Kal Penn has done his time in both Hollywood (House and the Harold and Kumar trilogy) and Washington, D.C. (as part of the Obama administration), which has led to plenty of jokes about him moving from White Castle to the White House, and he’s about to combine his talents for the greater good. On National Voter Registration Day, Freeform will launch Kal Penn Approves This Message, a six-part topical series that’s geared toward younger voters (the Gen Z and Millennial crowds) and the issues that matter most to them. Each episode will drop on a Tuesday and will be available the following day on Hulu in all of its unscripted, spirited, and non-partisan glory.
Penn plans to explore wide-ranging topics, from voter empowerment to healthcare, judges, education, and the environment. He’ll do so through comedic field-pieces and interviews, and he was cool enough to speak with us about how much he admires the passion of young voters and how they give him hope for the future. I also couldn’t resist challenging him to beat Tom Cruise into space after I learned about his suggestion for a fourth Harold and Kumar installment, and Penn fielded that issue with grace.
Obviously, we’ve got pandemic complications with this year’s election. Do you think that will hinder the vote or motivate people?
Well, one of the things that I’ve noticed is that I can’t really remember a time when we had this much awareness about the process of voting. The pandemic has resulted in a lot of discussion — about mail and early voting that exists in so many places, absentee ballots, and obviously voting the day-of. We can get younger people to be poll workers, since older people traditionally do it, and they may be less likely to do it because of their heightened risk of COVID. So if there was ever a silver lining, of our awareness on the different ways to vote and how, it’s now. That’s my take on our crazy world.
As a general rule during a regular year, though, why do you feel that so few people vote in the U.S.?
Well, that’s something that we’re hoping to tackle with our show. I don’t know, it is certainly something. I forget the stat, we have it in one of our documents, in an earlier episode. The U.S. is 120 out of all the countries? It’s something very surprising. I will say that one of the things that we found very promising is the uptick in the number of young voters. 2018 had some of the biggest youth-vote numbers in decades.
Yeah, they are really not sitting back and simply letting things happen.
And the reason that I think that’s so interesting is because all the data says that if you voted once, you’re more likely to vote again in the future. But it’s also that the voting block, the youth-vote as a block, is not the same humans, year-to-year. So, if you’re looking at the African-American vote, the Italian-American vote, South-Asian vote and all that, you look at that from a four-year period to a four-year period. And with the exception of expanding to new votes within that demographic, those are the same humans when you see when they’re voting or not. The thing with young voters is that they’re not young forever. You age into and out of the demographic very quickly, so you’re comparing totally different sets of people. So, it’s a more open question than otherwise, and one that, hopefully, with all the awareness of the election this time, I hope people turn out.
I’m close to a few college students, who are very concerned with how things are going. And while every generation tends to think that they’ve got the biggest mess to clean up, it’s fair to say that Gen Z can claim that title. Do you have any advice for them on how to stay positive?
Well, I think that it seems like they’re doing a great job without our advice to begin with.
[Laughs] Fair enough.
They’re being so involved and so engaged and being so innovative in so many of the things that they are doing and saying. And they’re forcing everyone to take notice. If there’s anything, I would just say that one of the things I understand their frustration on is the slow speed at which things happen. We now live in a world where you can get a news story 30 seconds after it happens, and there are literally apps that will tell you what happened around the corner, or Twitter, which is somewhat of an echo chamber. That’s not how our democracy works because we have three branches of government that are designed to move very slowly on purpose, and that can be incredibly frustrating. The positive side to that, obviously, is that we’re not a dictatorship, so we have three branches of government that move very slowly. But that’s something I’ve talked about with younger folks who are concerned, not just with the slow pace of things like that but with the lack of awareness around technology, like with the Zuckerberg hearings in Congress. It’s embarrassing how many people just don’t know how the internet works and what company runs what. So, I think that’s something that they can be very helpful with because they’re the ones who are going to be entering public policy and the workforce and running for office themselves, and that gives me a lot of hope.
You’re going to be addressing education in one episode. Do you plan to talk about student debt? That’s on just about every age group’s mind.
We don’t discuss student debt that explicitly, and I’ll tell you why. When we were putting that episode together, we looked at how a lot of shows have already done really fantastic episodes on student debt. And we couldn’t really find anybody who had done an episode on college and trade school in a specific context. And that context was, well, it’s always bothered me that there’s a fabricated beef between college and trade school advocates. It’s like, “Oh, you only get to go to university if you’re an elitist. And this person only went to trade school because they couldn’t go to college.” Could we just stop with all that, please? Who does that argument serve, this fabricated argument?
It’s super strange that people dwell on this.
Like this reminds me of Cardi B versus Nicki Minaj. Is this even a beef? Can’t I like both of them? Why are you saying that I’m not allowed to like both of them. So that got us thinking about “what is the actual issue here?” One is automation, and whether when you go to trade school or college, the risk of jobs and careers being automated is serious. Other countries like China and Brazil are investigating these things and investing in potential solutions. Are we? And if we’re not, shouldn’t we be focusing on that instead of creating this fake beef between each other about who went to college and who went to trade school, and what does that mean? So our episode looks at that and how it impacts the global economy and especially in our own economy when people who are 18 turn 40, and when they have kids, what happens to their jobs? That’s how we look at education, and it’s a pretty good example of our non-partisan take on these types of issues.
Do you still have hopes for a 4th Harold and Kumar movie in your back pocket?
Helllll yes!
Where would you like to see the guys go next?
Oh man, look, all my tattoos are astronomy-related, so I kinda like the idea of going to the space station.
You should try to beat Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel to space. I want to see it happen.
Oh no, Tom Cruise will beat us! It’s a little tricky with scheduling because they guys who created the franchise are created the Cobra Kai show, and John Cho is in New Zealand to do a movie, and I’m about to start Clarice, the Silence Of The Lambs remake, so I am hoping soon. We keep constantly talking about it, but we just have to find the right time.
Freeform’s ‘Kal Penn Approves This Message’ will premiere on Tuesday, September 22, at 10:30pm EST.
The Netflix name has meant many things, including the best shows not on TV. And while there are some glaring omissions in their selection of good movies, there’s still plenty to peruse. Narrowing them down to just 50 of the best Netflix films wasn’t easy. Nonetheless, here’s a ranked list of the best movies on Netflix streaming no film lover should miss, all of them just a simple click away.
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?
It took decades in the industry for Steven Spielberg to finally earn an Oscar for one of his movies, but his win for Schindler’s List is well deserved. The film focuses on wealthy businessman Oskar Schindler, who spends his fortune and risks his life to save the lives of 1,100 Jewish men and women after taking in the horrors of WWII and the concentration camps. Between the three hour running time, the cold, unrelenting cruelty of Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of Amon Goeth, and its realistic style, it’s a bleak film. But there’s hope to be found in the grim black and white images. It’s an important story told movingly by a filmmaker at the height of his powers.
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.
Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this sports drama that catapulted Hillary Swank into the ranks of Oscar-worthy echelon. Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, a woman determined to dominate inside the ring. To do that, she needs to put in hard work and find herself a hardened coach who believes in her. Enter Eastwood. The two have a combative, emotionally heavy relationship that only gets more complicated as Maggie begins taking on dangerous fights.
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.
Hannibal Lecter is one of horror’s most iconic characters, but it’s a testament to the creepiness of Anthony Hopkins in a leather muzzle that, no matter how many times the film gets quoted, hearing him tell Clarice Starling he’s having an old friend for dinner still sends chills up our spines. Jodie Foster plays the FBI agent tasked with catching another serial killer with Lecter’s same M.O. and she does it by striking up unnerving conversations with the guy, but Hopkins is the real star here, playing Lecter with a restrained insanity that makes his small talk of enjoying human liver with fava beans so much more nightmarish.
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.
Denzel Washington and Clive Owen face off in this high-stakes bank robbery flick from Spike Lee. Washington plays a police detective negotiating with Owen’s criminal mastermind after his planned heist spirals into a tense hostage situation. Jodie Foster plays a high-powered broker also involved in the f*ck up, but the real joy of this movie is in watching Washington try to outsmart a seasoned bad guy, who has no qualms about killing innocents.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Al Pacino playing the demonic head of a New York City law firm with Keanu Reeves serving as his protégé? Yes, please. Look, this horror flick doesn’t have as many frights as some on this list, but it’s filled with tense moments, strange happenings, and a twist that you don’t see coming. Reeves plays Kevin, a talented attorney from the South, who makes his way to the Big Apple after winning some high-profile cases. His clients were guilty, but what does that matter, right? Charlize Theron plays his barren wife, Mary Ann, a woman who at one point experiences visions of a baby eating her ovaries, and Pacino plays Milton, Kevin’s boss and Satan himself. It’s a wacky ride into the occult, but the performances are worth it.
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.
Before Greta Gerwig was directed Oscar-nominated coming-of-age dramas, she was writing and starring in this black-and-white dramedy about a young woman also trying to find her way in the professional dance world of New York City. Gerwig is magnetic in the titular role of Frances, a dancer dissatisfied with her career prospects and forced to contemplate a move to Tribeca on the whim of her best friend and roommate. That trek across Manhattan serves as a jumping off point for Frances, who travels home, then to France, before settling in Washington Heights on her journey to self-discovery.
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.
This classic Western starring Clint Eastwood follows the adventures of a stiff-lipped bounty hunter, a sociopathic mercenary, and a fast-talking Mexican bandit. The trio is connected by a grave full of gold, a few near executions, and a lot of bad blood. Highway robberies, assassination attempts, and a famous Mexican standoff make this a worthy entry on the action flicks list, plus it’s one of Eastwood’s most iconic roles.
Mel Brooks’ hilarious space odyssey has become something of a cult classic over the decades. It’s a parody of George Lucas’ Star Wars trilogy, so it follows the same plot: a rogue pilot and his sidekick must rescue a princess and save the galaxy, but instead of Startroopers, the bad guys are known as Space Balls, and everyone is hopelessly out of their depth playing hero (and villain).
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.
Recent Changes Through September 2020:
Removed: V for Vendetta, Clueless, Groundhog Day, The Witch
Added: Jurassic Park, An Education, Nightcrawler, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Christopher Osburn has spent the past fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. In the process, he’s enjoyed more whisk(e)y drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, and visited more than fifty distilleries.
If you’re not worried about price, you can pay a lot of money for whisk(e)y. From Pappy Van Winkle to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection to long-aged Scotch whiskies, you can easily spend the equivalent of a month’s rent (or more) on a highly prized bottle. Also known as “unicorn whiskeys,” these hard-to-find expressions often feel lightyears out of reach to the average drinker.
Today, we’re here to tell you not to fret about missing out on that bottle of A.H. Hirsch Reserve that randomly materialized at your local liquor store. There are tons of great bottles (in the $50-$75 range) that taste a lot more expensive than they are. Check out my personal favorites below.
The Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask (Scotch Whisky)
Ask any bartender about the best sipping Scotches and they’ll likely put The Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask on their list. This Speyside single malt was first aged in oak barrels before being finished in rum casks. The most interesting thing about this sweet, rich whisky is the fact that the brand didn’t grab just any rum for this offering’s finish. They actually created their own blend of rum and added it to barrels. Later on, it was removed and this whisky was added.
Tasting Notes:
If you take the time to nose this whisky before sipping, you’ll be met with the initial sweet, sugary flavors of islands-style rum. These aren’t the usual first aromas associated with Scotch. The first sip imparts caramelized sugar, creamy vanilla, dried orange peel, and sticky toffee pudding. The finish is long, lingering, warming, and filled with subtle cinnamon and sweet butterscotch notes.
Bottom Line:
This sweet, rich, fruity whisky deserves to be sipped in a Glencairn glass with a few drops of water to open it up and add to the taste experience.
Named for Baker Beam, the grand-nephew of Jim Beam, Baker’s Bourbon is one of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection whiskeys. It’s a single barrel bourbon that spent seven years aging in the Jim Beam Barrelhouse. Part of the appeal of this brand is the fact that Baker’s is made without batching or mixing together various barrels. It’s literally made from one barrel and this means that the whiskey inside will always taste at least subtly different from the last time you bought it.
Tasting Notes:
Like many whiskeys, when you nose Baker’s, the first aroma you’ll notice is that of the musty rickhouse itself. This is followed by cinnamon and sweet, dried cherries. The first sip is undeniably smooth with hints of rich vanilla, charred oak, and caramel. The finish is long, warming, and ends with toasted caramel and just a hint of spice.
Bottom Line:
Sometimes high proof means harsh. But that’s not the case with Baker’s. This 107 proof whiskey is mellow enough to be sipped slowly with a single cube of ice in a rocks glass.
When it comes to Scotch, there are a lot of great 12-year-old whiskies on the market. One of the best is The Dalmore 12. First launched back in 2008 to replace the brand’s original 12-year-old, this version is matured for 12 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels before being finished in Oloroso sherry butts. The result is a sweet, complex whisky that is worth way more than its price tag.
Tasting Notes:
Like all great Scotch whiskies, this expression requires a nosing before taking a sip. If you do that, you’ll be met with hints of candied orange peel, cinnamon, and sweet caramel. The first sip delivers hints of chocolate, toffee, sweet sherry, and charred oak. The finish is verrrrry long, full of warmth, and ends with a caramel flourish.
Bottom Line:
Like all the whiskies on this list, The Dalmore 12 should be enjoyed as the distillers intended. Simply pour the juice into a Glencairn glass and sip on it to warm you on a cool, fall night.
If you’re new to the world of rye whiskey and you can find a bottle of Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye, buy it. It’s cask strength, full of peppery spice, and somehow only around $50 dollars. It’s the perfect gateway rye for fans of bourbon and would still sell if Willett increase the price (here’s hoping that they don’t).
Tasting Notes:
If you’re only going to nose one style of whiskey, make it rye (and this one in particular). You’ll be met with hints of subtle peppery spice along with dried cherries, cinnamon, and butterscotch. The first sip drops notes of white pepper, sweet vanilla, charred oak, and just a hint of fresh mint. The finish is long, warming, and filled with candied orange peel, vanilla, and just a dash of spice at the very end.
Bottom Line:
Stock up on this rye, you’ll want to spend the rest of fall (and much of winter) sipping on this subtly spicy, well-rounded whiskey.
Redbreast 12 is the brand’s signature bottle and well worth the $50 dollar price tag. In fact, with its complex, well-rounded, robust flavor we’d be willing to pay way more for this unique offering (but we don’t want to). This triple distilled Irish whiskey is made with both malted and unmalted barley before aging in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak barrel and Oloroso sherry butts.
Tasting Notes:
While nosing, the first scents you’re greeted with are rich honey, sweet sherry, dried cherries, and cinnamon. The first sip brings forth candied orange peel, toasted marshmallow, and toffee flavors. The finish is long, warming, luxurious, and ends with an added kick of peppery spice.
Bottom Line:
This sweet, rich, well-balanced whiskey should be paired with plate of bangers and mash, a warm blanket, and a chilly evening.
This “Prohibition Style” bourbon was made as a reference to the passing of the Volstead Act in 1920. The reason for this homage is because, during Prohibition, Old Forest didn’t shut down. Instead, the distillery made bourbon for “medical use.” To fit that distinction, this bourbon needed to be bottled at 100 proof.
In 2020, this whiskey enters the barrel at 100 and ends up at lofty 115 proof after maturation. It’s a true throwback expression — one that deserves a place on your liquor cabinet shelf.
Tasting Notes:
The first aromas your nose is met with are charred oak, dried cherries, and brown sugar. The first sip drops hints of fiery cinnamon, toasted oak, sweet caramel, and burnt sugar. The finish is long, warm, and filled with more caramel, and a subtle hint of barbecue smoke.
Bottom Line:
When you crack open this bottle, pretend like it’s still Prohibition. Drink it in private in a dimly lit room in front of a roaring fire on a cold night.
The Los Angeles Lakers trailed 103-102 with 2.1 seconds to play in Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals matchup with the Nuggets after having seen Denver erase a 16-point deficit in the second half — as has become a regular occurrence for Denver this postseason.
On their final inbounds play, L.A. put their two superstars into the action and made Denver make a quick and difficult decision. The result was Mason Plumlee going to LeBron James, who was already being faceguarded by Jerami Grant, leaving Davis with an open catch and window to shoot a deep three at the buzzer in front of a hard closeout from the side by Nikola Jokic. Davis, who was 1-for-3 on threes to that point in the game, buried the shot and gave L.A. a 105-103 win (and a 2-0 series lead).
After the game, Davis explained that the opportunity to take that shot in that moment was the driving factor in why he wanted to go to the Lakers when he issued his trade request from New Orleans, telling Allie LaForce he “wants the big time plays” and elaborating to reporters later that he knew this was the stage and the championship chase L.A. would afford him.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis on Game 2 winner over Nuggets: “It’s for sure the biggest shot of my career. When I left (New Orleans) I just wanted to compete for a championship. I know moments like this come with it. Especially being in LA, the biggest market in basketball.” pic.twitter.com/5FMsig4n9u
Given that the biggest remaining question Davis faced as a player was whether he could take and make these kinds of shots on a championship caliber team, taking the lead in a situation when LeBron James didn’t have it down the stretch, he answered that with an exclamation point on Sunday. Davis was the only Laker to score in the final five minutes of the game, including both of his three-pointers on the night.
It was a sensational performance, further cementing his position as not just one of the league’s most elite talents but as a player capable of stepping up on the big stage and knocking down a critical shot. As the Lakers move forward, that ability, when the focus shifts from defenses to slowing down LeBron James, will be critical in L.A.’s ability to take the Larry O’Brien trophy home from Disney to Los Angeles.
The brand isn’t just strong, it’s durable, with Kid Mero and Desus Nice moving operations of their Showtime late-night comedy series to the virtual space with enviable shoe walls and socially distanced humor that, to be honest, hums and roars like the show did when they were in studio together. It’s something Mero told us is a benefit of a long comedy partnership where the two only rely on each other for any kind of feedback. “No matter where you put us, audience, no audience, 20 people, 5,000 people, you’re still going to get the same kind of vibe. So it works in any format.” But will it work in book form? All signs point to yes with Desus & Mero pulling from a lifetime of experiences and lessons learned from their Bronx upbringing to create God-Level Knowledge Darts(out 9/22), a legitimately on-brand book that could comfortably live in either the comedy or self-help section.
We spoke to the comedy team about the book, stumping lawyers during legal review of the drug chapter, their differing POVs, and navigating life in lockdown. And with Donald Trump insinuating that he’d like to have Joe Rogan moderate a four-hour Presidential debate, we had to ask about what a Desus & Mero-hosted debate would look like.
I don’t know if you saw the news but apparently there’s some effort to get Joe Rogan to host a four-hour debate between Biden and Trump. You guys want to put your hat in the ring to host a debate? You want to go five hours?
Desus: Hell yeah! Hell yeah. Because every time you watch a debate, you have professional journalists and they’re very respectful. And they’re like, “Your time. Your time. You’ve gone over.” If me and Mero were there, it would be like, “Yo, shut the fuck up, my man!”
Desus: “Cut his mic off. Yo, my man, I will come up there. I will come up on that stage, keep playing with me.” It will be the first debate where one of the candidates is speaking you just hear, “yo, who’s mans is this!?”
Mero: I’ll go straight into the Dominican Dad Mode. I’ll take my belt off, I’ll be like, “Yo, I told you your time was the fuck up. Get away from the mic and let somebody else speak.”
Desus: “Yo, this nigga lying, your honor.” It’d be wild. It would be wild. Also, it’d be the only debate where they’re talking about fracking or something very important, and all of a sudden you just hear, “DER-EK JE-TER [Claps] DER-EK JE-TER [Claps].” We stop broadcasting the debate, we just talking about Yankee highlights. “Hey, Mero, remember Mike Mussina?”
Mero: Whoo. “Remember Tino Martinez? That guy, oh, that was a stud right there. Incredible field presence.”
Desus: “Oh, he had such a vision. Listen. Listen. When he was at bat it was epic.”
Yeah, I want that. It’s going to beat anything Rogan could do, anything anybody else could do. Let’s make that happen.
Mero: You know what I’m saying? Rogan would have to smoke DMT to get to our level if we went on there. He would have to do that, he would have to do whatever he does on his podcast, smoke ayahuasca before he does this shit to even touch what we’re doing. [Laughs]
I know they’re talking about wanting to drug test the candidates if they can actually make sure that whoever hosts it is high as fuck, that would be the way to go.
Desus: You see? They’re talking about drug testing the candidates. If we were hosting it, it’d be a cipher. It’d be the first debate that’s in a hotbox. Instead of just asking questions, we’re just standing around, we’re just passing the wild-l to Joe Biden. He’s passing it to Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s like, “What is this?”
Mero: [Trump impression] “Wow, it’s a presidential Kush. Wow. Some acid. Whoa.”
Desus: Biden’s like, “Whoa, you got me feeling like I’m back on the Amtrak. Whoa.”
Mero: We’re doing it all in a Buick LeSabre with a GoPro. That’s it. [Laughs]
With the relationships, kids, and the money stuff… Obviously, this book was written months and months ago. How do you think this all applies to now with everything in the new-new, post COVID world?
Desus: Speaking for myself, everything has kind of changed but the basics are the same. The thing with COVID is it’s made your reality different. Because now you could possibly get into an altercation with someone because they’re not wearing a face mask. That’s nothing I’ve ever had to worry about ever in my life. And it’s just kind of using what you were born and raised with in The Bronx and your life experience and just kind of applying it now. Things that might have mattered more before COVID don’t really matter now. I have a great sneaker collection but where am I wearing these sneakers to? I’m throwing on a brand new pair of Jordans to go get an Amazon package? That’s not fun. But yeah, this is the new reality.
Last time we talked, I asked you about sneaker budgets and setting the level. You said get a new pair when I write a big piece, and I do that now and there’s no point.
Mero: Instagram!
Desus: Yeah, but even Instagram is like… It’s not the same. The flex is gone, that’s the side effect of corona. It stole the flex.
It is. Mero, how is it affecting your family life and relationship and everything being at home?
Mero: Yo. Yo, you put it on the tee for me, bro. That’s why this book is so perfect, because you get two sides of everything almost, you know what I mean? Because our life’s like, we’re boys and we vibe super heavy but our lifestyles are different, you know what I mean? With the book, you get both sides of life essentially. So for me, it’s not about going out on dates and getting the right outfit together or whatever. It’s more like, yo, how are me and my wife going to keep from murdering each other while being on top of each other all the time? You know what I mean? Because a normal marriage is like, yo, you have your day, I have my day, we reconnect throughout the day or whatever. But now, it’s just 24 hours real world. Like Big Brother, we’re in the house all the time, 24/7 and it’s taught me a lot of patience and understanding, a lot more talking. You know what I mean?
So I want to say surviving the pandemic relationship-wise is just about communicating and not taking shit personally and understanding. Like, this is a weird situation and everybody’s reacting differently. My wife likes to go outside and go hiking and walking and jogging and this and that and she was losing her mind, getting stir-crazy. So I didn’t take any type of, “oh, I’m upset about something or I’m moody” or whatever… I didn’t take it personally. I was like, “I understand your life has been thrown off-kilter, mine has as well so we’re both going to be a little snippy sometimes.” And just understanding that and working together to get past that and not taking stuff personally.
Showtime
Like you said, you guys live different lives. What did you learn about each other and how you process things going through each other’s sections of the book?
Desus: I mean it was kind of stream of consciousness so it really felt like just talking to Mero or just a conversation.
You went back and forth or was it you did a section and then he had his section?
Desus: It was weird.
Mero: It was a list of self-help questions.
Desus: They just meshed together because we’ve worked together so much that it’s just kind of… We know each other’s vibes and we already know what it was. Other authors would have had to be in the room together so there’s some continuity. And we didn’t have to do that.
Mero: We worked in a Google doc.
Desus: I mean I don’t want to brag but the last time two different authors were able to get together and make a comprehensive book, it’s a little thing called the Bible. So that’s where we’re at. That’s where we’re at, right there. And that was 66 books, you know what I’m saying? We got one.
Mero: We got one so we got 65 more to go.
Desus: So I’m not saying but I’m saying, you know what I’m saying here, all right?
Hey, listen, I read 60 pages of your book and I want to keep going. I read 60 pages of the other book and…
Mero: You were like, “yo, where are we going here? What’s this sheep thing? What’s going on?”
Desus: Yeah, there’s plot holes, they’re talking to a lion in a pit, we don’t got nothing in our book like that.
What was the legal review like for this? The drug section was interesting, getting the allegedly-s in.
Desus: That email was hilarious because there’s so many things that had to be redacted from the book. And then just the emails where they were just like, “I don’t even know if this is a crime” or “what is this?”
Mero: What’s the statute of limitations?
I want to ask you guys a basketball question real quick. Giannis and the whole IG unfollow spree. As a Knicks fan, does that just get your hope up that this means he might be leaving the Bucks?
Mero: Yes and no. We are lifelong Knicks fans so we’re going to hope, right? But that’s also like hoping that Batman is real, you know what I mean? We know it’s not going to happen but we’re going to pretend it’s going to happen because we’re riding that Knicks cocaine high that you ride every off-season as a Knicks fan. And then when the season actually starts and you’re… Last season was a perfect example, it was supposed to be Zion, KD, and Kyrie. We ended up with Julius Randle who has a spin move that never works. So…
Desus: Yeah. You know what? Being a Knicks fan… This might not be the right comparison. I feel like being a Knicks fan is like being the father of an ugly child, you love this kid and you will do anything in your power for this kid. But every now and then you walk to the park and you’re like, god damn, it’s not going to get better.
I grew up as a Yankees fan but I switched to the Orioles a few years ago. And it’s so different because you go from that mentality of watching every other team and being like, “in a few years, we’re gonna get him” to basically like, “oh, he’s leaving? Oh, HE’s leaving? Oh, he got traded?” I do miss that New York sensibility. I’m a Bulls fan too, so I still get that a little.
Desus: Well, what’s super weird is as Yankee fans, the Yankees have been kind of floundering lately and I’m just like, all right, season’s done. Forget it. Because if it’s not a World Series, why are we even doing this? I don’t care if they make the playoffs. And my other friends go, “Wow, you Yankee fans are jerks,” and I was like, “And proudly so, Sir. Proudly, sir.”
Mero: Yeah. You got people in the mentions like, “I’m a Pirates fan! I don’t even know what success is like! You guys go to the ALCS every year!”
Desus: I’m like, “Oh, Pirates fan? You have it rough? We haven’t been in the World Series since ’09!” They’re like, “No, you don’t even understand what you just said.” I was like, “’09! That was a long time ago.”
Mero: They’re like, “Sir, please. We haven’t won since 1922.”
But the Knicks balance it out.
Desus: Exactly. Imagine us if the Knicks won four championships in a row, you understand? We would not be able to be on Zoom because our heads would be so swollen. “Hey Mero, hey Mero. I’m Patrick Ewing, four rings!”
Mero: Yeah! You know that picture of Jordan where he’s with the rings [and his hand is] on his face? We would do that. That would be every cover for everything that we ever do.
Desus: Yo, every time we’d have an interview we’d stop to talk about the greatness of the greatest shooting guard ever in the history of basketball, John Starks. You want that? You want that? Huh?
I really don’t want that.
Desus: You want us to do a 10 minute retrospective about Derek Harper? Nah, you guys don’t want this. You guys don’t want that.
Again, I grew up as a Bulls fan living in Jersey so that era the mid-’90s with Starks and Greg Anthony and all those guys… Charles Smith.
Desus: That was one of the few times we saw real basketball as Knicks fans.
It was fun, but man, if you guys won even a playoff game, it was insufferable.
Mero: Bro.
I got into a fight once on the Circle Line, me and a bunch of kids in Bulls Jerseys throwing garbage at a bunch of kids in Knicks jerseys.
Desus: I love it. I love that. Yes.
Mero: We need that energy.
Desus: We don’t have that energy anymore. Now you leave Madison Square Garden, you think you’re leaving a funeral. People get in their Ubers and you just hear soft weeping, it’s just sad.
‘God-Level Knowledge Darts’ is out September 22. You can get your copy here and below you can check out an audio chapter preview from the book’s section on relationships –courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio — narrated by the authors.
After blowing the doors off of the Nuggets in Game 1, the Lakers looked to be headed for another breezy win as they took a 16-point lead in the third quarter against Denver in Game 2, but as the Nuggets proved multiple times against the Clippers, they will fight and claw to the end.
Denver would climb back to take a brief lead in the fourth quarter, but unlike the Clippers, the Lakers were able to respond and gut out a win behind some incredible shot-making and timely defense. As such, the series now shifts to must-win mode for the Nuggets in Game 3 to avoid a 3-0 deficit to L.A., and looking ahead to that tilt on Tuesday, here are our takeaways from Game 2.
1. Anthony Davis Bailed Out LeBron
This isn’t to bury LeBron, who was sensational early in the game, scoring 20 points in the first half, but the Hall of Famer struggled in the second half with just six points and some rough turnovers (six total in the game) that allowed Denver to stay in the game. Davis was quiet in the first half, but had 22 points in the second half, including the game-winning three at the buzzer to deliver the Lakers a Game 2 win and a 2-0 series lead.
That effort included the final 10 points of the game for the Lakers, all of which they needed to get a win as Nikola Jokic gave the same type of Herculean performance for the Nuggets.
Crunch-time, step-back trey to beat the shot clock.
It was maybe the one question people had of Davis — whether he could take the reins of a contender late and will them to victories — and he answered that emphatically in Game 2. It’s also exactly what James needs from a star partner, because there are going to be nights where he doesn’t have it to take over offensively, and Davis giving them that lift when LeBron couldn’t was the difference in Game 2. It’s not a knock on James in anyway, as that’s the case for any star in the league, but it’s more an affirmation of why Davis was the right guy for the Lakers to pair with LeBron.
2. Nikola Jokic Is A Big Game Player
Jamal Murray was the initial catalyst for the Denver comeback, but he started to run out of hero ball gas in the fourth quarter. As such, he turned things over to Nikola Jokic who was sensational in scoring the final 12 points of the game for Denver.
Jokic, over the past two years, has cemented himself as a tremendous big game player. He’s hit big shots, carried the Nuggets at times when they needed him two, and has shown up in just about every big game, with Game 2 being no different. He finished with 30 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in the 105-103 loss, but what he did offensively down the stretch showed his incredible versatility and his savant-like understanding of where to be and how to make a play at all times — as evidenced by his ridiculous tip-in of a blocked Murray three.
He hit threes, he had the tip-in, he hit that hook over Anthony Davis in the post that made the runner-up for the DPOY look like he had no effect. It was a sensational performance but one that saw Denver come up just short, and that has to be disheartening. At the same time, this is a Nuggets team that seems completely unfazed by what would normally be gutting losses. They get blown out and bounce back immediately. They lose a heartbreaker and do the same. I don’t expect anything different in Game 3, but this time they just might not have enough to overcome this 2-0 deficit.
3. The Lakers Have Some Tweaks To Make
The second half provided a lot of good film for Denver and I expect them to try and attack some things the Lakers gave them more in Game 3, which means the Lakers have a few tweaks to make. For one, they were way too willing to switch guards onto Nikola Jokic off the ball, which provides the star big man with an advantage he almost always wins against. When Alex Caruso or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Danny Green or whatever guard it was switched onto the big fella, the Lakers were in deep trouble. Sending the double at Jokic, the best passing big in the NBA (and maybe ever), leads to him finding the open man 10 times out of 10. Leaving him one-on-one is almost always a basket or a trip to the free throw line (or both). As such, the Lakers can’t be so quick to give Denver those switches when Jokic sets a screen off the ball, and I’d expect that to be a talking point for Frank Vogel ahead of Game 3.
On the other end, they were spectacular getting inside early in the game, but settled for a lot of jump shots late and struggled to get it going. Davis, of course, found his rhythm down the stretch and got them the win, but Denver did a good job of being active and showing bodies defensively, James, particularly, struggled late to get to the rim for easy baskets and fouls.
Finally, the Lakers probably need to find a few more minutes for Dwight Howard when Jokic is on the floor. It’s a difficult balance because Howard does have a tendency to be overly aggressive and pick up fouls (he had five in 13 minutes on Sunday), but he’s by far the most effective Jokic defender they have. He has to find the fine line between bringing that energy and aggression and picking up dumb fouls by trying to bully Jokic, but getting him up closer to 18 to 20 minutes would be ideal and some of that is up to Dwight not to get dinged with bad fouls.
The good news for L.A. is they managed to win a “bad” LeBron game — again, he had 26/11/4, this is all relative to the insane bar he has for himself. I don’t expect that to happen again, but the Nuggets did frustrate Kawhi Leonard in the last series into a lot more inefficient nights offensively than we’re accustomed to so they do have a good strategy for opposing star wings. The difference is this L.A. team has Anthony Davis, and while they have some adjustments to make to clean some things up from the second half, if their stars show up, they always have the advantage.
It’s been a rough year, and though the Emmy Awards are largely about escapism, there’s one annual segment that always brings us back to reality: the In Memoriam montage. We’ve lost more people than usual this year, with a pandemic that has no end in sight, some of whom made long-lasting impressions on television history. This year’s montage began with someone whose death is both very recent and which may alter the course of the future.
Host Jimmy Kimmel began with a brief tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice who passed away on Friday at the age of 87. From there, Kimmel introduced singer H.E.R., who played a stirring cover of the Prince-written “Nothing Compares 2 U,” made popular by Sinead O’Connor. And from there, we were reminded of all the members of the industry that have left us since last year’s ceremony.
There were TV idols, like Regis Philbin, James Lipton, Jerry Stiller, Jim Lehrer, Robert Conrad, Bill Macy, Rip Taylor, and Caroll Spinney, the Sesame Street puppeteer who voiced Big Bird. There were performers who performed in both film and television, like Shirley Knight, Robert Foster, Brian Dennehy, Fred Willard, René Auberjonois, Buck Henry, Wilford Brimley, Diana Rigg, and Carl Reiner. There were movie stars who occasionally dipped their toes in television, like Max Von Sydow, Ian Holm, and Kirk Douglas. And there were those who largely worked behind the scenes, among them songwriter Adam Schlesinger, of Crazy Ex Girlfriend and That Thing You Do!, and filmmaker Lynn Shelton.
The montage even saved the final spot for a movie star: Chadwick Boseman, whose untimely death in early September sent shockwaves across the industry. They, and more, will all be missed dearly.
The comedic side of this year’s Emmys has been dominated by Schitt’s Creek, which won seven awards (including the acting categories and Outstanding Comedy Series) in a sweep. Many feel that this domination was well deserved, but it left fans of one show feeling rightfully conflicted. The series in question, The Good Place, also ended this year, so it would have been the best time for the beloved show to end an Emmy-less streak. This year, The Good Place was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actor (Ted Danson), Supporting Actor (William Jackson Harper), and Supporting Actress (D’Arcy Carden), aaaand it took home… none of those awards.
In other words, the surreal sight that Ramy Yousef claimed to see may have been quadrupled for a show that brought great joy to many, and its fans aren’t having it. Sure, some of them are also quite happy for Schitt’s Creek, but they simply cannot understand why such an acclaimed and embraced series can walk away with zero Emmys. It’s sad! Maybe we really are in “The Bad Place”?
As happy as I am for Schitts Creek I am equally as gutted that The Good Place didn’t have the opportunity to win for its superb series finale. Mike Schur knew the complete story he wanted to tell and he nailed the ending. I cried and cried for hours #Emmyspic.twitter.com/SIKLalBMeg
Maybe the world wasn’t ready yet for TGP but that’s ok. People will appreciate it more over the years, I know that for a fact. A lot of great shows win awards but a lot of great shows don’t. Doesn’t make The Good Place any less perfect. Take it sleazy, TGP fam.pic.twitter.com/iVitvLA9Bh
Schitt’s Creek is one of those shows that just makes people feel comforted and good, and it deserved its #Emmys sweep tonight. I also wish The Good Place had earned Emmys during its run because it was brilliant and good too.
This night isn’t over yet, and we’ve still got the drama awards to cause more, well, drama. Check out the rest of our Emmy’s coverage here, and enjoy the evening.
The Denver Nuggets, as they’ve done so many times in these playoffs, managed to erase a 16-point Laker lead in the second half of Game 2 to come mere seconds away from evening the series at 1-1.
To get there, they followed the lead of Nikola Jokic who was a monster down the stretch, hitting just about everything including this running hook shot over Anthony Davis to give Denver a 103-102 lead late.
The Lakers would get a wide open Alex Caruso three-pointer that fell woefully short on the ensuing possession, but they got an offensive rebound and after Jamal Murray blocked a shot out of bounds, had 2.1 seconds to find a game-winner. The play they drew up sent the ball to Anthony Davis, who had carried them in the fourth quarter, and the big man hit a tough fading three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to rip the hearts out of the Nuggets.
It’s a sensational shot from Davis, who was able to get enough space off a LeBron James screen on Jerami Grant, who didn’t hear the switch call coming from Mason Plumlee. Nikola Jokic gave a good effort to challenge the shot, but it was just a hair too late and Davis got his shot off clean and found the bottom of the net.
Davis finished the game with 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting, hitting two of his four three-point attempts including that one at the buzzer. Nikola Jokic’s 30 points, nine assists, and six rebounds kept Denver close, with Jamal Murray dropping 25 of his own, but in the end the Lakers emerged on top and now have firm control of the Western Conference Finals.
Last Week Tonight won its fifth consecutive Best Variety Talk Series award at tonight’s Emmys, and host John Oliver pulled out the stops in the wardrobe department. Oliver exuded a nice blend of “virtual ceremony appropriate” and “awards ceremony” attire by staying casual-yet-formal in a plush-looking red hoodie. The results may make up for him neglecting to thank the object of his obsession, Adam Driver (who the host has described as both a “f*ckable redwood” and a “big unwashed buffalo”), during his short winner’s speech. The details often slip by during big moments, but he looked great.
Actually, the British comedian was keeping it real with a Liverpool F.C. sweatshirt, as fellow fans were quick to celebrate on Twitter. The confetti also provided a nice, festive touch in a time when we can sorely use some levity.
John Oliver winning an Emmy in a Liverpool hoodie is everything you need to see today. We’re massive.
Classic John Oliver. Casually winning an Emmy in a Liverpool hoodie. Never change. May football continue to be your Light in the Darkness, just as you are ours pic.twitter.com/TgGFhFZncv
Oliver actually kept his speech pretty tame, by his own standards. He kept it light, as people need to hear at an awards ceremony, and didn’t skewer anything. He did fervently hope (as we all do) that he can get back to speaking to a live audience as soon as possible. And since Oliver will definitely be on the air (unless the Earth explodes, which it might) for several years to come, that time will happen, sooner or later.
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Dark!Rey stan
JOHN OLIVER HAS A LIVERPOOL FC SWEATSHIRT ON DURING HIS EMMYS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH