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(Ed. Note: This review was originally published in January after a screening at the Sundance Film Festival. We’re republishing it in conjunction with the film’s HBO Max release.)

With its young-black-men-on-dirtbikes-doing-wheelies-through-the-city imagery, Charm City Kings was one of those Sundance titles that just jumped off the program page. Inspired by the 2013 documentary, 12 O’Clock Boys, about a famous clique of Baltimore dirtbikers (12 o’clock is the position of the bike in a wheelie, get it?), the film casts real Baltimore riders like Lakeyria “Wheelie Queen” Doughty and young actors alongside rapper Meek Mill and veterans like Teyonah Harris (Chi-Raq, If Beale Street Could Talk) for a movie that’s essentially Boyz n the Hood meets A Bronx Tale set in the world of urban dirtbiking. Credit where credit’s due, that’s a pretty damn good hook.

Jahi Di’Allo Winston plays Mouse, a smart seventh grader living with a single mom and running with a squad of buddies that includes a chubby kid (Sweartagawd, played by Kezii Curtis) and a hard kid (Lamont, played by Donielle T. Hansley Jr.) — trying to score chicks and become men while staying out of trouble, just like Boyz n the Hood. Mouse idolizes his dead older brother, a legendary 12 O’Clock Boy named Stro, and crushes on a new girl in town named Nicki (Chandler Dupont), who is into photography, just like… well, just like every teen movie love interest ever.

Mouse comes to be torn between two father figures — a cop from the big brothers program played by William Catlett, who wants Mouse to quit dirtbiking and focus on veterinary school, and a legendary ex-con rider trying to go straight as a mechanic played by Meek Mill, who encourages Mouse to use dirtbiking as a way to stay away from those corners. It’s a dynamic that producer Caleeb Pinkett (yes, Jada’s brother) said was inspired by A Bronx Tale (in which Lillo Brancato was torn between a gangster played by Chazz Palminteri and his hard-working truck driver father played by Robert De Niro).

Charm City Kings has a slick pitch and even slicker direction, by Puerto Rican Angel Miguel Soto, but you get the feeling Charm City Kings‘ creatives were hired guns brought in to flesh out what some producer assumed would be an extremely sellable concept. It’s one of those movies that practically screams the Hollywood shorthand that spawned it — TWELVE O CLOCK BOYS MEETS BOYZ N THE HOOD AND A BRONX TALE — but never evolves much beyond the pitch. Why Baltimore? Why 12 O Clock Boys? Outside of a couple jargon explainers and sizzle reel scenes, it feels like this story could’ve been set anywhere. Mouse’s mom never quite screams “ain’t no dirt bikes gonna put no food on this table!” but that’s gist of it.

At the post-screening Q&A, producer Pinkett explained that the idea behind the film was that because of Baltimore’s “no chase” policy (police brass don’t want to start a high speed chase over illegal dirt biking and end up hurting civilians), the bikes became the only place these otherwise overpoliced twelve o clock boys “could feel free.”

That’s great marketing copy, but as inspiration it’s a little thin. (Screenwriter Sherman Payne helpfully explained “they brought me on to write the script, and I wrote the script”). The intention seems to be to use Baltimore as a stand-in for disaffected youth trying to escape oppression and poverty everywhere. That’s pretty ambitious, but you have to be somewhere before you can be everywhere. Meanwhile, Charm City Kings is long on tried-and-true story arcs and short on specifics. I could listen to that peculiar Baltimore accent all day (say it with me: “Aaron earned an iron urn”), but while CCK feels authentically cast and acted (with a notable turn from Meek Mill) the story feels plug-and-play.

It has a cool setting, solid acting, impressive stunts and beautiful shots, but its setting seems like a place the filmmakers thought looked cool rather than one they actually knew.

‘Charm City Kings’ is available October 8th on HBO and HBO Max. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

Fleetwood Mac stock is pretty high right now. The band’s song “Dreams” has had skyrocketing sales in recent days thanks to its use in the viral TikTok video of a guy skateboarding while drinking cranberry juice. With this all going on, now would be a great time for the band and its members to capitalize, and that’s just what Stevie Nicks has done.

Today, the singer has dropped her first new solo single in nine years, “Show Them The Way.” The driving, upbeat song comes with a Cameron Crowe-directed video, which features images of historical figures and movements. Nicks recently noted the song was inspired by a dream she had before the 2008 presidential election.

Crowe says of the track, “‘Show Them The Way’ is among Stevie Nicks’ best, most personal songs. There’s an immediacy about it too. Within hours of hearing the song we were already putting together the video about her ‘dream about a dream.’ ‘Show Them The Way’ began as a poem, and grew into one of her strongest musical tracks. It feels like both a gift and a fever dream about hope and promise. We finished the video on the full-moon with a whole lot of passion and excitement about immediately sharing it with the world right now.”

The track features Dave Grohl on drums. The two have collaborated on multiple occasions before, like when she performed with Grohl on Letterman in 2013. Nicks also dedicated a performance of “Landslide” to Grohl in 2015, shortly after he broke his leg, saying, “I’d like to dedicate this to Dave Grohl. Falling off stage, getting up, and playing a two-and-a-half-hour set: I think that’s awesome.”

Watch the “Show Them The Way” video above.

It’s safe to say that Trevor Noah is not a Donald Trump fan. The Daily Show host is pissed off and fed up with so many things about Trump, and he takes delight in trolling the big guy, but there is one thing that he loves about the president: his pettiness.

On Thursday, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that next week’s presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden would be held virtually, due to the president recently having tested positive for, y’know, a deadly virus. Of course, Trump was having none of this. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about,” he told Fox Business. “You sit behind a computer and do a debate? It’s ridiculous. And then they cut you off whenever they want.” You’d think he want to sit down, considering he can’t even stand up without gasping for air, but alas.

“Oh, man. You got to love Trump sometimes,” Trevor Noah said during Thursday’s episode of The Daily Show. “He’s just openly admitting that he won’t do a virtual debate because they’d make him follow rules.” He added, “To be honest, Trump hating Zoom is maybe the most relatable thing he’s done since he became president.” I bet his Zoom background is this shot from Gone with the Wind. Watch the Daily Show clip above.

Until recently, Morgan Wallen was getting ready for one of the biggest weekends of his career, as he was set to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Things changed, though, after videos of him partying in decidedly non-socially-distanced environments made the rounds online. He was pulled from the show, and SNL was tasked with quickly finding a replacement. Now, they have announced that Jack White, whose White Stripes just announced a new greatest hits album, will be taking over musical guest duties on this weekend’s episode.

SNL creator Lorne Michaels made the announcement on Today, telling Willie Geist in an interview that was filmed on Thursday, “We’re still in the middle of it. I know Jack White is coming in, and there could be some other stuff. […] And he’s always good on the show.” He also spoke about the challenges of this sort of situation, saying, “Calling somebody on a Thursday to be here for Friday… it’s complicated. It has to be people who are ready to go.”

White has been on the show multiple times over the years, both solo and as a member of The White Stripes. His most recent guest spot came on the April 14, 2018 episode hosted by John Mulaney.

Watch Michaels make the announcement above.

We read somewhere that watching horror movies might help the suffocating anxiety that we’re all feeling right now, which is as good a reason as any to check out all of the terrifying options that Netflix is dropping this week.

Okay, not everything’s a nightmare. Adam Sandler’s Halloween movie feels like family-friendly fare, and Schitt’s Creek has surprised us with its final season landing on the streaming platform earlier than expected, but if chills and thrills are your thing, The Haunting of Bly Manor should scratch that particular itch.

Here’s everything coming to Netflix this week of Oct. 9.

Hubie Halloween (Netflix film streaming 10/7)

Adam Sandler’s doing that weird voice bit again in this Halloween treat from Netflix. Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, a small-town outcast with a love for all things spooky. When the local, annual Halloween celebration is threatened by dark forces, it’s up to him to save the people who’ve mocked him for most of his life. Look, you won’t have any nightmares from this thing but you’ll probably enjoy a few laughs.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor (Netflix series streaming 10/8)

If nightmares are what you’re hoping for, you have a better chance of getting them from this Mike Flanagan series. The showrunner has assembled some familiar faces from his Haunting of Hill House show to tell another disturbing story filled with hauntings and murder and the aftermath of grief. Plus, there are creepy orphans in this one.

Schitt’s Creek: Season 6 (series streaming 10/7)

And finally, if your own shadow is enough to terrify you, may we offer the final season of Schitt’s Creek, which landed early on Netflix and is the perfect kind of comfort watch for these dark times.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 10/4
Colombiana
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

Avail. 10/6
Dolly Parton: Here I Am
Saturday Church
StarBeam: Halloween Hero
Walk Away from Love

Avail. 10/7
Hubie Halloween
Schitt’s Creek: Season 6
To the Lake

Avail. 10/9
Deaf U
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 2: Rio
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Ginny Weds Sunny
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Super Monsters: Dia de los Monsters

It is Saturday Night Live tradition that a few days before the show airs, the guest host and musical guest join one of the SNL cast members to film a slew of simple promos. Things went a bit differently there, this week, since the upcoming episode doesn’t currently have an announced musical guest thanks to Morgan Wallen’s antics. So, host Bill Burr linked up with Keenan Thompson to record the promos and took the opportunity to joke about the Wallen situation.

The first bit saw Burr joking about filming the “awkward promo.” In the second and last one, Burr turns to Thompson and asks, “Hey Keenan, maybe they’ll let me do my music, too, huh?” Burr then asks some folks off camera if he could actually do it, and after seemingly not getting the answer he was hoping for, says, “Eh, that’s a no. Kind of hard to tell with the masks.” Thompson insisted, “I heard a clear ‘no,’” to which Burr replied, “I saw it, too.”

While Burr probably doesn’t really expect to be named this week’s musical guest, he’s not devoid of talent in that arena, as he’s actually a pretty good drummer. For example, I’ll leave you with this video of him covering AC/DC’s “Kicked In The Teeth” with Dean Delray, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, and Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx at a Bon Scott tribute show in 2018:

After staying fairly quiet for the first half of the year, Cordae is slowly ramping up his activity as the DMV rapper returns with his first guest feature of the year. The new verse comes alongside Dinner Party’s — which is comprised of Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington — new track, “Freeze Tag,” one that arrives through the quartet’s new project, Dinner Party: Dessert. Cordae uses the track, which is wrapped in a soothing hook by Phoelix, to thank a higher power for his successes in life. His verse comes after Phoelix’s hook, which finds him detailing the struggles and fears of Black men in America. Keeping this underlying worry in mind, Cordae gratitude for his success is understandable.

Cordae’s new verse arrived after he connected with Roddy Ricch for their soulful single, “Gifted.” The song was his first release since his Grammy-nominated album The Lost Boy. Prior to the release of “Gifted,” Cordae confirmed that the YBN collective separated, confirming a tweet YBN Nahmir posted in early August. Speaking on the breakup in an interview with Elliot Wilson, Cordae said, “Sometimes as friends, you grow apart and you have different visions for what you wanna do and that’s OK, there’s no love lost.”

As for Dinner Party: Dessert the project also flaunts guest appearances from Rapsody, Buddy, Snoop Dogg, TDE President Punch, and Alex Isley.

Listen to “Freeze Tag” in the video above.

Dinner Party: Dessert is out now via via Sounds Of Crenshaw/EMPIRE. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Back in 2013, Juicy J stepped into the spotlight as a lone act with solo debut album, Stay Trippy, and found instant success with the project. A huge part of the project’s success was thanks to its well-performing single “Bandz A Make Her Dance.” Seven years later, Juicy J is looking to achieve the same success, this time with his forthcoming album The Hustle Continues. Returning with the second single from the album, Juicy J calls on a fellow Memphis rapper a couple hip-hop generations removed from him for his new single, “Load It Up.” Bringing his undeniable energy to the song, produced by Juicy J himself, NLE Choppa gives a second dose of Memphis flavor to the track.

Just two months ago, Juicy J kicked off the rollout for The Hustle Continues with his “Gah Dam High” single alongside Wiz Khalifa. The track was released alongside a comical video that found Juicy J tormenting his wife as a result of the extra time on his hands. He also makes life harder for his accountant who struggles to keep the rapper’s finances in order thanks to his lavish spending during quarantine. On a more recent note, he joined R&B duo THEY. on their “STCU” single, one that promoted unsafe sex.

Listen to “Load It Up” in the video above.

The Hustle Continues is out October 14 via Trippy Music/Entertainment One.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For the past month, Griselda has been on a strong streak with their musical offerings. Conway The Machine kicked things off with his From King To A God project, one that effectively put things in line for his upcoming Shady Records debut album. Armani Caesar followed suit with her solidifying Griselda debut, The Liz, and Westside Gunn stepped through the curtain with his own Shady debut, Who Made The Sunshine last week. Now, Benny The Butcher is up next and the Buffalo spitter sets things off with his triumphant “Timeless” single alongside Lil Wayne and Big Sean.

The single arrives after weeks of promotion on social media, much of which found Benny The Butcher and Big Sean in the studio with Hit-Boy, who produced the new track. The uplifting song finds the three rappers celebrating their positions in the rap world and confirming their desires to have their name and music continue long after their lives. With Benny leading the way on the track, the three rappers post strong verses on “Timeless,” promising an enjoyable experience for fans of Benny, Wayne, and Sean.

The song is also set to appear on Benny’s upcoming album, Burden Of Proof, which will arrive next Friday, October 16. The project will be executive produced by Hit-Boy and include features from Rick Ross, Freddie Gibbs, Queen Najia, Dom Kennedy, Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn.

Listen to “Timeless” in the video above.

While fans continue to wait for her upcoming third album, Doja Cat is making the wait a bit easier for fans as she returns with another guest feature for them to enjoy. This time around it comes alongside Bebe Rexha for their new collaboration, “Baby I’m Jealous.” The single is quite the groovy number with Bebe admitting to the things that make her jealous in a relationship, including Instagram likes, the physical features of other women, and more. Sliding through with a strong verse of her own, Doja Cat plays the woman Bebe is probably jealous of and tells her that it’s not her fault Bebe’s man has his eyes on her. Doja concludes her verse with a somewhat of comforting note, rapping, “But he ain’t even worth none of your time / It’s such a drag / I’m not being spiteful, but he’s trash.”

The new single arrives after Doja delivered an update on her upcoming third album during an interview with Fat Joe. “It’s all ready,” Doja said. “I hate that I’m holding onto it right now… Every time I go on Twitter or go on Instagram, I see everyone saying, ‘Put it out.’ You have to plan things accordingly and there’s a lot going on. So, to just drop everything tomorrow — yeah, I’d love for you to hear it, but you can’t just be doing stuff like that. It’s not the same that it used to be.”

While the continued wait might be bothersome to her fans, she did confirm the wait would be worth it. “They are gonna get an album that I 100 percent am ready to drop and am overly excited to put that out.”

You can listen to “Baby I’m Jealous” in the video above.

Bebe Rexha is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.