The Avatar sequels are some of the only film productions that have been able to continue filming during an out-of-control pandemic. Why? Because James Cameron and team are making them in New Zealand, which has been able to conquer COVID-19, twice, while other nations, like the U.S., couldn’t even do it once. In fact, Cameron announced the first sequel was done filming in late September, with the third film nearly completed. But we’re only now seeing one of its niftiest first-looks: one of its stars, Kate Winslet, underwater.
From Kate Winslet’s recent interview in @THR: “I had to learn how to free-dive to play that role in Avatar, and that was just incredible. My longest breath hold was seven minutes and 14 seconds, like crazy, crazy stuff.” pic.twitter.com/ZYAmZdNgHS
Granted, this is all pre-CGI, and presumably the sight of the Oscar-winning actress — whose seven total nominations include one for Cameron’s Titanic — in a full-body suit with minimalist breathing equipment will be rather enhanced in the finished film. (Hopefully that cape remains.) We also already knew that she was playing some sea creature — or as the character has previously been described, a “water person” — named Ronal, so this isn’t a total surprise. Even the quote attached to it in the tweet — “I had to learn how to free-dive to play that role in Avatar, and that was just incredible. My longest breath hold was seven minutes and 14 seconds, like crazy, crazy stuff” — is from a Hollywood Reporter profile from August.
Still, even a pre-CGI Winslet underwater, six-plus feet away from an also underwater cameraman, is pretty nifty. And it’s a reminder that Cameron is returning to his TheAbyss days, which he also shot in a massive water tank, forcing his actors to work while submerged. The tales from that shoot are infamous, and he wasn’t even filming during a pandemic.
Anyway, you’ll have to wait another two years, at least, to see “water person” Winslet in action. Even though the first two sequels are almost in the can, those special effects take some time to create. Avatar 2 is due in late 2022.
Election Day is a special occasion where Americans of all walks of life come together to collectively make important decisions about the country’s future. Although we do it together as a community, it’s usually a pretty formal affair.
People tend to stand quietly in line, clutching their voter guides. Politics can be a touchy subject, so most usually stand in line like they’re waiting to have their number called at the DMV.
However, a group of voters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania received a lot of love on social media on Sunday for bringing a newfound sense of joy to the voting process.
A whole mood! The joyful defiance of dancing in line at the polls in a “f*** 2020” Tshirt is what voting in 2020 lo… https://t.co/MMlocA5FbS
Videos circulating online showed groups of dancers doing the “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper while waiting to cast their ballots. While it looked like an impromptu display by bored voters making the best of the long line, it was actually the work of Nelini Stamp, 32, the director of the strategy for the Working Families Party and the campaign director for Election Defenders.
The nonpartisan coalition’s goal is to help voters stay “staying safe and healthy outside of polling places across the country and bringing them some joy.”
“Because voter suppression has been rampant for years, because there has been so much in the media and so much out there about white supremacists and militia intimidation tactics, we figured that this was a year to make sure that people felt motivated to go vote and not feel unsafe,” Stamp told BuzzFeed News.
“Especially in the middle of a global pandemic,” she added.
The coalition’s work also includes training thousands of people in de-escalation tactics to combat voter intimidation at the polls. Stamp believes that the joyous, calming effect music has on people helps with de-escalating a potentially stressful situation because it “centers the mood in something else.”
📷 IG | selenagomez: Please meet Nelini Stamp (@nelstamp). Nelini is the Director of Strategy for @Workingfamilies -… https://t.co/8cDAUY1zAZ
The viral cha-cha dance was courtesy of Joy to the Polls, a concert put on by the coalition to entertain voters waiting in line. The Resistance Revival Chorus, a group of women and nonbinary activists dressed in white, joined in the festivities by dancing alongside the voters in an adjacent parking lot.
The joyous moment showed that with an inspired community organization, even standing in a two-hour-long polling line can be fun. But it also calls attention to a larger problem in American democracy: long polling lines.
“That person should not have to have to wait in line for an hour,” Stamp said.
“However, we wanted to do something good for those people [standing in line],” she said. “And it felt really good that that person and those folks who saw — whether it was the Cha Cha Slide or the Wobble or people doing the Electric Slide, it at least brought them some joy and some relief in a process that wasn’t meant for us, especially Black and brown people.”
Studies show that voters in primarily Black neighborhoods wait for 29% longer than those in primarily white neighborhoods. They are also about 74% more likely to wait more than half an hour.
There will be fewer polling places in Philadelphia this year, compared to most. There are normally 830 open on election day, but this year there will only be 718. Some of this is due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the understanding that more people will be voting by mail.
This mirrors the reduction in polling places throughout the country. Over 21,000 polling places have been eliminated across the country this year. That’s a 20% drop compared to 2016. Vice attributes these closure to “a heavy shift to mail voting, coronavirus-related consolidations, cost-cutting measures, and voter suppression.”
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.
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.
The Oscar-winning animated film follows a young kid named Miles, who becomes the web-slinging hero of his reality, only to cross paths with other iterations of Spider-Man across different dimensions who help him defeat a threat posed to all realities. Mahershala Ali, John Mulaney, and Jake Johnson make up the film’s talented voice cast, but it’s the striking visuals and daring story-telling technique that really serves the film well.
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.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo star in this mystery crime thriller directed by David Fincher. The manhunt for the Zodiac killer — a criminal who committed several murders in the Bay area in the late ’60s and early ’70s — has spawned decades and garnered plenty of media attention, but the film dives deeper into the cost of the search, particularly the toll it’s taken on the men and women reporting on it. Gyllenhaal plays a newspaper cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the case, decoding ciphers sent by the killer and targeting a man he believes could be the Zodiac. Downey Jr. plays a crime reporter who partners with Gyllenhaal on the case and leaks information to the police. It’s a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse fueled by some gripping performances by its male leads.
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.
A stone-faced Ryan Gosling steers us through the criminal underworld created by director Nicolas Winding Refn in this high-speed thriller. Gosling plays a near-silent stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway man. When he gets involved with his next-door neighbor and her young son, his carefully cultivated life is thrown into chaos, forcing him to align with criminals and take on risky jobs to protect the pair and keep a firm grip on the wheel.
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.
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz star in this dark, absurdist comedy about a man searching for love under some very strange circumstances. Farrell plays David, a man whose wife recently left him. David is sent to a hotel where he’s told he must find a mate within 45 days or be turned into an animal. While there, David witnesses strange rituals and must follow strict rules in order to find love, but it’s not until he ventures into the woods, where the “loners” live, that he pairs up with a woman (Weisz) who may be his soulmate. It’s weird, eccentric, and the perfect Farrell-starring vehicle.
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.
After a stint in Hollywood, Alfonso Cuarón returned to Mexico for this story of two privileged high school boys (Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal) who road trip with an older woman (Maribel Verdú) in search of an unspoiled stretch of beach. In the process, they discover freedom like they’d never imagined — and maybe more freedom than they can handle. Cuarón’s stylish film plays out against the backdrop of Mexican political upheaval and plays with notions of upturning the established order on scales both large and small, all the while suggesting that no paradise lasts forever.
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.
It seems almost perverse to think about watching The Hateful Eight at home, given how big a deal Quentin Tarantino made of its 70mm format at the time of its release. And while it looks great on the big screen it’s not like that’s an option right now. And, in some ways, the film feels just at home on the small screen, since it’s at heart a chamber mystery that brings together a collection of unsavory characters (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh among them) as mystery and murder unfold in their ranks.
When a punk rock group accidentally witnesses the aftermath of a murder, they are forced to fight for their lives by the owner of a Nazi bar (Patrick Stewart) and his team. It’s an extremely brutal and violent story, much like the first two features from director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin and Murder Party), but this one is made even tenser by its claustrophobic cat-and-cornered-mouse nature. Once the impending danger kicks in, it doesn’t let up until the very end, driven heavily by Stewart playing against type as a harsh, unforgiving, calculating character.
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.
Kali Uchis returned with a surprise EP in April, hoping to hold fans over until she releases her next full-length project. The singer has yet to reveal the details around her upcoming project, but she’s already shared a couple of tracks, debuting her Rico Nasty collaboration “Aquí Yo Mando” alongside a cinematic video where the two pull off a series of mischievous stunts. Now she’s showing off her lustful side in the sensual video to “La Luz.”
Directed by Uchis herself, the video opens with the singer texting her crush about date plans. The two eventually link up and proceed to have a steamy night in the singer’s room. Collaborator Jhay Cortez appears on screen for his verse and gets a voyeuristic view of what’s going on behind his collaborator’s closed door.
Offering a bit of behind-the-scenes information about the shoot, Kali answered a few of her fans’ questions on Twitter, in which she said that she filmed the video in LA on a day so hot that someone on set passed out from heat exhaustion.
15hours! it was the hottest day in LA HISTORY 120° & the only air con broke someone actually passed out onset https://t.co/Hab3e69CEx
In our continuing quest to find you underhyped, excellent-value, very affordable bottles of whiskey, we looked to the experts for a little guidance. We asked 10 well-known bartenders to tell us their favorite underrated whiskeys in the $20 range. Some of their answers are classics but they definitely surfaced a few fun expressions that had fallen off our radar.
Best of all, they were honest — freely admitting that these picks are great for the price, but still unable to hang with top-shelf expressions.
Hell-Cat Maggie
Seth Falvo, bartender at The Hotel Zamora in St. Pete Beach, Florida
Everything about Hell-Cat Maggie – which sells for a very reasonable $18 per bottle — makes it a criminally underrated Irish whiskey.
For starters, it’s named after a legendary Five Points gangster who filed her teeth into fangs and wore brass claws into battle. If that, combined with the retro tattoo flash label on the bottle, doesn’t scream “awesome cheap whiskey,” I really don’t know what does.
Hellcat Maggie is deceptively smooth, pleasantly nutty and spicy, and mixes exceptionally well in cocktails. Much like its namesake, this whiskey packs a stronger punch than its weight class might suggest.
Old Crow has always been my standby for a budget bottle. It packs a punch on its own but can also work out in a last-minute old fashioned or another cocktail. Though, to be fair, these cocktails may be best for a camping trip rather than a dinner party.
Blake Jakes, director of beverage for The Kennedy Bar in Pensacola, Florida
Mellow Corn or Heaven Hill White Label. They are both fantastic — whiskeys where people would have no idea that they cost less than $15-20.
Mellow Corn is bonded, so it’s 100 proof. But man, is it still smooth. Heaven Hill clocks in at 80 proof, I believe. I’ve taken this to whiskey tastings and it’s been blind-picked as the favorite more than once.
Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis
Coming in at around $15 a bottle, J.W. Dant BIB is my pick in the “bang for your buck” BIB bourbons. One of the few rye’d bourbons finished with a touch more malted barley than rye grain. The nose is punchy — honey and corn and oak dominate. Up front, it’s a lot of caramel and cornbread, a touch of spice and sour tannin wave goodbye as it finishes.
A solid, low tier expression from a family with rich bourbon history — it’s rumored Dant’s first still was made from a hollowed tree stump. Enjoy it neat or in your hot toddy.
Josh Curtis, bar director at Carbon Beach Club in Malibu, California
Jim Beam White Label bourbon is underrated in its mixability. The corn is readily accessible among its flavors, which has a rustic quality that I like.
Patricia Verdesoto, head bartender Beaker & Gray in Miami
I’ve ended many a night with a shot of Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon. Call it nostalgia or routine, but it is my go-to for “bottom shelf” whiskey. After working in this industry for a while, you get to taste a myriad of different spirits at all different price points and believe me, the difference is obvious. However, with Heaven Hill, you really get a bang for your buck. The price point is very reasonable and during these uncertain times when we all have to pinch pennies, its good to know that you can get a bottle of good, clean-tasting whiskey for under $20.
My go-to cheap, underappreciated whiskey is Wild Turkey 81. Compared to other bottom shelf whiskeys, this one tastes a lot smoother and very close to a top-shelf.
Cristina Suarez, beverage manager at Kush Coconut Grove in Coconut Grove, Florida
Oh man, Four Roses Yellow Label. It’s cheap, but pretty good. I found it pretty easy to use for mixed cocktails and not horrible as a low budget sipper.
I recently changed my favorite cheap bourbon because the prior favorite raised its price. Now it’s Ancient Age, from Buffalo Trace. Same #2 mashbill as Blanton’s and Elmer T. Lee, but younger and cheaper.
The 2020 NBA Draft is still more than three weeks away but, with reports circulating that the league and its Board of Governors are angling toward a late December start for the 2020-21 campaign, the basketball calendar is building to a potential frenzy. While there are clear reasons to speed up the process, ranging from financial considerations to the “reset” of the league’s usual schedule, there is also potential downside. One potentially negative repercussion would involve teams that made deep runs in the 2020 postseason being forced into a (very) quick turnaround, and the world champion Los Angeles Lakers would fit that bill as much as any single franchise.
To that end, Lakers wing Danny Green joined Raja Bell and Logan Murdock of The Ringer to discuss the potential for a pre-Christmas return. Within the interview, he was fairly candid about the potential for veteran players, headlined by LeBron James, to miss the start of the new season, even if healthy.
Lakers guard Danny Green on the proposed Dec. 22 start to next season:
“If we start in December, I think most guys [are like] ‘I’m not going to be there… to have that quick of a restart, I wouldn’t expect [LeBron] to be there for the 1st month of the season.” pic.twitter.com/NYqNxzNEmZ
Though Green wasn’t necessarily speaking in absolutes, it absolutely makes sense that older players might not be thrilled about this kind of timeline. For a bit of perspective, the Lakers were grinding at the highest levels well into October and, with a proposed start date of Dec. 22, training camp would presumably have to open in early December. That means less than a two-month offseason and, given the rigors of the bubble environment, a shortened break might seem even more laborious.
The Lakers, as Green notes, are one of the older teams in the league, and that certainly matters in this discussion. Beyond that, teams like the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks have been on the sidelines since March, and they might not object to the new calendar with such vigor. Still, the potential for a draft on Nov. 18, a speedy free agent period and training camp before a Dec. 22 start could be seen as overzealous for players, and the potential for veterans on playoff squads, including stars like LeBron James, to sit out the beginning of the campaign is certainly worth noting and something the league will have to take into consideration.
Ah, the awkward joy of school picture day. Most of us had to endure the unnatural positioning, the bright light shining in our face, and the oddly ethereal backgrounds that mark the annual ritual. Some of us even have painfully humorous memories to go along with our photos.
While entertaining school picture day stories are common, one mom’s tale of her daughter’s not-picture-perfect school photo is winning people’s hearts for a funny—but also inspiring—reason.
Jenny Albers of A Beautifully Burdened Life shared a photo of her daughter on her Facebook page, which shows her looking just off camera with a very serious look on her face. No smile. Not even a twinkle in her eye. Her teacher was apologetic and reassured Albers that she could retake the photo, but Albers took one look and said no way.
Albers wrote:
“Her teacher held the oversized envelope tightly against her chest. She grimaced and said “I’m sorry” upon handing me the packet containing my daughter’s first-ever school pictures.
“Retakes are next month,” she continued. Her tone was a warning that disappointment awaited.
“They’re that bad, huh?” I responded, before lifting the flap to peek inside the envelope.
The teacher gave me a half-nod and said, “we tried.”
I assumed my daughter’s eyes were closed or her hair had streaks of finger paint in it. Heck, maybe there was even a booger dangling from her nose. I mean, you can’t really expect toddlers to stay clean and tidy for more than a fraction of a second.
“Geez, her teacher seems really concerned,” I thought, and wondered how a school picture could possibly be THAT awful.
I reluctantly slid one of the photos halfway out of the envelope and whatever concern there had been immediately dissolved.
I laughed. Hard. My heart was overflowing with all the best things at the sight of this image.
“Oh, we won’t be needing retakes,” I said.
Because this is my daughter. The real her. Eyes open and unamused by whatever nonsense was taking place in front of her.
I imagine she was facing a photographer who was trying to coax her into a feigned smile by waving around a floppy stuffed dog, or making bad jokes, or acting like a total goofball in an attempt to gain her favor.
But really, it was probably the baby talk that caused this expression on her face. Because this child has always met baby talk with utter disdain.
Whatever it was, she will not be made a fool of. Such behavior is beneath her.
She saves her smiles for things that speak to her soul. And there are A LOT of them. Just not school picture day thinly veiled under the façade of fun.
She doesn’t do phony.
And that’s okay with me.
I just pray she stays that way.”
Now that is a fabulous school picture story.
Some kids are just born with an “I don’t do b.s.” vibe, and when you meet them, it’s both refreshing and unnerving. We expect children to be simple and easy to manipulate and eager to please, but they are as diverse as the rest of us, and they are who they are. Hearing about Albers’ daughter saving her smiles “for things that speak to her soul” and “school picture day thinly veiled under the facade of fun” not being one of them, and then seeing this photo go along with that description, it’s so clear that this kiddo is beyond her years in at least one way. Her face shows what most of us would be thinking if someone tried to talk baby talk to make us smile. But to see that face on a little kid is so funny.
Keep on being you, little miss. And well done, Mama, for celebrating your daughter being comfortable in her own personality and not changing herself to please the random guy with a toy dog and a camera.
Last week, Gorillaz released their project Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez, which boasted collaborations with artists from Slowthai to Elton John. They’re already working on the next installation in the series, but that’s not all they have on the horizon. Vocalist Damon Albarn revealed that the group has already begun working on a scripted and animated feature-length Gorillaz film.
Speaking to Bryce Segall on Radio.com’s New Arrivals show, Albarn offered a few details about the upcoming project:
“Well, we are supposed to be making a film while we’re doing season two [of ‘Song Machine’]. We signed contracts, we’ve begun scripts and stuff. Making an animated film that’s kind of abstract is quite a big risk for a movie studio because they’re very expensive. If you’re telling a slightly obtuse, weird story that only sometimes makes any sense, it’s quite difficult. That’s what we’ve discovered. But we will do it, we are doing it. I see a lot of people doing animated videos these days but I don’t think they really touch the quality of ours. We’re more in the world of Studio Ghibli.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Albarn reflected on how Gorillaz came to be. The singer said he and designer/animator Jamie Hewlett were watching MTV one night and were disappointed with the programming they saw. So the two penned a manifesto that laid the groundwork for what Gorillaz would eventually become. “It was a late night manifesto, and neither of us could really remember what was on it,” Albarn said. “We can’t find the document. We speculate from time to time.”
New Arrivals with Bryce Segall airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT. Listen to it here.
Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez is out now via Parlophone. Get it here.
Gorillaz are a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Like basically everyone in the world these days, even the ultra-wealthy are (mostly) stuck at home. Apparently that’s helped escalate a very interesting battle between wealthy neighbors in Laguna Beach. The tiff started over a million-dollar sculpture, but now it’s mushroomed into a psychological battle that includes the Gilligan’s Island theme.
The Los Angeles Times has the story — and important photos for context — of “bond king” Bill Gross, his former pro tennis player wife Amy Schwartz, and their tussle with tech entrepreneur Mark Towfiq and his wife over a 22-foot-long blue glass sculpture by notable material artist Dale Chihuly.
Apparently the two couples have long been in a not-so-quiet war over property, and something damaged the statue to the point where the bond king installed a very tall net that blocked Towfiq’s view.
Gross and Schwartz in a lawsuit say more than $50,000 damage, “apparently” caused by a thrown rock, is evidence of an “escalating campaign of vandalism”; Towfiq and his wife say it was probably damaged by something falling on it.
Redacted emails released to The Times by the city of Laguna Beach indicated someone associated with Gross and Schwartz told a code enforcement officer the netting was temporary and needed to protect the sculpture from “trees and mother nature,” and that a palm frond caused $100,000 in damage.
There are a lot of fascinating details to the story, such as Schwartz and Gross’s deep love of the statue and some background on both parties’ business history and wealth. According to The Los Angeles Times, the fight over the statue has turned ugly, to the tune of using the Gilligan’s Island theme song as a noise weapon.
The neighbor’s lawsuit accuses the billionaire and his partner of playing blaring music at all hours, including the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song, rap and pop, in an effort to force him to drop the complaint. The couple say they have had to take refuge twice with either relatives or in a hotel room. In an application for a temporary restraining order filed Oct. 15, which was granted, Towfiq cites a text message allegedly sent to him by Gross after he asked the music to be turned down: “Peace on all fronts or well [sic] just have nightly concerts big boy.”
First of all, it needs to be said that this is an incredible use of the phrase “big boy,” even if there are some grammatical errors in the text. As the Times pointed out, both sides have issued lawsuits involving various other complaints against each other, and so, as often is the case in battles between two very wealthy parties, there are no real good guys here. But the Gilligan’s Island theme usage is a very funny, and certainly inspired, quirk in a battle that started over a piece of artwork.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s most notorious character is back with Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which is still funny, even if racism in America isn’t nearly as shocking in 2020. The film’s full title, of course, is the characteristically overwrought Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which the “victims” become the performers, and Borat’s “daughter” is along for the satirical ride. The film probably entertained millions of home viewers over the weekend, and of course, Rudy Giuliani isn’t a fan, but guess who’s come around? The Kazakhstan tourism board.
Through a series of four videos, it would appear that the country’s new tourism ad slogan is “Kazakhstan. Very nice!” It’s certainly an unanticipated turn of events, given that the Borat character has always received a mixed reception, since not everyone’s thrilled with the joke. Of course, it’s also understandable that not everyone in the country would be pleased that an anti-Semitic and frequently gaudy character from Kazakhstan could be construed as a representative, no matter how satirical. Times have changed.
According to the New York Times, Kairat Sadvakassov, the Kazakhstan tourism board deputy chairman, feels that Borat 2 could actually help his country during our pandemic times. “In Covid times, when tourism spending is on hold, it was good to see the country mentioned in the media,” he said. “Not in the nicest way, but it’s good to be out there. We would love to work with Cohen, or maybe even have him film here.”
Sadvakassov admitted that he did, however, feel slightly wary when the first Borat 2 trailer surfaced: “It was like, ‘Oh, again?’” At first, the tourism board was good with simply ignoring Borat’s return and “to let it die its natural death and not respond.” Such a shrug of the shoulders already would have been quite the turn of events after the authoritarian Kazakh government banned the first movie, but an intervention happened. A former U.S. exchange student, Dennis Keen, who now lives in Kazakhstan and hosts a state-television channel travel show, dug in and pitched the travel videos to the tourism board and received a yes. Then Keen and his friend, Yermek Utemissov, produced the videos on a pro bono basis, but they do look very professional. Well, as professional as one can look while cracking urine jokes.
Congrats to Sacha Baron Cohen for at least having fewer enemies as a result of this sequel. There are already enough angry parties for him to dodge.
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someone actually passed out onset 
