Movies/TV category, Page 169
Review: No reason to catch a ride with nasty, brutish ‘Stuber’Video
There is absolutely no reason to catch a ride with the nasty, brutish and shrill “Stuber,” a horror movie about our current American nightmare of late capitalist economics and unchecked law enforcement masquerading as an “action comedy.” If that’s not sobering enough, “Stuber,” written by Tripper Clancy and directed by...
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble continues to innovate
The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble is relentless in its pursuit of new ways to make concerts more meaningful experiences. When current artistic director Kevin Noe took over the group in 2000, he introduced the “Theatre of Music” approach, which brings the drama, lighting, sound and stage design of the theatre...
Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88
LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Rip Torn, the free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor in theater, television and movies and win an Emmy in his 60s for his comedy turn on TV’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” has died. He was 88. Torn died Tuesday afternoon at...
This deepfake clip of Jim Carrey in ‘The Shining’ will kill your trust in videos
At some point you’ll see a deepfake video that will break your belief that a recording is credible evidence. This may be that video. Special effects have been tricking moviegoers for decades and we are generally willing to suspend our disbelief and enjoy Hollywood’s fantasy worlds. But these are the...
TV is over the moon with specials recounting 1969 landing
The 1969 moon landing turned an achievement seen only in the imagination and sci-fi movies into a most improbable television event, a live broadcast starring Neil Armstrong and a desolate landscape. The astounding images from more than 200,000 miles away mesmerized viewers, a feat TV hopes to replicate leading up...
Justin LaBar: WWE again grappling to remain pro wrestling’s top dog
For the first time since 2001, WWE will have weekly pro-wrestling competition live in prime time on a major television network. Eighteen years ago, Vince McMahon’s WWE bought WCW. This ended an era known as the “Monday Night Wars,” when the two competed head-to-head beginning in 1995. Eighteen years later,...
Lauren Ash loves chance to share ‘Scare Tactics’
Lauren Ash spent two years at a job where she came to work every day fearing someone would play a horrible practical joke on her. It wasn’t that she was working in a hostile work environment, but the natural concern that comes when you are part of a series called...
Review: ‘Stranger Things 3’ finds new horrors at … the mallVideo
Demogorgons. Mad scientists. A parallel universe. It has seemed that Hawkins, Ind., saw it all over the past two seasons of “Stranger Things,” the 1980s-set sci-fi horror series. But the fictional town faces a new threat: the Starcourt Mall. It’s 1985 and the Fourth of July is days away, yet...
13 all-American movies to stream for Independence DayVideo
It’s nearly impossible to find a holiday more American than Independence Day. What’s not to like? The Fourth of July often falls in the middle of the week, and it gives many Americans a day off from work. There are fireworks, gatherings of family and friends, copious amounts of eating...
‘Golden Girls’ appears to get better with pop culture ageVideo
Alexandra Wilkinson was only 2 months old when “The Golden Girls” ended its television run in 1992. But she became a fan last year while taking a course called “Women and Aging: Lessons from the Golden Girls” at California State University, Long Beach. Now she streams episodes on Hulu. She...
Moe Howard memorabilia auction tallies big nyuks — er, bucks
Proving the enduring appeal of the slap-you-silly comedy style of the Three Stooges, a recent auction of items from head Stooge Moe Howard’s personal collection raked in more than $1 million. The June 24-28 online auction, by Nate D. Sanders Auctions, resulted in the sale of more than 1,100 pieces...
Illegal or just immoral? Film explores texting suicide caseVideo
A new documentary asks whether a young woman who sent her suicidal boyfriend countless text messages encouraging him to take his own life should be behind bars as a convicted criminal. HBO’s “I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter” digs into the unique case against the now-22-year-old...
‘Toy Story 4’ repeats at No. 1 over ‘Annabelle,’ ‘Yesterday’
LOS ANGELES — “Toy Story 4” hung onto the top spot in its second week in theaters and the horror sequel “Annabelle Comes Home” opened in line with expectations, but the Cinderella story of the weekend was actually the third place movie: “Yesterday.” The Danny Boyle-directed musical romantic comedy featuring...
Ramy Youssef finds humor in what Americans share, not what we don’t
Forget terrorist jokes, Muslim ban witticisms and “us vs. them” gags. Egyptian-American comedian Ramy Youssef nails his first HBO stand-up special, “Feelings,” by tackling universal predicaments — guilt, self-doubt, sex, dating, bad parenting — from hyper-specific angles. The New Jerseyan, 28, also wields an arsenal of pop culture references, replicating...
Review: ‘Midsommar’ is a disturbing, enthralling tripVideo
“Midsommar ” is a waking nightmare and I mean that in the best possible way. For over two hours you will be transported to a beautiful village in the middle of nowhere in a foreign land where the sun never seems to set and everyone is wearing ornate flower crowns...
Justina Machado, Elisabeth Röhm find bond in ‘Family Pictures’Video
Justina Machado and Elisabeth Röhm, stars of the Lifetime movie “Family Pictures,” are playing the same character on a basic level. Both Sylvie (Machado) and Maggie (Röhm) are wives and mothers who have absentee husbands because of work demands and are both trying to cope with daughters ready to leave...
Elba says race talk around Bond casting disappointing
LONDON — Even though Idris Elba isn’t trying to become the next James Bond, he’s disheartened that some people don’t think he should be considered for the spy role because he’s black. The British actor says in the August issue of Vanity Fair that it’s frustrating that there are people...
‘One Day At a Time’ rescued from cancellation by Pop TV
LOS ANGELES — There are more days ahead for “One Day at a Time.” The CBS Corp.-owned cable channel Pop TV says Thursday it’s greenlighted a new season of the reboot canceled by Netflix. In a statement, Pop TV President Brad Schwartz called the series both “culturally significant” and funny....
Steph Curry makes faithful moves through production company
LOS ANGELES— Stephen Curry may be a sharpshooting three-time NBA champion, but he is quickly building a career away from the court to inspire the masses through his burgeoning production company. The Golden State Warriors superstar is strategically producing content that focuses on sports, family and faith through Unanimous Media,...
‘Charlie’s Angels’ headed back to the big screen
Plucked straight from the “Hollywood needs some original ideas” file, the trailer for the new “Charlie’s Angels” movie dropped Thursday. The project is described on IMDb as such: “Reboot of the 2000 action comedy based on the 1970s television series. A new generation of private detectives working for the mysterious...
How a team of women remade the empowered Bo Peep in ‘Toy Story 4’
For two decades, Bo Peep appeared to lose not only her sheep but also the number of her Hollywood rep. Last seen in a feature film in 1999’s “Toy Story 2,” the porcelain-skinned shepherd disappeared until last weekend, as the new “Toy Story 4” gives her something even better than...
Review: ‘Yesterday’ takes a great idea, adds too much sugarVideo
Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a soulful if brooding young man, with a very pleasant singing voice. But when we meet him, the fledgling songwriter and supermarket clerk from coastal England feels stuck in the middle of a hard day’s night. If he doesn’t get any help soon, he’ll end...
‘Game of Thrones’ series box set will be released in DecemberVideo
“Game of Thrones” super-fans will have plenty to be excited about during the upcoming Christmas season, with HBO’s announcement that the complete Blu-ray series will be available to purchase on Dec. 3. Packaged in a wooden shadow-box case featuring multi-layered panel designs by artist Robert Ball, the series’ eights season...
ALF could get his own statue in New Haven, Conn.
With all of the love going around for old television shows, one has to wonder: What about ALF? (OK, maybe one doesn’t have to wonder that, but …) Well, one person is wondering, and doing something about it. Not a reboot, a statue. In Connecticut, the New Haven Register reports...
‘True Justice’ explores life of lawyer who defends death row inmatesVideo
Civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson rarely slows down, friends and family say. It seems he’s always looking over details on death penalty cases from his Montgomery, Ala.-based Equal Justice Initiative. If he’s not speaking on the criminalization of black men, Stevenson is researching another historical site connected to an episode...
