With “Black Twitter: A People’s History,” Penny assembles numerous journalists, scholars, comedians, and internet personalities, including W. Kamau Bell, Amanda Seales, Jemele Hill, Roxane Gay, Sam Jay, Brad Jenkins, Alicia Garza, and April Reign. Given the celebration of inclusivity, its aura is disappointingly exclusive as most of the subjects’ opinions are high-profile people with blue checks. … Read more
As these amateur detectives continue to dig deeper for answers, they garner the attention of the town’s various inhabitants. Some are fans of the show, while others are more than hostile to the new visitors. Despite this, Gilbert and Emmy are determined to get another hit on their hands, while Dove becomes entwined with the … Read more
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was almost a great movie, and you can see the contours of its greatness through the cracks of the good movie that it is, a bit like spotting the buried ruins of the human world beneath the overgrown trees and vines of the film’s ape civilization. This latest Apes — a direct sequel to the previous Planet … Read more
There’s an old married couple with a wife (Robin Bartlett) who knits and a husband (Gene Jones) who shoehorns his way into other diners’ mental space when he isn’t snoring at the table. Miles (Ryan Masson) and Sybil (Sierra McCormick), younger criminals who fancy themselves the next Bonnie and Clyde, end up in the diner as well. Everyone … Read more
But when a mysterious human—Freya Allan’s feral and mercurial Mae—who is tailing him accidentally breaks it, Noa sets off to find a new one, unintentionally making his peaceful home base a target of the villainous masked apes led by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Twisting Caesar’s dignified teachings and wise words like “Apes Together Strong” and … Read more
Set against awesome backdrops, the characters in “The Phantom Menace” inhabit a plot that is little more complex than the stories I grew up on in science-fiction magazines. The whole series sometimes feel like a cover from Thrilling Wonder Stories, come to life. The dialogue is pretty flat and straightforward, although seasoned with a little … Read more
Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane surpass the material in this fun but ultimately lightweight adaptation of the acclaimed novel. PLOT: When Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker faces sudden bankruptcy, political and business interests collide as Charlie defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace. From Showrunner/ Writer/ Executive Producer … Read more
Like any number of recent bio-docs, the filmmakers use archival footage, film clips, photographs, and interviews with those who knew her, including director Volker Schlöndorff, her children Marlon and Angela, and even Keith Richards himself, to craft a surface-level reassessment of Pallenberg’s life. An audio clip from similarly sidelined icon Marianne Faithful states, “Neither of … Read more
The friends are Jess (Antonia Gentry) and Hannah (Julia Lester). When they were just 13, they hid under a table at a prom they’d snuck into and made a promise that Hannah’s date would be the “love of her life” while Jess would be the most popular girl at school and be named prom queen. … Read more
But what history? Does the story of Madame du Barry illuminate any truths or provide insight into historical events? I would argue that it does. Unfortunately, “Jeanne du Barry,” directed by French director/actress Maïwenn, who she plays the title role opposite Johnny Depp as King Louis V, takes a surface-level approach to this famously controversial … Read more