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Rapper Mac Miller has died at 26

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mac miller

  • The rapper Mac Miller died Friday of an apparent overdose at the age of 26, TMZ first reported.
  • Miller was set to start a tour next month to promote his latest album, "Swimming."

The rapper Mac Miller has died of an apparent overdose at the age of 26, TMZ reported Friday. Us Weekly and Variety later confirmed his death.

Citing law-enforcement sources, TMZ reported that Miller was found at his San Fernando Valley home around noon following a 911 call. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.

The rapper and producer, a Pittsburgh native, had opened up about his struggles with substance abuse in recentinterviews promoting his fifth studio album, "Swimming," which he released in August.

"I used to rap super openly about really dark s---," he said of his past music in an interview with Vulture published on Thursday. "Because that's what I was experiencing at the time. That's fine, that's good, that's life. It should be all the emotions."

In May, shortly after the end of his two-year relationship with the pop singer Ariana Grande, Miller was charged with a DUI after police said he hit a utility pole with his car.

Miller was set to start a tour next month to promote "Swimming," with a planned first date of October 27 in San Francisco.

"I just wanna go on tour," Miller tweeted on Thursday, adding: "The show is going to be special every night. I wish it started tomorrow."

Miller released his first studio album, "Blue Slide Park," in 2011 after a series of popular mixtapes. His highest-charting single, "Loud," reached No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012. "Swimming" was the most critically acclaimed release of his career.

Condolences and grief poured out from the music community on Friday following reports of Miller's death, with artists like Chance the Rapper and Wiz Khalifa, a fellow Pittsburgh native, tweeting in remembrance of Miller.

Miller's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If you are struggling with addiction and want to seek treatment, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's free, national, 24/7 helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'


How the 'Cocaine Cowboys' director used the doping scandal that brought down Alex Rodriguez to create a comedic documentary about Miami gangsters

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Anthony Bosch Joe Readle Getty

  • Billy Corben, the director behind the acclaimed documentary "Cocaine Cowboys," turns his focus to the world of performance-enhancing drugs for his latest movie.
  • His Toronto International Film Festival entry, "Screwball," is a comedic documentary that looks at the rise and fall of Anthony Bosch, the doctor who provided PEDs to some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball, including Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez.
  • Corben and his longtime producer Alfred Spellman tell Business Insider why the rise and fall of Bosch's empire had to be told through casting kids in the doc's reenactments and why it's the most Florida story they have made yet.


In the office of Rakontur, the South Florida-based production company of “Cocaine Cowboys” director Billy Corben and producer Alfred Spellman, there’s a spreadsheet that the duo have been building for most of their professional careers. It’s a unique wish list with the names of shady characters who became notorious in their hometown of Miami that they hope to one day make movies about.

Checked off that list already are the figureheads behind the cocaine blizzard that hit the beaches of Miami in the 1980s, which became the subject of their breakout documentary “Cocaine Cowboys.” There’s also the outlandish University of Miami football program during the 1980s, which they profiled in “The U” as part of ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary series. And within the last year, they were surprised to check another off the list: Biogenesis owner Dr. Anthony Bosch, better known as the man who provided performance-enhancing drugs to numerous Major League Baseball players, including Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez.

Though Bosch isn’t the first to disgrace the MLB with PEDs — before Bosch there was the BALCO scandal that outed users like Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, and also led to the Mitchell Report— it’s how Bosch operated that fascinated Corben and Spellman, who have made a living making documentaries about, as they coin it, “Florida f---ery.”

And with Bosch, they had hit the jackpot.

Alex RodriguezHaving its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday night, Corben’s “Screwball” is a zany documentary that looks inside Bosch’s Biogenesis operation, which was touted as being a rejuvenation clinic operating out of Coral Gables, Florida, when in reality it was a one-stop shop for athletes to get their human growth hormones, obtained by Bosch often on the black market through the help of gangsters who were using South Florida tanning salons as a front. And it was all overseen by Bosch, who never had a license to practice medicine in the US and studied just three years at a medical school in Belize.

It inevitably all crumbled when Porter Fischer, a disgruntled “professional tanner” who was helping out Bosch with marketing for the company, wasn’t paid back $4,000. So Fischer took notepads and documents that revealed the big-name clients Bosch had and handed it all over to a reporter for the New Miami Times, which ran an explosive story about MLB players’ involvement with Bosch. It led to suspensions for 13 MLB players in 2013, including a full-season suspension for Rodriguez, then the highest-paid player in the game.

“This is our most Florida movie,” Spellman told Business Insider over the phone earlier this week. “This story is so insane it always struck me as a Coen brothers movie meets Elmore Leonard story.”

And strangely it all fell in Corben and Spellman’s laps very quickly.

The subjects come calling

Months before Bosch would be sentenced in 2014 for conspiracy to distribute testosterone, Spellman got a call out of the blue from a friend of Bosch’s who said the doctor wanted to talk to him and Corben about making a documentary. The plan was that Corben would interview Bosch before he went to prison, which Bosch assumed would take a little time as he was currently in a drug rehab program. But on the day of sentencing, Bosch was hit with a four-year sentence and immediately hauled off to a white-collar prison in Alabama.

Miraculously, things didn’t end right there. A few months after Bosch’s sentencing, Corben got a call saying that the whistleblower behind the collapse of Bosch’s empire, Porter Fischer, also wanted to tell his side of the story.

Corben couldn’t ignore the good fortune.

“Sometimes these stories have to ripen, we weren’t sure if this was too soon,” Corben told Business Insider. “And though I don’t believe in spirits or the universe or fate, I said to Alfred, someone is trying to tell us this was the time to make this movie.”

After writing letters to Bosch in prison, Corben learned that he would only do 20 months of his sentence (thanks to cooperating with prosecutors), so once Bosch finished his time in prison, Corben went forward with the movie. He interviewed Bosch and Fischer separately over the span of six days last year.

billy_corben_alfred_spellman_Seth BrowarnikWorldRedEye.comFrom the start, Corben was taken by how vivid both Bosch and Fischer's recollections of events were.

“They were very excited and animated,” he said. “They would tell these stories and almost perform what the other person was saying in addition to what they said. It all was very in-the-moment.”

Corben wanted to capitalize on the storytelling talents of his two main subjects. Knowing this movie wouldn’t have a lot of archival footage like his past work, as most of the story revolved around chats in Bosch’s office, night clubs, or in tanning salons, for the first time in his career Corben would have to film reenactments. However, with a title like “Screwball,” they couldn’t be conventional.

“I was starting to assemble the interviews we shot and I thought, ‘My God, all these guys are acting like such children,' and the light bulb went off,” Corben said.

The director would cast kids to reenact the scenes Bosch and Fischer told so vividly.

Big-boy story, but played out by kids

It was an idea that had been in the back of Corben’s mind for at least a decade. It started all the way back when he wanted to do a documentary on Scientology and stumbled across an off-Broadway musical in the East Village of New York City titled, “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant.” The cast was made up of elementary school students telling the life story of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

At the time, Corben wanted to option the rights to the musical so he could use it as a framing device in his Scientology movie. He even got as far as talking to the writers of the musical. But the project fell though and was never made. However, with Bosch’s wacky story, Corben felt the kid aspect could fit perfectly with the doc’s tone.

“Our vision was that this was always an Elmore Leonard farce,” Corben said. “It wasn’t like halfway through the movie we were like, ‘It’s a comedy!’ It was well established and the kids were something to continue building on that.”

Dr. T ScrewballFrom the start of “Screwball” that comedic feel is laid out to the audience, as the opening goes from a traditional talking head interview with Fischer and cuts to a kid version of Fischer in a reenactment of what he’s describing in voiceover. The rest of the story Fischer tells is then reenacted by kids, who are even lip syncing what Fischer is saying (think of an episode of Comedy Central’s “Drunk History”).

And along with kid versions of Fischer and Bosch, there’s reenactments that feature kid Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Miami gangsters, MLB investigators, and even Miami hip-hop legend Pitbull.

And though the reenactments have a playful tone, Corben was extremely serious about authenticity, picking out the wig himself that the kid playing Anthony Bosch would wear, and insisting that costumes for the Miami police were designed to represent the correct municipality by color of the uniform and correct badge style.

“It took a very Wes Anderson level of attention to detail, it almost killed us,” Spellman said half-joking of the 10-day reenactments shoot, which included them filming at some of the actual locations Bosch and Fischer reference in their recollections.

And then there’s the story itself told in “Screwball,” which at times is more bizarre than watching kids playing gangsters and Major League players.

Sunny place for shady people

Bosch weaves a stranger-than-fiction tale in "Screwball" of his ascent to becoming pro baseball's go-to guy for PEDs (though he also provided them for college and even high school ball players). He recounts his first meeting with Manny Ramirez, when the player didn’t greet him with a handshake but instead patted him down to make sure he wasn’t wearing a wire. And he talks of later becoming a part of Alex Rodriguez’s entourage. Bosch claims one night when they partied at the posh Liv night club in Miami, he lost a vial of Rodriguez’s blood he had just drawn from him in the bathroom and the two crawled around the nightclub looking for it.

And things get even more bizarre when the MLB begins to investigate Bosch. Throwing cash around South Florida like it’s Monopoly money (with Rodriguez's camp doing the same to try to get him out of trouble), instead of getting assistance, they get conned by gangsters.

In all, it makes “Screwball” the ultimate “Florida Man” story, which begs the question, what motivated Bosch to go on camera and retell his rise and humiliating fall?

“People get to a certain point in life sometimes when all they have is their story,” Corben said. “We’ve experienced this with other people we have interviewed, opportunities are now limited and all they have is their story, and so they are inclined to share it, for better or worse.”

“Screwball” is currently seeking distribution.

SEE ALSO: 24 movies coming out soon that are major Oscar contenders

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

These are the top 10 NBA players this season, according to the new 'NBA 2K19' video game

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LeBron James - NBA 2K19

The NBA regular season doesn't start until Oct. 16th. But with the launch of "NBA 2K19," fans will get a chance to roll out their favorite teams with this season's rosters for the first time in video game form. Part of the fun is seeing how well teams and players stack up against each other in the world's most meticulously-crafted basketball simulation.

A new season means new ratings for more than 350 NBA players, and developer 2K Gaming has slowly been revealing individual player ratings for months in the lead-up to the worldwide release of 2K19 on Sept. 11.

Basketball fans and players alike have always had a strong response to the 2K ratings, which take player tendencies, consistency and overall efficiency into account to come up with a final number. Players are given an overall rating on a 0-100 scale based on 30 different attributes. During the season the ratings are regularly adjusted to match the real-life performance of the players, to keep it as close to real life as possible. 

While the players at the top of the overall rankings are household names, things start to get a bit more unpredictable as the list goes on. Without further ado, here are the 10 best players in the NBA, according to "NBA 2K19."

10) Karl Anthony-Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves - 91 Overall

Now entering his fourth season in the NBA, the former #1 draft pick has emerged as one of the league's premier big men. While his points per game fell with the Timberwolves' addition of Jimmy Butler last season, Anthony-Towns showed development by improving his three-point shooting percentage and turning the ball over less.



9) Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder - 93 Overall

Russell Westbrook followed up his MVP 2016-17 season by averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive year with 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. The last player to average a triple-double for the entire season was Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in 1962.



8) Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics - 93 Overall

Despite missing most of the 2017-18 season due to injury, Irving remains one of the most explosive offensive players in the NBA, and will return to a Celtics team that reached the East Conference Finals without his help. While the star has struggled to stay healthy over the course of the last three years, he has shown that he has what it takes to push a team into championship territory.



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Here's what DJs actually do

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DJ, Producer, and founder of Fool's Gold Records, A-Trak has been DJing for over 20 years. In 1997, he was the world champion of DJing at age 15 before going on to become Kanye West's touring DJ and founding his own record label. He also founded the Goldie Awards, a DJ competition and beat battle for DJs and producers to demonstrate their skills. In this interview, A-Trak explains that the role of the DJ isn't just to press a play button, instead controlling the crowd's energy by selecting the perfect tracks to play at the right time. Following is a transcript of the video.

A-Trak: My name is A-Trak, I'm a DJ, producer, record label owner. The science of DJing, if you try to boil it down too much to a simple description of beatmatching, for example, definitely like an intangible to it. On a very simple level, beatmatching is what you call matching the tempo of one song to the next song that's playing so that you have a continuous beat. And just going back to the basic idea that DJs keep people dancing. You're able to keep the tempo steady as you go from song to song.

It's actually a pretty easy technique, but DJing itself is not that easy and I think the real role of the DJ is selection, it's picking songs and having a sense of what to play and when. And that's the part that's harder to break down or explain. What really differentiates a good DJ from a not so good DJ is selection and taste and sense of timing and also knowing how to adapt to different crowds. That's probably the biggest thing that DJs have to learn is to understand not only what to play and when but in which setting. You can't play the same set everywhere.

Electronic music's been around since the late '70s, early '80s. So electronic music isn't new but EDM is this newer, bigger, more polished manifestation of it. And when it really broke in America, at the beginning of this decade, it's also when certain songs were really bona fide pop songs, and were playing on the radio. New audiences embraced these big records that had a universal appeal, and by the same token embraced the producers and DJs who were behind those records. More and more of these festivals started popping up. I think that confused a lot of people. Just seeing a DJ essentially play songs that were already made, on the stage where they'd be used to seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers or something.

People were questioning whether DJs were really just pressing play and that became a bit of a buzzword, "pressing play" or "button pusher." The range of different styles that started existing got almost too big to just categorize as one thing. So, do some DJs just go up and press play and phone in the same set at a lot of events? Yeah. Does that mean that all DJs do that, no. A lot of DJs have true craftsmanship and art to what they do.

Usually the argument that most people will give and that I was just giving also is that DJs don't really play the same set everywhere and we're mixing live and all this stuff. But in some cases when the show is so big, that you get into a place where there actually is literally pyro and effects that need to be timed and this and that, then you'll have a DJ who plans their set. But even that to me, can be compared to theater. When you go watch theater, it's pre-planned but it's great entertainment. In the case of a DJ, the DJ is doing a sort of mise-en-scène, of songs that they know the crowd will enjoy hearing. And songs that they are sometimes connected to or that they made. And translating that into a show that will work in front of 60,000 people. There's an art to that too. The control of energy is kind of magical and undeniable. And that's a big part of the art too. So between that and the sort of sonic wizardry that happens with the knobs on here, it definitely isn't something to be diminished.

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The 11 fall TV shows that are definitely worth watching

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new images released for netflixs the chilling adventures of sabrina social

There is more TV than any human being can keep up with these days. So if the slew of fall TV shows is overwhelming you, you've come to the right place. 

We know how hard it is to prioritize TV, so we did it for you. In our fall preview, we made a list of all the notable TV shows returning this fall, and explained whether or not you should watch them (and why). This week, it's a smaller list of the shows that we predict everyone will be talking about, like the sixth and final season of "House of Cards," mixed with new shows like "The Chilling Adventures of Savrina" that will gain momentum over time — and you'll be the first  to tell everyone about them. 

Here's 11 must-watch new and returning shows this fall:

SEE ALSO: 7 great movies you can watch on Netflix this weekend

"Forever" — Amazon

September 14.

This dark comedy which takes a surprising turn is co-created by Alan Yang ("Master of None") and Matt Hubbard ("30 Rock"), and stars Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, and Catherine Kenner.



"American Vandal" — Netflix

September 14. 

Season two isn't as magical as the surprisingly biting first season, but it maintains the smart premise and tone without sticking to the same formula that made it work the first time. And also, it's about a prankster called "The Turd Burglar."



"Sorry for Your Loss" — Facebook Watch

September 14. 

Elizabeth Olsen and Kelly Marie Tran lead this dark comedy about grief that was made to watch on social media. It could be Facebook Watch's first real hit.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are electric on screen together in the Oscar-worthy 'A Star Is Born'

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A Star Is Born Warner Bros final

  • Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga make an electric combination in "A Star Is Born."
  • Cooper even does his own singing the movie's songs alongside Gaga.
  • The movie, which Cooper also directed, definitely lives up to the hype and will be an Oscar contender.


Going all the way back to 1937, Hollywood has been in love with the rags to riches story of “A Star Is Born.”

The movie that follows the overnight success of an aspiring singer has been done by the likes of Judy Garland (in the 1954 version) and Barbara Streisand (1976), and now Lady Gaga has added her name to the roster.

We know Gaga for her incredible singing and stage persona, but for at least the rest of this year she'll also be lauded for her acting abilities. She's incredible as Ally, who is discovered by the singer-songwriter Jackson Maine (played by Bradley Cooper), who mentors her into a superstar. The two eventually also fall in love.

And if Gaga's acting ability comes as a surprise, get ready for another — Bradley Cooper can direct (wait for it...) and sing!

"A Star Is Born," which opens in theaters October 5, marks the actor’s directorial debut and he crushes it as he weaves together a story filled with emotion and heartache about love, ego, stardom, and acceptance.

Following the 1976 rock-and-roll musical version, which was nominated for four Oscars and won for best original song, the project was looking to be told once again in a modern setting. Names like Clint Eastwood were floated as a potential director, and Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Will Smith were all rumored to star over the years, but for the most part the project lingered in development hell. But in 2016 it was announced that Cooper had signed on to not just star but also direct and the project was on the fast track, nabbing Gaga along the way.

The movie is fueled by the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga, who performed many of the songs featured in the movie in front of live audiences. Cooper holds his own in the singing department and brings a lot of empathy to his drug and alcohol-addicted rocker character with a troubled past. But it's watching Gaga belt out the ballads with ferocious intensity that will give you goosebumps.

Along for the ride is Sam Elliott, who plays Bobby, Jackson's older brother and the one person who has looked out for him his whole life as their father was a drunk. Cooper gives Jackson a deep, twangy voice that's almost spot on to how Elliott talks, which just adds fuel to the authentic feel of the brothers' love-hate-relationship.

In the other versions of this movie, much of the focus is on the female character. But in this one, the pulse is Jackson, whose self-destructive life only brings Ally closer to him, until finally it's too much for her to handle. The last third of the movie is heart-wrenching to watch, but you can't turn away as Cooper delivers a tour-de-force performance that will certainly garner him an Oscar nomination.

In fact, there might be a lot of Oscar notice for this movie. Along with Gaga and Elliott's top-notch work, the original songs are fantastic, and the editing flawlessly delivered the fast-moving lifestyle the two main characters live.

The hype for this movie is already through the roof, and all I can say is it lives up to it.

 

SEE ALSO: Michael Moore's new documentary "Fahrenheit 11/9" doesn't just go after Trump, but also turns a critical eye on Obama, Clinton, and the Flint water crisis

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

The new 'Halloween' movie is as tired and uninspiring as any of its sequels

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Halloween 2 Universal final

  • On the 40th anniversary of "Halloween," Michael Myers comes home — and nothing really changes.
  • The latest movie in the franchise wants us to forget everything that's happened since the 1978 original.
  • But it's pretty much a movie that goes through the same beats as any of the movies that were made since.

Perhaps it's best to just let the legends stay dead.

The Universal/Blumhouse try at making a "Halloween" movie turned out to be just the latest lame attempt to cash in on the franchise.

Though director David Gordon Green goes in with all the right intentions — including the blessing of the creator of the franchise, John Carpenter (who was an executive producer on the movie) — it all turned out to be just a fancy facade for a horror movie that may have some good gore but little else.

This version of "Halloween" (which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night and will play in theaters October 19) wants us to forget about everything that happened after the 1978 original.

Following the terrorizing acts by Michael Myers that left the town of Haddonfield, Illinois in shock and babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) mentally scared for life, Meyers returns to Haddonfield 40 years later after the bus that's transporting him to another facility crashes on the side of the road.

That's when the killing begins, and Myers eventually gets his beloved mask back when he tracks down and kills two podcast producers who were doing a story on him.

Back in Haddonfield, Strode has been waiting for this day to come. We see that for years, she's built an arsenal of weapons, fortified her house, and even trained her now grown daughter (played by Judy Greet) about what to do if Myers comes back to town.

This leads to Halloween night, and we follow Myers' bloodbath as he kills with reckless abandon.

Halloween 1 Universal final

But the problem is, almost everything here we've seen before in a "Halloween" movie: the person getting out of the car and walking around in the dark after seeing something suspicious (eventually getting slaughtered), dimwitted cops, horny teens, and Myers' catlike moves to sneak up on someone and kill them.

If that's what Green and co-screenwriters Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley were going after, then they succeeded. But, unfortunately for us, there isn't that much joy in watching.

It's good to be nostalgic and give the audience some of the things that the original movie had, but to pretty much carbon-copy the original's beats is just plain lazy.

The opening of the movie had an interesting hook, with the two podcasters tracking down Myers and Strode and setting up the backstory. But it turns out they were only there to die 20 minutes into the movie.

Then the story is basically exactly like every other "Halloween" movie — people being killed by Myers or running from him.

There are some fun moments. A foul-mouthed kid who escapes Myers when he attacks his babysitter is one of the movie's biggest laughs. Another is when one of the teens mistakes Myers for a neighbor and begins to open up to him about his girl troubles.

And the new original music Carpenter created for the movie (to go along with his legendary original score) is spot-on.

But there are too many things in this movie that feel drab and unoriginal (and coming from a horror produced by Jason Blum, that's disappointing). The movie does have a strong ending, but it hardly salvages it.

For a project that has been riding high with anticipation from "Halloween" fans, this is no way to reward them.

SEE ALSO: How the "Cocaine Cowboys" director used the doping scandal that brought down Alex Rodriguez to create a comedic documentary about Miami gangsters

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry talks reuniting with Jim Carrey on their new Showtime series 'Kidding' after 14 years

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  • Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry spoke to Business Insider about reuniting with Jim Carrey on the new Showtime series "Kidding," 14 years after the release of their acclaimed film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
  • Gondry also touched on his prolific direction of music videos, shooting his last two films in France, and Carrey's recent headline-grabbing satirical drawings.

Fourteen years after he won an Oscar for cowriting his acclaimed film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," director Michel Gondry has reunited with the film's star, Jim Carrey, on the eccentric new Showtime series "Kidding."

Gondry directed several episodes for the show's debut season, including its pilot (which premieres Sunday), marking his first sustained effort in television. Carrey stars in the darkly comedic show as a "Mister Rogers"-esque children's show icon whose family life is rapidly falling apart.

Gondry spoke to Business Insider about the "surreal" experience of working with Carrey on "Eternal Sunshine" and "Kidding." The director also touched on his prolific production of music videos, shooting his last two feature films in his native France, and Carrey's recent headline-grabbing satirical drawings skewering the Trump administration. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

John Lynch: What drew you to the material in "Kidding?"

Michel Gondry: The premise. Jim Carrey. I didn't know ["Kidding" creator and showrunner] Dave Holstein, but that was his premise, his universe. This idea of the host of a kids' show who is confronted in real life into a succession of difficulties and reflecting family problems. This sort of contrast between his image in the show, and how he tried to adapt it in real life. 

Lynch: This is the first TV series you've put your stamp on. How was it for you adjusting your shooting process to an episodic mode?

Gondry: When you do a movie, you know how it's going to end, when it's going to end. On a TV show, these questions don't have an answer, so you have to go along and discover the story. And I think Dave was enjoying keeping things in the dark for us. He would say, "If you see episode seven, it's going to make sense." All that is more complicated than a movie. Also, we shot for six months, I think, so there's a really solid bond that's created with the crew. And there was a difference for me to accept, where in a movie the creator or leader is the director, and in the TV show, this role is given to the showrunner. I didn't expect that, to be honest, but it's fine, and we found a good way to collaborate. 

Lynch: The show has some great surreal moments, but it's predominantly realistic. How was it for you working in this manner creatively?

Gondry: I don't know, I think working with Jim Carrey is surreal, to start with. So my job when I work with him is to try to bring him back in the real world, and he does it very well. And I don't necessarily need to have a dream sequence or science fiction in every movie I shoot. 

michel gondry jim carrey

Lynch: It's been a decade and a half since you last worked with Jim on "Eternal Sunshine." How would you say your on-set experience with him on the show compared to the film?

Gondry: In the film, it took me a bit of time to gain his trust, because we tried things and had to wait for the result for him to see how it could be different. In "Kidding," right away he trusted me, so we were diving into the story instantaneously, and it was easier. 

Lynch: What kind of advice did you give Jim to set the tone for this character of Jeff Pickles?

Gondry: It's a little touch, sometimes bigger touch, but hard to summarize in one advice. I always try to get him to be himself, because in general, in movies you create a character, and I mean, I love his movies, the comedies, but for a dramatic movie, I prefer actors who are more themselves, and then we do composition. So I try to find a soft spot and dig into them, but I don't do manipulation. With Jim, it's pretty simple. I just ask him directly what I want, and if it doesn't work I find another way to ask him. But he never gets upset like a lot of actors. You ask them to be less theatrical, they can get really upset. As for Jim, he just wants to be good, so he'll take whatever I say. 

Lynch: In "Kidding," there's an obvious inspiration in "Mister Rogers," and I thought it was similar to "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" in the mise-en-scène. Did you watch either of those to get ideas for "Kidding"?

Gondry: Well, I watched them at some point, but I really didn't want us to be influenced or obsessed. I asked Jim if he could not watch "Mister Rogers." Of course people will think of him, but if you look at the two characters, they're so different. Also, I don't like actors who mimic existing characters, or wear a mask where I don't see anything truthful or touching, where it's just about the accent, the mimic, the prosthetic, and all these layers that cover the complexity and the depth of the character. So I really didn't want anyone, especially the actors, to watch "Mister Rogers." And with "Pee-Wee Herman," I mean, I like the creativity, but honestly if he never existed, the show would still be the same.

Lynch: As an animator and graphic artist yourself, I'm wondering what you think of Jim's recent turn into drawing these satirical pieces, if you're familiar with it?

Gondry: Yeah, I think it's great. All the Trump drawings. He would come every morning with a new one. Yeah, it's awesome. 

Lynch: So did you see his process on set at all?

Gondry: His process? To draw?

Lynch: Yeah [laughs], sorry.

Gondry: Uh, yeah, well, he start with a black line. And then he puts orange for the hair [laughs], orange for the face. 

Lynch: [laughs] Your last two feature films were French productions. Is there a marked difference for you shooting in the US versus your home country?

Gondry: In size, mostly. But in terms of the people, it's very similar. A gaffer in France looks very much like a gaffer in America. People are more influenced by the job they do than the country they live in. And that works in every country.

Lynch: You've also been a prolific director of music videos throughout your career. What do you like about that form, or what do you feel you bring to the music?

Gondry: Different things. Sometimes there is a story, so in four minutes, you can really find the essence of a story. Sometimes it's more direct. Then you can find the closest, the best expression for the music. You can use an idea that has been in your mind for years. These days, I do animated films for my daughter who's three and a half, and it's a lot of work, but I really like doing that. Because I don't see her so much, being here in the US, I ask her what stories she wants, and last time she said she wanted to be in a farm, so I did a really complicated one with a farm. Now I have to find a story with a little princess, so I'm really in trouble.

Lynch: Moving forward for you, aside from the show, what else do you have in the works?

Gondry: I'm working on a screenplay that's quite personal, and I'm reading other stories, but I don't have anything sure. And I'm still finishing the production of "Kidding." 

Lynch: Do you see TV as a form you could return to after this experience?

Gondry: Yeah, it was a good experience. Honestly, on the set, with the technicians and the actors, it was really like a movie. We had longer hours, but I didn't see much difference. 

"Kidding" premieres Sunday at 10 pm ET on Showtime.

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NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'


The 3 superhero movies still to come in 2018

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Superhero movies are the most dominant in Hollywood, and there is never a shortage of them in theaters.

This year, audiences have flocked to theaters for the likes of Marvel Cinematic Universe entries like "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War," as well as Pixar's long-awaited sequel, "Incredibles 2." And all of those have grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

But the year isn't over, and while we have to wait until March for the next MCU movie, there are still three more superhero movies to come in 2018.

They include two Spider-Man movies unlike any Spider-Man movie before, and a "Justice League" spin-off that is trying to distance itself from that movie.

Below are the 3 superhero movies still to come in 2018:

SEE ALSO: 'Captain Marvel' could hold the answers to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after 'Avengers 4'

"Venom"

Release date: October 5

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer ("Gangster Squad," "30 Minutes or Less," "Zombieland")

Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed

Description: "One of Marvel's most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom."

The last time Venom showed up on the big screen was in the lackluster "Spider-Man 3" in 2007. This solo film doesn't feature Spider-Man (as far as we know) so the movie may alter the character's origins a bit (in the comics and "Spider-Man 3," Venom is an alien parasite that latches onto Spider-Man and then Eddie Brock).

Watch the trailer here.

 



"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"

Release date: December 14

Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman

Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage

Description: "Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind 'The Lego Movie' and '21 Jump Street,' bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask."

Sony's deal with Marvel Studios allows the latter to use Spider-Man in its cinematic universe, while Sony can still develop projects of its own based on the character. That's how the studio can make "Venom," as well as this animated film that introduces Miles Morales to the big screen. In the comics, Morales is an alternate-universe version of Spider-Man.

Watch the trailer here.



"Aquaman"

Release date: December 21

Directed by: James Wan ("Furious 7," "The Conjuring," "Insidious," "Saw")

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson

Description: "From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, 'Aquaman,' starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be … a king."

The disappointing commercial and critical performance of "Justice League" forced DC and Warner Bros. to rethink their superhero film strategy. "Aquaman" is the first test to see if these movies can distance themselves from an interconnected universe that wasn't working.

Watch the trailer here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Jay-Z is worth $900 million — see how the rapper-turned-mogul makes and spends his fortune

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  • Jay-Z has an estimated net worth of $900 million.
  • He's earned his fortune through a hip-hop career spanning nearly three decades and has also parlayed his success into several business ventures.
  • They include entertainment labels, a clothing line, alcohol brands, an upscale sports club, and a $600 million streaming service.


With a net worth of $900 million, Jay-Z is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world.

The rapper has earned millions from sellout tours and chart-topping albums over the course of his nearly 30-year career.

But music is far from his only money-making venture. Over the years, Jay-Z has parlayed his success in the hip-hop world into a fortune earned as an entrepreneur. His ventures include entertainment labels, a clothing line, upscale alcohol brands, and the music-streaming service Tidal.

Read on to see how Jay-Z has earned — and multiplied — his fortune.

SEE ALSO: Beyoncé is worth $355 million — see how she spends it on lavish mansions, yachting vacations, and a private jet for Jay-Z

Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated net worth of $900 million.

Source: Forbes



But the rapper came from humble beginnings, growing up poor in the Marcy housing project in Brooklyn, New York City.

Source: NPR



"The burden of poverty isn't just that you don't always have the things you need," Jay-Z told NPR in 2010. "It's the feeling of being embarrassed every day of your life, and you'd do anything to lift that burden."

Source: NPR



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Widows' delivers some much-needed originality to the heist movie genre, highlighted by an Oscar-caliber performance by Viola Davis

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  • "Widows", with a star-studded cast led by Viola Davis, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend.
  • Director Steve McQueen's thrilling heist delivers a smart crime drama.
  • The glue to the movie is Davis' Veronica character. Don't be surprised if this garners her another Oscar nomination.

It's hard to make a heist movie these days that doesn't feel like the countless others we've had thrown at us going as far back as the days of the film noir.

But director Steve McQueen ("12 Years A Slave") has caught lightning in a bottle with "Widows" (opening in theaters November 16).

Based on the British TV series of the same name from the mid-1980s, we follow a group of women who are married or have relationships with a team of thieves. After the men are all killed in a job, the woman decide to take on the next one they were to do to help support themselves.

But seeing this is a McQueen movie, there's a lot more between the lines.

Filled with issues of race, dirty politics, and double-crossing, it's a smart crime drama that the likes of Michael Mann or David Mamet have done in the past. And McQueen has surrounded himself with a cast that can pull off clearing that high bar.

Front and center is Viola Davis, who plays Veronica, the wife of the crew's leader, Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson). The death of her man has left her heartbroken and broke. But when she is given a key to a safe deposit box that Harry has left behind for her, everything changes.

Inside, she finds Harry's notebook that reveals the plans for what would have been his crew's next job. Unsure what to do, she finds motivation in a visit from gangster-turned politician Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), who informs Veronica that Harry stole money from him on his final job. Jamal says Veronica has one month to pay him back.

So she decides to do Harry's job and enlists the widows of Harry's crew (Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki) to do it with her.

As in previous McQueen movies, the beautiful photography of DP Sean Bobbitt shines through, and even though it's a studio movie (released by Fox), McQueen is able to throw in little creative elements that only he can.

In a single-shot car ride, politician Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) gets in his town car after a speech in an underdeveloped part of Chicago. While driving back to his home, he has a heated conversation with his aid about wanting to quit politics.

But McQueen mounts the camera on the hood of the car and only shows half of the car in the frame. We never see inside the car, only hear their voices. This allows the audience to watch the surroundings on the drive go from ghetto to mansions in the span of a few minutes.

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The script is perfectly crafted with few cliches by McQueen and Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl," "Sharp Objects"), but it's the incredible casting that makes this movie so great.

Davis plays Veronica tough-as-nails. She's hard on the other woman to get the job done, but inside she's as scared as the rest of them.

Rodriguez is perfect for this kind of movie, giving her usual tough persona performance, and Debicki is impressive as Alice, who after going through an abusive relationship wit her boyfriend Florek (Jon Bernthal) and left with nothing after his death, has to grow up fast when she agrees to take on the job. Her evolution in the movie is one of the most fascinating to watch.

Robert Duvall, Carrie Coon, and Daniel Kaluuya as Jamal's deadly enforcer brother, round out the cast.

But the glue to the movie is Davis' Veronica character. Don't be surprised if this garners her another Oscar nomination.

Davis plays Veronica as a woman who is in pain but suddenly has found that she can finally be independent in the world. Though it may be a heist she's planning, she does it with the tenacity and persistence of a CEO running a company.

She doesn't want us to feel sorry for Veronica — Davis makes us see that this woman is more than just arm candy to a criminal. 

SEE ALSO: The new 'Halloween' movie is as tired and uninspiring as any of its sequels

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, is out after 6 more women accused him of sexual harassment, assault (CBS)

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  • CBS Corporation CEO and Chairman Leslie Moonves has left the company.
  • A new report from The New Yorker on Sunday detailed accusations of sexual harassment and assault from six additional women against Moonves.
  • The new claims include that Moonves exposed himself to women and forced them to perform oral sex on him.
  • These are the latest accusations against Moonves, following a July report with six initial women's stories that prompted the CBS board to investigate Moonves' conduct and consider his departure.

Leslie Moonves, CBS Corporation CEO and Chairman, has left the company after months of legal battles.

The network made the announcement in a statement Sunday evening.

report from The New Yorker on Sunday detailed allegations of sexual harassment and assault from six more women, bringing the total to 12 women who have accused Moonves of misconduct.

Moonves has been at the center of legal troubles with CBS for months, and CNBC reported on Thursday the board was considering giving him a $100 million exit package. Reuters also reported that on Sunday.

Since a July report from the New Yorker detailed six initial accusations against Moonves, the CBS board announced it would hire outside counsel to investigate. 

The CBS statement on Sunday said that Moonves will not receive any severance benefits at this time, and any future payment will depend upon the results of the independent investigation. Also, Moonves and CBS will donate $20 million to "one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace." 

In addition, five independent directors and one director affiliated with parent company National Amusements (NAI) have stepped down from the board, and will be replaced by six new directors. And NAI said it has no plans to propose a merger of CBS and Viacom and that it won't propose such a deal for at least two years. 

What the women said Moonves did to them

The new claims detailed in The New Yorker include that Moonves physically exposed himself to women without their consent, and forced women to perform oral sex on him. Women told journalist Ronan Farrow that Moonves physically intimidated them and sometimes retaliated if they rejected his advances to damage their careers.

The report identifies a named accuser, television executive Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, who filed a criminal complaint last year that accused Moonves of "physically restraining her and forcing her to perform oral sex on him, and of exposing himself to her and violently throwing her against a wall in later incidents," during their work together in the late 1980s.

Golden-Gottlieb said Moonves retaliated against her after she refused him.

"Every two days, he'd find a darker space, or a place downstairs," she said. "He absolutely ruined my career."

Despite what police sources told The New Yorker was credible evidence, the statute of limitations for the alleged crimes had expired and prosecutors did not pursue the charges. Early this year, Moonves informed a portion of the CBS board about the criminal investigation.

When reached for comment by Business Insider, CBS provided the following statement: "CBS takes these allegations very seriously. Our Board of Directors is conducting a thorough investigation of these matters, which is ongoing."

Moonves previously denied allegations in the July report. And The New Yorker reported that he'd said some of the incidents from his 12 accusers were consensual.

Read the full New Yorker report here »

SEE ALSO: The CBS board is reportedly negotiating a $100 million exit for CEO Les Moonves as the investigation into sexual-misconduct claims against him continues

DON'T MISS: Court documents show disgraced congressman Blake Farenthold blaming 'f-tards' and the #MeToo movement for his downfall

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Anthony Bourdain scored a posthumous Emmy for his show 'Parts Unknown'

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  • Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was posthumously awarded his fifth Emmy Award for his work on the popular CNN food-and-travel show he hosted, “Parts Unknown.”
  • Bourdain committed suicide in June at age 61. 
  • Bourdain previously won Emmys four years in a row, from 2013 through 2016, as producer and host of “Parts Unknown." 

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who committed suicide in June at age 61, was posthumously awarded his fifth Emmy Award on Sunday for his work on the popular CNN food-and-travel show he hosted, “Parts Unknown.”

Bourdain was bestowed the Emmy, the U.S. television industry’s highest honor, for outstanding writing of a nonfiction program for an episode of the series set in southern Italy that aired last November during its 10th season.

The award was announced on the second night of the Creative Arts Emmys, which cover mostly secondary and technical categories and are given out in advance of the higher-profile Primetime Emmys, which will be presented on Sept. 17.

Bourdain previously won Emmys four years in a row, from 2013 through 2016, as producer and host of “Parts Unknown” in the category of outstanding informational series or special.

The series, which typically featured Bourdain sampling the local cuisine and culture of far-flung or lesser-traveled destinations around the world, earned him the prestigious Peabody Award in 2014.

Bourdain also earned several Emmy nominations as host of a cooking-themed reality competition show on ABC, “The Taste,” and won a Creative Arts Emmy for outstanding cinematography in nonfiction programming for another travel-food show of his, “No Reservations.”

Bourdain, who started his career as a dishwasher in New York restaurants and rose to become one of the world’s best-known TV chefs and food connoisseurs, once sharing a televised meal in Vietnam with then-U.S. President Barack Obama, died on June 8.

He was found hanged in his hotel room in Strasbourg, France, where he had been working on an upcoming episode of his program, which was in its 11th season at the time.

Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Cooney

SEE ALSO: Anthony Bourdain has died by suicide at 61 — take a look back at his incredible career from dishwasher to celebrity chef

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NOW WATCH: I woke up at 4:30 a.m. for a week like a Navy SEAL

Ryan Gosling gives an intense performance playing Neil Armstrong in 'First Man,' and it should put him in the Oscar conversation

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  • Ryan Gosling delivers another Oscar-worthy performance in "First Man."
  • It looks at the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong in the lead-up to him being the first man to walk on the moon.
  • Director Damien Chazelle ("La La Land") tells a story that showcases the perilous work to get to space, but is also an intimate look at what was going on in Armstrong's life during that time.


After the incredible success the two had on “La La Land,” Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle reteam to make a very different movie with “First Man” (opening in theaters October 12).

It’s not an astronaut movie in the vein of “The Right Stuff” or “Apollo 13,” where the Space Race missions are the main focus. Though Chazelle’s movie certainly has a lot of NASA mission control shots and astronauts in space, its focus is the life of Neil Armstrong, the first man to ever set foot on the moon. And as the movie shows, he's a man driven by a ghost from his past.

Based on the James R. Hansen authorized biography of Armstrong, Chazelle doesn’t do the typical biopic treatment that would portray someone of Armstrong’s stature as larger-than-life. Instead, in this film, Armstrong couldn’t be more of a regular guy. And a main part of his life that sets the tone of the movie is the death of his young daughter in 1962 (she had a malignant tumor in her brain and died of pneumonia), seven years before he walks on the moon.

Gosling plays Armstrong as a man deep in his thoughts. Though the movie is filled with fantastic looks back on the marvels of NASA making space travel a reality in the 1960s (and the dangers that come with it), it’s also an intimate story filled with tight shots of Armstrong not just working out the problems at work, but dealing with the death of a child at home.

Chazelle doesn’t do this with Armstrong going into crying fits or arguing with his wife (played by Claire Foy) at home, but just by a look he gives, or a pause in what he’s doing. It’s the type of style Gosling has excelled at his whole career: taking a minimalist approach to his acting and saying more with a look or gesture than with words. (The work here should definitely put him in line for another Oscar nomination.)

This leads to some moments in the movie that are a little slow and drawn-out, but the dangerous history of the Space Race always kicks things back into gear. There’s the trial-and-error of Project Gemini, which made it possible to put a man on the moon, and the death of the astronauts on Apollo 1.

So when it’s Armstrong’s turn to head to the moon on Apollo 11, the stakes couldn’t be any higher and Chazelle shows the drive Armstrong has to make it a success.

The ending of the movie is one of the most satisfying of any film I’ve seen this year. The powerful images (which I saw on a giant IMAX screen, are worth the price of admission alone) matched with the score by Justin Hurwitz is a thrill.

There’s been a lot of social-media chatter about the presence of the American flag in the movie during the scenes on the moon, and having seen the movie, all I can say is it is there in all its glory during multiple shots.

No doubt there’s an incredible sense of pride and marvel at American ingenuity while watching these scenes, but from the start Chazelle tells the story of one man’s journey to find internal peace, and it is perfectly brought together in the end.

SEE ALSO: "Widows" delivers some much-needed originiality to the heist movie genre, highlighted by an Oscar-caliber performance by Viola Davis

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

All 19 episodes of 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best

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Warning: This post contains spoilers for episodes of "Black Mirror."

"Black Mirror" won the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie over the weekend for the second year in a row, this time for "USS Callister." Last year, "San Junipero" took the prize.

The "Twilight Zone"-inspired sci-fi anthology series is a dark reflection of our closer-than-ever future. It's haunting, but that's what draws audiences to it. 

With a mix of sci-fi horror and dark comedy, creator Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" is funny at times because of the absurdity of it all, but just as scary when we realize that the show is a cautionary tale.

The series, in which every episode tells a different story about technology run amok, originally aired on British television's Channel 4 before being acquired by Netflix. Since then, the streaming service has completed two seasons of six episodes each.

In all, there are 19 episodes of "Black Mirror" (all of which are streaming on Netflix) and like with any show, there are disappointments and standouts. Business Insider has ranked all 19 from worst to best.

Below is every "Black Mirror" episode, ranked:

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Iron Fist' season 2 has agonizing dialogue, boring characters, and impressive fight choreography

19. "Men Against Fire" (Season 3, Episode 5)

"Black Mirror" is at its best when it is a cautionary tale without shoving the episode's larger themes down our throats. The best "Black Mirror" episodes are nuanced, or let the viewer draw their own conclusions. "Men Against Fire" is about a solider who uncovers a conspiracy when he discovers that the zombie-like creatures he's been ordered to hunt are actually human, masked by technology that wipes a soldiers' memories and controls what they see. It's a show-and-tell presentation with much more telling than showing, and the climax of the episode is an explosion of exposition. 



18. "Arkangel" (Season 4, Episode 2)

"Arkangel," directed by Jodie Foster, is terribly basic. It only scratches the surface of what the episode could have explored in terms of parenting. A mom uses a device that tells her daughter's location and records what she sees, which could naturally have horrific ramifications for a mother-daughter relationship — and it does. The predictable conclusion of the episode could have been satisfying if the stakes were higher, but the episode plays it safe, and only cares to examine the most cliche aspects of a teenager's life.



17. "Fifteen Million Merits" (Season 1, Episode 2)

Before "Get Out" and "Black Panther," Daniel Kaluuya starred in a weak "Black Mirror" episode, but he gives a strong performance. The episode follows Kaluuya's character Bing in a society where people ride power-generating stationary bikes in exchange for merits. He falls for a woman who can sing beautifully, and he convinces her to enter a contest in which he uses all of his millions of merits to gift her an entry ticket. Things naturally collapse from there. The episode is a fine commentary on greed and commercialism, but doesn't rise above better episodes.



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Jonah Hill delivers one of the most heartwarming movies of the year in his directorial debut 'mid90s'

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  • Jonah Hill's directorial debut is a beautifully authentic look at a kid trying to find acceptance in LA.
  • If you're a fan of '90s music, get ready for this soundtrack.


We’ve seen Jonah Hill evolve from playing the comedic roles to impressive dramatic performances, and now we are about to witness his latest evolution: being a director.

With the release of "mid90s" (opening October 19), Hill has created one of the most heartwarming movies of the year as we follow the life of young teen Stevie (Sunny Suljic), as he tries to find the acceptance and love that he can't get at home.

Set in the (you guessed it) mid-1990s, Stevie is an LA 13-year-old who spends most of his time wanting to gain the acceptance of his older brother, Ian (Lucas Hedges), but instead gets beat up by him. With his mother (Katherine Waterston) never around, Stevie spends most of his time away from home and that hunger for friendship finally lands him at a skate shop.

There friends Ray (Na-kel Smith), F---shit (Olan Prenatt), Ruben (Gio Galicia), and Fourth Grade (Ryder McLaughlin), spend their days skating and teasing each other.

Stevie is instantly drawn into their world and finally finds acceptance when, while hanging to the side while they all skate, Ray asks him, "Go fill up this jug of water." Stevie grabs the plastic jug and races to the faucet to fill it as quickly as he can. That simple sequence sets the tone for the entire movie. That one small gesture of recognition proves to Stevie that someplace in this world he actually belongs.

Now that's not to say that "mid90s" doesn't have a little edge to it, because it certainly does. Hill is introducing us to the skate culture, not the Boy Scouts. We watch as Stevie drinks and smokes with the guys, hooks up with a girl, and takes a really nasty fall off a roof while trying to show off his skating skills. And then there are his troubles at home, which get really dark at one point. But through it all, Hill brings it back to friendship and how even when things are at their most dark, friends are there to pick you up.

Hill has an incredible eye for talent, as he casts an unknown group of actors to play his leads, and all of them give a very improvisational feel.

And then there's the authenticity of the movie itself. Shot on Super 16mm with a 4:3 aspect ratio (meaning the screen is going to be narrower than most movies you see in theaters), it beautifully captures an era when smartphones and social media were on no one's minds. And the music of the era is everywhere, from the Wu-Tang Clan to Seal's "Kiss From A Rose."

Though there have been many comparisons to Larry Clark's iconic 1995 movie "Kids" when talking about "mid90s," in actuality this is the anti-"Kids" movie. Though both look at young kids in a don't give an f--- culture, Hill sets his apart by making it so inclusive. His characters just want to have a good time.

It's one of those rare stories these days that looks at the beauty of life, rather than the parts that suck.

 

SEE ALSO: 24 movies coming out soon that are major Oscar contenders

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

CBS has a new interim CEO after Les Moonves' resignation, but an industry analyst predicts he'll be gone by the end of 2018

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  • CBS' chief operating officer, Joseph Ianniello, has taken over as the company's interim CEO after Les Moonves left the company Sunday amid a series of new sexual misconduct allegations.
  • Private text exchanges published by Deadline last month show Moonves and Ianniello as close "confederates" in CBS' legal battle with its controlling shareholder, National Amusements.
  • Industry experts say that Ianniello's tenure as interim CEO will likely be short, in large part due to his close rapport with Moonves.

CBS CEO and chairman Les Moonves left the company Sunday after a series of new sexual harassment and assault allegations were made against him in a New Yorker report published earlier that day.

The end of Moonves' 20-year tenure as CEO leaves CBS' chief operating officer, Joseph Ianniello, as president and acting CEO of the company.

Ianniello joined CBS in 1997 and worked his way up through various financial roles to become the company's chief financial officer in 2009. He was then promoted to be the company's chief operating officer in 2013, a position he held until Sunday evening, when Moonves left. 

Deadline last month reported on private exchanges between Ianniello and Moonves, which were made public as a result of the company's legal battle with its controlling shareholder, National Amusements, owned by the Redstone family.

The outlet wrote that the exchanges were made on the disappearing-text app, TigerText, prior to the first New Yorker report on Moonves' sexual misconduct allegations published in July, and depicted Moonves and Ianniello as "two confederates in a high-stakes corporate war."

Ianniello reportedly messaged Moonves "I will have your back to the end!" following a May 13 CBS board meeting, where the board voted to institute a stock dividend that would dilute the Redstone family's voting control of the company. Ianniello's messages also contained supportive messages referencing "The Godfather" and a promise to his boss that read, "This way you are not alone," according to Deadline.

Industry experts say that Ianniello's tenure as interim CEO will likely be short, in large part due to his close rapport with Moonves.

Media analyst Rich Greenfield of BTIG predicted in a recent note that Ianniello will be gone from the company by the end of 2018:

"We believe acting CBS CEO, Joseph Ianniello, will likely leave the company before the end of calendar 2018 - similar to how acting Viacom CEO, Tom Dooley, lasted only 90 days after the departure of former CEO, Philippe Dauman ... Ianniello protected Moonves for years, had a similar focus on short-term cheerleading actions versus real long-term strategy, and was overpaid for years for his support of Moonves."

Greenfield wrote that CBS would likely seek a replacement for Ianniello from outside of the company's executive ranks.

SEE ALSO: Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, is out after 6 more women accused him of sexual harassment, assault

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

3 great TV shows you can watch on Netflix this week

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Peak TV is too much TV. But we're here to make it easier to pick what shows to watch.

Every week, we put together a list of three great shows for you.

We pick shows you can finish in a day, and some you can just get started on binge-watching. We mix shows that have recently come onto the service with some old favorites you might have missed.

From "Santa Clarita Diet" to "One Day at a Time," here are three great TV shows you can binge-watch on Netflix this week:

SEE ALSO: The 11 fall TV shows that are definitely worth watching

"Santa Clarita Diet" — a Netflix Original

Netflix description: They're ordinary husband and wife realtors until she undergoes a dramatic change that sends them down a road of death and destruction.

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 20

This harsh satire of suburban life isn't afraid to get really, really weird and that's why it works so well. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant have incredible chemistry that makes this show special, and it's unraveling but absurd mythology makes it easy to binge.  



"One Day at a Time" — a Netflix Original

Netflix description: In a reimagining of the TV classic, a newly single Latina mother raises her teen daughter and tween son with the "help" of her old-school mom.

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 26

This sweet sitcom is one of the best shows on TV right now. It's warm and hilarious but isn't afraid to take a stance on heavy issues like immigration that are relevant to today's political climate. 



"The Big Family Cooking Showdown" — a Netflix Original

Netflix description: In this unscripted series, families passionate about food serve up their most delicious dishes for the chance to be crowned Britain's best home cooks. 

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Already burned through the latest season of "The Great British Baking Show?" No worries. This little gem is basically that, but with cooking instead of baking.



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Every movie in 'The Conjuring' series, including 'The Nun,' ranked by opening weekend box office

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"The Nun," the fifth movie in "The Conjuring" series and a prequel to "The Conjuring 2," exceeded expectations over the weekend and topped the box office in its debut.

Despite poor reviews (the worst in the franchise), "The Nun" was a hit with audiences, and raked in $53.5 million over the weekend. It continues a financial win streak for the horror genre that includes "Get Out," "It," and "A Quiet Place."

But how does "The Nun" compare to the other "The Conjuring" movies? 

We've ranked all five based on their domestic opening weekend box office — based on numbers from Box Office Mojo adjusted for inflation — from director James Wan's original 2013 movie to "The Nun." We've also included the original unadjusted gross, the original worldwide gross, and the Rotten Tomatoes critic score for each movie.

Below is every "The Conjuring" movie ranked by opening weekend box office:

SEE ALSO: 'The Nun,' a new movie in 'The Conjuring' series, is on its way to box-office success despite getting horrible reviews

5. "Annabelle: Creation" (2017)

Adjusted opening gross: $36,339,200

Original opening gross: $35,006,404

Worldwide gross: $306,515,884

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 70%



4. "Annabelle" (2014)

Adjusted weekend gross: $41,474,000

Original weekend gross: $37,134,255

Worldwide gross: $257,047,661

Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 29%



3. "The Conjuring 2" (2016)

Adjusted opening gross: $42,905,700

Original opening gross: $40,406,314

Worldwide gross: $320,392,818

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 79%



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These are my favorite photos I've taken while swinging around New York City as Spider-Man

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The new "Spider-Man" game for PlayStation 4 is an absolute blast, and a must-play for any PS4 owner.

Thanks to Sony, which was kind enough to provide a review copy of the game prior to its launch last week, I've had a couple of weeks now to sling around New York City as everyone's favorite wall-crawler. And I've taken hundreds of "photos" during my travels.

"Spider-Man" comes with a powerful built-in photo mode, where you can freeze the action at any time to adjust your camera angle, add filters and frames, and even take spider-selfies. A handful of photos here were taken with that photo mode, but it wasn't available until the game launched to the public on September 7.

I haven't finished the game yet as I'm still taking my sweet time, but here are my favorite photos I've taken in "Marvel's Spider-Man" for PS4 so far. (Warning: Some mild story and costume spoilers here.)

SEE ALSO: The new Spider-Man game raises the bar for all other video games

"Morning by the High Line"



"Making friends"



"Everything the light touches is our kingdom"



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