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To know Kristen Bell is to love her. Not just because she's delightful, hilarious, and super talented, but because you more than likely have adored a project she has starred in. Whether you met her as the quick witted teen detective in Veronica Mars or have had her singing voice playing in your home for years thanks to Disney's Frozen franchise, she's had a presence on your screen.

From her narration role on The CW's teen drama Gossip Girl, which returns to Netflix in the US in October 2024, to her latest beloved romantic comedy series on Netflix, Bell has been part of so many movies and shows that people simply love. Thankfully, lots of them are available to watch on Netflix. Here are all of the Kristen Bell movies and shows currenly on Netflix!

Nobody Wants This. Kristen Bell as Joanne in episode 108 of Nobody Wants This. | Cr. Adam Rose...

Stars: Linnea Swanson, Lawrence Waller, Doug Waugh, Traci Burr, Ken Brewer, Tom Grindle, Al Zuniga, Bridget Powers | Written by Ken Brewer, Meri Gyetvay | Directed by Ken Brewer

With a title like Death Bitch, you know you’re not about to see a sensitive drama or family-friendly, faith-based film. But in case you had any doubts, the film’s opening moments should dispel them as two would-be rapists jump a streetwalker only to get blown away by a female vigilante.

But that’s not the only violence happening in this part of town tonight. The serial killer known as The South Bay Slasher has claimed another victim as well. These crimes have left Detective Shane Douglas so baffled that, much to his dismay, the chief has assigned him a partner, Detective Maddie Schoefield.

And, since bad things come in threes, South Bay is also the turf of Dante and his gang.

We’ll be seeing more of Kayla and Jimmy in the upcoming third season of Hacks. Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, who have recurred as the characters since Season 1, have been promoted to series regulars for the upcoming season set for premiere this spring.

Downs, who serves as co-creator, co-showrunner, executive producer, writer and director of Hacks, portrays Deborah and Ava’s manager, Jimmy Lusaque Jr. and Stalter plays his assisant, Kayla Schaeffer. Both have recurred on the Max series since Season 1.

Per the Season 3 logline: A year after parting, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) is riding high off the success of her standup special while Ava (Hannah Einbinder) pursues new opportunities back in Los Angeles.

Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo and Lorenza Izzo also star in the new season.

Hacks is created and showrun by Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky. Downs and Aniello...

“Hacks” has promoted both Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs to series regular status for Season 3, Variety has learned exclusively.

Downs plays Deborah and Ava’s manager, Jimmy Lusaque Jr., while Stalter plays Jimmy’s assistant, Kayla Schaeffer. Both have appeared on the show since Season 1 of the Max comedy series.

The promotion expands Downs’ role in front of the camera on the show, while he is already a massive presence behind the camera. Downs serves as the co-creator and co-showrunner of “Hacks” in addition to being an executive producer, writer, and director. Aside from “Hacks,” he is also known for starring in the Comedy Central series “Broad City” while also working behind the scenes as a writer, director, and executive producer. His other credits include starring in and co-writing the film “Rough Night” and co-starring in the Netflix comedy “Like Father.”

He is repped by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment,...

Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms star in a new body-swapping comedy, Family Switch. This isn’t the first rodeo for Jennifer Garner, but Ed Helms is venturing into the sub-genre and quickly found out about the complexities of such a concept. The fun of comedies such as Freaky Friday, Vice Versa, Like Father, Like Son, The Change-Up and others are the identity crises that the characters faces when trying to fit in each others’ lives without rousing suspicion. It’s a classic comedy trope and every generational gap finds it hard to relate to each other or find a semblance of common ground.

The concept also lends itself to many situations where the characters are forced to act like the person whose body they’re inhabiting. Family Switch‘s plot involves the whole family swapping bodies, which will place the parents in the kids’ bodies and the kids in the...

Exclusive: Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) and Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) will lead the cast of the upcoming feature film The Wonder Yard from writer Beth Curry. Lauren Miller Rogen (Like Father) is set to direct.

Elevate Entertainment will produce alongside Lylas Pictures. Concourse Media has attached to finance and handle worldwide sales, repping domestic sales alongside CAA.

The Wonder Yard follows Dinah (Weaver), who becomes a widow after 50 years of marriage. Following her husband’s death, Dinah throws her energy into building an eclectic wonderland in her front yard. Her adult children wonder if their mom has lost it, but through her wonder yard, Dinah discovers it’s never too late to chase a dream as she finds her voice, herself, and love at the seasoned age of 73.

Shalhoub will portray Yusuf, a Middle-Eastern man who finds a second lease on life when he becomes invested in Dinah’s journey.

Exclusive: UTA has signed Hirokazu Kore-eda, the internationally celebrated Japanese filmmaker known for titles like Monster and Shoplifters, for representation in all areas.

The deal is particularly significant, Deadline hears, as the agency continues to expand its presence in Japan, and throughout Asia more broadly. Kore-eda will work closely going forward with UTA’s Asia Business Development division, which looks to amplify Asian and Asian-American voices by creating and curating a diverse array of opportunities, between Hollywood and Asia, for clients, partner companies, and brands.

Kore-eda’s most recent feature, Monster, had its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival after world premiering in Cannes, where it was awarded the Queer Palm and the prize for Best Screenplay. The film penned by Yuji Sakamoto watches as a mother confronts her young son’s teacher after she notices him acting strangely. Sakura Andō, Eita Nagayama, and Sōya Kurokawa star.

Kore-eda...

Great Absence, the second feature film from Japanese director Kei Chika-ura, is receiving its world premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section.

Inspired by Kei’s real-life experiences, the film tells the story of an actor living in Tokyo who is forced to travel home when the police call to say his father is suffering from dementia and has lost touch with reality. Making matters worse, his father’s second wife appears to be missing.

The actor makes the trip home with his own wife, full of conflicted emotions over a man who left the family when he was still a child, and starts an exploration into the mysteries of his father’s life. Along the way, the film touches on themes including time and memory, familial obligation and the role that women play in male-dominated Japanese society.

Veteran actor Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses) plays the father,...

San Pedro, CA: July 13, 2023: Zombie Rage Theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Media Film Release

Theater Premiere

July 13, 2023 at 8:00 Pm

Starlight Terrace Cinema

28901 S Western Ave

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Tickets are online sales only and can be purchased here:

https://lividmediaorg.ticketleap.com/zombie-rage-theater-premiere/?fbclid=IwAR2WWxI3MpdlrJ7M4hypNcsMrAN6PDlDIFWq_wlk4yGxRjSafzJxSN3Hk

Zombie Rage is a Zombie Anthology feature film comprised of 5 stories from 3 film makers from San Pedro, California (Livid Media Films); Las Vegas, Nevada (Dark Park Films), and Winnipeg, Canada(The Internet Astronauts).

“Zombie Rage is a fast-paced feature length Anthology film. It contains 5 unique stories of the impending Zombie Apocalypse that will have you on the edge of you seat.” – Livid Media Films

Zombie Rage was directed by Ken “Ace” Brewer (Livid Media Films), with contributions from John Ward (Dark Park Films), and Mark Kiazyk (The Internet Astronauts). Starring Traci Burr, Alana Dro...

Italian actor-turned-director Andrea Di Stefano, whose sleek cop thriller “Last Night of Amore” just had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, is in advanced stages of development on “Karski” a feature about Jan Karski, the World War II Polish resistance fighter who risked his life to blow the whistle on the Holocaust.

Di Stefano’s high-profile project, which is titled “Karski,” is being developed by New York City-based production company Phiphen Pictures, the indie founded by Molly Conners most recently behind Netflix’s “Like Father” and “It’s Bruno!,” the director said. Italy’s expanding Indiana Production, which shepherded “Amore,” is also on board.

Karski in 1942, defying great danger, twice infiltrated Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto to witness its horrors and managed to give first-hand accounts of the Holocaust from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Allies, including U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. But his alarm cries fell on deaf ears.

Seth Rogen is one of the biggest names in the comedy world, writing, producing, and starring in "Superbad," "Pineapple Express," and "This Is the End," among other works. Rogen's wife, Lauren Miller, also has a career in the film industry, and has appeared alongside Rogen in movies like "50/50" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," to name a few. In 2018, Miller, who is also a writer and director, directed Rogen in the Netflix film "Like Father," which also starred Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer.

The couple first met in 2004 and began dating immediately, per People. Rogen and Miller tied the knot in October 2011 and have been going strong ever since. Outside of working together on screen, the two also manage the Hilarity For Charity nonprofit organization, which raises funds for and brings awareness to Alzheimer's disease.

Ahead, learn more about the couple's relationship over the years.

The Exchange has acquired the sales rights for North America, Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and other remaining territories for superhero movie “Shin Ultraman,” a blockbuster hit in Japan when it was released on May 13. The Exchange is introducing the movie to buyers at the Toronto Film Festival.

The movie, produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Toho and Khara, grossed 31.2 million in Japan, building on the fanbase of the “Ultraman” TV series, which was first broadcast in 1966.

The movie was directed by Shinji Higuchi and was written by director and screenwriter Hideaki Anno, who also acted as producer alongside Takayuki Tsukagoshi and Minami Ichikawa.

“Shin Ultraman” stars Hidetoshi Nishijima, who was in the Academy Award winning movie “Drive My Car,” Takumi Saitoh, and Masami Nagasawa. The cast also includes Daiki Arioka (“Innocent Curse”), Akari Hayami (“Forget Me Not”), and Tetsushi Tanaka.

In the movie, the appearance of giant unidentified life forms,...

Exclusive: Famke Janssen (X-Men franchise), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Sharlto Copley (District 9), Quinn Copeland (Peacock’s Punky Brewster) and twins Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti (Big Little Lies) have joined the cast of Boy Kills World, an upcoming action-thriller produced by Sam Raimi and more.

They’re set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Bill Skarsgård, Yayan Ruhian, Jessica Rothe, Andrew Koji and Isaiah Mustafa.

Based on an original idea by German filmmaker Moritz Mohr, who here makes his feature directorial debut, Boy Kills World is billed as a one-of-a-kind action spectacle set in a dystopian fever dream reality. It centers on Boy (Skarsgård), a deaf mute with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death. Portraying the film’s antagonists—the Van Der Koy...

Exclusive: Independent film and television production company Phiphen Pictures will open Phiphen Studios, a 10,000-square-foot boutique post-production and office space, in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, in 2022.

The project is led by Phiphen Pictures founder Molly Conners to support and grow New Jersey’s film community following the reinstatement of its film and television tax credit, which runs through 2028. It’s a new construction and could eventually expand, including adding sound stages.

Producer Jane Oster Sinisi is CEO of the complex, which will house post-production and office space, a 25-seat 4K theater, executive suites, a conference room, kitchens and an outdoor common area. Edit rooms will be adaptable to DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Avid Media Composer. The audio department will have two mix rooms outfitted for 5.1 mixing and voice recording and offer full-service sound design, editorial services and mixing including Adr and Vo. Other services will range from online...

Warner Bros. Television Group has signed an overall deal with Emmy-nominated Hacks co-creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs and their production company Paulilu Productions after a competitive situation. This marks the first overall deal for Paulilu with Wbtvg.

Terms were not disclosed, but Wbtvg reports that Aniello and Downs’ deal is an exclusive, multiyear agreement. Wbtvg will now serve as Paulilu’s exclusive home for all new television ventures.

Under the deal, Aniello and Downs will develop original television programming for all platforms, including WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, external streaming services, cable, and the broadcast networks.

Aniello and Downs said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the team at Wbtvg, as we have long admired the work they do. Also, we heard they’re giving us the Central Perk set on the lot for our offices…? Very cool!”

Aniello and Downs co-created Hacks with Jen Statsky for HBO Max and Universal Television.

Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs have signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.

Under the multi-year deal, the duo and their Paulilu Productions banner will develop projects across broadcast, cable, and streaming for Wbtv. This marks the first overall deal for the company.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the team at Wbtvg, as we have long admired the work they do,” Aniello and Downs said. “Also, we heard they’re giving us the Central Perk set on the lot for our offices…? Very cool!”

Aniello and Downs are best known for co-creating — along with Jen Statsky — the critically-acclaimed HBO Max comedy series “Hacks.” The show recently picked up 15 Emmy nominations, including best comedy series and best writing for a comedy series. Aniello also received a nomination for best directing for a comedy series. “Hacks” was renewed for a second season back in June.

Prior to creating “Hacks,...

Exclusive: Julia Stiles is set to make her directing debut with Wish You Were Here, a romantic drama she co-wrote with Renée Carlino based on the latter’s novel.

Phiphen Pictures is producing the film, which reunites the company with Stiles after she starred alongside Kelsey Grammer and Colman Domingo in its pic The God Committee. That film premieres Sunday at the Tribeca Festival and goes day-and-date in theaters and on-demand July 2.

Wish You Were Here centers on Charlotte, a woman who finds herself in a rut, searching for a spark that seems just out of reach. After she has a whirlwind night of romance and imagining a future with a man named Adam, he ghosts her. When Charlotte finally discovers that Adam is terminally ill, she helps him spend his last days living life to the fullest.

No cast is attached to the project, and Stiles will not act in it.

The upcoming “Peacemaker” series at HBO Max has cast Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively.

They join previously announced series lead John Cena as well as series regulars Danielle Brooks, Chris Conrad, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, and Chukwudi Iwuji. Araya and Jacobson will play the married couple Amber and Evan respectively.

Araya is an Australian-Latinx actress whose past TV credits include “Riverdale,” “Arrow,” and “Julie and the Phantoms.” She is repped by Premiere Talent Management.

Jacobson previously starred in “Narcos: Mexico” at Netflix and is currently working on “For All Mankind” at Apple. He has also been on shows like”Big Time in Hollywood, Fl,” and “Nurse Jackie” as well as films like “Bumblebee” and “Like Father.”

He is repped by Greene & Associates, Pallas Management Group, and Pacific Artists

The series is a spinoff of James Gunn’s upcoming “Suicide Squad” film,...

Photo: 'Shoplifters'/Gaga Pictures The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the tomb; This is the emotional thesis of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s heartfelt drama Shoplifters. In film and television, it is the commercial choice to portray the nuclear family with outside struggles, but Shoplifters is the quietly nurtured beginnings of a family that isn’t really family at all. The first Japanese film to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival since 1997, Shoplifters was both written and directed by the acclaimed Hirokazu Kore-eda and now is viewed as his most successful film, even with movies like Still Walking and Like Father, Like Son under his entirely impressive belt. Osamu and his wife Nobuyo live with their young son, Shota, and Nobuyo’s sister Aki under their mother’s strained roof. All holding down odd jobs, the six family members do what they can...

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) has announced that award-winning actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Kristen Bell will receive the fourth annual #SeeHer Award at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards.

The star-studded gala will once again be hosted by film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs, and broadcast live on The CW Television Network on Sunday, January 12, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Et (delayed Pt).

The #SeeHer Award recognizes a woman who embodies the values set forth by the SeeHer movement, to push boundaries on changing stereotypes and acknowledge the importance of authentic portrayals of women across the entertainment landscape. SeeHer is the leading global movement for accurate portrayals of women and girls in media. Led by the Association of National Advertisers (Ana), SeeHer is a collective of leading marketers committed to creating advertising and supporting content that portrays women and girls as they really are. Previous award recipients are Viola Davis,...

Sarita Choudhury with Anne-Katrin Titze on Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, Nobody Knows and Like Father, Like Son: “His type of filmmaking, I just can't get enough of.” Photo: The Barber director Melanie Aronson

At the Nordic International Film Festival closing night party at Gitano, I followed up with Sarita Choudhury, who starred with Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson in Isabel Coixet’s Learning To Drive, on her stated quest to get a driver’s license when we spoke at the premiere at The Paris Theatre in New York. Hirokazu Kore-eda and Ingmar Bergman are two of her favourite filmmakers and I told her as a member of the jury how much I liked Jisun Jamie Kim’s A Year, which screened in the festival.

Netflix announced that Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver with Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Julie Hagerty, and Merrit Wever...

If we want to start with the problems of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s The Truth, we can look at the title. When it’s revealed at the beginning that the title comes from the name of a character’s autobiography, it’s a cheeky meta-reference that plays into the film’s own setting of the French film industry. But soon that gives way to revealing that the whole film wants to deal with the concept of truth, the contradictions inherent in the term, and how truth is defined. After all, objectivity can’t really be measured when there’s no such thing as an objective source or observer.

The creator of “The Truth” within The Truth is Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve), a legendary French actress who’s at a point in her life and career where tact no longer applies. Upon the release of her autobiography, she’s visited by her daughter...

As A-list stars and auteurs made their way to TV this decade, “limited series” orders became a way to sign them up without having to lock in full-season commitments. The format has become such a dominant part of modern TV culture that it’s hard to believe that less than a decade ago there were too few miniseries (as the genre was then dubbed) to even mount its own category.

In 2011, the Television Academy merged TV movie and miniseries into one consolidated program field because the number of miniseries entries had dropped below the threshold needed for at least five nominees. Ironically, that same year both PBS’ “Downton Abbey” and FX’s “American Horror Story” premiered — and the success of those shows swiftly became the template for a whole new kind of “limited series” that now dominates the genre.

The impact of “Downton,” a limited series that then became a regular drama,...

Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles are starring in medical thriller “The God Committee.”

Austin Stark is directing from his own script. Colman Domingo, Janeane Garofalo and Dan Hedaya are co-starring.

“The God Committee” explores the U.S. organ transplant system. The movie follows a donor heart being flown to a New York hospital, where a transplant committee has an hour to decide which patient is the recipient. The story also explores the impact of that decision six years later. It is currently shooting in New York.

“The worldwide organ shortage continues to devastate families from all walks of life,” Stark said. “I feel honored to be working with such an incredible ensemble –- anchored by Kelsey, Julia, Colman, Janeane and Dan –- in my quest to humanize the transplant system and bring faces to the statistics.”

Production companies behind the film include Paper Street Films, Phiphen Pictures, and Crystal City Entertainment.

Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles are set to star in “The God Committee,” a medical thriller from writer and director Austin Stark. Paper Street Films, Phiphen Pictures and Crystal City Entertainment announced the casting on Thursday.

Colman Domingo, Janeane Garofalo and Dan Hedaya will co-star in “The God Committee,” which is currently shooting in New York.

“The God Committee” is a look into the U.S. organ transplant system, seen through the eyes of those personally involved and affected by it. The story moves between two timelines: In one, a donor heart is being flown to a NYC hospital, and a transplant committee has an hour to decide which patient deserves the life-saving organ. The other, which takes place six years later, explores the impact of that one decision.

Also Read: Kelsey Grammer Told Original 'Frasier' Cast He'd Want Them for a Reboot

Molly Conners, Amanda Bowers, Vincent Morano...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Combat Obscura (Miles Lagoze)

One of the very best documentaries we saw on the festival circuit last year was Combat Obscura, which premiered at last year’s True/False Film Festival. The film comes from Miles Lagoze, who took footage he shot as a Marine combat camera operator in Afghanistan, as well as videos taken by his comrades, and edited it all into a brisk, intense hour of war vignettes. Dan Schindel said in his review, “Combat Obscura sinks deeper into darkness as it progresses, as the utter pointlessness and futility of America’s presence in Afghanistan overwhelms the troops. While we are initially invited to empathize with the Marines,...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.

Creed II (Steven Caple Jr.)

There’s no better way to recognize what a filmmaker brings to the table than a sequel without him/her. This isn’t to say Ryan Coogler wasn’t involved in the making of Creed II—he is a producer on the project after all. No, it’s simply to point out how different Creed was to the Rocky films that came before it. Yes, it was pretty much a redux of the original installment that put Sylvester Stallone on Hollywood’s map as both a leading actor and screenwriter, but it relived those beats with a depth of character and emotion...

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 13th feature, Shoplifters, has helped cement the filmmaker’s position as Japan’s foremost chronicler of what it means to be human. And as with many of the auteur’s deliberate, nuanced character studies — which he writes, directs and edits — his latest drama examines everyday life in Tokyo through the prism of familial connections, this time centering on an extended family of petty thieves who, despite barely surviving, take in a young girl they suspect is suffering from abuse and neglect at home.

Following on from the success of Like Father, Like Son, which took the jury ...

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 13th feature, Shoplifters, has helped cement the filmmaker’s position as Japan’s foremost chronicler of what it means to be human. And as with many of the auteur’s deliberate, nuanced character studies — which he writes, directs and edits — his latest drama examines everyday life in Tokyo through the prism of familial connections, this time centering on an extended family of petty thieves who, despite barely surviving, take in a young girl they suspect is suffering from abuse and neglect at home.

Following on from the success of Like Father, Like Son, which took the jury ...

Associates for Breast and Prostate Cancer Studies (ABCs) hosts its annual, star-studded Talk of the Town black-tie gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018.

The gala benefits breast and prostate cancer research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. ABCs president Gloria Gebbia is proud to announce that Major Scotty Smiley; author, Wounded Veteran and the Army Times “Soldier of the Year”, will be honored with the Spirit of Hope Award. Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award winning actor, Kelsey Grammer will receive the Spirit of Entertainment Award. Legendary performers The Jacksons will provide entertainment and actor and comedian Jb Smoove will emcee. Sheri A. Rosenblum returns as gala chair. The gala includes silent and live auctions.

“We are very proud to honor Major Scotty Smiley and Kelsey Grammer at this year’s Talk of the Town. We are extremely grateful...

Netflix is defending itself against accusations on social media that it targets viewers by using race to promote its various television series and film offerings. Stacia L. Brown, creator of the podcast “Rise of Charm City” and a writer with bylines at The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Rolling Stone, and more, gained attention on Twitter after observing some films on Netflix being advertised to her with posters featuring black characters, even if the film predominantly starred a white cast.

Brown posted a photo of her Netflix account with the film poster for Lauren Miller Rogen’s comedy “Like Father,” which was released on the streaming platform over the summer. The movie stars Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer in the lead roles, with Seth Rogen, Paul W. Downs, and Zach Appelman in supporting roles, but Netflix promoted the film to Brown with a poster featuring black actors Leonard Ouzts and Blaire Brook.

Netflix often touts is personalized recommendations as one feature that differentiates the streaming service from traditional media. But one of the subtle tools it uses to deliver suggestions — carefully selected artwork or images, designed to entice the user to watch a movie or TV series based on past viewing — became the focus of online criticism.

Stacia L Brown, a writer and creator of the podcast Hope Chest, took issue with an approach she found manipulative — some even raised the prospect of racial profiling. Brown, who is African American, noted that Netflix showed her an image featured Leonard Ouzts and Blaire Brooks, black actors with relatively minor roles in the film Like Father, a comedy staring white actors Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer.

“It’s weird to try to pass a film off as having a Black principal cast (by creating a movie poster-like as featuring just the Black people) when it’s a white movie.

The personalization of Netflix home pages does not extend to the race of the user, the streaming giant said on Thursday, denying user accusations to the contrary.

Writer and podcast host Stacia L Brown said that the icon on her account for the Netflix film “Like Father” was showcasing the black actors Leonard Ouzts and Blaire Brooks, as opposed to the film’s white stars Kirsten Bell and Kelsey Grammar.

“Other Black @netflix users: does your queue do this? Generate posters with the Black cast members on them to try to compel you to watch?” she wrote in a tweet last week.

Also Read: Shocker: Teens Love Netflix, YouTube Way More Than Cable TV

In a follow-up tweet, she highlighted what appeared to be a similar pattern, with actor Chiwetel Ejiofor on the poster for “Love, Actually,” Rj Cyler in “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” and Isiah Whitlock Jr. in “The Good Cop.

Netflix seems to have found its long-form goldmine: The streaming service disclosed as part of its Q3 earnings report Tuesday that more than 80 million of its subscribers from around the world watched one of its “Summer of Love” rom-coms over the past few months.

The company also singled out “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” as one of its “most viewed original films ever with strong repeat viewing.”

Netflix released a series original movies as part of its “Summer of Love” over the past few months, including “Set It Up,” “The Kissing Booth,” “Like Father,” “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” and the aforementioned “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The company said Tuesday that it was already in production of “the next set of original rom-coms” for its members.

Netflix never shares any actual viewing metrics for single titles, but the company gave us another indicator...

Sony Pictures is getting back in business with Seth Rogen, as the movie star will play a pickle maker in his next big role at the studio.

Cinematographer Brandon Trost, who has worked on a number of Rogen’s projects, is in talks to make his directing debut on the film, with Simon Rich penning the screenplay, based on his own story.

Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver are producing through their Point Grey banner. Rich and Alexandria McAtee are exec producing.

The film is based on Rich’s New Yorker novella and stars Rogen as Herschel Greenbaum, a struggling laborer who immigrates to America in 1918 with dreams of building a better life for his beloved family. One day, while working at his factory job, he falls into a vat of pickles and is brined for 100 years. The brine preserves him perfectly and when he emerges in present day Brooklyn,...

Hirokazu Kore-eda raises his Donostia Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival/Pablo Gomez Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda yesterday the first Asian filmmaker to be honoured with a Donostia Award for lifetime achievement at San Sebastian Film Festival.

The director has a long association with the Spanish festival, with his films - including Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, The Third Murder and I Wish - appearing at the festival on 10 occasions. This year, he has brought his Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters.

Picking up his award last night, the 56-year-old told the audience: "I am just half way through my career, so I felt that a lifetime achievement award was a bit early for me."...

Nanako Hirose’s His Lost Name will premiere in Busan’s New Currents competition.

Japan’s Gaga Corporation has picked up international rights to His Lost Name (Yoake), the debut feature of Nanako Hirose, a protégé of Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore-eda.

The film will receive its world premiere in New Currents, the competition section for new filmmakers at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (October 4-13).

Produced through Kore-eda’s company Bunbuku, the film stars Yuya Yagira, who won best actor at Cannes in 2004 for Kore-eda’s Nobody Knows, and veteran actor Kaoru Kobayashi (Midnight Diner).

Hirose wrote the...

Nanako Hirose’s His Lost Name will premiere in Busan’s New Currents competition.

Japan’s Gaga Corporation has picked up international rights to His Lost Name (Yoake), the debut feature of Nanako Hirose, a protégé of Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore-eda.

The film will receive its world premiere in New Currents, the competition section for new filmmakers at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (October 4-13).

Produced through Kore-eda’s company Bunbuku, the film stars Yuya Yagira, who won best actor at Cannes in 2004 for Kore-eda’s Nobody Knows, and veteran actor Kaoru Kobayashi (Midnight Diner).

Hirose wrote the...

Writer, director and producer Lauren Miller Rogen’s film Like Father, starring Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer, has had quite the journey from starting as a “kernel of an idea” six years ago to making its Netflix debut on Aug. 3.

“I feel like I have birthed my child. It’s out there and people are getting to see it and are enjoying it and telling me that they are seeing it. It’s exciting,” Rogen told The Hollywood Reporter In Studio.

Like Father centers on a workaholic woman (Bell) who is left at the altar and decides to take her ...

Writer, director and producer Lauren Miller Rogen’s film Like Father, starring Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer, has had quite the journey from starting as a “kernel of an idea” six years ago to making its Netflix debut on Aug. 3.

“I feel like I have birthed my child. It’s out there and people are getting to see it and are enjoying it and telling me that they are seeing it. It’s exciting,” Rogen told The Hollywood Reporter In Studio.

Like Father centers on a workaholic woman (Bell) who is left at the altar and decides to take her ...

In today’s roundup, Melissa Rosenberg signs an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, while Kim Dickens joins the pilot for “Queen Fur” at Showtime.

First Looks

BBC America has released initial photos for upcoming five-part series “Dynasties,“ presented by Sir David Attenborough (“Blue Planet II,” “Planet Earth II“) and executive produced by Mike Gunton (“Planet Earth II“). The series will focus on one family within a species per episode, including lions on the savannahs of Kenya’s Masai Mara and painted wolves on the floodplains of the great Zambezi river in Zimbabwe.

Casting

Kim Dickens (“Fear the Walking Dead“) will star in the hour-long drama pilot “Queen Fur” for Showtime. Michael Mosley (“Seven Seconds“), Jon Foster (“Like Father“), Joshua Mikel (“The Walking Dead“), Keith Machekanyanga (“Timeless“), and Spencer Howell (“Ithaca“) have also joined previously announced star Lily Mae Harrington (“Some Freaks“). Harrington plays Macy Dunleavy, a high school dropout...

Kim Dickens has signed on to star in Showtime’s new drama pilot “Queen Fur,” the network announced Wednesday.

Lily Mae Harrington (“Some Freaks”), Michael Mosley (“Seven Seconds”), Jon Foster (“Like Father”), Joshua Mikel (“The Walking Dead”), Keith Machekanyanga (“Timeless”) and Spencer Howell have also been cast.

The story is set in small town Central Florida where beauty pageants, gun culture, Cuban revolutionaries and Southern hospitality co-exist and collide. Harrington plays Macy Dunleavy, a high school drop out, and Dickens will play her mother, a former beauty queen.

Also Read: Why Jim Carrey's 'Kidding' Is the Anti-'Breaking Bad'

Mosley will play local gun salesman Todd, Mikel will play his associate Ryan, Foster will play Macy’s older brother Rob, and Machekanyanga will play small-time criminal Ralph.

Eileen Myers (“Masters of Sex”) writes and executive produces. Deb Spera (“Army Wives”) will also executive produce, and Sian Heder...

Fear the Walking Dead alum Kim Dickens has been tapped to star opposite Lily Mae Harrington In Queen Fur, Showtime’s drama pilot from writer Eileen Myers (Masters of Sex). Michael Mosley (Seven Seconds), Jon Foster (Like Father), Joshua Mikel (The Walking Dead), Keith Machekanyanga (Timeless) and Spencer Howell (Ithaca) also have been cast as regulars should the pilot go to series.

Created, written and executive produced by Myers, Queen Fur is set in a small town in Central Florida – a place where beauty pageants, gun culture, Cuban revolutionaries and Southern hospitality co-exist and collide. And at the center of it all is Macy Dunleavy (Harrington) – a curvy, sexy, unapologetic high school dropout who is finding her womanhood and is ready to seize a big opportunity.

Dickens will play Macy’s mom, a former local beauty queen.

Mosley will play Todd, a local gun salesman. Mikel is Ryan, an associate of Todd.

The forking hilarious Kristen Bell has captivated us on screen in everything from The Good Place to the throwback Veronica Mars - and also off screen, like that one time she burst into tears after her ultimate dream came true: meeting a sloth. Now, she's continuing her reign, this time in the new Netflix comedy Like Father, in which Bell's workaholic character gets dumped on her wedding day and winds up on her honeymoon cruise with the estranged father she hasn't seen in 25 years.

In celebration of the new Netflix dramedy, and as a way to get to know Bell on a much deeper level, we sat down with her for our new series, Falling in Love With . . . . A study on interpersonal closeness by the psychologist Arthur Aron (and others) - which went viral in The New York Times's article "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love" - offered up...

Stars: Kristen Bell, Danielle Davenport, Kimiko Glenn, Wynter Kullman, Kelsey Grammer, Brett Gelman, Jon Foster, Elisabeth Ness, Brian McCarthy, Keilly McQuail, Jen Zaborowski, Brittany Ross | Written and Directed by Lauren Miller

Lauren Miller’s directorial debut, Like Father, fits well into the canonical fatigue of the Netflix original, a harsh and sadly true statement that any film on the platform is becoming tainted with. Like Father, I hate to say, is almost certainly dead on arrival with so little intrigue or adhesive to even have a questionable release, made even more disappointing with the talent that’s castrated and simplified in a plot so numb and saturated, you can piece the jigsaw and surprise your friends as a psychic, within seconds.

To describe Miller’s film as simple would be somewhat an understatement. It is to be fair, a constraint of every grain of flair possible with zero ounces of originality within its bones.

It seems that each and every weekend the folks over at Netflix have another big hitter for its merry band of streamers. The headlines are taken up with the surprise acquisitions for Netflix, such as Extinction, the incredible Annihilation as well as Andy Serkis’ new film Mowgli, but the streaming service are developing a habit for delivering some very solid movies which appear as if by magic. One of these films has arrived today, Like Father is directed by Lauren Miller Rogen and stars Kelsey Grammer, Kristen Bell and Seth Rogen and we were on the red carpet in Hollywood yesterday evening for the premiere.

The wonderful DaniElle DeLaite was on hand to talk with the stars as they walked the carpet, and you can see the interviews below. We spoke to Kelsey Grammer, Kristen Bell, Lauren Miller Rogen, Zach Applman, Mary Looram, Blaire Brooks, Paul W. Downs and producers Amanda Bowers,...

Netflix’s “Like Father” is a generic melodrama starring two likable actors best known for their work on TV, which manages to drag out to nearly two hours the predictable story of a work-obsessed woman (Kristen Bell) who gets dumped at the altar and winds up taking the prepaid honeymoon cruise with her estranged father (Kelsey Grammer) instead of the man she planned to marry. It’s shot in anamorphic widescreen, as if it were intended for the big screen (there’s one shot that justifies the choice), and features bona fide movie star Seth Rogen, which means that under slightly different circumstances, you could be skipping this movie in theaters rather than on Netflix.

Now hold that thought, because I’m going to change the subject to discuss another movie that, if you do your viewing at home anyway, you might check out instead. Two years ago, another female director,...

Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer pair up in the newest Netflix original movie Like Father. Written and directed by Lauren Miller Rogen (real-life wife of comedian Seth Rogen) tells the story of how a disastrous wedding brings together a successful business woman and her estranged father. But the real question is, does this Netflix original reach greater heights than the streaming company's streak of disappointing films?

Like Father is available to stream on Netflix beginning tomorrow (August 3)

Watch the 60-second review from One Minute Critic:

You can check out more 1-minute reviews on One Minute Critic's Instagram or Youtube page.

Like the platform’s recent rom-com Set It Up, there’s a comfort food quality to this simple, unremarkable comedy starring Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer

It’s difficult to use words like success or failure to describe a Netflix original movie since the streaming platform remains reticent over sharing any concrete viewing figures. But even without such data, it was clear that June’s sprightly rom-com Set It Up was a rare triumph, garnering warm reviews and a lingering online buzz, stronger than some of their starrier, more expensive affairs. Arriving soon after, there’s a similar comfort food quality to their latest formulaic comedy Like Father, a mostly likable if wholly unremarkable heap of froth.

Related: How sleeper hit Set It Up suggests a bright future for Netflix originals...

Between “Boat Trip,” “Titanic,” and “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” Hollywood hasn’t really done any favors to the luxury cruise industry. Everybody knows that being stuck on a floating hotel with a few choice members of your family, a zillion overeager strangers, and one nasty food-borne stomach virus is basically the closest to hell a human can get without dying, but the movies have managed to make the experience look even worse than it seems. Remember what happened to those poor bastards in “Poseidon”? Their ship flipped upside down in the middle of a New Year’s party and they were forced to spend the rest of the night with Johnny Drama. And those folks got off easy compared to the passengers in “Deep Rising,” who were almost killed by terrorists before a crudely rendered CG kraken showed up to slaughter them in a different way.

But all of that...