I admire tremendously, but when I step into the studio I step out of the real world, and it’s therapeutic. It’s an escape, but recently it’s been very hard to ignore, and it’s also been very distracting. Maybe you’ll hear it in my voice, but it is not my forté.”
Just a day after outspoken radio host Charlamagne Tha God issued a confusing commentary on Drake’s superstar status, his latest episode of the Brilliant Idiots podcast is stirring things up thanks to his unfavorable comparison of J. Cole to Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
While the three artists are widely acknowledged as the top triumvirate of hip-hop, Charlamagne parsed their standing even further in the episode, declaring J. Cole to be an inferior artist to the other two. “You would have to put Drake and Kendrick [Lamar] in the ‘greatest of all time’ combo, right?” he theorizes. “When you play in that era, when you come out in that class with GOATs of that caliber, and even [J.] Cole. Cole got rings but– I don’t put him on the level of Drake and Kendrick. I don’t even put Drake on the level of Kendrick. Skill-wise. Cole is dope. Cole is amazing. I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s a hall of fame all-star. All I’m saying is it’s a difference between what a Kendrick does and what everybody else does to me.”
He does try to ease the sting of his assessment by accepting “Some people may say that about Drake, some people may have Drake the way I have Kendrick and say everybody else is after him,” but continues his Basketball Hall of Fame metaphor. “My point with saying that is those two guys are such GOATs that they make everybody else look almost normal. Charles Barkley looks normal to a Michael Jordan.”
Skating over the fact that Charles Barkley does not have any rings, as Chrlamagne notes Cole does, it’s a surprisingly well-reasoned point from the host, even if his final conclusion is debatable. J. Cole fans might feel a way — actually, they already do, almost constantly — but the subjective nature of art makes it impossible to truly compare the three talent-wise. Drake has the most Hot 100 hits of the three — in fact, he has more than anyone as of this summer — but K. Dot’s got a Pulitzer Prize while is the king of the “platinum with no features” club. Numbers don’t lie, but fans will continue to find ways to make the facts fit their fight, so while Charlamagne might be wrong or right, it all depends on which artist you’re rooting for.
Never one to shy away from a pop culture moment that lets him embrace his inner nerd in the process, Jack Black has put his own spin on the now iconic music from The Mandalorian for a new TikTok video. While this latest musical joint doesn’t feature Black dancing in a Speedo to “WAP,” it does have the Tenacious D frontman busting out a rockin’ rendition of Mando’s theme while slapping on a Boba Fett helmet, and Star Wars fans are loving it.
You can see Black’s take on The Mandalorian theme below:
Black’s video arrives on the heel of another viral, musical moment from the hit bounty-hunting series. On Christmas Day, Robert Rodriguez dropped a behind-the-scenes video where he jams out on a guitar with Baby Yoda. Considering the little guy is a massive pop culture juggernaut in a tiny package, the video of Grogu bopping and grooving to Rodriguez’s guitar work quickly dominated Twitter.
As for the epic Mandalorian theme, that would be the work of composer Ludwig Göransson, who had the daunting task of creating a new Star Wars sound that could go toe-to-toe with the classic sound created by John Williams. Considering Göransson scored an Emmy for his work, and the theme is popping up left and right in viral videos like Black’s, we’d say he nailed it thanks to a unique blend of baroque recorder solos, drums, and a full-on sympathy that seamlessly mashed together the spaghetti Western and sci-fi genres.
Alex Trebek’s final episodes as the host of Jeopardy! will air the week of January 4, 2021, with his final episode coming on January 8, exactly two months after he died from pancreatic cancer. Those five episodes (which were originally scheduled to air around Christmas until being pushed back) were taped over the course of two days in October, and as executive producer Mike Richards told EW, “You’ll watch them and you’ll go, ‘This guy’s as healthy as could be. This is not a sick person at all.’ He had that much willpower.” Richards also shared a powerful story about Trebek’s last day in the studio.
“On the second day of taping, what would end up being his final taping and the final time he was in the studio, I went to [his] door and said, ‘Hey, that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.’ And he did not like to be complimented. That was kind of staring down the mouth of a great white when you’d do that, because he really didn’t like that,” Richards said. But he felt compelled to compliment an “exhausted” Trebek, who “goes, ‘Thank you.’ He knew what he had done and appreciated the fact that we all knew what he had done. So those last two days are very special, and I’ll never forget them.”
Until next week, please enjoy Alex Trebek’s visit to Sesame Street.
Earlier this month, Twitter shared a blog post outlining the most liked and retweeted tweets of 2020, but it doesn’t quite tell the whole story, as the gravity of BTS’ impact on the platform wasn’t done justice.
Of the year’s top ten most-liked tweets, two of them were from @BTS_twt, making it the only account with multiple entries in the top ten (based on data from Wikipedia last updated on December 26). Both tweets have about 3.1 million likes, and one is of V getting his hair done, while the other is of Jungkook covering Lauv’s “Never Not.” Other accounts with some of the year’s top tweets include Chadwick Boseman (the announcement of his death), Barack Obama (honoring Kobe Bryant), and Andy Milonakis (making a joke about astronauts leaving Earth at a good time).
BTS’ dominance becomes more apparent as you work your way down the list of 2020’s top tweets: Of the 29 most-liked posts, a whopping 18 of them are from BTS (aka nearly two thirds). Meanwhile, as Twitter noted in their post, the second-most retweeted tweet of the year is Jungkook’s “Never Not” cover, while the Boseman announcement is first. These accolades, by the way, mostly apply to the all-time list of most popular tweets as well, since a 2017 tweet from Obama is the only pre-2020 tweet in the top 30.
Find the full list of this year’s top ten most-liked tweets below.
What a year 2020 has been, and not in a good way at all. Dogs make everything better, though, and that’s why the above clip gets my vote for viral video of the year (yes, even above seeing black goo ooze out of Rudy Giuliani). Who wouldn’t be thrilled to see this pup sprint onto a soccer field, mid-match, while brandishing a cleat, looking all cute, and hoping to receive applause for his own performance?
Even the players in this Bolivian match were charmed. According to Reuters, the “incident” (which, let’s face it, is a word that does not accurately or fairly capture the overwhelmingly positive feel of what happened here) shut down the match for three minutes, but no one seemed upset about the inconvenience. Nope, this very good canine received belly rubs for shaking up what was eventually a victory for The Strongest 3-0 over Nacional de Potosi.
There appears to be no followup on who the pup belonged to or how he entered the field, but hopefully, it got some treats (after a Nacional player scooped him off and carted the dog off the field and another player gave it an affectionate rub on the noggin) and was reunited with its lucky humans. What a sweet boy and the winner of everything.
Yesterday, Billie Eilish took some time to share some photos and videos as requested by fans on Instagram, responding to prompts with some clips from her life. Some people didn’t like one of her posts, though, and she lost about 100,000 followers after sharing some nude drawings she made. For reference, 100,000 followers amounted to just 0.14 percent of her then-total of 73 million at the time (and she has recovered nicely, as she’s currently up to 73.1 million just a day later).
Anyway, she had some other fun things to share as well, like a hilarious video from after she had her wisdom teeth removed in 2017. In the newly-shared clips, a loopy Eilish sits in the car and responds with incredulity to her family’s requests to not mess with the gauze in her mouth. She then adopts a happily defeated look as she realizes she’s being filmed. Eilish later sticks her tongue out and wags it around as her family scolds her for putting her fingers in her mouth.
Eilish previously shared some other videos from the same day. In the clips, she talks to the camera, feels her numb mouth, fools around with her gauze, and has trouble walking.
New Year’s Eve may not be as big of a public, out-and-about bash this year, but there will certainly still be some partying to ring in 2021. Cardi B plans on having herself a good time, but good times, especially when alcohol is involved, can lead to less fun later on. Cardi decided to reach out to the people of Twitter for advice about preventing or treating hangovers, and she drew such a response that one of the most popular answers became a trending topic on Twitter.
What do you guys recommend for hangovers? I’m trying to see double on New Year’s Eve but I want to be good In the am
Late last night, Cardi tweeted, “What do you guys recommend for hangovers? I’m trying to see double on New Year’s Eve but I want to be good In the am.” Tons of people responded singing the praises of Pedialyte, the drink marketed to help prevent dehydration in children that has often been cited as a hangover cure for adults. As one tweeter summed up, “The pedialyte pivot from ‘my kid has diarrhea I don’t want them to dehydrate’ to ‘F*ck I got wasted last night I’m so hungover’ is something to behold.”
Pedialyte is currently trending because Cardi B asked for recommendations to cope with hangovers. pic.twitter.com/WmXtTuQe0p
The pedialyte pivot from ‘my kid has diarrhea I don’t want them to dehydrate” to “Fuck I got wasted last night I’m so hungover” is something to behold.
Drink Pedialyte and pop a couple Vitamin C’s BEFORE you start drinking. Then just make sure you drink water between drinks/shots. @iamcardib
Ramen noodles with protein, & veggies, sesame seed oil and Sriracha to kill sour stomach, BC Powder, Ginger Ale and water for hangovers https://t.co/bubELbrSA4
Eat well all day (carbs will help), have food breaks in between drinking (not snacks, actual meals), pedialyte/water for hydration. https://t.co/OZmaTNB0AV
Having some Pedialyte after drinking may actually be helpful for curbing dehydration, but it’s not a hangover cure-all. Healthline notes, “If you have a hangover, Pedialyte may indeed help with things like dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and low blood sugar. However, it can’t help with other factors like sleep disruption and stomach upset.” Furthermore, Healthalso says, “Pedialyte helps cure dehydration — but despite popular belief, dehydration is only one culprit behind your raging hangover headache and queasy stomach. […] Still, it can’t hurt to at least address that dehydration. And, turns out, drinking Pedialyte may actually help.” Meanwhile, in December 2018, Pedialyte manufacturer Abbott introduced Pedialyte Sparkling Rush, an adult-aimed packet of electrolyte-filled drink powder that was perceived as being intended to help with hangovers.
Pedialyte wasn’t the only response Cardi drew, as other people recommended things like burgers, bananas, pickles, greasy foods, carbs, and more.
Chug water before drinking and right before bed. Eat a bacon cheese burger with a large coke when u wake up at 3pm. pic.twitter.com/ZXlF64wZ7k
Even though the streaming wars are heating up and every studio/network seems to be building their own platform, Netflix still has, arguably, the best movie library of them all. They’re getting better at categorizing them too, but when you have a film library that big, it’s hard to make sure all of the worthwhile titles get seen. That’s where we come in. Let this must-watch list be your guide to the overcrowded streaming landscape and an end to the mindless scrolling through Netflix’s movie catalog. There’s something for everyone here and it’s all good.
The Indiana Jones franchise has been housed on Amazon Prime for a while now, but it’s finally making its way to Netflix with the streaming platform hosting all four feature films. Of course, nothing beats the original, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as far as travel and adventure go, this movie has everything you could possibly want. A hero with a love for archeology and whips? Check. An adventure to recover a stolen artifact with destructive powers? Check check. Harrison Ford beating up Nazis while uttering sarcastic one-liners and with a twinkle in his eye? Did movies even exist before this?
Jack Nicholson stars in this dark drama about a criminal who cops an insanity plea to avoid jail time and finds more than he bargained for at his court-ordered psych facility. Nicholson plays McMurphy, a delinquent who hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in a cushy mental hospital. His plans are thwarted by a strict, manipulative nurse in charge of the facility against whom McMurphy actively rebels. He recruits his fellow patients in his plot to cause chaos at the facility, liberating some, dooming others, and ensuring he meets his own tragic fate. The film has been hailed as one of the best of all time, and it’s certainly one of Nicholson’s best performances — both reasons enough to watch.
The theme song. The dinosaurs. And Jeff Goldblum. Just a few reasons why this sci-fi flick kicks-ass decades after it hit theaters. Steven Spielberg’s adventure epic imagines a different kind of amusement park, one where dinosaurs are the main attraction. Of course, before opening to the public, the billionaire investor of said park invites archeologists and scientists to evaluate how safe it is — for the cloned creatures and future human guests. The answer: not very. There’s a reason this film spawned a hugely successful franchise. In terms of world-building, it just doesn’t get any better.
Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this gritty, Oscar-winning drama from Paul Thomas Anderson playing a turn-of-the-century prospector, who risks his faith and his family for oil. Daniel Plainview is a shrewd, callous businessman who adopts the orphaned son of a dead employee to make himself look more appealing to investors. When he hits oil in California, he wages a war with a local preacher and his family who stand in the way of Daniel’s progress. Violence and yes, plenty of blood, follow.
Martin Scorsese delivers another cinematic triumph, this time for Netflix and with the help of some familiar faces. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino team up (again) for this crime drama based on actual events. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran a World War II vet who finds work as a hitman for the mob. Pacino plays notorious Teamster Jimmy Hoffa, a man who frequently found himself on the wrong side of the law and the criminals he worked with. The film charts the pair’s partnership over the years while injecting some historical milestones for context. It’s heavy and impressively cast and everything you’d expect a Scorsese passion-project to be.
Before FX gave us some spectacular follow-up formatted for TV, the Coen brothers introduced us to the cold, weirdly-accented world of murder and cover-up in Fargo, a thriller continues to stand the test of time. The premise is probably familiar by now: a criminal mastermind’s plan goes awry thanks to the ineptitude and bungling of his henchman and the persistence of a dogged policewoman (the unfairly-talented Frances McDormand). Still, it’s worth a rewatch.
Oscar-winning writer/director Alfonso Cuaron delivers what may be his most personal film to date. The stunningly-shot black-and-white film is an ode to Cuaron’s childhood and a love letter to the women who raised him. Following the journey of a domestic worker in Mexico City named Cleo, the movie interweaves tales of personal tragedy and triumph amidst a backdrop of political upheaval and unrest.
Casino Royale marks Daniel Craig’s first James Bond entry, but he plays the suave MI6 agent like he’s been doing it for decades. The film gives fans of the spy franchise a soft reset, as we’re introduced to the new Bond when he sets off on his first mission as 007. Bond’s tasked with catching a private banker funding terrorist operations by beating him in a high-stakes game of poker in Montenegro, and he’s joined by Vesper Lynd (a terrific Eva Green), an MI6 accountant with a secret that threatens to derail the mission and may cost Bond his life.
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, and Cybill Shepherd star in this Martin Scorsese crime thriller about a veteran with mental health issues who works a night job, driving a taxi around New York City. De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a Vietnam war vet who moonlights as a cap driver to cope with his insomnia. During a long shift, he contemplates assassinating a politician to help out the woman he’s fallen in love with (Shepherd) and killing a pimp after befriending an underage prostitute (Foster). It’s a wild ride, full of darkly comedic moments, and an even more harrowing looks at the consequences of war.
Public scandal often makes for good drama, but that’s not why Todd McCarthy’s biographical re-telling of one of the most shocking cases of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church makes this list. Yes, the film has a famous list of names attached, including Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Keaton. Yes, it’s a true story about a group of Boston Globe investigative journalists, who uncovered decades-worth of corruption and molestation accusations buried by leaders of the church. Yet with McCarthy’s restrained direction, the film rejects the trope of glorifying its heroes and sensationalizing its narrative to instead give us an accurate, detailed, and unbiased look at history.
Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy war epic focuses on a young girl named Ofelia, who grows up during a time of political unrest in her native Spain after a brutal Civil War ravages the country. Ofelia escapes the horrors committed by her stepfather when she accepts a challenge from a magical fairy, who believes her to be the reincarnation of Moanna, the princess of the underworld. If she completes three tasks, she’ll achieve immortality. The film is a play on folklore and fables from Del Toro’s youth, but there’s an undercurrent based in reality — the real cost of war — that grounds this film and makes it even more compelling.
Another Quentin Tarantino classic, this violent visit back in time to America’s era of slavery carries major Western vibes and gives Lenoard DiCaprio a refreshing turn as the film’s big bad, a plantation owner named Calvin Candie. Tarantino favorite Christoph Waltz plays a German bounty hunter who teams up with Jamie Foxx’s Django, a former slave looking to free his wife (Kerry Washington) from Candie’s clutches. There’s a lot of gore and uncomfortable dialogue and over-the-top action, really, everything you’d expect, but DiCaprio, Waltz, and Foxx make it all worth it.
David Fincher directs a who’s-who for this biographical drama centering on screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz during the time he was crafting the script for Citizen Kane. Gary Oldman plays Mank, a singular kind of man engaging in emotional affairs with Hollywood actresses (played by Amanda Seyfried) and on-set feuds with directors like Orson Welles, and we watch as work on perhaps his greatest project slowly upends his personal life.
Dame Helen Mirren gives one of the best performances of her long career in this British biopic about the country’s most beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Michael Sheen and James Cromwell join as then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prince Philip respectively, but this is Mirren’s show and she carries it, delivering a nuanced turn as an embattled public figure struggling to revamp her image after a devastating tragedy.
Spike Jonze imagines a world in which Artificial Intelligence can become something more than just a personal assistant program. Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a depressed introvert going through a divorce who starts up a relationship with an OS named Samantha. Things get serious before Theodore begins to realize that romance with an A.I. is more complicated than he thought. What follows is a thoughtful exploration of love, relationships, and the ways human beings find connection in a plugged-in world.
It’s hard not to watch this Aaron Sorkin-penned, David Fincher-directed masterpiece and have your viewing experience colored by Facebook, and founder Mark Zuckerberg’s, many political misdealings. Jesse Eisenberg plays the boy genius, an outcast whose brainchild is the product of a bad breakup and sexism. He partners with Andrew Garfield’s business-minded Eduardo Saverin and the two create the famous social networking site before Zuckerberg outs his friend and alienates himself. The story isn’t new, but watching it play out is still thrilling, mostly because Eisenberg is just so damn good at being a dick.
John Singleton’s directorial debut is this dramatic masterpiece about life in the gang-ridden hood of Crenshaw and how one young man hopes to escape the endless cycle of violence that surrounds him. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Tre, a smart, capable kid who struggles to stay clear of gang wars and his criminal friends while working towards his dreams of college. His buddies — gang members, former inmates, track stars — all navigate the bloodshed on the streets of their hood with varying results but when a tragedy brings them together, Tre’s forced to make a choice between the life he wants and the one he’s stuck in.
Aaron Sorkin’s star-studded courtroom drama is finally here, and besides carrying some serious Oscar buzz, it’s also delivering a handful of ridiculously good performances from its impressive cast. That cast includes everyone from Succession’s Jeremy Strong to Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, and Watchmen breakout Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The film follows the true story of a group of anti-Vietnam war protesters charged with conspiracy counts and inciting riots during a demonstration at the 1968 Democratic Convention. We heard that Strong asked Sorkin to tear-gas him for this thing so, yeah, it should be an intense watch.
The early aughts action-comedy borrows elements from famous Kung Fu films of the ’70s and pairs them with a completely ridiculous plot and some impressive cartoon-style fight sequences to produce a wholly original flick that we guarantee you’ll marvel at. The film follows the exploits of two friends, Sing and Bone, who impersonate gang members in the hopes of joining a gang themselves and inadvertently strike up a gang war that nearly destroys the slums of the city. Of course, the real draw here is the absurdist, over-the-top comedy that takes place during some of the film’s biggest action sequences. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but only if you check your brain at the door.
It wasn’t over and it still isn’t over… our love for this sticky-sweet melodramatic romance from Nicholas Sparks that is. Netflix knows what the people want — a rain-soaked Ryan Gosling professing his undying love for Rachel McAdams — and the streaming platform is giving it to us. The movie is a staple of the romance drama, and, whether you love it or hate it, Gosling and McAdams have chemistry and talent that’s undeniable. Be warned though, as sweeping as this love story is, it’s also devastatingly heartbreaking, and there are more than a few scenes that require an abundance of tissues as a viewing companion.
Keira Knightley stars in this dramatic adaptation of a beloved Austen novel. Ask any British literature fan, and they’ll tell you the best interpretation of this story is either the ’90s mini-series (with Colin Firth) or this Joe Wright masterpiece. There’s no middle ground. Knightley plays Elizabeth Bennet, an independent, quick-witted young woman, who resents her mother’s schemes to find herself and her group of sisters’ husbands to advance their station in life. She also, ironically, ends up falling for a wealthy, aloof lord named Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfayden), and it’s their contentious, electric romance that fuels much of the action.
Edgar Wright’s 2010 action comedy about a hapless boy, who must defeat evil ex-boyfriends in order to win the hand of the girl he loves, is a fast-paced ride that bombards the senses. Michael Cera plays a loveable goof in the titular hero, a young man enamored with a woman named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to be with his lady love, Scott must fight her evil exes (six guys, one girl), who challenge him to truly strange contests. The film is a cinematic mash-up of Japanese anime and gamer culture, intended for the crowd who grew up on Nintendo and comic books, but it brings plenty of laughs all the same.
Greta Gerwig’s love letter to her hometown of Sacramento, California follows Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf as they navigate the often-frustrating relationship between mother and daughter. Ronan plays “Ladybird,” a young woman attending Catholic school who longs for the culture and change of scenery that New York City promises. Her mother, Metcalf, is overbearing and overprotective, and the family’s lack of money and social standing contributes to a rift between the two. Some hard truths are explored in this film, but watching Ronan manage teenage angst, first love, and everything in between will give you all kinds of nostalgia.
Charlie Kaufman’s latest film is based on a book of the same name and stars Chernobyl’s Jessie Buckley as a young woman meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time, which normally would be a happy event except she’s secretly been planning to break up the with the guy. That guy is Jesse Plemons, who seems to be in everything these days, and along with Toni Collette and David Thewlis who play his parents, they make for hellish dinner mates. There’s a sinister vibe permeating everything about this straightforward plot so if you think you know how this ends, let us be the first to tell you: You don’t have a clue.
Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight will always be remembered for winning the Academy Award for Best Picture after a mix-up that initially named La La Land as the winner. But that’s just an asterisk attached to a momentous coming-of-age story set over three eras in a young man’s life as he grows up in Miami, grappling with the sexuality he feels will make him even more of an outcast while searching for guidance that his drug-addicted mother (Naomie Harris) can’t provide. The film is both lyrical and moving and won justifiable acclaim for its talented cast, including a Best Supporting Actor award for Mahershala Ali as a sympathetic drug dealer.
Noah Baumbach’s star-studded divorce drama is pure Oscar bait, but in the best way. The film takes a look at messy breakups with Scarlett Johansson playing an actress and mother named Nicole, who is intent on separating from her stage director husband Charlie (Adam Driver). Laura Dern and Ray Liotta play their hard-hitting lawyers, who don’t help in diffusing the tension and resentment building between the pair when Nicole moves herself and their son across the country. It’s an intimate look at the emotional wreckage of a divorce and the struggle to put a family back together again, and it’s carried by some brilliant performances by Driver and Johansson.
This adventurous mindf*ck starring Adam Sandler finally landed on Netflix, and our only advice before watching this criminally-good romp is this: prepare yourself for a wild, over-the-top ride. Sandler gives one of his best performances, and the Safdie Brothers prove they’ve got a knack for crafting thrillers textured with grit and a realness that just can’t be beaten.
This time-hopping drama set in the backwoods of West Virginia is basically an excuse for director Antonio Campos to assemble his own Avengers-style squad of Hollywood A-listers. Seriously, everyone’s in this thing — Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, Eliza Scanlen, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Haley Bennett, that kid who played Dudley in the Harry Potter franchise. The whole gang’s living in shacks and picking up hitchhikers only to murder them later and speaking in tongues and falling victim to generational trauma. It’s a heavy watch, and there’s not really a happy ending, but boy does Pattinson deliver a batsh*t crazy turn as a perverted preacher.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this sci-fi romance about a couple reliving their romance following a painful break-up. The movie stars Winslet as the free-spirited Clementine, who decides to have her memories of a past relationship with beau Joel (Carrey) erased. Once Joel learns of this, he too decides to erase their time together, and the film is a reverse narrative of their love story, charting their break-up and all the things that led up to it. It’s a quirky romance, one that ends on a hopeful note and has just enough futuristic tech to feel worthy of the genre.
Before he scored his own MTV show, filmmaker Nev Schulman was exposing cons on the internet in this documentary, that basically introduces the term “catfish” to the cultural lexicon. The film captures Nev’s growing online-only friendship with a young woman and her family, exposing the secrets and lies they’re keeping along the way and reminding us all: you really can’t trust people.
This beautifully animated French fantasy film follows the story of a young man named Naoufel, or rather, his hand which has been severed from his body and spends most of the film escaping labs and trying to get back to its owner. The film flits between the past and present, watching Naoufel’s life unfold from a young orphan to an accidental carpenter’s apprentice — which is how he lost his appendage — all while exploring themes of love, loss, and destiny.
Any Spike Lee joint is worth a watch, but this genre-bending thriller about a group of black Vietnam War vets returning to the battlefield decades later feels especially timely. That’s because Lee manages to shed light on a little-known part of our shared history: the way our country treated Black soldiers returning from the war, but he also raises the stakes with a subplot that includes a buried treasure hunt and a heartwrenching mission to retrieve the remains of a fallen comrade. The cast, which includes Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman, is brilliant, the story is gripping, and you’ll probably be seeing more talk of it come awards season, so go ahead and watch it now.
This teen comedy officially put Emma Stone on the map, handing her the lead in a modern-day retelling of The Scarlet Letter — just without most of the Puritanical bullsh*t and witchcraft slander. Stone plays Olive, a fairly clean-cut student who sheds her good-girl image when she pretends to have sex with a friend at a party. She starts trading imaginary sex for clout (and gift cards) but her growing reputation begins to wreak havoc on her friendships and romantic life. Stone has enviable leading-lady status here and she’s supported by a terrific cast.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this truly bonkers crime thriller from Dan Gilroy about a con-man who muscles his way into L.A.’s crime journalism scene and very quickly becomes the star of his own reporting. Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is a petty thief who stumbles his way into the stringer profession — photojournalists who chase crime scenes to sell the footage to local TV stations. As Lou begins to record more exciting crimes, demand for his work grows and he starts staging scenes, obstructing police investigations, and inserting himself in high-speed chases to get the best shot. It’s a twisted, depressing look at the ethics of journalism and the consequences of consumerism, and Gyllenhaal has never been better.
Netflix spent much of 2017 trying to establish itself as an alternative to movie theaters as a place to find quality new films. The results were mostly strong, and none stronger than Mudbound, Dee Rees’ story of two families — one white and one black — sharing the same Mississippi land in the years before and after World War II. Rees combines stunning images, compelling storytelling, and the work of a fine cast (that includes Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, Garett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, and Mary J. Blige) to unspool a complex tale about the forces the connect black and white Americans and the slow-to-die injustices that keep them apart.
Matthew McConaughey’s Dallas Buyer Club is a searing look at how the world failed the LGBTQ community during the devastating AIDS crisis. McConaughey stars as Ron Woodruff, a man diagnosed with the disease in the 80s during a time when the illness was still misunderstood and highly stigmatized. Woodruff went against the FDA and the law to smuggle in drugs to help those suffering from the disease, establishing a “Dallas Buyers Club” and fighting in court to the right to aid those in need. The story is all the more powerful because it’s true and McConaughey delivers one of the best performances of his career as Woodruff, a man who changes his entire outlook on life after being dealt a tragic blow.
Chris Evans stars in this sci-fi thriller from auteur Bong Joon-ho. The film, set years into the future following a devastating ice age caused by mankind, follows Evans’ Curtis who lives in poverty on a train that continuously circles the Earth and contains all that remains of human life. Curtis is part of the “scum” that the people relegated to the back of the train while the “elite” enjoy the privilege of wealth and status that comes with living in the front. Curtis sparks a rebellion that ends in bloodshed and a devastating reveal when he makes it to the train’s engine room and discovers just how the elite have been fueling their operation. It’s a dark, grimy action piece that should give fans a new appreciation for Evans’ talent.
This documentary, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, is based on the unfinished manuscript, Remember this House, by James Baldwin. The author and civil rights activist recounts the history of racism in the United States through personal observations and his relationships with friends and leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a beautifully-shot, sobering reminder of how far we have yet to go when it comes to equality.
Writer/director Trey Edward Shults followed up his unnerving family portrait in 2015’s Krisha with a look at another family under the most desperate of circumstances. After an unknown illness has wiped out most of civilization, a number of threats — both seen and unseen — come for a family held up in their home out in the wilderness. It’s a subtle, dream-like tale that stars Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbot as two patriarchs intent on keeping their families safe, no matter the cost.
Michael Sheen and Frank Langella deliver award-winning performances in this biopic from director Ron Howard. The film covers the series of post-Watergate TV interviews Nixon (Langella) did with British talk-show host David Frost (Sheen) and how they served as a public trial of sorts for the world’s once most powerful man. Frost is the empathetic underdog here trying to score the story of his career while Langella plays Nixon with a cheeky, knowing authority that makes you glad you aren’t in Sheen’s shoes.
Salma Hayek turns in an inspired performance of the famed revolutionary artist Frida Kahlo in this early aughts biopic. Hayek plays the visionary in her later years, as she navigates a tense, passionate marriage with fellow artist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina) and works to define her voice amidst crippling health problems. There’s plenty of joy to be found in her triumphs, but Hayek is at her best when the film asks her to display her emotional range, focusing on Kahlo’s lowest moments to paint a full portrait of a woman who would one day make history.
Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte star in this Southern crime thriller about a convicted rapist who’s release from prison after serving a 14-year sentence and decides to use his newfound freedom to stalk the family of the lawyer who convicted him. Nolte plays Sam Bowden, a lawyer and family man who made sure his client Max Cady (De Niro) was convicted for his heinous crimes. Cady comes back with a vengeance, using his knowledge of the law, knowledge he gained while in prison, to hunt down those closest to Bowden in order to get revenge on his former attorney. De Niro plays a particularly nasty bad guy, but Nolte is more than up for the challenge here.
Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian crime thriller A Clockwork Orange most certainly is not a breezy watch. The film, based on the classic novel by Anthony Burgess, follows the charismatic, completely unhinged Alex (Malcolm McDowell), leader of a gang of criminals who enjoy inciting chaos and committing horrific crimes. When Alex is captured, the Minister of the Interior suggests experimenting on him using rehabilitation techniques that psychologically condition him to become averse to violence and sex. They work, for a time, and to disastrous consequences, but Kubrick’s real goal with this film was to dive into the idea of free will and morality.
Patricia Highsmith made her name with dark, misanthropic thrillers like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train. But her early work also included The Price of Salt, a novel about the relationship between a shopgirl and an older married woman. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett bring this doomed romance to life, playing a pair of lovers kept apart by societal conventions. Their heartbreaking romance ends as well as can be expected, but the journey definitely involves some tears.
Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce play off each other in this fictionalized comedy about two of the most powerful men in the Catholic Church. Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI near the end of his tenure as he struggles with the disillusionment of his role and his faith. Pryce plays Cardinal Bergoglio (who would later become Pope Francis) who’s also going through a crisis of faith and wishes to leave his post. What follows is two hours of two of the greatest actors paling around with each other, delivering some laughs as they get deep about the philosophical leanings of these two great men.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in this drama that’s equal parts rom-com and a harrowing look at mental illness. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, a former high school teacher who recently completed a stint at a mental institution. Things aren’t going well for Pat. He’s moved back in with his overbearing parents (a wickedly-funny Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver), his now ex-wife cheated on him, he doesn’t get along with his therapist, and he’s operating under the delusion that if he gets fit and gets his sh*t together, he can get his wife back. Lawrence plays Tiffany, a young woman with problems of her own. She’s depressed after the death of her husband and prefers sex with strangers to drown the pain. The two strike up a friendship that pushes both to their mental and emotional limits. It’s a messy, complicated love story, which makes for a nice change of pace if sappy-sweet rom-coms just aren’t doing it for you.
Carey Mulligan stars in this 1960s coming-of-age drama from screenwriter Nick Hornby. Mulligan plays Jenny, a bright, gifted young woman with plans to attend Oxford University after completing her studies. She meets and falls for an older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) who treats her to the finer things in life. Believing him to be a man of taste and means, her parents allow Jenny to travel with David, even become engaged to him before the truth about his past is revealed. As disappointing as the ending of this film is, it’s an interesting look at a young woman’s introduction to the world and to love.
Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun stars this psychological thriller from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong. Yeun plays Ben, a rich millennial with a mysterious job who connects with a woman named Shin Hae-mi on a trip to Africa. The two journey back home together where Ben meets Shin’s friend/lover Lee Jong-su. The three hang-out regularly, with Lee growing more jealous of Ben’s wealth and privilege while he’s forced to manage his father’s farm when his dad goes to prison. But it’s when Shin disappears, and Lee suspects Ben’s involvement, that things really go off the rails.
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams take on the planet’s most-watched singing competition with this campy comedy about an Icelandic duo named Fire Saga, who are set on achieving glory on the world’s biggest stage. Ferrell and McAdams play Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, artists chosen to represent their nation in the Eurovision Song Contest, a real competition that features musicians from all over the world, who are often performing in wild get-ups. Dan Stevens almost steals the show while Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato make appearances. We’re calling it now: “Volcano Man” is going to be a bop for the ages.
This coming-of-age indie is based on a beloved book, but if fans were worried that the story of a depressed teenager who finds friends and a sense of belonging in a group of lovable misfits wouldn’t translate on screen, they shouldn’t have been too concerned. Stephen Chbosky wrote the novel, but he also penned the screenplay and directed this flick, which sees Logan Lerman play Charlie, the social outcast, and Emma Watson play Sam, the alt-pixie-dream girl he falls for. Everyone’s good in this, but it’s Ezra Miller’s Patrick who really stands out.
Recent Changes Through December 2020:
Removed: The Lobster, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Hateful Eight
Added: Jurassic Park, Mank, A Clockwork Orange
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