Drama
House of Gucci Is as Italian as a Pizza Bagel and It Knows It: Review
The Pitch: On March 27, 1995, Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), then head of the luxury fashion label Gucci, was shot dead on the steps outside his Milan office. Two years later, his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), and her accomplices were sentenced to prison, most of them for more than twenty-five-year sentences. But how did we get here? How did a woman who found herself at the top of the fashion world turn into a black widow? Ridley Scott‘s House of Gucci wants to answer those questions, with all the brio and style to which the Gucci name is accustomed. We flash back to the early ’70s, where a young Patrizia meets and charms the bookish Maurizio, who wants less than nothing to do with the Gucci dynasty, considering his strained relationship with his ailing father Rodolfo (J...
HBO Orders The Weeknd’s The Idol to Series
The Weeknd’s acting career is really taking off. Today HBO officially ordered The Idol, the drama he co-created with Sam Levinson (Euphoria, Malcolm & Marie) and Reza Fahim, to series. The Idol is set in a world The Weeknd knows well: the music industry. The singer otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye will star in the six-episode series alongside Lily-Rose Depp as a self-help guru and a cult leader who enters a romantic relationship with an up-and-coming pop singer. Rounding out the series’ cast are Suzanna Son, Melanie Liburd, Tunde Adebimpe, Steve Zissis,, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Nico Hiraga, Anne Heche, and pop singer Troye Sivan. Advertisement Related Video Joe Epstein joins The Weeknd, Levinson, and Fahim as executive producer and writer, and Amy Seimetz is set to executive produce a...
Stallone’s Recut Rocky IV Has More Heart, But Less Charm: Review
The Pitch: In 1985, Rocky IV was released to box office success (netting $300 million, the most the series has ever earned), but critical derision. It’s no surprise, either; the film, which tracks Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) as he seeks revenge against Russian superman Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) for the death of his friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), was the ultimate jump-the-shark moment for a series that had heretofore mixed taut boxing action with comparatively tamped-down character drama. It’s a thorn that’s clearly been stuck in Stallone’s paw for 35 years, and with the creative idleness that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 seemed as good a time as any to pick it back up and revisit it. And so, we have Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago – The Director’s Cut, a dra...
Licorice Pizza Soundtrack Features David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Jonny Greenwood, and More
As if casting a HAIM sister wasn’t enough for Paul Thomas Anderson to pique the interest of music nerds with Licorice Pizza, its soundtrack is one for the books: Republic Records has unveiled the tracklist for the coming-of-age film’s original motion picture soundtrack, which features David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Nina Simone, and many more. The album will be released November 26th before the film hits theaters nationwide Christmas Day. Considering Licorice Pizza takes place in the 1970s, it’s only fitting that the soundtrack pulls straight from that era, featuring the likes of Sonny & Cher, Taj Mahal, and The Doors, as well as some more overlooked highlights from that decade. To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood — who’s scored numerous f...
Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Confirms Season 2
Squid Game is coming back for more. Series director, writer, and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk gave the groundbreaking South Korean drama the green light for a second season in a recent red carpet interview. “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand, and so much love for a second season, so I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” Hwang told the Associated Press at a screening for the show. The auteur didn’t say when more episodes would hit Netflix, noting he was still in the planning phase, but he promised fans that “Gi-hun will be back and he’ll do something for the world.” In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hwang added that he has a “basic storyline for season two — it’s all in my head — and I am currently in the brainstorming stage. It will happen, someday, but as f...
Giant “Red Light, Green Light” Doll From Netflix’s Squid Game Appears in Sydney
Residents of Sydney, Australia received an extra spooky treat for their Halloweekend. Netflix commissioned a massive replica Squid Game’s perilous Red Light, Green Light doll, who will keep its watchful eye over Sydney’s The Rocks neighborhood until Monday (November 1st). According to Perth Now, the doll stands at just under fifteen feet tall and weighs three tons. It stays loyal to the doll’s functions in Squid Game, possessing the ability to turn its head and chant “red light, green light.” Its eyes can also detect any movement from players who don’t keep still. But don’t worry — unlike in the show, this Red Light, Green Light doll won’t be shooting any losers dead. Squid Game premiered on Netflix last month, and has already beat out Bridgerton as the p...
Jonny Greenwood Shares “West” and “25 Years” from The Power of the Dog Soundtrack: Stream
As if being a founding member of Radiohead weren’t enough, Jonny Greenwood is one of the most sought-after film score composers in the biz. Today, he’s shared two cuts from his soundtrack to Jane Campion’s forthcoming Western drama, The Power of the Dog, which will accompany the film’s limited release in theaters on November 17th. They’re called “West” and “25 Years.” Those who remember Greenwood’s soundtrack work from 2018’s Phantom Thread score will recognize the Radiohead guitarist’s penchant for pared-down, string-heavy compositions here. The soundtrack for The Power of the Dog, however, expectedly features some more country-themed elements, such as a fiddle and banjo. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as an aggressive rancher named Phil Burbank, who must come to terms with...
Drake Threatened to Quit Degrassi Because His Character Used a Wheelchair: Report
Never mind the fact that he literally titled his most recent album Certified Lover Boy — Drake evidently hasn’t always been so comfortable sharing his sensitive side. Before he gifted us with unabashedly sullen breakup ballads like “Marvins Room,” he was better known as Aubrey Graham, the actor behind high school basketball star Jimmy Brooks in the massively popular teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. In a recent oral history celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Canadian phenomenon, Degrassi screenwriter James Hurst said that Drake once threatened to leave the show because Jimmy used a wheelchair, which the rapper feared made him look “soft.” (As if “soft” hasn’t been used to describe most Drake music since 2010.) If you’ll recall, one of Degrassi’s most critical pl...
A24 Shares Trailer for Sean Baker’s New Film Red Rocket: Watch
Sean Baker, the award-winning director behind The Florida Project and Tangerine, is getting ready to unveil his latest feature film, Red Rocket. A24 has just released the first trailer for the dark comedy, which you can watch below. Red Rocket tells the story of washed-up porn star Mikey Saber, played by Simon Rex, as he decides to return to his small hometown of Texas City, Texas, a Gulf Coast city in Galveston County. While it’s clear that nobody wants him to come back, Saber makes the most of his journey by trying to reconnect with old friends, make amends with his foes, and even pursue a new relationship. In the trailer, we see Saber putting on his best smile and flexing his porn star muscles while roaming about the dusty Texas town. After trying to land a job and convince his wif...
NBC Greenlights Reboot of Dick Wolf’s Original Law & Order Series
Though it’s been over a decade since Law & Order ceased production, the popularity of its spinoffs like Law & Order: SVU prove there’s always room on air for some good, old-fashioned crime drama. Well, get ready to hear some more dun-duns: NBC has announced that its reviving the mothership series of Dick Wolf’s beloved franchise for its 21st season overall. While a premiere date is still TBD, we can expect the new installment of Law & Order will once again follow — say it with us, now — “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.” The show will be produced by Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment — with Wolf executive producing, of course — and Rick Eid returning as showrunner. While no cast members have been o...
Kristen Stewart Is a Spot-On Princess Diana in First Trailer for Spencer: Watch
This November 5th, the story of Diana, Princess of Wales is finally coming to the big screen. Today, Neon Films has shared the first trailer for Spencer, the forthcoming biopic about the People’s Princess and her difficult decision to leave her marriage to Prince Charles. Kristen Stewart stars as Diana, and their resemblance is pretty mind-boggling. Spencer chronicles Christmas holiday with the royal family in the early ‘90s, at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. This eventful weekend is said to have been when Diana finally decided to end her marriage, a choice that shook England and beyond. Stewart does a spot-on portrayal of Princess Di, with Jack Farthing starring opposite her as Prince Charles. The cast also includes Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins, and Richa...
Lollapalooza 2021 Opens in Full Force as COVID Looms Large
In the history of Chicago concerts, there has likely never been as much riding on a live music event as on Lollapalooza 2021. It’s been less than two months since the city fully “reopened” for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic sent it spinning into lockdown, and like elsewhere in the country, the rise of the Delta variant has been cause for alarm due to its implications for public health and local economies. Chicagoans are rightly concerned about what a massive outbreak related to a festival with roughly 100,000 attendees per day could mean for the safety, health, and livelihoods of the people who live and work in the city (Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke called Lollapalooza a “mistake waiting to happen”). And in the live music community in Chicago and beyond, which is just g...
