Stella Meghie is a creative and driven new film director whose movies paint poignant and profound portraits of love, life, and companionship.
Meghie’s newest film, The Photograph, is her most anticipated one yet, starring Lakeith Stanfield as a journalist writing a story on a recently-passed photographer, and Issa Rae as the photographer’s estranged daughter. It comes out in the United States on February 14, 2020.
Meghie is a specialist in delicately-crafted romance-comedies, and ThePhotograph looked to be just one of the genre. However, there are clear indications that this film is going to be delightfully unique, with a story deeply personal to Meghie and two brilliant actors in Stanfield and Rae.
“My grandmother was about to meet a daughter that she had when she was very young that went to live with her father that she hadn’t seen in almost 30 years,” Meghie mentioned in an interview about how this story’s idea was personal.
“‘What would it be like if you thought about someone every single day for 30 years, but didn’t see them and love them?’ Then I kind of flipped it from a familial thing to a romantic thing,” Meghie added.
Meghie is from Toronto, Ontario, and worked as a public relations agent in New York City before returning to school to get a degree in screenwriting.
“It just wasn’t as creative as I wanted it to be,” Meghie recalled. “So I decided to take a chance and quit, and go back to school.”
That chance worked out wonderfully for her, as she already has three films under her belt since 2016. Meghie’s path shows that it is never too late to change your direction, never too late to pursue your dreams.
Meghie’s first film was titled, Jean of the Joneses, a movie about a complicated Jamaican-American family in Brooklyn. This film explores culture, community, and family, and Meghie drew upon her own experiences and family when crafting the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHsm1kHXaU0
Next came Everything, Everything, a romantic drama film about an 18-year-old girl who is restless because she is unable to leave her home. She eventually finds solace in her neighbor where a budding romance emerges.
Finally, Meghie directed her third film in the span of three years, a comedy titled The Weekend, revolving around a comedian who is obsessed with her ex’s new girlfriend and a guest during a weekend getaway.
The Canadian director predominantly casts black actors in her movies and focuses on black love. The personal narratives of love, life, and relationships she creates are important for purposes of representation for the average person of color to witness.
We’re hyped to see Stanfield and Rae in love on the big screen as soon as next week. Meghie is a budding star in the film industry; keep an eye out for her name going forward.
Joaquin Phoenix won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture, for his job playing Arthur Fleck in The Joker.
The beloved Phoenix is often overlooked for his transcendent works, works where he transforms so seamlessly into often dark and troubled characters. But last night, he was celebrated.
As he ascended the stairs to accept the award, we were all oblivious to the reality that Phoenix was going to gift us with one of the greatest acceptance speeches ever.
“Fellow nominees, we all know there’s no best f*cking actor,” Phoenix boldly declared, though NBC bleeped out the final three words.
“I’m inspired by you. I just can’t believe the beautiful, mesmerizing, unique work that you’ve all done this year, and I know people say this, but I really do feel honored to be mentioned with you,” he continued, stammering as he looked for the right words to correctly express his love and admiration for his fellow stars.
Hollywood is its own little bubble, and while the inner circle of celebrities that wine, dine, and live in the 213 care about the less fortunate, and used their platforms and acceptance speeches last night to address the issues plaguing our nation and world, Phoenix urged them all to do more. Whilst pledging to do the same.
“It’s really nice that so many people have come up and sent their well wishes to Australia. But we have to do more than that.”
“I have not always been a virtuous man. I am learning so much. I think together hopefully we can be unified and actually make some changes – it’s great to vote, but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves, and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives. We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs sometimes or back, please,” said Phoenix.
Of course, the music started to play over his words, signaling the show wanted him to wrap up.
Phoenix wasn’t the only one of the night to call on Hollywood to be better. The host of the 77th Annual Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais, took a much more critical approach in his words against the people in the room.
In his opening monologue, he said, “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. So, if you win, right, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god, and fuck off.”
Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t the host of the show, so he wasn’t compelled to make jokes. He called on the elite (himself included) to make small, basic changes in their lives that can have a lasting positive impact on this planet.
Earlier in his speech, he thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press for switching to a vegan meal for the ceremony, thanking them for “recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change.”
The Joker star also thanked the director of Joker, Todd Phillips, for putting up with him and being a friend. “I’m such a pain in the ass. I am so indebted to you,” said Phoenix. He also thanked his wife Rooney Mara and told her he loves her.
Phoenix’s kind words and grounded disposition make him one of the G.O.A.T.s in Hollywood.
He is appreciated by many, but it is speeches like he made at the Golden Globes that really separate him from the rest of the pack in Hollywood. Every movie he is in is a hit because of him, and now every award show he attends is the same.
“I’ll try to do better and I hope you will too. Thank you so much for putting up with me. I’m so grateful for this night and all of you, thank you,” he concluded.
In his follow-up to the warmly-received The Witch, director Robert Eggers creates a new film with just as haunting visuals and ideas of identity.
Put simply, The Lighthouse is a masterpiece.
Like TheWitch, The Lighthouse takes place in distant New England. While the former involves a horrifying, looming forest in the 17th century, the latter is set on a small island where a lighthouse resides in the 19th century.
On this island arrive, two men, the younger Ephraim Winslow (played by Robert Pattinson), and the older Thomas Wake (played by Willem Dafoe). Except we do not know their names for a large section of the movie, highlighting the ominous world this film takes place in.
Winslow arrives as a wickie, the assistant lighthouse keeper to Wake. Winslow is quiet, a tad timid, and seems solely focused on completing his four-week job and being paid.
His tasks are mundane, unpleasant, or downright miserable, and he has to deal with his only companion being an irritable old man farting, barking orders, and barring him from ascending the stairs to the top of the lighthouse.
First and foremost, the cinematography in this film is superb. What Eggers chooses to show and not show, and when, is so important to this film and horror movies in general.
In one scene, Winslow sees something out in the water, and starts to approach, walking on the beach. Though he has not reached the water yet, we know he is approaching it, and the constant reversal of the camera from Winslow’s face to the water is a masterful technique.
Though he was on land at every preceding shot, suddenly Winslow’s face is beneath the water. This adds to the feeling of dread laced throughout this film, and how nothing is as it seems.
The Lighthouse is shot completely in black and white, and it works wonders for the film. With much of the film taking place at night, and the light from the mysterious lighthouse illuminating much of what we see, light represents truth and understanding, two things that both characters don’t seem to be comfortable with.
Though Wake tells him not to “spill his beans,” Winslow reveals at one point how his real name is also Thomas, Thomas Howard, and he took the name (Winslow) of a man at his old job who died in an accident he could have helped prevent. Wake also has a past that is questionable. He tells Winslow (Howard) his old assistant went mad and killed himself, but Winslow does not seem fully convinced.
Both men, young and old, only start sharing their lives with one another when the bottles of liquor come out, and as the days go by, the storm rages on, and their boat to relieve them from their post doesn’t come, the drinking only intensifies.
And as the characters turn to the bottle more and more, everything becomes less clear. What is real, what is not? And most specifically, what on earth is the deal with the actual light from the lighthouse?
The performances both actors give are incredible. Dafoe has been in a plethora of films over the years, and his performance here does not disappoint. For Pattinson, this film encapsulates his full pivot from his earlier days in the Twilight saga. The new Batmanstar is just that, a star, and he does not crumble under the weight of Dafoe’s shadow; he rises above it.
The film layers themes and leaves much ambiguous for the audience to think for themselves.
But the horror elements are taken with such care that Eggers has to be revered as one of the best horror auteurs out right now. Whether you’re a horror movie fan, film buff, or just a fan of Pattinson, go check this movie out.
You will never be able to think about mermaids the same way after.
We’re living in a Golden Age of TV right now, with an overwhelming amount of good shows out there to watch. Luckily, there are many women at the helm of these shows.
History points to a time where women only had small roles or if they did have a role they didn’t get much of character with a story. Today, across platforms, the percentage of female characters in speaking roles has increased.
Just this year it’s increased from 40 percent in 2017-18 to 45 percent in 2018-19. This is a historic high, according to a report conducted by Boxed In.
Pushing this trend even further (hopefully it’s not just a trend) we decided to compile a short list of six women absolutely killing it on TV right now.
1. Phoebe Waller-Bridge
The British comedian just picked up three Emmy’s for her show Fleabag. (Fleabag also won Best Comedy Series at the award show.)
The show tracks a thirty-something Londoner (Waller-Bridge, the show’s writer and star) living in the wake of tragedy.
Waller-Bridge’s titular Fleabag often looks to the camera conspiratorially, in a sort of Jim Halpert way, except that she makes comments on what is happening or about to happen. And it’s so funny; my suite-mate even me asked what I was watching since she could hear me laughing out loud.
Waller also wrote Killing Eve, for which Jodie Comer won Best Lead Actress, besting co-lead Sandra Oh. Oh had previously won a Golden Globe for her role in the drama series, making her the first Asian woman to do so. And Waller-Bridge was nominated for Best Writing for a comedy series and drama series in the same year.
This is an extremely rare feat, for a man or woman.
Shortly after her Emmy haul, Waller-Bridge hosted SNL, a sure sign and an indication that she’s skyrocketing to the top. Also, she called in to help with the forthcoming James Bond movie script, which is a pretty huge deal.
2. Issa Rae
We know Issa’s rise was given a lot of attention back when Insecure first debuted on HBO. But the Awkward Black Girl has yet to stagnate. She’s been in The Hate U Give opposite Amandla Stenberg, and her recent film Little with fellow rising star Marsai Martin grossed $48.8 million.
Issa Rae’s work often centers specifically around uplifting and highlighting people of color and more specifically Black women. She’s producing and occasionally staring in A Black Lady Sketch Show. She is also set to produce and star in the upcoming limited HBO series The Dolls.
Issa is also producing a new series titled King Ester on a trans-woman of color. King Ester will be available to watch on October 17 through the Issa Rae Presents YouTube Channel.
In everything Issa Rae does, there is a conscious intention and quality of craft. We can’t wait for what comes next.
3. Lilly Singh
The YouTube star recently scored a late-night talk show, A Little Late With Lilly Singh, airing on NBC during the graveyard slot– a spot formerly held by a white dude, Carson Daly, for the past seventeen years.
In doing so, she became the first openly bisexual POC host of a late-night show. Lilly joked about the massive media attention on her race and sexuality, saying she should have called her show “A Little Late With A Bisexual Woman Of Color.”
Lilly Singh started out with her YouTube channel adopting the title “superwoman” often talking about her immigrant roots: she is the daughter of Indian parents who emigrated to Canada. The creative comedienne landed a few roles in television and played the character Raven in Fahrenheit 451.
She’s also set to star in the TV movie Bright Futures.
4. Cobie Smulders
Smulders, an alum of How I Met Your Mother (remember Robin Sparkles?) and a longtime member of the Marvel franchise, scored the lead role in Stumptown, a new series airing on ABC.
She stars as a Marine veteran (how often do women get to play those?) in financial trouble who takes on a bunch of P.I. jobs to pay the bills. Critics are loving the series, which currently boasts a 94 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes, with much of the praise going to Smulders.
5. Marsai Martin
Who could ever forget the youngest executive producer working in Hollywood? Marsai Martin brings her long-time talent and skill as an actress to her new roles. When first starting out, Martin had several roles on film, from shorts to voice acting. Her role as Diane Johnson on TV series Black-ish, however, propelled her to the stardom she deserves.
Her appearances onscreen continue, from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to A Black Lady Sketch Show. She also won the YoungStars award at the BET Awards this year. She’s well on her way to becoming a legend with so much more to come.
6. Ruby Rose
Rose, who previously starred as inmate Stella Carlin on OITNB– making everyone instantly go “who is that?”– snagged the role of the hero of the CW show Batwoman. Rose, who identifies as gender-fluid and LGBTQ, portrays an out lesbian Batwoman, Kate Kane.
This makes her the first person to portray an LGBTQ superhero lead.
In an interview, Rose expressed that she liked how her character’s sexuality isn’t fussed over– though it has been in the media. Instead, Rose, who calls her character’s sexuality the “least interesting thing about her,” wants to shift the attention to how her Batwoman saves the day: “
You don’t fight crime in a gay way or in a lesbian way…She’s a superhero. That’s what she is.”
HBO (Home Box Office) is the oldest and longest continuously operating pay television service in the United States, having operated since 1972. Every year, HBO releases new shows or seasons of a show that are among the best on television.
Recently we have seen rival television services like Netflix and Amazon Prime take some shine away from HBO, but in reality, there is no platform with the history and prominence of HBO. Though mostly operating with original television programs, HBO also releases movies.
HBO has treated us to inarguably some of the best television to ever exist. With older shows that have since ended like The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, those of us lucky (or smart) enough to have a subscription saw characters grow through the years and felt immersed in their beautiful and complicated lives.
Currently, HBO is still running with hot television primed to make a big showing at this year’s Emmy’s, with shows like Barry, True Detective, Westworld, and Succession. Churning out entertaining television with captivating characters has never been an issue for HBO, but it is more important now than ever with so many rival networks fighting them for ratings.
With so many delightful shows over the years, it is nearly impossible to narrow the list of best characters down to just three, but alas, that is what HBO wants. Now it is time to put the argument to rest, once and for all. Here is the list of our top three HBO characters of all time.
Honorable mention: Tyrion Lannister
https://youtu.be/e4Uq8O5ZhUA
One of the deepest, most complex characters ever written in a book, George R. R. Martin captured readers’ love and attention in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” books, largely through Tyrion Lannister, the son of a lord in Tywin Lannister, but a dwarf, and the black spot on an otherwise illustrious family.
Played by Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones, he did not disappoint, and through the first four seasons of the show was one of the best characters HB or any program, had ever put out. He was smart, cunning, and hilarious as a lust-filled witty man with power because of his father’s name.
Unfortunately, the show stopped getting material from the books, and Tyrion’s character suffered. He was relegated to whining, begging, and coming up with awful plans the final four seasons. Even worse, his decision making was not in line with the character we all grew to know and love. D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, shame on you.
At least we got this brilliant scene before it all went downhill.
3. Rustin Cohle: True Detective Season 1
True Detective is an anthology crime drama television series. In Season 1, Rustin Cohle is a Louisiana State Police homicide detective that pursues a serial killer over a 17-year span. Played by Matthew McConaughey, Cohle is a deeply-introspective and disturbed man that in the season explores religion, nihilism, and pessimism among other things.
What makes this character so layered and magnificent, besides McConaughey’s wonderful acting, is that we get to see how his viewpoints change over the 17-year-long storyline.
Eventually, he submits to an interview with two detectives, realizing they think he is the long-sought-after killer, and using the interview to his own benefit to see what they think about him.
Cohle does not fit into the rural Louisiana setting where the murders and show takes place, and after years of heavy drug abuse, goes through massive withdrawals where he experiences visions that he cannot explain. How can we forget about the climax scene where he looks up and sees the cosmos?
Though True Detective is an anthology series which means Cohle was only in one season, it would be too much of a travesty to not include him on this list. If you haven’t already watched this season of True Detective, do yourself a favor.
2. Omar Little: The Wire
The Wire is widely recognized as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Set in Baltimore, with each season focusing on a different institution in the city, the show deals with corruption, gang violence, police, and much more. There are many characters to choose from, but Omar takes the prize.
A stick-up man that rips off drug dealers and other evil people, Omar is complex because he has a code: never rob or hurt the innocent. Played by Michael K. Williams, his role on the show is largely categorized by fighting against the Barksdale family, and the violence that ensues between the two parties shows how violence truly is not the answer and only serves to hurt.
Also a homosexual, Omar displays many characteristics that are antithetical to the “tough guy” criminal. Little takes his grandmother to church service many Sundays, and his overall character development over the course of the show is enough to earn him the number two spot on this list. Always “Omar’s coming.”
1. Tony Soprano: The Sopranos
The Sopranos was the first show to feature a true antihero. All the wonderful characters we have seen since that day like Walter White, Dexter Morgan, Barry Berkman, and more can be traced back to this show, so how could there be any other pick?
The pilot of the show was filmed in 1997 and the first season aired in 1999. New to television was a show where the protagonist was a man on the wrong side of the law, so much so that he kills people or orders them killed.
To make the show even more innovative, Tony, a New Jersey mafia member, starts to go to a therapist and those of us who know some things about the late 90’s know that therapy was not even close to as commonplace as it is today. In many circles, it was even frowned upon.
Through his relationships with his real family and mafia family, Tony tries to balance everything, but his panic attacks keep bringing him back to his therapist. As the seasons go on, the show gets darker and darker, and the implied assurances that our favorite characters will survive become less and less sure. The show is of course bolstered by Tony, played by James Gandolfini, in a role that showed his prowess as an actor (Rest In Peace James).
There will never be another show like this, with another character like Tony Soprano. Because of the impact of this show, the impact of his character, and the consistency of how great it is each season to the next, Tony Soprano is the best HBO character of all time.
The air is muggy and September is starting to get dangerously close.
Sometimes the only good option is to curl up on the couch and turn your brain off for a couple of hours. So let’s not think about the fact that summer is almost over and let’s watch some good ass movies instead.
1. 20th Century Women
20th Century Women is a saccharine coming of age story studying the relationship between 55-year-old Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening) and her adolescent son, Jaime (Lucas Jade Zuman).
As she sets about raising a son on her own, Dorothea employs the help of their two tenants (played by Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup) as well as Jaime’s best friend, Julie (Ellie Fanning) in order to answer the question: “How do you be a good man? What does that even mean nowadays?”
Director Mike Mills admitted that this film, like his sophomore directorial effort Beginners, is in part a biographical take on his own upbringing. Mills, who grew up in Berkeley, California, uses this film to explore three generations of “20th-century women” (Dorothea, who grew up during the Depression, Abbie, their 24-year-old tenant recovering from cervical cancer, and the 17-year-old Julie) in a gracious thank you to those who helped raise him.
If anything, 20th Century Women is a grateful snapshot of a moment in time and the memories behind it. Set in the sunny Santa Barbra of 1979, 20th Century Women takes its time in studying every character it presents, through both their flaws and their beauty.
It’s heartwarming and funny, and definitely worth a watch.
2. Sleeping with Other People
Described by Rolling Stone as “When Harry Met Sally with assholes,” Sleeping with Other People is an adorably sardonic take on the classic Rom-Com flick.
Written and directed by Leslye Headland, Sleeping with Other People takes place years after a one-night-stand when two sex addicts reunite and attempt to maintain a platonic relationship with one another despite obvious feelings.
Starring Jason Sudeikis of SNL fame as well as Alison Brie (Mad Men), this movie has everything from rekindled love affairs to dance parties with kindergartners while rolling on molly.
Excellent for a rainy night in with some really good junk food, this movie seems to be specially curated for every hopeless romantic out there.
3. The Edge of Seventeen
Here is another coming of age movie for those who want the middle ground between Lady Bird and Book Smart. The Edge of Seventeen is the directorial debut of writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig.
The film follows Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) as she attempts to navigate life as a junior in high school after splitting with her best (and only) friend.
Featuring a pretty fantastic performance from Woody Harrelson as a jaded US History teacher, this movie explores teenage angst, lost friendships, love, fuckboys, and the hellhole that is a high school with some achingly bittersweet heart behind it.
Let’s just say it’s not a masterpiece by any standard, but it’s a cute, funny, and refreshing take on the (usually male-centric) story about being a teenager in the 21st century.
On July 26, Netflix released its last season of OITNB to little fanfare, a muted rollout for one of the most important shows of our current era. Not only did it put Netflix on the map, giving the streaming giant its first it and award-winning series.
It also told a story unlike any we’d seen on TV before. Some of the show’s stars recently spoke about its cultural impact on the Today Show.
In an adaptation of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, we first experienced the Litchfield minimum-security prison through the eyes of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a privileged white woman loosely based on the author.
But it soon became clear that Piper– despite her storyline with her on-off flame Alex (Laura Prepon), who was serving time in the same prison– was a vehicle for us to meet a far more compelling cast of characters.
There was Taystee (Danielle Brooks), who had grown up in the foster care system and was now caught up in the prison system. Released on parole, she was later brought back to jail, having violated it to make ends meet. It’s another important lesson about how the system fails to reintegrate former inmates into society and how it sets them up to land right back behind bars.
Yet Taystee was always funny– joyous, even– and worked in the prison library with her best friend, Poussey (Samira Wiley).
That came grinding to a halt when Poussey was killed by a guard, choked in a moment with unmistakable parallels to “I can’t breathe.”
Later, Taystee was framed for the death of another prison guard, forced to serve a life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. But she ultimately found purpose, creating the Poussey Washington fund– which is a real thing.
Another indelible character was Daya (Dascha Polanco), who had a strained (to say the least) relationship with her mother, imprisoned alongside her. Daya had one of the most intense storylines on the show — striking up a relationship with a prison guard, ultimately becoming pregnant and giving birth to his child.
On the season devoted to Litchfield’s prison riots, the final, swirling image features Daya pointing a gun at a sadistic guard, her fellow inmates chanting at her to take the man’s life.
Who could forget Uzo Aduba’s award-winning portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren? The strong character was an inmate who suffered from mental illness, and who began the show as an unsettling presence. And an inmate determined to make Piper her prison wife.
But Suzanne, too, received a well-rounded storyline, assisted by the show’s device of giving each of its main characters a flashback episode, revealing their lives before prison and how they ended up there.
The show also told the vital story of Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox), a transgender woman who deals with transphobia in the prison, but who also hosts a makeshift beauty shop. Transgender women are incarcerated at shockingly high levels and are often placed in men’s prisons, where they are subject to intense violence.
At one point, Sophia is denied her hormones, completely destabilizing her transition.
But despite the bleakness of the setting, of the criminal justice system failing women of color, LGBTQ women and women with mental illnesses, there were many lighthearted moments. (For the first few years of its run, OITNB was even classified as a “comedy.”)
This comic relief was often provided by Maritza (Diane Guerrero) and Flaca (Jackie Cruz), two best friends who held makeup tutorials in prison; Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne), who lent constant dry humor; and by Red (Kate Mulgrew), who lorded over the prison kitchen.
There were also surreal moments, like the prisoner’s joyous swim in the lake, a kickball game, and a mythical chicken.
This final season– one that critics are calling Orange‘s best in years– ties up various ends of the characters we’ve come to love over the past seven years (and maybe even stopped paying attention to after the show’s past couple of wandering seasons).
It adds new depth, tackling ICE detention centers, deportations, and #MeToo. In one heartbreaking new storyline, Maritza, despite never having lived in Colombia, is taken into custody following an ICE raid and expelled from the only country she’s known.
It’s a story that’s deeply personal to Guerrero, who returned home from school one day to discover her parents had been detained by an immigration officer. They were later deported to Colombia when she was only 14. And it’s an urgent story, reflective of what’s happening now under the Trump administration.
At its best, OITNB was an educational, harrowing tale about a cruel system designed to chip away at the humanity of those caught in its web. A story that underlined– as its theme song states– that “standing still is hard.”
The song also implores us to “remember all their faces/ remember all their voices.” And we will, long after the show fades to orange.
Check out the trailer for the last season of ‘OITNB’ below.
Tom Hanks has been tapped to play Fred Rogersin a new biopic titled A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, documenting he and his revolutionary show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
The film is based on an article written by journalist Tom Junod (played by The Americans Emmy-winner Matthew Rhys), that centered on the TV star Fred Rogers and the ensuing friendship the two formed before Rogers’ death in 2003.
If you ask a child today who Mr. Rogers was, nine times out of ten they’ll have no answer for you. While the 34-year-long run of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ended in 2001, making it unlikely and in some cases impossible for children today to have seen the program but it does feel weird, seeing a generation completely oblivious to who he or his show still feels off.
For over three decades Fred Rogers created a safe place for millions of children, like me, tackling life and all its complexities with kindness and honesty.
If you didn’t recognize him by his red sweater, you did from him opening jingle and if you didn’t know the jingle you knew him from his warm invitation to be his neighbor. And it’s just doesn’t feel right when someone says they don’t at least know of him.
At its peak, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’s ratings were at 2.1 percent, or 1.8 million homes, and ended up being the third-longest running program in PBS history. To say he was beloved is an understatement. He touched thousands and gave broke barriers.
Given how polarizing our current social climate is, some would say Mr. Rogers is exactly what this nation needs. At least that’s what the A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood director, Morgan Neville thinks.
When asked if neighborliness was still “alive in the land” by ABC News reporter in a June 2018 interview about the film, Neville responds, “that’s why I made this film:
“I want to know. Let’s have a discussion, are we living up to what Fred Rogers wanted us to do?” he asked.
Well, now kids, Trump and all who “need” him finally get that chance when A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood arrives in theaters on Nov. 22. Before that, however, let’s take a look into the hype.
So often when legends have gotten older or past their prime and even when their dead, people tend to dig up sore parts of their past and uncover things about them that make their legacy problematic.
Mr. Rogers is quite the opposite. Here are four things you didn’t know about Mr. Rogers that made him the best neighbor of all-time.
Mr. Rogers was a minister
If you want to know anything about Mr. Rogers, very high on the list should be that he was a Presbyterian minister whose life’s work was built around Leviticus 19:18 (Love your neighbor as yourself). It’s from there where the neighborhood was derived.
He once said in an interview, “to love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now,” and his life’s work reflected that.
Mr. Rogers was a revolutionary who challenged racial stereotypes
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was one of the first programs to feature African-Americans at a time where they had little visibility on camera, playing a police officer at that.
The scene was of them cooling their feet in a pool together which, as François states, was intentional. Rogers was inspired by the new testament’s account of Jesus washing the feet of his new disciple, Peter.
François was also gay. And, although being a minister, Fred saught to protect and not oust him.
Mr. Rogers spoke plainly about the truth
One of the biggest gems of Mr. Rogers and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was how he never shied away from the truth.
In contrast to children’s programs today which are live, action-packed animations full of color and fluff, Mr. Rogers regularly tackled topics like divorce, depression and even death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MRC0qu75TU
In one famous episode, they ask “what does assassination mean?” after the murder of RFK in 1968.
Rather than trying to hide or minimize or gaslight because it seems too hard, they leaned right into it, naming true things and simply holding space to let children deal with them.
Bisexual icon?
Now, there’s no true way of knowing for sure being that he is deceased but Fred Rogers does have a quote that may shed light on how he feels about the LGBTQ community.
A quote from The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers went viral earlier this year. The quote, a response to the idea that sexuality is a spectrum, was classic Fred Rogers, honest and open. “I must be right smack in the middle.”
“Because I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive,” he told his openly gay friend Dr. William Hirsch.
Fred Rogers wanted to love everyone. He wanted everyone to feel accepted and for all to work with one another. I think it’s safe to say he was successful.
Here’s a commencement speech in his later years in life. Get fuel for your soul and make sure you look our for the Tom Hanks movie on his life in November.
After Terrance Nance dipped as director of Space Jam 2 due to different takes on the creative vision, it was announced that Malcolm D. Lee would take over for him — and it makes perfect sense for the movie.
While Nance has shown promise as a director with projects like An Oversimplification of Her Beauty and the series Random Acts of Flyness on HBO, Lee brings experience and a proven track record with studio comedies.
He directed the 2017 hit comedy Girl’s Trip, that made Tiffany Haddish a household name. He then followed up with Night School, another smash comedy that paired Haddish with mega-star Kevin Hart.
Fans are already making it known that they want Haddish to appear in the Space Jam sequel. Haddish would no doubt bring a level of energy and comedic genius that could only elevate the film.
There’s still a possibility that she could be recruited, as much of the cast is still unknown. One of the few actors already on board is one of the most lowkey actors of his time, Don Cheadle. It’s not yet known what role Cheadle will play, but it’s bound to be fire.
Cheadle will be joined by NBA and WNBA stars Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Damian Lillard and of course LeBron James.
The only player that the film really needs is J.R. Smith — either forgetting the score of a crucial game or screaming “Henny-thing is possible!” as the credits roll. The interactions between Smith and James are already comedy gold.
James has already proven that he has some acting chops and is lowkey funny. He had a surprisingly funny role as himself in Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck and has hosted SNL with great success. No matter where you stand on the Jordan vs. LeBron as G.O.A.T. discussion, we can all agree that LeBron is for sure the better actor.
The new director and cast aren’t the only things making Space Jam 2 dope. The script is in the hands of Sev Ohanian (Searching) and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther and Creed). Coogler is also attached to the project as a producer.
Ryan Coogler, like Lee, brings a great track record and experience to the project. The two will definitely be bringing a level of professionalism that’ll ensure success for the film. Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, Bradford Young will also be joining the Space Jam 2 squad.
LeBron is known to surround himself on the court with people who will ensure his success and he’s doing the exact same thing here with Space Jam 2.
It’s safe to say he knows what it takes to meet and exceed expectations as the squad around you is crucial to achieving your goals in anything you do. Malcolm D. Lee and his crew are the perfect team to make Space Jam 2 more iconic than MJ’s 1996 original.
There’s still not much info out there in terms of what the plot will look like. Will the NBA and WNBA players in the flick be the new Monstars? Will there be any Monstars? What will be the stakes for King James, Bugs Bunny, and crew?
None of that matters now, and more info will definitely come out as we get closer to the release. Whatever does happen, we’re hyped for it and know that it’ll be the hottest movie of summer 2021.
When exploring any genre of film you also have to examine the social and political environment of the time in which the film was created.
While often dismissed as a credible artistic medium, the horror genre has, historically, been the most forgiving medium by which directors could express their political opinions.
The first ever horror movie, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), was a clear commentary on the growing authoritarian presence in a post-War Germany. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is an allegory for the paranoia of the McCarthy era.
George Romero’s sensational zombie movie Night of the Living Dead emerged as a mid-20th century vehicle to discuss the American socio-political meltdown that was the 1960s. The list could go on.
The classic 1980s slasher can be characterized as the epitome of the white, upper/middle-class, American fear. It’s entire premise is centered upon being in the wrong place at the right time.
The final message is clear, be it a group of college kids going on a camping trip, a sleepy suburban town, or a family making a wrong turn onto a seedy dirt road. Terror is universal, indestructible, unexpected, and lurking just outside your white picket fence.
In 2016, this very same trope continued as a wave of horror films with a home invasion premise hit theaters at an unprecedented level. While these films were in production long before the 2016 election, it is no coincidence that these vivid depictions of fear concerning the invasion of the “other” boiled over at the same time.
Now, horror movie creators don’t bother to beat around the bush. Punk rockers must defeat literal Neo Nazis in Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room (2016), and the entire Purge (2013-2018) franchise serves as blatant commentary about (asymmetrical) American class warfare. Get Out (2017) is self explanatory.
Writing for Aeon magazine, M. M. Own, Ph.D, best summarized why people are psychologically drawn to the horror genre. Own wrote,
“We have always told horror stories, and we always will. Because horror is an artistic expression of an ontological truth: we are creatures formed in no small part by the things to which we are averse.”
Films like Saw(2004) and Hostel (2005) seemed to categorically repulse critics, however they emerged as some of the most commercially successful franchises of the 2000s.
While these films put the “torture porn” genre of horror on front and center stage for American audiences, they were not the first to push boundaries when it came to a cinematic fixation on ultra-violence.
Body-horror obsessed directors like David Cronenberg use the corporeal form to examine human nature because it is the most physically existential part of our existence as conscious beings.
The mutilation of the body as the centermost point of a plot was a new and not to mention gruesome mechanic for audiences; however it does largely deal with our most primal fear, physical pain.
In his 2004 essay “Flesh & Blood: Sex and Violence in Recent French Cinema,” James Quandt coined the term “French New Extremity” to describe a slew of disturbingly sadistic films that focused on depicting sex and violence as realistically–and frequently–as possible.
While not thematically uniform enough to be classified as a “movement” per-se, New Extremist movies broke down boundaries of filmmaking so unapologetically that many critics proclaimed it marked the end of the horror genre itself.
However, in hindsight, both critics and fans alike are quick to point out the potential influence New Extremism has in subverting genre tropes in order to apply new meanings to traditionally worn storylines.
New Extremism as a whole does not have a cohesive cinematic presence other than its ruthless portrayals of violence. Hyper-realistic violence as “entertainment” is strictly a post-9/11, post-Abu Ghraib, media phenomenon that usually goes dismissed by older critics.
However these movies still, well, happened and they happened for reasons other than sadistic directors and thrill seeking audiences. They are both a direct response and by-product of the period in which they were created.
Any list compiling the most disturbing New Extremist films ever made includes Pascal Laugier’s 2008 film Martyrs. Laugier, whose newest film Incident in a Ghostland (2018), is, coincidentally, a home-invasion thriller.
The disturbing flick was created in the midst of France’s own “migrant crisis.” Laugier could be considered the father of French New Extremism, not necessarily for its conception but for creating the film that singularly defined the already developed style.
Martyrs follows Lucie, a woman who was kidnapped and brutally tortured by a family when she was young. Years later, Lucie exacts vengeance on the very family who traumatized her, including their teenage son and pre-adolescent daughter.
However is becomes increasingly clear to the audience that violence as a means of revenge is a hollow act. Lucie is still, literally, haunted by her survivor’s guilt after the entire family has been killed.
Her shame is manifested in the form of a mutilated woman, who attacks Lucie after she finishes slaughtering the family. However, it is made clear to the audience that this woman is just a figment of Lucie’s imagination and Lucie is actually just attacking herself.
In the end, violence as retribution is still futile and purposeless violence. Laugier, like the two directors below, makes a slightly hypocritical point by rubbing his audience’s nose into what they came for.
Gaspar Noé’s film Irreversible made its startling debut at Cannes film festival in 2002, in which 20 people fainted and 250 people walked out of the theater. Infamous for a 10 minute long rape scene as well as one of the most shockingly horrific fight scenes you might ever see. Fire extinguisher, face, need I say more?
The film is also filled with vicious (and purposelessly vile) homophobia and transphobia. Irreversible begins at the end of the story and ends at its beginning.
A man, Marcus (Vincent Cassel), goes on a bloody rampage to exact revenge on the man who raped and beat his pregnant girlfriend into a coma. From a narrative point of view, the film does do something interesting in its structure that is organized in order to examine the aftermath of violence.
However, stripped of this cinematic tool (aka, once one reflects upon the story in chronological order) the film brings little else to the table.
New Extremism’s most recent spiritual inheritor is Lars von Trier’s The House That Jack Built (2018). Seeing as it received a similar reaction at Cannes as Irreversible (although only an estimated 100 people walked out this time around), it has cemented itself as one of the most gnarly releases of 2018.
The film can be interpreted as von Trier projecting both himself and the plight of an artist unable to cope with the ramifications of his creations onto the character Jack, a ruthless serial killer.
Senior film critic at IndieWire David Ehrlich described The House That Jack Built as “a damning self-critique of / backhanded apology for the compulsive violence of artistic creation.”
As a whole, these films share a disturbingly nihilistic worldview that has cemented itself as a tradition within the genre as a whole. Von Trier’s work has carried on a post-Iraq, ultra-violent vision that persists to this day.
With films like The Nightingale and The Lodge set to release this year, it seems to be a tradition that will only continue.
