Movies/TV category, Page 156
Review: Banal dialogue in ‘Midway’ almost sinks striking imagesVideo
The first thing Roland Emmerich should do after his latest movie “Midway” hits theaters is apologize. Apologize to the visual effects crew, the stuntmen, the carpenters, the costumers and artists. He has squandered their considerable visual skill in retelling the crucial World War II battle at Midway by melding some...
A CGI James Dean is cast in new film, sparking an outcryVideo
James Dean hasn’t been alive in 64 years, but the “Rebel Without a Cause” actor has been cast in a new film about the Vietnam War. The filmmakers behind the independent film “Finding Jack” said Wednesday that a computer-generated Dean will play a co-starring role in the upcoming production. The...
Stranger Things Day celebrated with show blooper reelsVideo
Hopefully, you’re not in the Upside Down and celebrating Stranger Things Day in your own way. In honor of the “holiday,” the show released blooper reels from its second and third season. Stranger Things Day is celebrated on Nov. 6 as one of the main characters, Will Byers, went missing...
Three Rivers Film Festival returns for 37th seasonVideo
Among the 40-plus films on tap for this year’s Three Rivers Film Festival are several remastered favorites, salutes to theaters of old and a Pittsburgh filmmaker’s premiere. The festival returns for a 37th edition this month, playing from Nov. 8-23 at a variety of venues. It typically draws about 8,000...
In ‘Doctor Sleep,’ a filmmaker reconciles ‘The Shining’ riftVideo
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan knew his vision to fuse Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” with Stephen King’s 2013 sequel “Doctor Sleep” would be a hard sell with the author. King’s disdain for the 1980 adaptation is well-known and has not abated with time. “No, no,” Flanagan said, shaking his head with a...
‘Goodness and humor’ celebrated as ‘Sesame Street’ turns 50Video
NEW YORK — Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of furry puppets. “Wow, Wanda the Witch is weird,” Burnett commented. And then — poof — she was gone. That show was “Sesame Street” and...
Pittsburgh-based Duolingo a fan of talk-to-kids ‘SNL’ sketchVideo
The writers at “Saturday Night Live” have dreamed up a “brat whisperer” app. In its latest episode, NBC’s comedy show used the Pittsburgh-based language education app Duolingo to poke fun of people who don’t know how to talk to kids. Kristen Stewart stars in the clip, which features the fake...
Spanx founder buys Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Grease’ pantsVideo
NEW YORK — The founder of Spanx was revealed to be the successful bidder for the skintight satin pants that Olivia Newton-John wore in the movie “Grease.” Sara Blakely told “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday she plans to frame the pants and hang them at Spanx’s headquarters in Atlanta because...
Extras needed at PNC Park for nighttime filming of Jason Momoa thriller
Paid extras are needed Nov. 19-21 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for filming of a baseball scene for Jason Momoa’s upcoming Netflix film, “Sweet Girl.” Movie Extras Pittsburgh has put out a call for baseball fans, security guards, baseball players, coaches, umpires and ushers. Scenes will be filmed overnight, with...
‘This Is Us’ takes on race, class and teenage love
Two high schoolers are testing their fledgling relationship with a day on the town, a classic start to a screen romance. But on Tuesday’s “This Is Us,” the carefree date in Philadelphia belongs to a boy who’s a teenage dad from a blue-collar household and a girl who’s been adopted...
HBO’s ‘His Dark Materials’ aims to please old fans, make new onesVideo
HBO executives were initially excited when approached about joining the BBC in bringing Philip Pullman’s epic “His Dark Materials” trilogy to television. Then reality hit. Pullman’s work has been so highly praised by a large legion of fans that, with such an undertaking comes, great responsibility. There was a good...
Gretchen Carlson wants to speak freely about Fox News tenure
NEW YORK — When Gretchen Carlson heard that NBC News was considering letting people out of their non-disclosure agreements involving alleged sexual misconduct at the network, she couldn’t help but think of the NDA she signed with Fox News before her departure three years ago. “It would be nice to...
Rudy Boesch, early fan favorite on ‘Survivor,’ dies at 91
Rudy Boesch, a retired tough-as-nails Navy SEAL and fan favorite on the inaugural season of “Survivor,” has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 91. He died peacefully Friday night in hospice care in Virginia Beach, Virginia, surrounded by loved ones, said Steve Gonzalez, director of operations...
Apple TV’s ‘Morning Show’ exposes off-camera scandals, schemesVideo
“The Morning Show” started life as a behind-the-scenes peek at a slice of network TV as familiar and routine as a wake-up cup of coffee. Then shocking revelations of sexual misconduct engulfed NBC’s “Today” and beyond, and the story changed. The 10-part drama series, part of the first wave of...
Theater owners: ‘The Irishman’ ‘deserved better’ release
NEW YORK — Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “The Irishman” landed in theaters Friday, but not nearly enough of them for theater owners. John Fithian, president and chief executive of National Association of Theater Owners on Friday lamented Netflix’s rollout of one of the year’s most acclaimed films, from one of...
Rocky Bleier doc included at Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival
Film Pittsburgh’s Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival at SouthSide Works Cinema opens Friday with the documentary about former Pittsburgh Steeler Rocky Bleier’s return to Vietnam. “The Return” chronicles the journey of Bleier, who was wounded in Vietnam and told he would never play football again. Bleier proved everyone wrong. The running...
‘Kidding’ star Jim Carrey embraces 2 creative outletsVideo
Jim Carrey describes himself as in a good place creatively. Part of that comes from starring in Showtime’s “Kidding,” a series that has earned him high praise, including a Golden Globe nomination. Part of it comes from expressing his point of view through his political cartoons. His exact words: He...
Review: ‘Harriet’ brings long-overdue, compelling story to screenVideo
Legendary American heroine that she is, there are certain things for which Harriet Tubman is overdue. One is her spot on U.S. currency: Google “Tubman” and “$20” and “Trump.” Another is a major feature film based on her life: Google “Tubman” and “Hollywood” and “why so long?” Well, that $20...
Review: ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ ridiculous, outlandish, yet satisfyingVideo
“Terminator: Dark Fate” rates as a fairly entertaining sequel to James Cameron’s low-budget, high-yield “The Terminator” (1984) and the hugely expensive and enjoyable “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” (1991). It has zero narrative connection to any of the interim lame-o “Terminator” movies that came for our money after those two, the...
Former WPXI reporter/anchor Courtney Brennan connects followers to jewelerVideo
Courtney Brennan left the world of television news and quickly became a sought-after social influencer. The Emmy-award winning journalist from Lawrenceville, who left WPXI-TV at the end of May, has partnered with Henne Jewelers. Through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, she’s connecting with her followers to highlight high-end jewelry pieces. Brennan...
‘Mrs. Maisel’s’ Rachel Brosnahan in Pittsburgh for new film
A few weeks after plans were announced for Emmy-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan to film in Pittsburgh, shooting on “I’m Your Woman” is under way. The star of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and formerly of “House of Cards,” Brosnahan is playing a woman who must flee with her child due to...
Scary pairings: Check out these Halloween book/film adaptationsVideo
From spine-tingling pages to images that seem to jump off the screen (and make us jump), the Halloween season offers plenty of frightful moments for both book lovers and movie buffs alike. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh public and readers services librarian Shayna Ross has curated a list of some of...
Nielsen: World Series is a snooze for most TV viewers
NEW YORK — Fans in Washington and Houston may be excited, but the rest of the country is reacting to the World Series with a collective yawn. Through the first five games, the World Series has been averaging 11.6 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. That puts it on pace...
Connellsville native, CMU grad to face James Holzhauer in ‘Jeopardy!’ champs tourney
Connellsville native and Carnegie Mellon University graduate Lindsey Shultz will face record-setter James Holzhauer in the “Jeopardy!” game show’s Tournament of Champions next week. Earlier this year, Shultz was a four-time winner on the top-rated trivia-based game show, earning $101,002, placing her in the top 10 for the year. She...
Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw dazzles with sheer variety of jobsVideo
Sometimes it seems like Gugu Mbatha-Raw is playing some crazy version of showbiz Bingo. This is a woman who has assembled an astonishing variety of roles in her 36 years. Big-budget Hollywood blockbuster? Sure, “A Wrinkle in Time.” What about an 18th-century English drama? Of course, “Belle.” Any romantic comedies?...
