Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review: A Lame Duck Farewell Full of Flaws
The final DCEU film features a lot more of the drum-playing octopus, at least. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review: A Lame Duck Farewell Full of Flaws Liz Shannon Miller
The Candyman Is Set To Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bruce Glikas / Getty Looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get even more diverse as reports are they casted the new Candyman to star as the titular character of their next superhero series, Wonder Man. Vulture is reporting that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been blessed to take on the role of the ionic powered superhero, Wonder Man in a new Disney+ series that continues to explore the next generation of heroes of the MCU. Interestingly enough Mateen isn’t a stranger to the superhero genre as he’s already taken on the role of Mr. Manhattan in HBO’s cult classic series, Watchmen and has even dabbled in the DCEU as Aquaman’s arch nemesis, Black Manta. Luckily for the superb actor, Wonder Man doesn’t have a rabid fanbase that will be outraged at th...
Ambulance Review: Some Deranged Grandeur, Courtesy of Michael Bay
The Pitch: In his 2019 Netflix film 6 Underground, Michael Bay stages an opening car chase where his heroes smash through the streets of Italy, goring bad guys and yelling nonsense at each other. “I’m conducting surgery!” one character screams while, essentially, just tending to a wound. But maybe that moment stuck in Bay’s head. Maybe he regretted not making that set-piece more surgical, to the point where he built an entire movie called Ambulance around the premise: What if you were performing life-saving surgery during a car chase? Technically, Bay did not come up with this premise. Ambulance is a remake of a 2005 Dutch film, and Bay is not a credited screenwriter. But his penchant for breaking tension with over-explained jokes, or breaking jokes with melodramatic bombast, transcend any...
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![The New Kids On ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Block Talk About Morpheus’ Drip, Neo & Trinity & More [Exclusive]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/the-new-kids-on-the-matrix-resurrections-block-talk-about-morpheus-drip-neo-trinity-more-exclusive-80x80.jpg)
The New Kids On ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Block Talk About Morpheus’ Drip, Neo & Trinity & More [Exclusive]
Source: Warner Bros. / The Matrix Resurrections The Matrix has been rebooted, and Hip-Hop Wired/Cassius Life is plugged in. It’s been 18 years since 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions, which left many fans believing that was the last time we will ever see Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Agent Smith, Niobe, and others. But as we learned, stories never truly end, and Lana Wachowski decided to bring back the popular franchise with a fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections. Source: Warner Bros. / The Matrix Resurrections Yes, Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity are back, but there is something different about this version of The Matrix. While they are the same, other characters in the legendary story of Neo of Trinity have been changed, and that’s where the new kids on The Matrix block come in. M...
The Matrix Resurrections Review: A Wild, Meta, Sometimes Muddled, Occasionally Transcendent Love Story
The Pitch: Here’s the problem with reviewing The Matrix Resurrections: At this point, we basically have to accept that the franchise peaked with the first installment. This isn’t meant as an insult, but an honest statement of fact– this is what happens when a film is a masterpiece. If 1999’s The Matrix is a nearly perfect movie, almost transcendent at some points with how it blended genre and technology in service of its storytelling, then yeah, it may be impossible to top it. What makes Resurrections such a fascinating viewing experience, though, is the fact that the movie knows this. And, rather than try to shift the narrative to some different angle on the original, director Lana Wachowski, who co-wrote the script with David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon, decides to take on that problem...
Cast for Mad Max Spinoff Furiosa Confirmed: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Things are starting to rev up for George Miller’s Mad Max spinoff film Furiosa. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have climbed aboard the next parable in the wasteland. Taylor-Joy will play a young Furiosa, a role originally iconized by Charlize Theron, who will not be a part of the production. As of press time, it’s unclear who Hemsworth and Abdul-Mateen II will be playing. It’s funny how both have played gods of sorts. Miller will direct, co-write, and produce the project that’s yet to be greenlit by Warner Bros. However, seeing how 2015’s Fury Road proved to be both a critical and commercial success for the studio — even nabbing a Best Picture nom — the light is imminent. Back in May, Miller announced the project to in an in...
Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 Gives Aaron Sorkin a Timely Bully Pulpit: Review
The Pitch: In 1968, a coalition of anti-Vietnam War and counterculture protestors took to the streets in Chicago to protest outside the Democratic National Convention, rallying to end the Vietnam War and bring our boys back home. Predictably, the police retaliated with overwhelming force, greeting them with beatings, tear gas, and scores of arrests. Five scant months later, one of the most infamous trials in American history took place, charging seven of the organizers with conspiracy and incitement to riot — YIPpies Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Mobe leaders Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), John Froines (Danie Flaherty) and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins). Black Panther Bobby Seale (Yahya A...
Emmys So Black: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Regina King, Zendaya & More Snag Golden Lady Statuettes
Source: ABC / Getty it was a fantastic night for Black Hollywood during the 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Despite the COVID-19 global pandemic still being a thing, the show went on as television’s brightest all converged on Hollywood virtually, while in the safety of their own watch party bubbles and homes. We not gonna lie, while watching Schitt’s Creek sweep all comedy categories, which meant that Insecure coming off its best season, nabbed one award out its 8 nominations, we were beginning to worry if it was gonna be a long night. BUT, it was refreshing to see Dan Levy, who won awards for writing, directing, and supporting actor shoutout of Issa Rae’s hit HBO comedy series in one his acceptance speeches. “I want to recognize Issa Rae and the writers on Insecure for writi...
2020 Primetime Emmy Winners: Schitt’s Creek Sweeps Comedy Awards in Historic Run
The Emmy Awards are going virtual for 2020 in an unprecedented move. Now in its 72nd year, the ceremony honors the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1st, 2019 until May 31st, 2020. Jimmy Kimmel is the night’s canary in a coal mine host, proving three time’s the charm as he presides over the live ABC broadcast. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel admitted he’s bracing for a “beautiful disaster,” and acknowledged some limitations. “Not being able to pre-tape limits you as well,” he shared. “But I think what we found from watching the late night shows during this time is that you do find things that are better when you’re handcuffed.” The night will see a number of presenters hopping online, including forthcoming She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany,...
Aaron Sorkin’s Star-Studded The Trial of the Chicago 7 Gets First Trailer: Watch
The Oscar hype is on for writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s star-studded historical drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. On Sunday night, Netflix dropped the film’s first teaser trailer ahead of its October 16th premiere on the network. The film captures the events surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which saw a peaceful protest dissolve into a violent clash between the police and the National Guard. This led to seven organizers — which included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale — being charged with conspiracy. Given the current political landscape — and the fact that this lands a few weeks before the 2020 Election — one might say The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a tad prescient, no? Whatever the case, it features the most incredible cast in recent memory, s...
The 25 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2020
“New year, new decade, new films, right?” That was January, back when we were still looking ahead at 2020 with blind optimism and ill-fated excitement. Sigh, hindsight is 20/20 they say, right? Who knew. At the time, we had 50 exciting new titles we were anticipating, most of which have since been either postponed, dumped to VOD, or relegated to a limbo state. It’s been an unnerving year for the film industry, to say the least. A year fraught with shutdowns, furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, and re-evaluations. All of that change has prompted a seismic shift in how everything’s run across the media landscape, and no one truly has a grip on things just yet. Odds are they won’t for quite some time. Because of this, anticipating anything right now — let alone anything in pop culture — seems l...
