With the appetite of a hungry grizzly, “The Bear” could gobble up a few Emmy records for its sophomore season. Fresh off a smashing first season that set a new benchmark for comedy series wins with 10 trophies, FX’s awards-gobbling show shows no signs of letting up. Its second season, which aired in June 2023, is eyeing three more records to own: most acting nominations for a series in a single year, most nods for a comedy, and most nominated episode in history with its sixth installment, “Fishes.”
“Fishes” dishes out a heated Christmas dinner flashback of the Berzatto family, positioning itself as the series’ pièce de résistance thus far — imagine the “Succession/Connor’s Wedding” version of family dinners, only with more food spills. Directed by Christopher Storer, who also co-wrote the episode with Joanna Calo, “Fishes” seems the obvious pick for Emmy nods in both directing and writing categories.
“Fishes” dishes out a heated Christmas dinner flashback of the Berzatto family, positioning itself as the series’ pièce de résistance thus far — imagine the “Succession/Connor’s Wedding” version of family dinners, only with more food spills. Directed by Christopher Storer, who also co-wrote the episode with Joanna Calo, “Fishes” seems the obvious pick for Emmy nods in both directing and writing categories.
- 5/6/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Bear is one of those rare stories that comes along once in a blue moon. It doesn't get by on flashy CG, explosions, or modded-out race cars flying down the streets.
Witty dialogue, high stress, and intense drama fuel this machine, and perhaps that's why so many big-name actors are attracted to its frenzied undercurrents.
Kudos to the creative team assembled under the banner of The Bear. They've created a fantastic ride, thrumming with intensity and entertainment without needing to spend a fortune.
They're clearly doing something right. Series creator Christopher Storer (bolstered by incredible writers like Joanna Calo) nails the pace and character beats while accomplishing a rare feat within the industry, perfecting the art of the cameo appearance.
Cameos are often tricky for several reasons. They tend to disrupt the immersive nature of the story. As a prime example, everyone is still trying to forget Ed Sheeran...
Witty dialogue, high stress, and intense drama fuel this machine, and perhaps that's why so many big-name actors are attracted to its frenzied undercurrents.
Kudos to the creative team assembled under the banner of The Bear. They've created a fantastic ride, thrumming with intensity and entertainment without needing to spend a fortune.
They're clearly doing something right. Series creator Christopher Storer (bolstered by incredible writers like Joanna Calo) nails the pace and character beats while accomplishing a rare feat within the industry, perfecting the art of the cameo appearance.
Cameos are often tricky for several reasons. They tend to disrupt the immersive nature of the story. As a prime example, everyone is still trying to forget Ed Sheeran...
- 5/3/2024
- by Thomas Godwin
- TVfanatic
There’s still a few months until Season 3 of The Bear debuts, but Disney is holding audiences over with a clip from the upcoming installment.
The clip, revealed during Disney’s shareholder meeting on Wednesday, features Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) getting a surprise from two of his employees, Neil and Ted Fak (Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri).
After a bit of shouting, the pair finally get Carmy into the restaurant’s back office to see they’ve posted photos of every major food critic on the wall. Likely so that all the employees will know as soon as one of them steps foot inside the establishment.
Watch the clip below.
The first clip from 'The Bear' Season 3 has been released.
The season will be released this June on FX and Hulu. pic.twitter.com/cKgaVCGKhf
— Feature First...
The clip, revealed during Disney’s shareholder meeting on Wednesday, features Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) getting a surprise from two of his employees, Neil and Ted Fak (Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri).
After a bit of shouting, the pair finally get Carmy into the restaurant’s back office to see they’ve posted photos of every major food critic on the wall. Likely so that all the employees will know as soon as one of them steps foot inside the establishment.
Watch the clip below.
The first clip from 'The Bear' Season 3 has been released.
The season will be released this June on FX and Hulu. pic.twitter.com/cKgaVCGKhf
— Feature First...
- 4/3/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Kobi Libii’s debut feature The American Society of Magical Negroes starts on a promising note. Aren, a spindly and awkward artist (an endearing Justice Smith) loiters near a yarn sculpture in a gallery. He seems lost in the sea of roving patrons and bustling waiters. It takes a second for us to realize that Aren created the meditative wool work and is struggling to sell it to the mostly white collectors attending this group show. They find the abstract piece illegible; they repeatedly ask about the material (“Is it … yarn?”) while maintaining a distance. These brief encounters are a clever jab by Libii at a visual art world historically enamored of Black figurative artists.
Minor drama ensues after Aren is mistaken for a server by a patron and unceremoniously fired by his gallerist. Before he can think straight, the dejected artist finds himself touring the gothic halls of The American Society of Magical Negroes,...
Minor drama ensues after Aren is mistaken for a server by a patron and unceremoniously fired by his gallerist. Before he can think straight, the dejected artist finds himself touring the gothic halls of The American Society of Magical Negroes,...
- 3/29/2024
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The African American Film Critics Association, representing the largest group of Black film critics globally, said Friday it has partnered with Delta Air Lines to curate a collection of films that celebrate Black History Month.
This in-flight collaboration marks a first for Aafca and promises to bring diverse stories representing the Black cinema experience to Delta customers during the month of February.
The films featured in this collection have been selected by Aafca members, working closely with Delta’s In-flight Entertainment team and Bold, Delta’s Black Community Business Resource Group, to encompass a range of genres and narratives that showcase the richness and depth of Black-themed stories in film.
“In-flight movies offer a great way to discover titles that were previously unknown to me,” says Aafca president, Gil Robertson. “Over the years, I have been introduced to phenomenal stories that broadened my point of view about different people and cultures from around the world.
This in-flight collaboration marks a first for Aafca and promises to bring diverse stories representing the Black cinema experience to Delta customers during the month of February.
The films featured in this collection have been selected by Aafca members, working closely with Delta’s In-flight Entertainment team and Bold, Delta’s Black Community Business Resource Group, to encompass a range of genres and narratives that showcase the richness and depth of Black-themed stories in film.
“In-flight movies offer a great way to discover titles that were previously unknown to me,” says Aafca president, Gil Robertson. “Over the years, I have been introduced to phenomenal stories that broadened my point of view about different people and cultures from around the world.
- 2/2/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Get ready to watch more Freevee this February! Most of the free streamer's new additions will come all at once on the first of the month, including the three-time Oscar nominee "A Soldier’s Story" directed by the recently departed Norman Jewison, the franchise-launching "How to Train Your Dragon," and more classics of the past four decades.
Check out The Streamable’s top picks for Freevee’s February additions, and continue below to see the full list!
Watch Now Free amazonfreevee.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Freevee in February 2024? “A Soldier’s Story” | Thursday, Feb. 1
Early-career Denzel Washington appears in a supporting role in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Soldier’s Play.” But it’s Howard E. Rollings Jr. who leads the cast here as Captain Richard Davenport, a Black Army investigator who travels to a remote military base to look into...
Check out The Streamable’s top picks for Freevee’s February additions, and continue below to see the full list!
Watch Now Free amazonfreevee.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Freevee in February 2024? “A Soldier’s Story” | Thursday, Feb. 1
Early-career Denzel Washington appears in a supporting role in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Soldier’s Play.” But it’s Howard E. Rollings Jr. who leads the cast here as Captain Richard Davenport, a Black Army investigator who travels to a remote military base to look into...
- 1/31/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Ayo Edebiri has now swept the awards season for her performance in FX’s The Bear.
While the series quickly became critically acclaimed, snatching up just about every award it’s been nominated for since it debuted in June 2022, the actress told reporters backstage after her win Monday at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards that the cast and crew “made the show with little money and little expectations other than just doing good work.”
However, Edebiri joked that like hasn’t changed too much since then, quipping: “I’m still renting, so there’s that.”
Related Story: ‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri Gives Her Parents All The Credit After Winning Emmy For Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
The Bear has already been renewed for Season 3, though little is known about where the story might go after the Season 2 finale saw the chaotic opening of Carmy [Jeremy Allen White] and Sydney’s [Edebiri] restaurant.
While the series quickly became critically acclaimed, snatching up just about every award it’s been nominated for since it debuted in June 2022, the actress told reporters backstage after her win Monday at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards that the cast and crew “made the show with little money and little expectations other than just doing good work.”
However, Edebiri joked that like hasn’t changed too much since then, quipping: “I’m still renting, so there’s that.”
Related Story: ‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri Gives Her Parents All The Credit After Winning Emmy For Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
The Bear has already been renewed for Season 3, though little is known about where the story might go after the Season 2 finale saw the chaotic opening of Carmy [Jeremy Allen White] and Sydney’s [Edebiri] restaurant.
- 1/16/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline.
Today, for the final episode of 2023 (!), we’re talking to director-writer Cord Jefferson and producer Jermaine Johnson about their latest project American Fiction, which won the TIFF Audience Award. The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander and John Ortiz.
American Fiction follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a respected author and professor of English literature. But his impatience with his students’ cultural sensitivities is threatening his academic standing, while his latest novel is failing to attract publishers; they claim Monk’s writing “isn’t Black enough.” One night, in a fit of spite, Monk concocts a pseudonymous novel embodying every Black cliché he can imagine. His agent submits it to a major publisher who immediately offers the biggest advance Monk’s ever seen.
Today, for the final episode of 2023 (!), we’re talking to director-writer Cord Jefferson and producer Jermaine Johnson about their latest project American Fiction, which won the TIFF Audience Award. The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Erika Alexander and John Ortiz.
American Fiction follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a respected author and professor of English literature. But his impatience with his students’ cultural sensitivities is threatening his academic standing, while his latest novel is failing to attract publishers; they claim Monk’s writing “isn’t Black enough.” One night, in a fit of spite, Monk concocts a pseudonymous novel embodying every Black cliché he can imagine. His agent submits it to a major publisher who immediately offers the biggest advance Monk’s ever seen.
- 12/29/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Andre Braugher, the dynamic actor known for his outstanding work on such shows as Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died. He was 61.
Braugher died Monday after a brief illness, his longtime rep Jennifer Allen told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death turned out to be lung cancer.
Braugher starred as master interrogator Det. Frank Pembleton on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street for the first six seasons of the show’s acclaimed 1993-99 run, then played another cop, Capt. Raymond Holt — this time against type and for laughs — on the 2013-21 Fox-nbc sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
He won his first Emmy in 1998 for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for Homicide after a season that featured one of its most memorable episodes, “Subway.” That was a two-hander in which Pembleton tries to unearth whether a man (Vincent D’Onofrio) pinned between a Baltimore subway train...
Braugher died Monday after a brief illness, his longtime rep Jennifer Allen told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death turned out to be lung cancer.
Braugher starred as master interrogator Det. Frank Pembleton on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street for the first six seasons of the show’s acclaimed 1993-99 run, then played another cop, Capt. Raymond Holt — this time against type and for laughs — on the 2013-21 Fox-nbc sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
He won his first Emmy in 1998 for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for Homicide after a season that featured one of its most memorable episodes, “Subway.” That was a two-hander in which Pembleton tries to unearth whether a man (Vincent D’Onofrio) pinned between a Baltimore subway train...
- 12/13/2023
- by Mike Barnes, Rick Porter and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
André Braugher has died. The two-time Emmy-winning star of series including Homicide: Life on the Street, Men of a Certain Age and Brooklyn Nine-Nine was 61.
Braugher, whose first film role came alongside Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in the Ed Zwick-directed Glory, died Monday after a brief illness.
While Braugher peppered his résumé with comedies, many will remember him for his ferocious portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Put him in “the box,” sweating out and outsmarting crime suspects in the interrogation room, and you were looking at a weekly dose of tour de force acting, as good as it got on television during that time. He won an Emmy for that show he starred in from 1992-98. His wife, Ami Brabson, recurred as Pembleton’s wife on Homicide.
Related: André Braugher Remembered As “Megawatt Talent” & “Incredible Human Being”
He won...
Braugher, whose first film role came alongside Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in the Ed Zwick-directed Glory, died Monday after a brief illness.
While Braugher peppered his résumé with comedies, many will remember him for his ferocious portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Put him in “the box,” sweating out and outsmarting crime suspects in the interrogation room, and you were looking at a weekly dose of tour de force acting, as good as it got on television during that time. He won an Emmy for that show he starred in from 1992-98. His wife, Ami Brabson, recurred as Pembleton’s wife on Homicide.
Related: André Braugher Remembered As “Megawatt Talent” & “Incredible Human Being”
He won...
- 12/13/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
David McKnight, whose film resume included starring as the lead in the blaxploitation horror movie J.D.’s Revenge, as well as Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats, died Sunday at age 87.
McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.
The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.
In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.
McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...
McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.
The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.
In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.
McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...
- 12/8/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
David McKnight, who portrayed the title character in the cult blaxploitation horror classic J.D.’s Revenge and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats for Robert Townsend, has died. He was 87.
McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.
McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.
In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.
He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...
McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.
McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.
In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.
He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jeremy Allen White has been receiving accolades for his work on the FX show The Bear, and this winter, he’ll be stretching his acting muscles (and actual muscles) as one of the Von Erich brothers in The Iron Claw. It was reported that the network had renewed the show for another season. Early next year, White will be firing up the grills yet again, as Deadline reports that’s when FX has booked reservations for The Bear‘s season 3 to begin production. The show aims to start shooting around February or March of 2024.
White is set to return as Carmy. However, when last we left the chef, he had found himself locked in a walk-in fridge in the middle of a ‘Friends and Family’ night that was taking place at the restaurant. Allen tells Deadline he “hopes” to escape the predicament in season 3 with a bevy of new guest stars.
White is set to return as Carmy. However, when last we left the chef, he had found himself locked in a walk-in fridge in the middle of a ‘Friends and Family’ night that was taking place at the restaurant. Allen tells Deadline he “hopes” to escape the predicament in season 3 with a bevy of new guest stars.
- 11/28/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Season 3 of FX/Hulu’s The Bear will commence production in late February-early March.
We caught up with current Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Allen White aka young chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on The Bear. White stars in the new A24 movie The Iron Claw as wrestler Kerry Von Erich aka “The Texas Tornado.” The movie about the tragedy-stricken wrestling Von Erich family opens on December 22. At a time when the middle of the country needs more movies, here’s a sports drama that plays straight to the heartland.
‘The Iron Claw,’ Starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White
When we last saw Carmy on The Bear, he was locked in a walk-in fridge during the restaurant’s Friends and Family Night, an interlude which White tells us he “hopes” the character escapes from in Season 3. FX/Hulu recently announced a Season 3 of the 13-time Emmy-nominated series.
We caught up with current Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Allen White aka young chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on The Bear. White stars in the new A24 movie The Iron Claw as wrestler Kerry Von Erich aka “The Texas Tornado.” The movie about the tragedy-stricken wrestling Von Erich family opens on December 22. At a time when the middle of the country needs more movies, here’s a sports drama that plays straight to the heartland.
‘The Iron Claw,’ Starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White
When we last saw Carmy on The Bear, he was locked in a walk-in fridge during the restaurant’s Friends and Family Night, an interlude which White tells us he “hopes” the character escapes from in Season 3. FX/Hulu recently announced a Season 3 of the 13-time Emmy-nominated series.
- 11/28/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
According to Marlon Wayans, the number one rule in comedy is “You can’t be afraid to offend.”
Four of today’s hottest comics came together for Variety’s stand-up comedy roundtable — Marlon Wayans (“God Loves Me”), Tom Segura (“Sledgehammer”), (“Salute Me or Shoot Me”) and Matt Rife (“Natural Selection”) — to discuss the state of comedy.
In the past few years, many comedians have argued that political correctness and increased sensitivity have negatively impacted the art form. A fresh face in the scene, the 28-year-old Rife ignited backlash last week over a joke about domestic violence in his new Netflix special. In an Instagram story that followed, Rife offered a fake apology and directed anyone offended by his jokes to a website for special needs helmets. This roundtable conversation was filmed before the release of Rife’s special, but during the conversation, Rife shared with his fellow comedians that “intention matters.
Four of today’s hottest comics came together for Variety’s stand-up comedy roundtable — Marlon Wayans (“God Loves Me”), Tom Segura (“Sledgehammer”), (“Salute Me or Shoot Me”) and Matt Rife (“Natural Selection”) — to discuss the state of comedy.
In the past few years, many comedians have argued that political correctness and increased sensitivity have negatively impacted the art form. A fresh face in the scene, the 28-year-old Rife ignited backlash last week over a joke about domestic violence in his new Netflix special. In an Instagram story that followed, Rife offered a fake apology and directed anyone offended by his jokes to a website for special needs helmets. This roundtable conversation was filmed before the release of Rife’s special, but during the conversation, Rife shared with his fellow comedians that “intention matters.
- 11/27/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Bear is cooking up a third season at FX/Hulu.
The acclaimed restaurant drama series will return in 2024. The series airs exclusively on Hulu from FX.
Hopefully Carmy makes it out of the walk-in fridge and the actors strike ends so production can begin.
The series, which was created by Christopher Storer, stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto, also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zayas. Matty Matheson was also upped for season 2, while Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Oliver Platt, Jon Bernthal, José Cervantes, Richard Esteras, Carmen Christopher, Chris Witaske, Joel McHale, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, Robert Townsend, Molly Gordon, Alex Moffat, Ricky Staffieri, Mitra Jouhari and Maura Kidwell recur.
The first season of The Bear follows Carmy, a young chef from the fine-dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after his brother’s suicide.
The acclaimed restaurant drama series will return in 2024. The series airs exclusively on Hulu from FX.
Hopefully Carmy makes it out of the walk-in fridge and the actors strike ends so production can begin.
The series, which was created by Christopher Storer, stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto, also stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zayas. Matty Matheson was also upped for season 2, while Edwin Lee Gibson, Corey Hendrix, Oliver Platt, Jon Bernthal, José Cervantes, Richard Esteras, Carmen Christopher, Chris Witaske, Joel McHale, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, Robert Townsend, Molly Gordon, Alex Moffat, Ricky Staffieri, Mitra Jouhari and Maura Kidwell recur.
The first season of The Bear follows Carmy, a young chef from the fine-dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after his brother’s suicide.
- 11/6/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Film fans talk about the 1990s as another Golden Age of cinema. Not only is there the jam-packed year of 1999, which gave us classics such as The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but the 90s also saw the rise of new auteurs, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, and Guillermo del Toro. Hollywood turned its attention to indie and foreign films, enriching a moviegoing experience that still featured fan-favorite blockbusters.
But to really see how good the 90s were, we can’t just look at the hits. Rather, the flops tell us the true tale of the decade’s quality – the movies that audiences skipped at the time but have proven their worth in the years that followed. Here are the best flops of the 1990s; films that couldn’t find a wide enough audience upon release, but still deserve attention today.
Mom and Dad Save the World...
But to really see how good the 90s were, we can’t just look at the hits. Rather, the flops tell us the true tale of the decade’s quality – the movies that audiences skipped at the time but have proven their worth in the years that followed. Here are the best flops of the 1990s; films that couldn’t find a wide enough audience upon release, but still deserve attention today.
Mom and Dad Save the World...
- 10/7/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
If you're unfamiliar with the popular video game, it may have been a little jarring to suddenly hear the "Toreadors March" from the French opera "Carmen" blasting through the speakers of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in the trailer for Universal and Blumhouse's film adaptation of "Five Nights at Freddy's." As seemingly random as the needle drop might seem to non-fans, this is actually a reference to the earliest non-original song played in the series. When the power goes out at night, a little music box-like rendition of the song is emitted from Freddy Fazbear's animatronic, turning the song into a terrifying omen of the dangers to come. The original game uses a sample from "1905 Regina Music Box: Classical Overture" from Hot Ideas Inc. The tune was the most used music box of the franchise and has become Freddy Fazbear's signature leitmotif.
While it's unknown how the "FNaF" movie will incorporate the song,...
While it's unknown how the "FNaF" movie will incorporate the song,...
- 9/20/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Amazon Studios MGM releases the film in theaters on Friday, December 15 with expansion to follow on Friday, December 22.
In “American Fiction,” the comic and tragic go hand in hand. Each moment is layered with meaning, socially, politically, and emotionally. The film, based on the novel “Erasure” by writer and professor Percival Everett, is part satire, part romantic comedy, all combined with thoughtful family drama. With an all-star cast and talented writer at the helm, “American Fiction” is poised to become an audience favorite.
The film tells the story of Thelonious Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), an English professor and unsuccessful author suffering from writer’s block and explosive bouts of rage that alienate him from other people. After making one of his students cry, he’s forced to take a break from teaching and return to Boston to...
In “American Fiction,” the comic and tragic go hand in hand. Each moment is layered with meaning, socially, politically, and emotionally. The film, based on the novel “Erasure” by writer and professor Percival Everett, is part satire, part romantic comedy, all combined with thoughtful family drama. With an all-star cast and talented writer at the helm, “American Fiction” is poised to become an audience favorite.
The film tells the story of Thelonious Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), an English professor and unsuccessful author suffering from writer’s block and explosive bouts of rage that alienate him from other people. After making one of his students cry, he’s forced to take a break from teaching and return to Boston to...
- 9/11/2023
- by Jourdain Searles
- Indiewire
Yes, Chefs, we mean, Fanatics, the sophomore season of The Bear was an absolute rollercoaster ride in emotions, cuisine goals, character development, guest stars, and a kick-ass soundtrack.
While we're still on the fence about not getting to savor each installment like a fine wine and perfectly seasoned filet with a weekly drop, it certainly still made for an exceptional binge that had us craving more.
And there's still a lot to be said about this season and what it had to offer in each installment as the second season managed to keep up the momentum of the first, in many ways exceeding it, while heading in a different direction.
There was so much to love about The Bear Season 2, as it managed to curve everyone's fears and deliver on its breakout success.
And we're here to rank the season from best episodes to worst, but let's be real, there...
While we're still on the fence about not getting to savor each installment like a fine wine and perfectly seasoned filet with a weekly drop, it certainly still made for an exceptional binge that had us craving more.
And there's still a lot to be said about this season and what it had to offer in each installment as the second season managed to keep up the momentum of the first, in many ways exceeding it, while heading in a different direction.
There was so much to love about The Bear Season 2, as it managed to curve everyone's fears and deliver on its breakout success.
And we're here to rank the season from best episodes to worst, but let's be real, there...
- 7/10/2023
- by Jasmine Blu
- TVfanatic
[This story contains mild spoilers to The Bear season two.]
For as long as Ayo Edebiri can remember, Robert Townsend has been a part of her life. “He literally was my dad for a period,” says The Bear star, referencing the pioneering actor and director’s role as Robert Peterson on the WB sitcom The Parent ‘Hood, which he created and starred in from 1995-1999.
In a collage that sits in front of Edebiri’s desk is a cutout of a poster of Hollywood Shuffle, Townsend’s 1987 semi-autobiographical comedy which he co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in. When she and co-host Olivia Craighead released the second episode in the director series of their Iconography podcast on July 29, 2020, Townsend was Edebiri’s chosen icon. And when Christopher Storer, The Bear’s creator and co-showrunner, asked the actress who portrays Sydney in the comedy-drama who she wanted to play her dad in season two, she told him, “My dream would be Robert Townsend.
For as long as Ayo Edebiri can remember, Robert Townsend has been a part of her life. “He literally was my dad for a period,” says The Bear star, referencing the pioneering actor and director’s role as Robert Peterson on the WB sitcom The Parent ‘Hood, which he created and starred in from 1995-1999.
In a collage that sits in front of Edebiri’s desk is a cutout of a poster of Hollywood Shuffle, Townsend’s 1987 semi-autobiographical comedy which he co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in. When she and co-host Olivia Craighead released the second episode in the director series of their Iconography podcast on July 29, 2020, Townsend was Edebiri’s chosen icon. And when Christopher Storer, The Bear’s creator and co-showrunner, asked the actress who portrays Sydney in the comedy-drama who she wanted to play her dad in season two, she told him, “My dream would be Robert Townsend.
- 7/6/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Order up for Season 2 of “The Bear.” The hit, critically acclaimed FX and Hulu series is back for its second course this week. Led by Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, and more, “The Bear” follows a young fine dining chef who returns home to run his family’s sandwich shop, working to transform the restaurant, its crew, and himself along the way. The restaurant-centric comedy-drama became FX’s most-watched comedy series in its history with its 2022 debut, and now, the highly anticipated second season will premiere this Thursday, June 22, 2023. You can watch The Bear: Season 2 with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu.
How to Watch ‘The Bear’ Season 2 Premiere When: Thursday, June 22, 2023 Where: Hulu Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99+ / month hulu.com About ‘The Bear’ Season 2 Premiere
In “The Bear,” Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a fine...
How to Watch ‘The Bear’ Season 2 Premiere When: Thursday, June 22, 2023 Where: Hulu Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99+ / month hulu.com About ‘The Bear’ Season 2 Premiere
In “The Bear,” Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a fine...
- 6/22/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
A very strange thing happened to me early in the second season premiere of FX’s The Bear. An early scene features Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the restaurant dramedy’s colorful group of characters arguing over everything they will need to do and spend in order to transform Carmy’s family’s decaying old sandwich shop into the fine dining establishment of his and Sydney’s dreams. As everyone kept talking and shouting over one another, and as Carmy kept adding to the...
- 6/19/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page.
In “A Soldier’s Play,” Captain Richard Davenport isn’t meant to sing. But when you cast legendary baritone Norm Lewis in the role, you take advantage of his talents. Lewis can be seen in the national touring production, currently playing at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre — and it’s thanks to director Kenny Leon that audiences get to hear Davenport sing at certain points it the show.
Written by Charles Fuller, “A Soldier’s Play” is set on an Army base in 1944, when the military is still segregated. Captain Davenport, a rare Black officer, is sent to investigate the shooting of Sergeant Vernon Waters. Though Black himself, Waters despises and persecutes Black men who he feels perpetuate old-fashioned stereotypes.
In “A Soldier’s Play,” Captain Richard Davenport isn’t meant to sing. But when you cast legendary baritone Norm Lewis in the role, you take advantage of his talents. Lewis can be seen in the national touring production, currently playing at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre — and it’s thanks to director Kenny Leon that audiences get to hear Davenport sing at certain points it the show.
Written by Charles Fuller, “A Soldier’s Play” is set on an Army base in 1944, when the military is still segregated. Captain Davenport, a rare Black officer, is sent to investigate the shooting of Sergeant Vernon Waters. Though Black himself, Waters despises and persecutes Black men who he feels perpetuate old-fashioned stereotypes.
- 6/9/2023
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Ruth Carter doesn’t need the prefix “costume designer” in front of her name; she is a household name. Carter made Oscar history when she became the first Black woman ever to win two Oscars, thanks to her work on the “Black Panther” films.
With credits that include “Selma,” “Malcolm X,” “Coming 2 America” and being Spike Lee’s go-to, Carter has stories to tell. In her new book, “The Art of Ruth E. Carter,” she shares those stories. The book covers three decades of work and some of her 72 credits.
Carter spoke with Variety about the book, her first time working in TV and on the “Seinfeld” pilot, as well as the most expensive costume she ever worked on.
We’ve been talking about the book for a while, how does it feel to have it out now?
I didn’t realize I was birthing a baby. I was...
With credits that include “Selma,” “Malcolm X,” “Coming 2 America” and being Spike Lee’s go-to, Carter has stories to tell. In her new book, “The Art of Ruth E. Carter,” she shares those stories. The book covers three decades of work and some of her 72 credits.
Carter spoke with Variety about the book, her first time working in TV and on the “Seinfeld” pilot, as well as the most expensive costume she ever worked on.
We’ve been talking about the book for a while, how does it feel to have it out now?
I didn’t realize I was birthing a baby. I was...
- 6/7/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
“Carmen” didn’t begin life as an opera: French Romantic writer Prosper Mérimée conceived this tale of Spanish passion and tragic jealousy in 1845, thirty years before his compatriot Georges Bizet brought it into its best-known, aria-rich form. But it’s a story that thrives on operatic delivery, hinging on emotions so large and loud they beg to be sung at the top of one’s lungs. That makes it the opera that filmmakers can’t leave alone, even as they tend to switch out the music: Its screen interpretations range from Otto Preminger’s Broadway-rooted “Carmen Jones” to Jean-Luc Godard’s daring, Beethoven-infused “First Name: Carmen” to Robert Townsend’s Beyoncé-starring “Carmen: A Hip-Hopera.” With the plainly titled “Carmen,” ballet star and first-time feature director Benjamin Millepied joins that club, mostly eschewing song in an attempt to conjure the material’s intensity through dance. He is only intermittently successful.
- 4/21/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Even film directors can’t help fan casting for their own projects. Last week, B.A.P.S director Robert Townsend told Slash Film that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion had both expressed interest in playing the lead roles in a remake of the popular 1997 film. While Megan Thee Stallion is still on a social media hiatus, Cardi B was quick to hop on Twitter to deny the rumors.
“I don’t even know where that rumor even came about….,” the rapper wrote in response to a post about the potential remake.
“I don’t even know where that rumor even came about….,” the rapper wrote in response to a post about the potential remake.
- 3/9/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
I first became introduced to the work of Robert Townsend unceremoniously when his family sitcom, The Parent ‘Hood, premiered on The WB network in 1995. A professorial father figure with a wife and four children, Townsend’s character seemed, at least to my adolescent eyes, the ideal American dad. A noble role that fit him like a glove, Townsend must have enjoyed following up his caped-crusader directorial effort, The Meteor Man, with a sitcom that afforded him a more domesticated form of heroism. Those types of roles were not often offered to Townsend. Released in 1987, his directorial debut, Hollywood Shuffle, […]
The post “Seeds for the Revolution”: Robert Townsend on Hollywood Shuffle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Seeds for the Revolution”: Robert Townsend on Hollywood Shuffle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/3/2023
- by Erik Luers
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
I first became introduced to the work of Robert Townsend unceremoniously when his family sitcom, The Parent ‘Hood, premiered on The WB network in 1995. A professorial father figure with a wife and four children, Townsend’s character seemed, at least to my adolescent eyes, the ideal American dad. A noble role that fit him like a glove, Townsend must have enjoyed following up his caped-crusader directorial effort, The Meteor Man, with a sitcom that afforded him a more domesticated form of heroism. Those types of roles were not often offered to Townsend. Released in 1987, his directorial debut, Hollywood Shuffle, […]
The post “Seeds for the Revolution”: Robert Townsend on Hollywood Shuffle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Seeds for the Revolution”: Robert Townsend on Hollywood Shuffle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/3/2023
- by Erik Luers
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The girls that get it, get it. And by "it," I do mean "B.A.P.S.," the late '90s girl-power romp starring Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle-Reid. The film follows the duo as two homegirls whose efforts to swindle a millionaire inadvertently turn them into Black American Princesses (hence the title). It's a campy, caring chick flick with ridiculous gags and a few endearing friendships — but after 25 years, it's still one of the most misunderstood films of the '90s.
One hesitates to label "B.A.P.S." a cult classic. It was ruthlessly panned upon its release in 1997, and though it's cherished and championed by Black female audiences everywhere, the film is never mentioned with the same ironic awe as the other, equally campy films of the era. Think "Clueless," "Dick," or "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" — all enjoy a special place in the cult hall of fame, while "B.A.P.S." is scarcely mentioned.
One hesitates to label "B.A.P.S." a cult classic. It was ruthlessly panned upon its release in 1997, and though it's cherished and championed by Black female audiences everywhere, the film is never mentioned with the same ironic awe as the other, equally campy films of the era. Think "Clueless," "Dick," or "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" — all enjoy a special place in the cult hall of fame, while "B.A.P.S." is scarcely mentioned.
- 3/2/2023
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
After years of paying the bills with commercial gigs and extra work, by the mid ’80s, Robert Townsend was making a decent living performing in comedy clubs and appearing in small roles in big movies like “A Soldier’s Story,” “American Flyers,” and Walter Hill’s action-musical extravaganza “Streets of Fire.” Most of his auditions, however, were still for stereotypical roles as pimps, slaves, and gangbangers; his agent told him that Hollywood only made one decent Black film a year, and “A Soldier’s Story” was it for 1984.
Frustrated by the lack of opportunities, Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans created their own by co-writing the movie industry satire “Hollywood Shuffle,” which Townsend directed and self-financed on savings and credit cards. The 1987 comedy —now part of the Criterion Collection — stands alongside “Stranger Than Paradise,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” and “sex, lies, and videotape” as a touchstone of the ’80s independent film movement, and...
Frustrated by the lack of opportunities, Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans created their own by co-writing the movie industry satire “Hollywood Shuffle,” which Townsend directed and self-financed on savings and credit cards. The 1987 comedy —now part of the Criterion Collection — stands alongside “Stranger Than Paradise,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” and “sex, lies, and videotape” as a touchstone of the ’80s independent film movement, and...
- 3/2/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Robert Townsend looks back on his debut film, "Hollywood Shuffle," with a major sense of fondness. By all accounts, it was a struggle to get off the ground — Townsend notoriously maxed out a handful of credit cards to fund the two-and-a-half-year shoot, and the story itself was born from Townsend's frustrating beginnings as a Black actor. But he quickly decided to take that frustration and spin it into an opportunity. "We were just being bad boys and just having fun," Townsend says now of the experience. "I just felt it was funny. I felt like we wanted to say something."
The intervening years have definitely been kind to Townsend, and to the film he co-wrote with Keenen Ivory Wayans. The duo's scathing critiques take on a new form in a series of sharp, ingenious comedy sketches. From a Siskel & Ebert-style chat show to a remix of classic noirs like "The Maltese Falcon,...
The intervening years have definitely been kind to Townsend, and to the film he co-wrote with Keenen Ivory Wayans. The duo's scathing critiques take on a new form in a series of sharp, ingenious comedy sketches. From a Siskel & Ebert-style chat show to a remix of classic noirs like "The Maltese Falcon,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
February 16 marked the fifth anniversary of Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole’s “Black Panther.” Marvel Studios’ first Black-led superhero flick, starring the late Chadwick Boseman as the king of Wakanda, was seen as a watershed moment for Hollywood representation. With all the chatter about Marvel and DC films prioritizing diversity and inclusivity as a step forward for the caped sub-genre, the success of “Black Panther” was less a step forward and more a return to what was once the status quo generations prior.
Comic book and/or superhero movies fronted by Black actors, like the “Blade” trilogy and “Men in Black” series, once kept comic book features alive, only for Hollywood to declare them essentially whites-only as “Spider-Man” turned the genre into A-level tentpole IP.
Will Smith in “Men in Black 3”
While Hollywood chased pulp-era nostalgia, smaller superhero films centered on Black heroes to relative success.
The industry...
Comic book and/or superhero movies fronted by Black actors, like the “Blade” trilogy and “Men in Black” series, once kept comic book features alive, only for Hollywood to declare them essentially whites-only as “Spider-Man” turned the genre into A-level tentpole IP.
Will Smith in “Men in Black 3”
While Hollywood chased pulp-era nostalgia, smaller superhero films centered on Black heroes to relative success.
The industry...
- 2/21/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Onscreen representation for women of color and female-identifying leads increased marginally from 2021 to 2022, according to a new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The report found that girls and women of color led or co-led 16 of the top-grossing theatrical releases of 2022, a 5 increase from the year before. Women at large headlined 44 of these films, reflecting a minor 3 jump from 41 in 2021. The study pointed out that this year’s top films did not match the U.S. Census threshold, which counts about half of the population as female-identifying.
However, these numbers are significant in context of the entire survey, which looked at 100 films per year from 2007 to 2022 – or 1,600 films total.
Also Read:
Robert Townsend Says Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘Woman King’ Oscars Snub Is an Opportunity for Growth
In 2007, only one of these films starred a woman of color versus 16 films in 2022. The study noted that two movies starred nonbinary...
The report found that girls and women of color led or co-led 16 of the top-grossing theatrical releases of 2022, a 5 increase from the year before. Women at large headlined 44 of these films, reflecting a minor 3 jump from 41 in 2021. The study pointed out that this year’s top films did not match the U.S. Census threshold, which counts about half of the population as female-identifying.
However, these numbers are significant in context of the entire survey, which looked at 100 films per year from 2007 to 2022 – or 1,600 films total.
Also Read:
Robert Townsend Says Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘Woman King’ Oscars Snub Is an Opportunity for Growth
In 2007, only one of these films starred a woman of color versus 16 films in 2022. The study noted that two movies starred nonbinary...
- 2/16/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Every generation has a Robert Townsend movie for them, whether it’s his acerbic examination of Black actors in the film industry with 1987’s “Hollywood Shuffle,” his attempt to crack the superhero genre with 1993’s “Meteor Man” or his spin on Disney Channel fare with the 2000s feature “Up, Up, and Away!” And don’t forget his 2001 adaptation of Bizet’s “Carmen” starring Beyoncé Knowles-Carter: “Carmen: A Hip Hopera.” The multihyphenate actor, director, comedian and writer has seen and done it all.
Nearly 50 years into his Hollywood career, Townshend is still working today. Most recently, he directed for the Netflix series “Kaleidoscope” and participated as a guest during TCM’s Black History Month celebration.
But it’s only in the last few years — aided by screenings of 1975’s “Cooley High,” 1984’s “A Soldier’s Story,” and “Hollywood Shuffle” on TCM — that Townsend’s legacy as a Black artist has begun getting the appreciation it deserves.
Nearly 50 years into his Hollywood career, Townshend is still working today. Most recently, he directed for the Netflix series “Kaleidoscope” and participated as a guest during TCM’s Black History Month celebration.
But it’s only in the last few years — aided by screenings of 1975’s “Cooley High,” 1984’s “A Soldier’s Story,” and “Hollywood Shuffle” on TCM — that Townsend’s legacy as a Black artist has begun getting the appreciation it deserves.
- 2/10/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
(Welcome to Best Actor Ever, an ongoing series where we explore the careers and performances of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen.)
If the young Denzel Washington had his way, the now 68-year-old Mount Vernon native would have a bust in Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame. The man who would be Malcolm X, Rubin Carter, and Alonzo Harris initially had his sights trained on the gridiron before he enrolled at Fordham University in 1977, where he was a skilled enough athlete to play under Coach P.J. Carlesimo for the school's junior varsity team. "He would run us all day, and make us work," Washington told the New York Times in 1998. "But you know what? We were always prepared for the fourth quarter, and we hardly ever lost. Some of the things I learned from him, I still apply myself."
Washington knew by this point that a pro sports...
If the young Denzel Washington had his way, the now 68-year-old Mount Vernon native would have a bust in Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame. The man who would be Malcolm X, Rubin Carter, and Alonzo Harris initially had his sights trained on the gridiron before he enrolled at Fordham University in 1977, where he was a skilled enough athlete to play under Coach P.J. Carlesimo for the school's junior varsity team. "He would run us all day, and make us work," Washington told the New York Times in 1998. "But you know what? We were always prepared for the fourth quarter, and we hardly ever lost. Some of the things I learned from him, I still apply myself."
Washington knew by this point that a pro sports...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
There have been many classic movie comedies over the years featuring Black stars, ranging from Eddie Murphy's Coming to America to Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act. Those films are among the many that resonated with Black audiences even though they were directed by white filmmakers. Despite that, Hollywood has also had a long tradition of Black directors creating movies aimed specifically at Black audiences; trailblazer Oscar Micheaux, in fact, is regarded as the first major Black filmmaker, directing and producing more than 40 so-called "race films" between 1919 and 1948.
These days, as Hollywood executives increasingly come to realize the importance of Black directors telling Black stories, there's been an ever-growing number of Black directors engaging in big-screen filmmaking, a trend that has been evident not just in dramas but in comedies as well. In fact, some of the most beloved comedies with predominantly Black casts featured Black directors at the helm. For the full picture,...
These days, as Hollywood executives increasingly come to realize the importance of Black directors telling Black stories, there's been an ever-growing number of Black directors engaging in big-screen filmmaking, a trend that has been evident not just in dramas but in comedies as well. In fact, some of the most beloved comedies with predominantly Black casts featured Black directors at the helm. For the full picture,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- Slash Film
Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything” makes clear the complications within the life of Little Richard. Here was a queer Black man from Macon, Georgia who was a proudly flamboyant and irresistibly charming ball of energy that combusted into rock and roll. The cultural touchstones of the man born Richard Wayne Penniman are so resonant we know “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” and more not as songs, but as the lexicon of ourselves. And yet, how could a man who dressed with wild openness — his glittering jumpsuit, a swooshing hairstyle, caked on makeup — appear so lost within himself?
In “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” Cortés aims to answer that question. Unlike her previous film, the Stacey Abrams-centered “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (co-directed by Liz Garbus), her swing at Richard’s life and career never manages to separate the man himself from his own mythmaking.
Cortés...
In “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” Cortés aims to answer that question. Unlike her previous film, the Stacey Abrams-centered “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (co-directed by Liz Garbus), her swing at Richard’s life and career never manages to separate the man himself from his own mythmaking.
Cortés...
- 1/20/2023
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
It seems like a lifetime ago, but in the early weeks of 2020, the then-named CBS All Access launched a show called “Interrogation.” The ten-episode season starred Peter Sarsgaard as a detective investigating a brutal murder where the accused killer was the woman’s son (Kyle Gallner). With a decent cast and a dour, decades-spanning saga, the idea was that viewers could share in the detective work and watch the show in any order they wanted. Following the clues at their convenience, they could hop around different years, suspects, and investigators to figure out what really happened that night in the early ‘80s.
Fast-forward a few years and the beginning of 2023 brings “Kaleidoscope,” a show that offers the same promise of TV-watching freedom, this time revolving around a massive ten-figure vault heist. Each episode is color-coded, offering any audience member a time-fragmented look at the lead-up to and the aftermath of the planned robbery.
Fast-forward a few years and the beginning of 2023 brings “Kaleidoscope,” a show that offers the same promise of TV-watching freedom, this time revolving around a massive ten-figure vault heist. Each episode is color-coded, offering any audience member a time-fragmented look at the lead-up to and the aftermath of the planned robbery.
- 1/1/2023
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The Sundance Institute was founded in 1981 by Robert Redford and a host of other notable filmmakers, critics, and general enthusiasts of cinema. Redford, Robert Townsend, Saul Bass, Sydney Pollack, and 21 others co-founded the Institute as a means to distribute and celebrate independent films and small-budget filmmaking, the type often left out of widespread studio distribution deals. As detailed in a 2010 history in Time magazine, the Sundance Institute took the reins of the flagging United States Film Festival, injected it with cash, changed the focus of the fest to indie films, and changed its name to match the institute. The Sundance Film Festival has been an annual cinema event ever since, with thousands of people descending on Park City, Utah, every January to discover what might be a new and exciting voice in the business.
The institute, of course, took its name from Redford's character in George Roy Hill's 1969 biographical...
The institute, of course, took its name from Redford's character in George Roy Hill's 1969 biographical...
- 12/31/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Nostalgia reigns supreme this holiday season with the Peacock limited series continuation of director/writer Malcolm D. Lee’s successful “The Best Man” film franchise. In a rarity for most networks — streaming, broadcast, or otherwise — that Lee, whose more recent hits include Tiffany Haddish’s breakout “Girls Trip,” got all his original stars from both the 1999 film “The Best Man” and its 2013 sequel “The Best Man Holiday” to revive their characters once again for eight episodes.
Considering that those stars aren’t exactly waiting by the phone, that is quite a feat, especially when other less ambitious efforts (“Friends: The Reunion” anyone?) haven’t quite gone as smoothly. With a cast that includes Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs (“All American”), Regina Hall Terence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), and Harold Perrineau, it’s more than impressive. The fact that they are all here — including Lee himself and Melissa De Sousa,...
Considering that those stars aren’t exactly waiting by the phone, that is quite a feat, especially when other less ambitious efforts (“Friends: The Reunion” anyone?) haven’t quite gone as smoothly. With a cast that includes Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs (“All American”), Regina Hall Terence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), and Harold Perrineau, it’s more than impressive. The fact that they are all here — including Lee himself and Melissa De Sousa,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Wrap
William Okuwah Garrett, film editor on Hollywood Shuffle and director of music videos during the “Black Pack” era of the early ’90s, has died. He was 73. His wife, producer-director Marlene McCurtis, told Deadline that Garrett died December 9 of complications related to kidney disease.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Hollywood Shuffle, the 1987 satire co-written, produced and directed by and starring Robert Townsend, was a comedic poke in the eye of Hollywood for its stereotyping of Black actors. With a budget of 100,000, the pic opened to critical acclaim and pulled in 5.2 million at the box office. It featured a series of vignettes and fantasies that Garrett wove into a film that inspired the Washington Post to write that it’s technical proficiency “should thoroughly embarrass those studios.”
Related Story Movies With Lowest Budgets To Earn 1 Million, From ‘Clerks’ And ‘The Blair Witch Project' To ‘Eraserhead’ & More – Photo Gallery...
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Hollywood Shuffle, the 1987 satire co-written, produced and directed by and starring Robert Townsend, was a comedic poke in the eye of Hollywood for its stereotyping of Black actors. With a budget of 100,000, the pic opened to critical acclaim and pulled in 5.2 million at the box office. It featured a series of vignettes and fantasies that Garrett wove into a film that inspired the Washington Post to write that it’s technical proficiency “should thoroughly embarrass those studios.”
Related Story Movies With Lowest Budgets To Earn 1 Million, From ‘Clerks’ And ‘The Blair Witch Project' To ‘Eraserhead’ & More – Photo Gallery...
- 12/15/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s crime anthology series Kaleidoscope allows viewers to watch the episodes in any order, piece together clues, and solve a heist that’s inspired by true events. The just-released official trailer introduces the key players who’ve set their sights on breaking into a vault that’s weatherproof, shock-proof, and thief-proof. The payoff? 7 billion, if the team can successfully crack open the world’s most secure vault.
Netflix is hoping to lure in true crime fans and anyone with a knack for solving mysteries by dishing up the fun “watch in any order” twist. Only “White: The Heist” needs to be watched last. Otherwise, it’s up to each individual viewer to decide where to begin.
Kaleidoscope premieres on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
The series stars Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall, Rosaline Elba, Jai Courtney, Niousha Noor, Jordan Mendoza, Soojeong Son, and Hemky Madera. Eric Garcia...
Netflix is hoping to lure in true crime fans and anyone with a knack for solving mysteries by dishing up the fun “watch in any order” twist. Only “White: The Heist” needs to be watched last. Otherwise, it’s up to each individual viewer to decide where to begin.
Kaleidoscope premieres on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
The series stars Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall, Rosaline Elba, Jai Courtney, Niousha Noor, Jordan Mendoza, Soojeong Son, and Hemky Madera. Eric Garcia...
- 12/13/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Netflix has never been shy about putting experimental TV on its platform, as seen with interactive specials like “Bandersnatch.” Now, the streamer is playing with the medium’s episodic format with “Kaleidoscope,” a new anthology series set to premiere New Year’s Day.
“Kaleidoscope” is loosely inspired by a real-life story of 70 billion in bonds gone missing in Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, focusing on a group of thieves as they undergo a multi-decade-long plan to pull off the perfect heist on a seemingly unbreakable vault. The first season features eight episodes, with each installment bouncing around a 24-year timeline from when the crew’s preparations began to six months after the heist day itself.
Uniquely, with the exception of the finale — which depicts the actual heist itself — every episode of the series is designed to be watched in any order, and the show randomizes the experience so that each viewer...
“Kaleidoscope” is loosely inspired by a real-life story of 70 billion in bonds gone missing in Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, focusing on a group of thieves as they undergo a multi-decade-long plan to pull off the perfect heist on a seemingly unbreakable vault. The first season features eight episodes, with each installment bouncing around a 24-year timeline from when the crew’s preparations began to six months after the heist day itself.
Uniquely, with the exception of the finale — which depicts the actual heist itself — every episode of the series is designed to be watched in any order, and the show randomizes the experience so that each viewer...
- 12/13/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
A new Netflix anthology is on the way and it's likely to put a spin on your typical water cooler discussions. "Kaleidoscope" is certainly the kind of show you'll want to unpack with your friends: it's got high stakes, lots of intrigue, a mystery, and action-packed criminal hijinks. There's just one problem. Should you discuss the miniseries with someone before either of you has finished, you'll quickly realize that something is off: neither of you will have seen the same episodes.
"Kaleidoscope" isn't your average Netflix series — it's an immersive experience. Unlike most shows, this series was designed to be watched in any possible order. In fact, Netflix itself will be scrambling the episodes so that each viewer watches the series unfold in a different way.
While this is certainly a new approach for the streamer, this non-linear series isn't too far off from its prior experimental endeavors. The streaming...
"Kaleidoscope" isn't your average Netflix series — it's an immersive experience. Unlike most shows, this series was designed to be watched in any possible order. In fact, Netflix itself will be scrambling the episodes so that each viewer watches the series unfold in a different way.
While this is certainly a new approach for the streamer, this non-linear series isn't too far off from its prior experimental endeavors. The streaming...
- 12/4/2022
- by Shania Russell
- Slash Film
The cast and creator of the popular The Best Man films reunite one last time for the limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters which just dropped an official trailer and new poster. Debuting on Peacock on December 22, 2022, The Best Man: The Final Chapters catches up with the characters from 1999’s The Best Man and 2013’s The Best Man Holiday as “relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.”
The eight-episode series stars Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau. The Best Man creator Malcolm D. Lee developed the series with Dayna Lynne North, with Lee and North co-showrunning, writing, and executive producing.
“When I wrote The Best Man, it was out of a desire to see myself on screen. Growing up I rarely saw Black people — Black men in...
The eight-episode series stars Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, and Harold Perrineau. The Best Man creator Malcolm D. Lee developed the series with Dayna Lynne North, with Lee and North co-showrunning, writing, and executive producing.
“When I wrote The Best Man, it was out of a desire to see myself on screen. Growing up I rarely saw Black people — Black men in...
- 11/30/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
As his industry comedy Hollywood Shuffle turns 35 and is inducted into the Criterion collection, the multi-hyphenate talks the struggle to make a low-budget indie
Robert Townsend moved to Los Angeles in the early 80s, determined to become a Hollywood star. And though he had quickly emerged as a draw on the standup circuit, the Chicago native struggled to reckon with the structural racism he encountered while auditioning for bit parts on film and TV – the vast majority of them ham-fisted stereotypes, from snitch to slave.
Before long, Townsend’s casting call stories – some of them humiliating, most of them hilariously tone deaf – became too overwhelming for his regular postmortems with Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was going through the exact same thing.
Robert Townsend moved to Los Angeles in the early 80s, determined to become a Hollywood star. And though he had quickly emerged as a draw on the standup circuit, the Chicago native struggled to reckon with the structural racism he encountered while auditioning for bit parts on film and TV – the vast majority of them ham-fisted stereotypes, from snitch to slave.
Before long, Townsend’s casting call stories – some of them humiliating, most of them hilariously tone deaf – became too overwhelming for his regular postmortems with Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was going through the exact same thing.
- 11/29/2022
- by Andrew Lawrence
- The Guardian - Film News
Kaleidoscope. (L to R) Paz Vega as Ava Mercer, Giancarlo Esposito as Leo Pap, Jai Courtney as Bob Goodwin, Peter Mark Kendall as Stan Loomis in episode ÒWhiteÓ of Kaleidoscope. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022 Spanning 25 years, Kaleidoscope (previously titled Jigsaw) is an all-new anthology series following a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world’s most powerful corporate security team, and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals. How did the crew of thieves plan it? Who gets away with it? Who can be trusted? Loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, Kaleidoscope consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after.
- 11/22/2022
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
We’re getting the first behind-the-scenes look at Kaleidoscope (fka Jigsaw), Netflix’s upcoming heist drama anthology series from Eric Garcia and Ridley Scott, starring Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Paz Vega among others. The clip features cast and creatives from the series, which is set to premiere January 1, 2023 on Netflix.
Kaleidoscope is loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy. It consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after.
Per Netflix, it follows a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world’s most powerful corporate security team, and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals.
The anthology series takes a non-linear approach to storytelling,...
Kaleidoscope is loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy. It consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after.
Per Netflix, it follows a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world’s most powerful corporate security team, and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals.
The anthology series takes a non-linear approach to storytelling,...
- 11/22/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Criterion Collection has unveiled its February disc offerings and, fittingly, one can celebrate Valentine’s Day with one of the best trilogies on love and loss: Krzysztof Kieślowski’s newly restored Three Colors Trilogy, now available in 4K. Also joining the 4K club is Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.
Elsewhere in the lineup is Marguerite Duras’ India Song, paired with the lesser-seen Baxter, Vera Baxter, Robert Townsend’s debut feature Hollywood Shuffle, and, also fitting for Valentine’s Day, Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Find artwork below and further details here:
The post The Criterion Collection’s February 2023 Lineup: Three Colors and Dazed and Confused on 4K & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
Elsewhere in the lineup is Marguerite Duras’ India Song, paired with the lesser-seen Baxter, Vera Baxter, Robert Townsend’s debut feature Hollywood Shuffle, and, also fitting for Valentine’s Day, Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
Find artwork below and further details here:
The post The Criterion Collection’s February 2023 Lineup: Three Colors and Dazed and Confused on 4K & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 11/15/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
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