Aimlessness, tragedy, grief, trauma, depression, mental illness, thoughts of suicide — all these things figure in The King of Staten Island. It’s a comedy because, well, laughs (along with some weed) can help you get through life. That life belongs to Pete Davidson, the youngest (he’s 26) and quirkiest current …
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“I do think as you get older, it’s inevitable that you repeat yourself,” says Rob Brydon. “This is the fourth time we’ve been on one of these jaunts.” His dining companion Steve Coogan, who’s been digging lustily into a plate of braised lamb, shakes his head. “Originality is overrated. Everything’s …
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There’s an old folk tale I heard a lot back in Hebrew school. In the little village of Chelm, a poor farmer goes to see the rabbi to complain that his house is far too small to accommodate himself, his wife, and their children. The rabbi tells the farmer to …
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Actor and “Bear State” native Clark Duke (The Office, Kick-Ass, Hot Tub Time Machine) shows he has good taste by opening his directorial debut with a quote from Charles Portis, an author of such cult-inspiring comic invention that he’s been compared to Mark Twain, Cormac McCarthy, and Tom Wolfe. Most …
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It’s been eight years since Benh Zeitlin made his astonishing feature-directing debut with Beasts of the Southern Wild, a low-budget landmark set on the bayous of Louisiana that won Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (for its extraordinary nine-year-old star Quvenzhané Wallis), Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay nods. …
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Early in John Mulaney‘s new Netflix special John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (debuting December 24th), one of the comedian’s underage co-stars asks him what the tone of the show is supposed to be. “Is it ironic,” she wonders, “or do you like doing a children’s show?” Mulaney confesses …
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“People with powers are either heroes or villains,” Dion Warren explains to a new friend. Dion would know. Not only does he have superpowers — the abilities to, among other things, move objects with his mind, teleport, and heal the sick — but at age seven going on eight, he …
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Is it weird to say that It: Chapter Two is almost as scary but not quite as grabby as Chapter One? Sorry, the truth hurts. The sequel to the 2017 horror smash faithfully follows Stephen King’s epic, 1,100-page, 1986 bestseller by skipping ahead 27 years and tracking its protagonist kids …
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It’s instructive to point out that The Nightingale is not for the faint of heart. There’s horrific violence abound; at one point early on, a rapist violates his victim while her baby screams in his ear. But in no way is this powerhouse another treatment of male violence filtered through …
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It’s a standard-issue plot: A young, single, Scottish mother of two, recently paroled from prison, harbors dreams of country-music stardom in Nashville. Don’t be fooled. Wild Rose is anything but the same old underdog story. And chances are you’ll fall fast and hard for breakout star Jessie Buckley. This classically …
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