“Mo” centers on Mo Najjar (Amer) who is caught between two cultures, three languages, and “a ton of bullshit,” as the official series synopsis reads. Mo is a Palestinian refugee whose mother, sister, and older brother flee to Houston while trying for U.S. citizenship. “Laughing the pain away, Mo learns to adapt to his new world though getting ahead in life comes with several setbacks,” the Netflix series description states....
Set in Detroit circa 1954, “No Sudden Move” was shot during the pandemic and has the speedy quality of a production that doesn’t want to waste any time. It’s so fun to watch the exploits of two-bit criminals Ronald (Benicio Del Toro) and Curt (Don Cheadle) as they attempt to take control of a hired gig on their own terms that, even as the movie devolves into an ineffectual shaggy-dog story shoehorned into a baffling and abrupt real-life backdrop, it remains a slick and enjoyable pastiche about messy outlaws adrift in a world designed to screw them over....
That sequence, mind you, is something of an outlier in this elliptical doc, which the director and cinematographer shot over the course of three years on the borders between Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon. Despite the sound of gunfire off in the distance, “Notturno” is less a film about life during wartime than the life that subsequently follows it, as those damaged by the violence try to move forward....
Each episode features Heidecker and Turkington hosting their own public access show about movies, with the two men reviewing films they clearly haven’t seen (a running gag is that every single film receives a perfect “five bags of popcorn” rating). But the real action begins when the reviews end, as they frequently devote a majority of their airtime to discussing the horrid lives of the two hosts and their coterie of misfit crew members....
The final episodes will be accompanied by “A Farewell to Ozark,” a new 30-minute special that serves as a behind-the-scenes retrospective about the making of the show. According to Netflix, the special “explores the genesis of the series, the rich characters we loved and loved to hate, the gripping performances that captivated us, the creatives who made magic behind the camera, and a wealth of memories over the last five years....
“There are many things we love about this film, including Andrea Riseborough’s fierce and fearless performance,” said Music Box Films’ Brian Andreotti. “Director Amanda Kramer’s bold mise en scene and stylized 1950s iconography combine to give adventurous audiences a highly entertaining musing on gender roles and desire that is both timely and timeless,” “Please Baby Please” is directed by Amanda Kramer, working from a script she co-wrote with Noel David Taylor....
“Dan brought parameters of likes and dislikes, and initially one of the notes said that he wanted this [Predator] to elicit more horror,” said SFX supervisor Alec Gillis, who, with co-SFX supervisor Tom Woodruff, runs the acclaimed ADI special effects company that also works on the “Alien” and “Godzilla” franchises. “So that got us talking about whether or not this could have been the origins of demonic spirits in the eyes of the Native people, such as the Wendigo....
But in Dan Trachtenberg’s clever “Predator” prequel “Prey,” the 25-year-old Midthunder is the lead. The fifth film in the venerable action franchise is set on the Great Plains in the fall of 1719 and follows Midthunder’s Naru as she battles a vicious alien warrior intent on taking her out, as well as her Comanche Nation tribe, a coterie of French fur trappers, and anyone and anything else that gets in his way....
For the latest — and, given the ways teenagers interact these days, wholly inevitable — adaptation, filmmaker Carey Williams hasn’t so much reinvented the story as re-approached it through the blinding glare of social media, with both clever and stultifying results. Williams’ “R#J” joins a growing cadre of “screen films,” this one bolstered by the producing and technological talents of Timur Bekmambetov and Igor Tsay’s Screenlife platform, which aims to build the best screen-set films in a market beset by them....
A new sketch from this week’s episode mocked the film’s overwhelmingly negative approach to Marilyn Monroe’s life. Chloe Fineman plays the iconic star (technically, she plays Ana de Armas playing the iconic star) wearing the iconic pink dress from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” She’s nervous about filming a big scene, so two studio workers (Brendan Gleeson and Heidi Gardner) are brought in to lift her spirits by reading her fan mail....
Host: Jake Gyllenhaal As mentioned, Gyllenhaal last hosted “SNL” 15 years ago — in 2007, when he made his debut. A quick rundown of the episode truly captured how dated this “topical” live sketch comedy show can be in the blink of the eye — as has always been the case, not just something that has become apparent in recent years. The monologue wasn’t funny, as it was pretty devoid of jokes, and the jokes that were there didn’t quite hit due to Gyllenhaal’s pacing....
Variety reported that Imperioli is teaming with Alec Berg (“Barry”) to develop a scripted series in which the actor will star. The publication described the project as a “meta blend of fact and fiction loosely based on Imperioli’s experiences as a practicing Buddhist.” A prospective release date and additional casting details were not provided. Though the project’s tone is unclear, Berg’s filmography (including “Barry” and “Silicon Valley”) suggests that the series could have a comedic bent....
This year will be different. This year, we have “Squid Game.” Netflix’s surprise blockbuster series “Squid Game” will be eligible at next year’s Emmy Awards, not a sure thing given the show’s international production. However, this was not a Netflix acquisition; the streamer developed the series and shaped its domestic distribution plans with an eye toward meeting eligibility requirements for the Primetime Emmy Awards. That said: Let the record show that Netflix confirmed to IndieWire that, while there is no Season 2 pickup yet, the show will compete in Drama Series categories, not Limited Series — where Netflix will already have the critically acclaimed “Maid” in competition....
“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in “The Clone Wars”) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew....
“Ted Lasso” has been both a critics and audience darling since last year’s premiere, and based on its turnout at this past weekend’s Creative Arts Emmy, this win was definitely the worst-kept secret. The show has already taken home awards in Casting, Sound Mixing, and Single-Camera Picture Editing. The series, now in its second season on Apple TV+, follows Jason Sudeikis as the eponymous character, an American gone to England to coach a soccer team....
The overarching plot involves a woman named Karen Miller (Lily Rabe), who was arrested alongside her boyfriend, Kit (Xavier Samuel) for the murder of nine women. Miller was presumed to be an accessory to the crimes — thus, allegedly, explaining her jail time — but has claimed she doesn’t remember anything that happened. Mary Barlow (Amy Brenneman), who believes her daughter ran afoul of the pair, believes otherwise — but has never been able to get a confession out of Karen....
“The Dig” directors Andy and Ryan Tohill boarded the “Texas Chainsaw” sequel in February 2020. The movie picks up in the same timeline as Hooper’s 1974 movie and ignores the events of the previous sequels, similar to David Gordon Green’s 2018 “Halloween,” serving as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 movie. According to Deadline, the new “Texas Chainsaw” cast includes “Eighth Grade” favorite Elsie Fisher, Sarah Yarkin, Jacob Latimore, and Moe Dunford....
In fact, the graphically surreal centerpiece revolves around Cat Stevens’ beloved ode to non-conformity, “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (from “Harold and Maude”) sung by James Marsden and Ariana Greenblatt (voicing father Tim and daughter Tabitha). Tim is transformed into a child once again and joins Tabitha in a pink and purple sea of yellow trumpets and floral shapes, along with more colorful and dreamy imagery, recalling Disney’s “Pink Elephants on Parade” from “Dumbo....
King’s “The Dark Tower” series first began in 1982 with the publication of “The Gunslinger” and continued for seven more novels, the last of which was published in 2012. An eclectic mix of horror, fantasy and the Western genres, the series revolves around Roland Deschain, a member of a knightly order known as the Gunslingers traveling to the titular tower, said to be the nexus point of ever universe. In addition to the sprawling main series, the “Dark Tower” also crosses over with other King books, featuring many of the most famous characters and locations from the celebrated horror author....
Now, maybe it wasn’t an edge as routinely gutting as Showtime or Cinemax, but for its first few decades of original programming, HBO needed that edge to stand out. Network TV was still pulling massive audiences. Subscription services were a niche market. Satellite and cable package add-ons had to offer something the other channels couldn’t. But what was once a quality rare enough to set them apart from the competition has now been replicated across the small screen....
