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Devery Jacobs as Riley in Backspot Kirsten Nolan hide caption

It's Been a Minute

Devery jacobs flies high in 'backspot'.

June 4, 2024 • Cheerleaders are canonical when it comes to teen media - but is it time we expand our idea of who cheerleaders can be? Devery Jacobs's new film, Backspot , explores the internal life of a cheerleading backspot - the person making sure those high-flying cheerleaders don't break their necks. Devery joins Brittany to talk about redefining the cheerleader for a new generation, and keeping her sense of integrity while navigating the film industry.

Creating the two of the most famous eyes in television. A scene from a new Disney+ documentary by Oscar-winning director, Ron Howard. It's called "Jim Henson: Idea Man." Disney/Disney hide caption

Inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational revelations in a new Disney+ documentary about Jim Henson

June 3, 2024 • Inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational revelations in a new documentary about Jim Henson

Disney+ documentary details the life, art, and ambition of Muppet creator Jim Henson

Asa Jennings as Peter Watson in The Swan. -/Netflix hide caption

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: a guide to your weekend viewing and listening.

May 31, 2024 • Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations; the songs “Meter Run” and “Worth It” and Gasoline Rainbow.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

Summer box office woes: Hollywood’s optimistic, but movie seats are still empty

May 31, 2024 • After an already-slow spring, movie theater attendance over Memorial Day Weekend was the lowest in decades, apart from 2020.

Hollywood's summer season is off to a slow start

Viggo Mortensen plays Holger Olsen in The Dead Don't Hurt. Marcel-Zyskind/Shout! Studios hide caption

'The Dead Don’t Hurt' is a tender love story and a subversive Western

May 31, 2024 • You can’t immediately tell whether this film is trying to be an old-fashioned Western or a revisionist one. It was written and directed by Viggo Mortensen, who stars alongside Vicky Krieps.

20240531_fa_02

Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, and Rachael Leigh Cook in Josie and the Pussycats. Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo hide caption

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the best fictional bands.

May 31, 2024 • Sometimes, our favorite musical artists are too good to be true because they're sprung from the imaginations of Hollywood screenwriters. But what makes a fake band great? Today, we are debating the best fictional bands in TV and film — including from Mamma Mia! , Josie and the Pussycats , It's Your Move , and Miami Connection .

Enea Sala (center) plays the young Edgardo in Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. Anna Camerlingo/Cohen Media Group hide caption

'Kidnapped' tells the historical horror story of an abducted Jewish child

May 30, 2024 • Edgardo Mortara was just 6 years old when Italian authorities took him away from his family in 1858. Kidnapped is a true story steeped in Roman Catholic antisemitism.

Chris Pine says he has "fantastic anxiety dreams." Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images hide caption

The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

May 27, 2024 • Today, we are bringing you an episode of a new NPR podcast hosted by our pal Rachel Martin. It's called Wild Card , and it's a new interview show where the game controls the conversation. Each week, the guest chooses questions at random — about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives. This episode is an interview with the actor Pop Culture Happy Hour listeners voted as their favorite Chris — Chris Pine.

Sean Baker holds the Palme d'Or for the film Anora , during the awards ceremony of the 77th international film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Saturday. Andreea Alexandru/Invision/AP hide caption

'Anora' wins Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival

May 25, 2024 • Sean Baker's dramedy starring Mikey Madison won the annual film festival's top honor.

Alec Baldwin in 2021. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' trial to go ahead after judge denies motion to dismiss charge

May 24, 2024 • The actor is scheduled to go on trial in July for involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

'Mad Max' director George Miller says the audience tells you 'what your film is'

May 24, 2024 • Miller directed the first Mad Max in 1979, as well as Mad Max: Fury Road in 2014 and the new prequel Furiosa. In 2016, he revealed that he was never sure how his movies would hold up over time.

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has died. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for DIFF hide caption

Morgan Spurlock, documentary filmmaker of 'Super Size Me', dies at 53

May 24, 2024 • In his inventive 2004 documentary about the fast food industry, Spurlock consumed only McDonald’s fast food for a month. He died Thursday from complications of cancer.

MORGAN SPURLOCK OBIT

Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Jemal Countess; Drew Angerer/Getty Images; BFA / Warner Bros hide caption

The Real Housewife-ification of Congress; And, 25 years of being pilled by The Matrix

May 24, 2024 • Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jasmine Crockett exchanged heated words on the House floor. Greene commented on Crockett's eyelashes, and Crockett referred to Greene's body as "butch." We dive into the history of these two attacks, and look at what history the two representatives were pulling from — from misogynoir to transphobia. And what does this say about what we want from our politicians? Brittany is joined by NPR's Alana Wise and writer Kerry Manders.

Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga . Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' goes full throttle

May 24, 2024 • Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is packed with bone-crunching practical stunts and lots of gnarly, diesel-powered chase scenes. It also shows a commitment to worldbuilding that grapples with themes of feminism, environmentalism, and humanity. Directed by George Miller, the prequel film tells the story of a Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), who was taken from her home as a girl, raised to be a warrior in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and now seeks revenge on an evil warlord (Chris Hemsworth).

Anya Taylor-Joy plays the title character in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Jasin Boland / Warner Bros. hide caption

Furiosa's 'Mad Max' origin story is packed with explosives and extremes

May 23, 2024 • In this prequel to Mad Mad: Fury Road, Furiosa comes fully into her own as an action hero, hurling dynamite one minute and climbing up on top of the truck to fend off an attacker the next.

Hoa Xuande in The Sympathizer. HBO Max hide caption

Does 'The Sympathizer' worthily adapt its acclaimed book?

May 23, 2024 • It's rare to find a series with such an impeccable pedigree as HBO's The Sympathizer . It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, co-created by auteur director Park Chan-wook, and features Robert Downey, Jr. in four supporting roles. Set during and after the Vietnam war, the series follows a man (Hoa Xuande) juggling a position with the South Vietnamese military and one as a spy for the North Vietnamese. But is it a worthy adaptation?

Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming in IF . Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures hide caption

Does 'IF' capture the magic of its Pixar inspiration?

May 22, 2024 • In the new movie IF , a 12-year-old girl (Cailey Fleming) discovers she can see other people's imaginary friends. It stars Ryan Reynolds, and directed by John Krasinski. It mixes the real world and animation, but does it capture the heart of the Pixar movies that inspired it?

When OpenAI announced its latest ChatGPT last week, the AI voice it used in its demo was quickly compared to Scarlett Johansson's voice in the 2013 sci-fi film "Her," but now the company says it is pulling the voice. Leon Bennett/Getty Images hide caption

Scarlett Johansson says she is 'shocked, angered' over new ChatGPT voice

May 20, 2024 • Johansson says she was approached multiple times by OpenAI to be the voice of ChatGPT, and that she declined. Then the company released a voice assistant that sounded uncannily like her.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Maya hawke talks remixing hannah montana and fighting mumford and sons.

May 18, 2024 • Actor and singer Maya Hawke joins us to talk Stranger Things , childhood songs, and folk music beefs with panelists Adam Burke, Faith Salie, and Negin Farsad.

Dabney Coleman, who starred in "9 to 5" and "Tootsie," appears in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 1988. The actor died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. Nick Ut/AP hide caption

Dabney Coleman, who starred in '9 to 5' and 'Tootsie', dies at 92

May 18, 2024 • Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in "9 to 5" and the nasty TV director in "Tootsie," has died.

Pop Culture

May 17, 2024 • Each week, the guests and hosts on Pop Culture Happy Hour share the movies, TV shows, books, articles, podcasts and songs that are bringing them joy.

Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black . Olli Upton/Focus Features hide caption

'Back to Black' misses Amy Winehouse's point of view

May 17, 2024 • The new music biopic Back to Black chronicles the life of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. The film stars Marisa Abela, and follows Winehouse as she records her breakthrough album, gets married, and struggles with addiction. But does the movie do justice to the singer and her music?

Bea (Cailey Fleming) and Blue (voiced by Steve Carell) in IF. Paramount Pictures hide caption

'IF' only! These imaginary friends are sweet, but could have been so much more

May 16, 2024 • Imagine that imaginary friends were real. Now imagine that IF director John Krasinski and star Ryan Reynolds convinced A-list pals to voice them.

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

May 16, 2024 • Chris Pine says his directorial debut, Poolman , got "obliterated" by critics. But the Star Trek and Wonder Woman star tells Rachel that the experience helped him reevaluate his desire for perfection. Chris also debates predestination with Rachel, reflects on the struggle to feel awe and discusses his recurring childhood dreams of having tea with an elf in a tree.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

Charlie Berns, played by director and co-writer Billy Crystal , is a writer who is so well known for being funny that when his behavior is a little off, everyone thinks he is doing a bit. On stage with Barry Levinson , Sharon Stone , and Kevin Kline , all playing themselves as stars of a fictitious Berns-scripted movie classic celebrating an anniversary, Berns gets disoriented and forgets the names of the other people on the panel. The audience laughs appreciatively; what a cut-up! Stone good-naturedly reminds him: "I'm Meryl Streep ." Another laugh. That Charlie!

Charlie's daughter Francine (Broadway star Laura Benanti ) is not amused. She thinks he must be drunk or that he does not care enough about her to respond to the invitation to her daughter's bat mitzvah. And his colleagues at a "Saturday Night Live"-style late night sketch comedy show just think it's a quirky eccentricity that he insists on a typewriter instead of a computer. 

But Charlie is in the early stages of dementia. He is lonely and he is scared. He holds onto what he can: his routine, as he walks to his job reciting, "Turn left at the stop sign," and the one thing that he has always been able to count on—Charlie is funny. He may not come up with sketch ideas, but he can spot the weaknesses in other people's ideas and make them better, and he also can spot the talent in a shy new writer who just needs a little bit of support. There is nothing funny about losing the core of himself, his memories, his ability to come up with fast, witty comebacks. And so, the only one who knows what is going on is his doctor ( Anna Deavere Smith , every bit the warm, dedicated health care professional we all wish for).

Lunch with Charlie was raffled off at a charity fundraiser, and Charlie is looking forward to spending time with someone who was interested enough to bid on him. But the person who shows up is Emma ( Tiffany Haddish ), who has no idea who he is. She's only there to spite her ex, who was the one who bid just $22 to meet Charlie. And to order a gigantic seafood platter, which immediately triggers an allergic reaction requiring an emergency trip to the hospital. Charlie pays for everything and Emma promises to pay him back. But as they keep seeing each other, they find an easy connection. Having no preconception of who Charlie was allows Emma to see his struggle. And being with someone who knows the truth helps Charlie begin to accept it, and to resolve some issues with his family (how his son got the name "Rex" is a lot of fun) while he still can. 

Crystal largely avoids the pitfalls of a movie about friends of different races. Emma is not a  Magical Negro  and Charlie is not a  White Savior . They are not there to teach each other important life lessons or help each other overcome obstacles. They are just good people who get along well. The easy chemistry between the characters reflects the real-life friendship of the two stars and it is clear to see that like Emma and Charlie, Haddish and Crystal get a kick out of each other. Indeed, they get so much of a kick out of each other that Crystal the director was too reluctant to cut their scenes, which impairs the pacing. It would work better with a shorter running time, with some scenes as DVD extras. This is a particular problem in the parts of the movie where we are supposed to see how funny Charlie is. The material for the sketch comedy show in the film is not as funny as the movie needs them to be. 

Crystal wrote the script with former "Saturday Night Live" writer Alan Zweibel , who also co-wrote " North ," the film based on Zweibel's book that led to Roger Ebert's legendary review: "I hated hated hated hated hated this movie." No one would say that about this film. I liked liked liked it, but that I wish they'd had someone like Charlie to sharpen the script.

Now playing in theaters.

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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Glenn kenny, film credits.

Here Today (2021)

Rated PG-13

Billy Crystal as Charlie Berns

Tiffany Haddish as Emma Payge

Sharon Stone as Sharon Stone

Penn Badgley as Rex

Kevin Kline as Kevin Kline

Laura Benanti as Francine

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• Billy Crystal

Writer (short story The Prize)

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10 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week

Whether you’re a casual moviegoer or an avid buff, our reviewers think these films are worth knowing about.

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By The New York Times

Critic’s Pick

A wordless cartoon to love.

‘Robot Dreams’

A dog and his robot friend explore 1980s New York in this wordless cartoon written and directed by Pablo Berger and adapted from the graphic novel of the same name.

From our review:

It’s marvelous how the film is able to sketch so much soul from such simple lines. The characters are drawn bluntly, just as they are in the book. Yet Berger, directing his first animated feature (but not his first silent film ), already boasts the creativity of a master. He frames images from inside a grimy microwave, or looking up from the bottom of a candy bowl as it’s being filled with jelly beans. One dizzying shot comes from the point of view of a snowman who’s popped off his own head and hurled it like a bowling ball.

In theaters. Read the full review .

The sulking dead.

‘handling the undead’.

After the dead are spontaneously reanimated, three families wrestle with the personal ramifications.

Director Thea Hvistendahl wisely takes her time getting to any real action. Instead, with a slow-moving camera and plenty of filtered sunlight, she conjures a dreamlike state, the sense of hanging between planes of existence that tends to accompany those who grieve. There are times when the film veers too near the maudlin for comfort, but it always finds its way back to something spare and meaningful. What would you do, the story gently asks, if your fondest and most impossible wish was granted, and you realized it wasn’t at all what you’d hoped it would be?

Swimming with the clichés.

‘young woman and the sea’.

This Disney drama is inspired by the true story of Trudy Ederle (played by Daisy Ridley), who in 1926 battled sexism and became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

This is one of those movies that proves, when they’ve got a mind to, they can still make them like they used to. Which is to say, its production values are top-notch, the cast uniformly competent or better (Ridley is particularly winning), and the filmmaking language — the director here is Joachim Ronning, whose last at-bat with Disney was the 2019 critical misfire “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” — is meticulously calculated to deliver a rousing climax and an appropriately heartwarming coda. It’s also rather rich in cliché.

Jessica Lange, stealing the show.

‘the great lillian hall’.

The title character (Jessica Lange) is an aging stage actress who struggles personally and professionally in this melodrama directed by Michael Cristofer.

“The Great Lillian Hall” is not afraid to embrace its classicism; had it been made in the 1940s, it would have starred Bette Davis. Like many of the best golden-age melodramas, this HBO film fully commits to both unabashed emotion and a complicated female lead, a role filled by Jessica Lange with a finely tuned mix of showmanship and nuance.

Watch on Max . Read the full review .

A road trip along a familiar route.

After his son Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald), an 11-year-old with autism, is expelled from school, Max (Bobby Cannavale) kidnaps him from his ex-wife and the boy and his father embark on a cross-country road trip.

Written by Tony Spiridakis and directed by Tony Goldwyn, “Ezra” is standard Hollywood fare. Its mood is often playful, until there’s a hard tug at the heartstrings. Family members reconcile, while tough guys learn life lessons about being generous with their children, and their own inner children. What keeps the story sweet is the chemistry between Cannavale and Fitzgerald, who build a bond worth cherishing.

Viggo Mortensen’s inspired passion project.

‘the dead don’t hurt’.

A Danish sheriff, Olsen, and a French Canadian woman, Vivienne, try to forge a life together in a small Western town but the American Civil War makes that impossible in this sprawling epic starring Viggo Mortensen, who also wrote, directed, produced and scored.

Shooting primarily in Durango, Mexico, Mortensen ably handles the division of perspectives and dramas — when Olsen goes off to war, the movie cedes center stage to Vivienne — without ever losing interest or proportion. Only the ending, a would-be poetic parting note too gentle for the gritty spectacle that has preceded it, and too untethered to its themes, comes across as a weak point. Even then, with performances this good, it’s hard to mind much.

A volley from the small screen to the big screen.

‘haikyu the dumpster battle’.

This film, directed by Susumu Mitsunaka, is a continuation of the sports anime series “Haikyu!!” and follows a heated volleyball match between two high schools, Karasuno, with players like Shoyo Hinata, and rival Nekoma.

As in every match in the series, the Dumpster Battle uses imaginative visual metaphors to depict each team’s offensive and defensive strategies and overall playing philosophies. Karasuno is the crow, with Hinata’s awe-inspiring leaps above the court represented by a crow making an airborne attack. Nekoma is the cat, grounded with solid defense, stalking and manipulating its prey until it can find the right moment to clip the crow’s feathers.

Like if Michael Myers was the protagonist.

‘in a violent nature’.

This slasher takes the killer as its main character, following him through the woods from one murder to the next.

There is a calm implacability to “In a Violent Nature” that’s deeply unsettling and particularly unpleasant. Yet I was also transfixed: Chris Nash’s direction is so persuasively bold — brazen, really — and bloodcurdlingly coolheaded that his unusual shocker is impossible to dismiss.

A queer teen drama without the usual trauma.

When teenager Riley (Devery Jacobs) joins an all-star cheer squad, she must balance her mental health, her relationship with her girlfriend (Kudakwashe Rutendo) and her need to impress her new coach (Evan Rachel Wood).

The nonbinary director, D.W. Waterson, wanted to make the kind of film they wished they had seen growing up in a hockey-obsessed household in Canada. Which may explain why an earnest teen spirit seems to be alive and somersaulting in “Backspot,” a cheer squad tale offering plenty of life lessons. … The double full twist with “Backspot” is that the writer, Joanne Sarazen, and Waterson (who edited and scored the film), don’t center the coming-of-age drama in coming-out trauma.

A bride with cold feet. Cue the chaos.

‘the young wife’.

This comedy-drama directed by Tayarisha Poe follows Celestina (Kiersey Clemons) on her chaotic wedding day.

The film’s cacophony of voices, and a spotlight that roves across the party guests, creates a storm of light, color and sound in the midst of which Celestina ponders existential questions. … These are familiar, even hackneyed themes, which make the film’s relentless theatrics feel gratuitous and somewhat exhausting. Style overpowers substance, though Poe’s fantastic eye for composition and Clemons’s vivacious screen presence are undeniable.

In theaters and available to rent or buy on most major platforms . Read the full review .

Compiled by Kellina Moore .

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Leslye Headland’s new “Star Wars” show, The Acolyte,” is a dream come true, but she knows it carries enormous expectations .

Once relegated to supporting roles, the comedian Michelle Buteau  is a star of the film “Babes” and is moving to a bigger stage, Radio City Music Hall, for her new special.

American audiences used to balk at subtitles. But recent hits like “Shogun” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” show how much that has changed .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

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Rent Here Today on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

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Here Today 's well-matched stars share an infectious chemistry that's almost enough to overcome a frequently mushy mix of comedy and drama.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll love the way Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish bring Here Today 's sensitive, meaningful story to life.

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30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

Discover the top, most popular movies available now! Across theaters, streaming, and on-demand, these are the movies Rotten Tomatoes users are checking out at this very moment, including Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (see how to watch the Apes movies in order ), IF , and The Strangers – Chapter 1 .

Check back for latest updates to the charts, and also take a look at the most popular TV shows out right now !)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) 90%

Atlas (2024) 19%

The Fall Guy (2024) 81%

The Garfield Movie (2024) 36%

IF (2024) 49%

Hit Man (2023) 97%

Challengers (2024) 89%

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) 80%

Civil War (2024) 81%

The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023) 97%

Madame Web (2024) 11%

Late Night with the Devil (2023) 97%

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) 97%

The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) 21%

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) 70%

Sight (2023) 70%

The Idea of You (2024) 81%

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) 83%

Back to Black (2024) 34%

Dune: Part Two (2024) 92%

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) 94%

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) 54%

A Simple Favor (2018) 84%

Unfrosted (2024) 43%

Abigail (2024) 83%

Babes (2024) 91%

Tarot (2024) 19%

The Iron Claw (2023) 89%

Castle in the Sky (1986) 96%

Monkey Man (2024) 88%

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'It's mercifully short': Richard Wilkins reviews this week's movie releases

It has been another big week of movie releases - let's check out what's fresh in cinemas ahead of the weekend.

The Way Bay

Ben Affleck is back at his best in The Way Back, which tells the story of a former high school basketball champion, Jack Cunningham, who walked away from the game.

He's gone from being the boy next door, to a struggling alcoholic. Fate intervenes and Jack is offered the coaching position at his old school to help the hapless team recapture some of the glory he experienced in his day… and potentially seek redemption along the way.

Affleck is quite superb in this role, which was perilously close to what was happening in his real life. In fact, he only emerged from rehab the day before shooting commenced. His performance is raw and powerful.

It is of course first and foremost a sports movie, and there is some fantastic basketball action in there, but it deals with a whole lot more; love, loss, addiction, illness and family.

It's a really good film, which drops off a little right at the end, but it's still the best thing Affleck has done in ages… maybe ever.

The Way Back – 4 stars

Also fresh in cinemas this week is a new black comedy that stars comedians Will Ferrell and Julia Louise-Dreyfus. It's unfortunately named Downhill.

The film is set in the snowy alps and is not very funny. Billie, Pete and their kids are on a ski holiday when an avalanche hits and Pete runs off leaving the others to their peril. They are not very happy about that.

It is basically a remake of the 2014 film Force Majeure. It's not a patch on that, and despite glimpses of what could have been, it is blithely disappointing.

However, at only 86 minutes long it's mercifully brief.

Downhill – 2 stars

Next up, is an excellent film by Australian writer and director Miranda Nation that stars Laura Gordon as Claire, and Olivia DeJonge as Angie.

These two strangers are destined to have a big impact on each others' lives. Rob Collins is Claire's husband Dan and is also terrific.

This is an enthralling, surprising, and brave exploration of women's issues made with a female crew. It's on limited release, but if you want to experience something special, dig it out.

Undertow – 3 stars

Dark Waters

Continuing with the water theme, is this true story that follows an up-and-coming lawyer played by Mark Ruffalo, who has the world at his feet.

Rob Bilott risks his entire career to take on an industrial giant, DuPont, who appears to have been poisoning the water in Parkersburg, West Virginia for decades causing death and disease.

It's a fascinating story as Roy takes on the big end of town, and indeed his own profession; a true David and Goliath battle.

Ruffalo is outstanding. Tim Robbins plays his boss, and Anne Hathaway stars as his long-suffering wife, and Bill Camp is cast perfectly in the role of Wilbur Tennant – the farmer who first casts a light on the horrors.

This is a great, powerful, dare I say it, important film. It recalls Erin Brockovich and will have you racing home afterwards to check out your frying pans – you will know what I mean when you see the film.

Dark Waters – 4 stars

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In new Hulu show 'Clipped,' Donald Sterling's L.A. Clippers scandal gets a 2024 lens: Review

It was the iPhone recording heard round the world. And now we all get to hear it again in Hulu's "Clipped."

A decade ago, the sports world was rocked by a tape of then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist, condemnable comments about Black people to his mistress/confidante, V. Stiviano . The recording, which was published by TMZ as the Clippers played in the first round of the NBA playoffs, led to international outrage and forced an eventual sale of the team and a lifetime ban of Sterling from the NBA . But he and his wife also made a cool $2 billion from the sale, and racism didn't end with him.

It was a saga that played out in the public eye, with jaw-dropping TV interviews from Stiviano, Sterling and his wife, Shelly, protests by NBA players, statements by President Barack Obama and peanut-gallery commentary by anyone with a keyboard.

It might seem unnecessary to dramatize the Sterling saga; it was covered wall to wall by the media and internet commenters back in 2014, and is still fresh in our collective memory. But "Clipped" (streaming Tuesdays, ★★★ out of four) makes a case to revisit this story. Created by Gina Welch and based on the ESPN "30 for 30" podcast "The Sterling Affairs," "Clipped" succeeds as a compelling way to relive one of the biggest NBA stories of the 21st century and a bigger picture discussion about racism, capitalism, and who really "wins" in American society. It's the only basketball TV series you'll see with almost no time spent on the court. Instead, you'll see riveting meetings in hotel ballrooms.

The series begins as Doc Rivers (Laurence Fishburne) joins the Clippers as head coach, and it takes its time setting up all the players in this off the court game before the tape is released and chaos reigns. Ed O'Neill plays Sterling with a notable commitment to embodying the wealthy man's off-putting egotism and smarm in his every scene and sordid dialogue. As portrayed by the series, Sterling is exactly the kind of man who would say the words on that tape, letting out casual racism, sexism and general offensiveness in nearly every word. He's trailed by his "assistant," V. Stiviano (Cleopatra Coleman), who is really his platonic mistress/confidante/chauffeur and records the insane and indecent things he says, including the infamous "don't bring Black people to my games" rant. His wife, Shelly (Jacki Weaver), thinks of herself as the voice of reason and kindness within her marriage and their businesses, but as the series goes on it doesn't paint her with a particularly flattering brush.

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O'Neill puts on a showy performance, and Fishburne brings such intensity to Rivers' anger and emotion I thought he might give himself an aneurysm. But the series champion is Coleman, who has the exceedingly difficult job of bringing humanity to an enigmatic and only briefly public figure known mostly for her erratic behavior. The series spends ample time examining her state of mind, her status as a biracial woman with her own internalized racism and the power and financial hierarchy of Los Angeles. Coleman doesn't give us a caricature, and the sensitive portrayal is to her credit.

The series, however, slightly fails in its portrayal of the Clippers. Big names show up as part of the story, from Chris Paul (J. Alphonse Nicholson) to Blake Griffin (Austin Scott) to JJ Redick (Charlie McElveen) to DeAndre Jordan (Sheldon Bailey). These men are in the thick of the controversy simply by being team members (and most of them are Black), and yet there isn't quite enough depth to them as they debate how to protest Sterling's words and whether they should play for his team at all. The series could have spent more time with them, because as it is, their scenes feel like a cursory check-in before the action goes back to Sterling, Rivers and Stiviano. The best and most nuanced discussions about race and basketball and America come not from the locker room but from Rivers and, of all people, LeVar Burton, playing himself.

As with many true stories like this, "Clipped" ends on an underwhelming, unsatisfying note. But that is the way it has to be, because the problem of American racism − in the NBA and sports and our everyday lives − is nowhere near solved. The fictionalized versions of the players lament that they weren't able to make this moment about more than one "bad apple." Nods to the killing of Trayvon Martin and protests in Ferguson, Missouri, which happened later in 2014, only emphasize this. And any viewer who has paid attention to the past decade of news can think of so many more "moments" meant to change the way we talk and act about race in this country that fizzled into nothingness.

How are all those diversity, equity and inclusion pledges from 2020 looking in 2024, hmm?

213. The Idea of You Recap Soul and Wit

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Today, Courtney and Bailey review "The Idea of You." Released in 2017, the book was recently adapted into a movie. Courtney and Bailey dive deep into both the book and the movie, and share their thoughts in a fun and engaging chat. Please note: this episode contains spoilers!  LISTEN on Apple or Spotify Favorite Things Bailey: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Searle Quiz Lady Favorite Things Courtney: An Anne Hathaway quote from The Interview:  “As a formerly chronically stressed young woman, I just remember thinking one day: You are taking this for granted. You are taking your life for granted. You have no idea. Something could fall through the sky, and that would be lights out. So when I find the old instincts rising, I just tell myself, You are not going to die stressed.” Episode Notes and Resources:  The Idea of You (book) The Idea of You (movie)  Episode 159: Daisy Jones And The Six Nightbitch (book) Nightbitch (movie)  PATREON: Support us on Patreon here! You will get access to a new monthly bonus episode and we’ll send you a love letter.  Where you can find us: Bailey: @beautifuldetour or www.beautifuldetour.com Courtney: @bemorewithless or www.bemorewithless.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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