News

Tubi is about to get a major boost as the streaming home of Super Bowl Lix — and a hotly-anticipated half-time show by Kendrick Lamar. Fox’s ad-supported streaming service has gained popularity in recent years as a subscription-free alternative to the ever more-expensive streaming giants, and this month, it’s not just your streaming destination for the big game, it’s got also got a library full of great movies you can stream for free.

From iconic ’90s dramas to one of the best — and one of the freakiest — sci-fi movies of the 2020s so far, here are the best movies on Tubi in February.

New Line Cinema “Set It Off” (1996)

If you’ve seen GloRilla and Latto‘s latest collab, you might be in the mood to revisit the 1990s gem “Set It Off.” And if you’ve never seen it before, now’s the perfect time to rectify that.

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of February titles. The Tubi February 2025 slate features new Tubi Originals, TV series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi February 2025 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals...

Fans got to know and love Grant Ellis during Jenn Tran's Bachelorette season, but there are still some fun facts that they might not know about The Bachelor season 29 star. Grant, a now-31-year-old day trader who's originally from Newark, New Jersey, shared a lot about himself during The Bachelorette season 21. He started out as a professional basketball player, until an injury ended his career. After that, Grant got into the finance field.

Grant is close to his family, including his mother, and is a self-described mama's boy. During Jenn's season, he shared that his father had struggled with addiction, but he was the proudest he'd ever been of him when he called him and told him that he was checking into rehab. At the time, Grant's dad was sober for two months, and they were rebuilding their relationship. Grant also shared that his number one goal in life...

The African American Film Critics Association has announced its honorees for the 16th annual Aafca Awards and the 2025 Aafca Special Achievement Awards. The two distinct ceremonies will honor the best cinematic achievements from the Black community in 2024, with “Nickel Boys” and “The Piano Lesson” leading the pack.

Held on Sunday, February 2 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the Special Achievement Awards will honor RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” with the Karen & Stanley Kramer Social Justice Award, while stars Brandon Wilson and Ethan Herisse are set to receive the Gen Next Award. Amber Rasberry, who oversaw the film as a senior creative executive at Amazon MGM, will also be honored with the Horizon Award.

Seventeen days later, the Aafca Awards will keep the love for “Nickel Boys” rolling when Ross receives the Spotlight Award. “The Piano Lesson” director Malcolm Washington will also receive the Emerging Director Award while his star Ray Fischer...

For director Malcolm Washington, generational Black resilience and complex familial bonds are the underlying themes in front of and behind the camera for Netflix’s The Piano Lesson. Making his feature film debut, Washington enlisted the talents of his family as his brother, John David Washington, plays the lead role alongside appearances from his mother, Pauletta, and twin sister, Olivia. Older sister, Katia and father Denzel Washington are producers. Based on August Wilson’s 1987 play, the story centers around a bitter feud between two siblings (played by John David and Danielle Deadwyler) who disagree about what to do with the family’s antebellum-era heirloom piano.

Deadline: How did this adaptation find its way to you? Did Virgil Williams approach you first?

Malcolm Washington: He was involved in it many years before this started, but I don’t think he worked on it yet. So, I approached him with a take that I thought was interesting.

Mere mortals have been fascinated by witchcraft for hundreds of years, and the film industry has taken note, with witch-themed movies going back more than 100 years.

In 1922, the silent partly documentary-style Swedish film “Haxan” sought to understand the roots and misunderstandings of witchcraft, and the mania that surrounded the witch hunts. Controversial at the time, it is now considered one of the most influential of the early horror films. Less than 20 years later, Margaret Hamilton would make the Wicked Witch the standard for evil witches, and help make “The Wizard of Oz” a timeless classic.

SEE25 best TV witches, ranked worst to best

In the decades since, witches have appeared in just about every genre of film. Early romantic comedies “I Married a Witch” and “Bell, Book and Candle” were so popular they inspired the classic 1960s TV series “Bewitched.” But while a witch’s antics on the small screen were amusing audiences,...

The best Jurnee Smollett movies and TV shows reveal an actress who got a huge early start to her career and parlayed it into something special as she got older. Smollett was one of six siblings, all of whom have entered into the entertainment industry in one way or another. She got a very early start as a child actor, working on TV shows like Full House and The Cosbys while also making her film debut in the Robin Williams movie Jack. However, her breakout came when she was 10 and starred in Eve's Bayou.

After earning award recognition for that performance, she went on to build a solid career over the next few years and continued to work to cracft a movie and TV career in a variety of genres. Over her three decades in the business, Smollett has worked alongside Denzel Washington, starred in a Dcu movie, and took...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of August titles. The Tubi August 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library: over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of Tubi Originals, and nearly 250 Fast channels.

You can watch the Tubi August 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals

Documentary

Defying Death:...

Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black largely focuses on two main characters. The movie's troubled central couple is played by Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict. The supporting cast of the movie also includes Joseph Lee Anderson, Richard Lawson, and Taylor Polidore Williams.

Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black features several notable actors in its cast. The Prime Video drama is a 2024 outing from the prolific writer, director, producer, and star, who is best known for creating and starring in the Madea franchise, both on the stage and on the screen. Perry's cinematic work is notable for generally featuring large ensemble casts. In addition to frequently playing multiple roles himself in various costumes and prosthetic facial appliances, he tends to gather talented performers from a variety of diverse backgrounds, including everyone from Oscar winners to literary icons like iconic poet Maya Angelou.

Although the Divorce in the Black Rotten Tomatoes...

Zombies have become a pretty major part of the horror genre. The first zombie movie, "White Zombie," was released all the way back in 1932, but they first really took a bite out of our subconscious with George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968. Since then, their popularity has exploded, with more zombie movies, TV shows, and books than you could shake a stick at. But where did the idea of zombies really come from?

It turns out that zombies have their origins in Haitian Vodou (more commonly known as voodoo). Unlike its cousin hoodoo, practiced in New Orleans as a kind of mixture of folk medicine and superstition, Vodou is a complex diaspora faith borne of West African religions. In Vodou, a zombi is someone put under the control of another through the use of psychedelic plants, a nightmarish concept documented in anthropological texts like "Tell My Horse...

Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country”) has joined the cast of Apple TV+’s “Firebug,” in which she’ll star opposite Taron Egerton. Smollett will play Michelle, a “rising star detective.”

“Firebug,” loosely based on true events and inspired by a podcast of the same name, stars Egerton as an “enigmatic arson investigator.” The two characters pursue two serial arsonists. Egerton is also an exec producer on the Apple original series (from Apple Studios), from creator Dennis Lehane.

Lehane also developed and executive produces “Firebug,” which reps a reunion of the team behind Apple TV+’s “Black Bird.” Other exec producers include Richard Plepler (via Eden Productions), Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas (through Imperative Entertainment), and Kary Antholis.

Apple points out that the series, set in the contemporary Pacific Northwest, is fictional — although it does take some of the events included in in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast, which was hosted by Antholis,...

Think Like a Man Too features a star-studded ensemble cast with over two dozen performers. The movie includes returning core couples in addition to introducing new characters and cameos. The film stars notable actors including Kevin Hart, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, and more.

Think Like a Man Too is a hit comedy with a cast that features some of the most talented and notable actors of the 2010s. The 2014 movie is a sequel to the 2010 movie of the same name, which featured a large ensemble cast. That movie was based on the 2009 self-help book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey, a relationship guide that sought to educate female readers on male approaches to relationships.

The core Think Like a Man Too couples are all returning from the original movie, along with quite a few of the original supporting characters. That movie already featured a cavalcade of stars,...

Great actors struggle with subpar material, changes in the industry, personal challenges, and collaboration dynamics, impacting their ability to make good movies. Navigating the complexities of the film industry requires talent, strategic decision-making, and perseverance for actors to consistently deliver quality performances. Even if actors haven't made good movies lately, their past roles serve as a reminder that they have the potential for greatness on the big screen.

Great actors who haven't made a good movie in years may face various factors contributing to this phenomenon. Firstly, script selection plays a pivotal role - even the most talented actors struggle with subpar material. Secondly, shifts in the film industry landscape, such as changes in audience preferences or market trends, can affect the types of roles available to established actors. Furthermore, personal choices or external circumstances - like prioritizing other projects or dealing with personal challenges - can impact an actor's career trajectory.

All titles below begin streaming for free on January 1 unless otherwise noted:

Originals

Action

Prepare To Die

– 1/13-

A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.

Documentary

Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself

-1/17-

How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.

Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant

-1/26-

Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.

TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments

-1/31-

Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.

Horror

Where The Devil Roams

-1/5-

A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.

The American Society of Cinematographers has announced the honorees for its 38th Annual Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Gala on March 3, 2024. They are: Don Burgess, ASC; Steven Fierberg, ASC and Amy Vincent, ASC.

Burgess, Robert Zemeckis’ longtime collaborator, will be recognized with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. While his latest work is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed by James Wan, Burgess is best known for shooting Zemeckis’ Oscar-winning Forrest Gump, for which he earned ASC Award and Oscar nominations. The duo have also collaborated on such films as last year’s live-action Pinocchio, Flight, Contact, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, The Polar Express and the upcoming Here.

Burgess’ other credits include Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the first Aquaman, Brian Helgeland’s 42, Allen and Albert Hughes’ The Book of Eli, Gary Winick’s 13 Going on 30, Jonathan Mostow’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Billy Crystal’s Forget Paris.

Do you see her? The Black mother wiping her son’s inner eye on a Harlem corner? It’s the late ’90s and she’s piecing her life back together after a prison stint. What about the mother positioning an infant for a photo? She works at a studio, tucked in a Bay Area mall, trying to make ends meet before the birth of her third child. Or the Black mother lounging in her living room during a party? Guests, drunk on liquor and a good time, buzz around her as a young girl plays at her feet.

These women are the central figures of three revelatory dramas released this year. In A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One, Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama and Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which opens in limited release Nov. 3, Black mothers assume more complex roles than the ones Hollywood usually affords them.

Mere mortals have been fascinated by witchcraft for hundreds of years, and the film industry has taken note, with witch-themed movies going back more than 100 years.

In 1922, the silent partly documentary-style Swedish film “Haxan” sought to understand the roots and misunderstandings of witchcraft, and the mania that surrounded the witch hunts. Controversial at the time, it is now considered one of the most influential of the early horror films. Less than 20 years later, Margaret Hamilton would make the Wicked Witch the standard for evil witches, and help make “The Wizard of Oz” a timeless classic.

SEE25 best TV witches, ranked worst to best

In the decades since, witches have appeared in just about every genre of film. Early romantic comedies “I Married a Witch” and “Bell, Book and Candle” were so popular they inspired the classic 1960s TV series “Bewitched.” But while a witch’s antics on the small screen were amusing audiences,...

Actors Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good have sparked marriage rumors after Majors called her “The Mrs.”

The couple attended the eighth Annual Black and White Gala held by the Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday in Washington, D.C.

A video of the moment was shared on X, formerly Twitter, of the pair speaking on stage with the caption, “So… They actually got married?!!?”

Good started off by announcing, “We’re just so happy to be here with y’all tonight, celebrating us, celebrating the moves we’re making, celebrating the way we love and support each other, the way that we shift the world. Let’s enjoy ourselves!”

She continued, “So many beautiful black faces. I love us, y’all! We are so beautiful! That’s all I got. I’m just happy to be here and I love y’all!” She asked Majors if he wanted “to say anything?...

Project Paranoia is a horror thriller film written and directed by Francesco Monti. The horror movie follows the story of Andrew, who falls into a depression after the disappearance of his wife, to help Andrew, his friend invites him to his house for the weekend, and that’s where things take a turn for the worse. So, if you loved Project Paranoia here are some similar movies you could watch next.

1922 (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Synopsis: 1922 is based on Stephen King’s 131-page story telling of a man’s confession of his wife’s murder. The tale is told from from the perspective of Wilfred James, the story’s unreliable narrator who admits to killing his wife, Arlette, with his son in Nebraska. But after he buries her body, he finds himself terrorized by rats and, as his life begins to unravel, becomes convinced his wife is haunting him. Starring: Thomas Jane,...

One of independent film’s key players, Ray Price, died July 16 at the age of 75 from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his long-term partner Meg Madison confirmed.

Talking to Price about movies, past and present, was an exhilarating sport that could take a while. He knew his stuff — no one loved movies more — but more than anyone during the great indie decades of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, he was a respected innovator who thought outside the box. He began as an exhibitor in San Francisco and moved on to marketing, releasing, and distributing movies, leaning toward the outrageous in how he lured audiences to sample challenging fare.

“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles wrote me in an email. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he...

Ray Price, a respected producer of indie filmmaking, died July 16 from heart failure after a long battle with cancer. The news was confirmed by his long-term partner Meg Madison. He was 75 years old.

Price launched his film career in 1972, managing the Berkeley storefront theater the Rialto, and went on to build with Allen Michaan Renaissance Theaters, an independent art film chain that became one of the largest (33 at its peak) in the Bay Area and was later sold to the Landmark Theatre circuit.

A tough negotiator and exacting exhibitor, under Price’s stewardship, Renaissance Theaters were renowned for redesigning marketing materials, from posters to press books — designs that fledgling distributors often adopted when the films hadn’t found success in other markets.

At a time when most top arthouse distributors focused on established auteurs from Europe and Asia, Renaissance Theaters exploded those norms by programming new American directors like Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes.

Ray Price, an indie film producer and marketing veteran, died on July 16 of heart failure after battling cancer, his longterm partner Meg Madison confirmed. He was 75.

During his career in film, Price was president of Francis Ford Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope and First Look Pictures and a marketing and distribution exec for Landmark Theatres, Trimark Pictures and 2929 Entertainment. He also supported up-and-coming filmmakers like Tran Anh Hung (“The Scent of Green Papaya”), Gurinder Chadha (“Bhaji on The Beach”), Carl Franklin (“One False Move”), Allison Anders (“Gas Food Lodging”) and John Sayles (“The Secret of Roan Inish”).

“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” said Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles in a statement. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he always sought out novel ways of approaching things. He truly was a rebel...

Ray Price, the respected indie film innovator who served as president of American Zoetrope and First Look Pictures and as a marketing and distribution executive for companies including Landmark Theatres and Trimark Pictures, has died. He was 75.

Price died Sunday at Whittier Hospital Medical Center from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his longtime partner, Meg Madison, said.

Throughout his career, Price displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of film, mentored generations of executives and leaned toward the outrageous in the ways he lured audiences to sample challenging movies.

Along the way, he championed filmmakers including Carl Franklin (1992’s One False Move), Allison Anders (1992’s Gas Food Lodging), Tran Anh Hung (1993’s The Scent of Green Papaya), Gurinder Chadha (1993’s Bhaji on the Beach) and John Sayles (1994’s The Secret of Roan Inish).

“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,...

ABFF Ventures, the company behind the American Film Festival (ABFF), is rebranding as Nice Crowd.

The company founded by CEO Jeff Friday and president Nicole Friday is kicking off their 27th annual ABFF in Miami Beach this week and is expanding their event offerings to include comedy, health & wellness, food and fine arts.

Launching in October in Washington, D.C., the first event under the Nice Crowd banner will be Because They’re Funny (Btf), a new comedy festival showcasing comedic talent within Bipoc communities.

“We are so thrilled to announce our new comedy festival, Because They’re Funny, which launches in Washington, DC, the hometown of many of today’s most beloved comedians of color,” the Fridays said in a statement. “While we proudly reflect on this festival and the company’s many accomplishments over the years, we look forward to an even brighter future, with even more incredible event offerings,...

As the American Black Film Festival kicks off its 27th edition in Miami Beach, Fla. on Wednesday night, the company behind the fest, ABFF Ventures, is announcing a rebrand.

The events entertainment company, led by founder and CEO Jeff Friday and president Nicole Friday, will now be called Nice Crowd, evoking the brand’s dedication to spotlighting Bipoc culture and achievements while emphasizing the power of gathering.

In addition to the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and the annual ABFF Honors ceremony, Nice Crowd will expand its annual offerings to include comedy, health & wellness, food and fine art-focused events. The first new event under the Nice Crowd banner will be “Because They’re Funny” (Btf), a comedy festival showcasing comedic talent within Bipoc communities that will launch this October in Washington, D.C.

“We are so thrilled to announce our new comedy festival, Because They’re Funny, which launches in Washington,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Film Forum

A retrospective on New York movies is underway, featuring Polanski, Scorsese, Spike Lee, and Hitchcock; Fellini’s early masterwork I Vitelloni continues screening; The Muppets Take Manhattan plays this Sunday.

Film at Lincoln Center

“The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” brings films directed and curated by the Thai master (who we talked to about the retrospective), among them work from Oshima, Kiarostami, Cassavetes and more.

Museum of Modern Art

A Rialto Pictures retrospective offers a smorgasbord of classic films, including Grand Illusion, Army of Shadows, and The Conversation on 35mm.

Museum of the Moving Image

Steven Spielberg’s greatest film, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, plays on 35mm this Friday and Saturday while a series on summer movies continues with The Omen.

Japan Society

One of Japan’s greatest directors, Shinji Somai, is subject of a retrospective that continues with...

Exclusive: Alison Oliver (Saltburn), Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), Marc Maron (To Leslie) and Odessa Young (The Staircase) have closed deals to join The Order, the crime thriller to be directed for Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios by Justin Kurzel, which is heading into production on Wednesday.

No specifics as to roles of the new cast members have been disclosed, but they join an ensemble that Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult and Tye Sheridan will lead, as previously announced.

Based on Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt’s book The Silent Brotherhood, which chronicles the escalating crimes of the titular white supremacist domestic terror group, the film is set in 1983 amongst the series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists that frightened communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. As baffled law enforcement agents scrambled for answers, a lone FBI agent (Law), stationed in the sleepy, picturesque town of Coeur d’Alene,...

Charles D. King’s Macro has raised a $90 million minority investment from BlackRock Alternatives, HarbourView Partners and funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Macro will use the influx of capital to expand its multiplatform operations across production, branding and talent representation units, said King, who is founder and CEO of Macro. The company will also work to diversify its revenue streams with businesses that build a direct connection with consumers.

A former WME partner, King launched Macro in 2015 to focus on content that amplifies underrepresented voices to capitalize on the untapped business opportunity. Macro previously raised an additional $150 million in a 2017 round of equity and debt financing that included such investors as Emerson Collective, Ford Foundation, W.W. Kellogg Foundation and the Libra Foundation.

“With the global power of a partner like BlackRock Alternatives as well as our new additional investors, we are extremely well-positioned to build on the...

New Release Wall

“John Wick” 1 – 3 Stash Book Collection (Lionsgate): As the Keanu Reeves-loving world awaits the March release of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” superfans get an early gift with this box set of the first three films — in which the titular hit man Wick annihilates bad people for good reasons — in 4K Ultra HD. The three individual films arrive in steelbooks emblazoned with details specific to them, which in turn fit into a replica of Wick’s “stash book.” In other words, fans of excessive violence now get to house their preciouses in a cozy little death-house, and that’s adorable.

Also available:

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel): After the death of King T’Challa, the grieving citizens of Wakanda — including Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku and the Dora Milaje — fight to protect it from outside forces.

“Detective Knight: Independence” (Lionsgate): The final chapter of the...

The 2023 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors is set to recognize Kerry Washington, Courtney B. Vance, Charles D. King and Janelle Monáe with special honors during the annual award ceremony saluting excellence in the motion picture and television industry.

Washington, an Emmy winner and SAG and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director and producer, will be presented with the Excellence in the Arts Award (Female), while two-time Emmy winner Vance will accept the award for Excellence in the Arts (Male). MacRo founder and CEO King will be presented the Industry Leadership Award, while eight-time Grammy-nominated artist, producer and actor Monáe receives the Renaissance Award. Kasi Lemmons’ 1997 drama “Eve’s Bayou” will be honored with the Classic Cinema Award.

The fifth ABFF Honors will take place on Sunday, March 5, hosted by Emmy-nominated writer, actor and comedian Deon Cole. The intimate, non-televised dinner and award ceremony is executive produced by Nicole and Jeff Friday (under...

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a movie directed by Kasi Lemmons starring Naomi Ackie.

Today we saw this biopic about the always great Whitney Houston… according to some, the singer deserved something better than this; and for others… a good chance to remember her always.

A tribute to the singer born in Newark.

About the Movie Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Another biopic? Unfortunately, yes. This genre calls for more respect for the biography than a more developed introspection of the characters and frequently settles for composing works that revolve around more or less famous fragments and lose out (almost always) in the general balance, forcing respecto ver creation.

Many are born as failures.

With all our respects (totally) for the singer, we are of the opinion that this is a movie that although it is faithful to the biography, does not manage to transmit...

“The most challenging part of portraying Whitney Houston is portraying Whitney Houston,” says Naomi Ackie, who stars as the music legend in “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” The upcoming biopic about the iconic singer is set to be released in theaters on December 23. See a new promotional video for the film below.

See Whitney Houston 35 best songs ranked: Hits include ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody,’ ‘My Love is Your Love,’ ‘I Will Always Love You’ [Photos]

Naomi Ackie is the Real Deal. Experience the celebration of Whitney Houston in #IWannaDanceMovie – exclusively in movie theaters December 23. pic.twitter.com/QJeNq9qaGI

— I Wanna Dance With Somebody (@wannadancemovie) November 21, 2022

“Our goal has been that we celebrate Whitney, for all that she was” Ackie continues. “The songstress, producer, actress, fashion icon and the person. This film is a love letter to Whitney.”

Houston was discovered by legendary music executive Clive Davis and signed to...

“Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others imprinted indelibly on the brain,” says the film’s narrator, voiced by Tamara Tunie. Kasi Lemmons’ eerie, Southern Gothic directorial feature debut, “Eve’s Bayou,” is as elusive twenty-five years later as it was in 1997.

It concerns Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), the youngest daughter of the respected and popular doctor Louis Batiste (Samuel L Jackson).

Continue reading ‘Eve’s Bayou’: Kasi Lemmons On Her Classic Southern Gothic Breakout Now On Criterion [Interview] at The Playlist.

The second trailer for the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," dropped today, and we've already got goosebumps. Directed by the brilliant Kasi Lemmons, this celebration of one of the greatest vocalists to ever walk the earth is the latest biopic from the producers who created the Academy Award-winning film about Freddie Mercury, "Bohemian Rhapsody." Whitney Houston's life has been at the center of public speculation for decades, and her untimely death only exacerbated tabloid obsessions. Fortunately, based on everything we know about "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," Lemmons' film starring Naomi Ackie is an empathetic look at the woman remembered as "The Voice."

The new trailer intercuts footage from the film against the sound of Whitney Houston belting out "I Will Always Love You," a surefire way to pull on the emotional heartstrings of anyone watching. There are shots of crowds cheering her name, Oprah Winfrey introducing her to an audience,...

Less than two weeks before “The Woman King” was set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, its director and editor were in a post-production facility in Sherman Oaks still fine tuning the action-packed epic. It was the final days of director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s years-long journey to bring the story of the Agojie, a group of women warriors in 19th century Africa, to the big screen. The pressure was high, but the mood was calm and relaxed. While not always agreeing, the two collaborators were in sync, their process methodical and precise in making what can feel like an endless series of decisions and tweaks. As Shropshire told IndieWire at the time, “We don’t need any drama in the room. We keep that on the screen.”

There was plenty of drama, both onscreen and off, when it came to “The Woman King.” “It was the hardest shoot...

It's still hard to imagine how musical biopics can exist in a post "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" world, but the last few years have been bursting with big-budget biopics centered on some of the most iconic performers in music history. Jennifer Hudson belted her face off as Aretha Franklin in "Respect," Taron Egerton was downright dazzling as Elton John in "Rocketman," Austin Butler may be looking at an Oscar nomination for his turn in "Elvis," following a trend set by Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody." Now, the queen of R&b is getting a high-profile film of her own, with Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston.

The upcoming film "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" comes from "Bohemian Rhapsody" screenwriter Anthony McCarten and groundbreaking director Kasi Lemmons, with Ackie lip-syncing to Houston's unbelievable voice while embodying the remarkably talented woman the world lost too soon. The...

Movie musical biopics are a beloved Hollywood tradition and one that — unlike erotic thrillers — shows no signs of slowing down.

Over the years we’ve seen Sissy Spacek win an Oscar as Loretta Lynn in “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Jessica Lange earn a nomination as Patsy Cline in “Sweet Dreams,” and Reese Witherspoon win Best Supporting Actress as June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line.” And that’s just the country music biopics.

Portraying a musical icon is just the next step in an evolving way to showcase triple-threat talent. Jamie Foxx took home the Best Actor Oscar for his transformation into Ray Charles for the 2004 film “Ray.” Joaquin Phoenix showed a new facet to his talent as Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.” Marion Cotillard burst onto the international scene (and won a Best Actress Oscar) as Edith Piaf in “La Vie En Rose,” and more recently Rami Malek and...

Naomi Ackie’s greatest challenge of all? Transforming into the “Greatest Love of All” singer Whitney Houston.

BAFTA award winner Ackie stars as the late icon for musical biopic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” in theaters December 21. The film, written by Oscar-nominated “Bohemian Rhapsody” screenwriter Anthony McCarten and directed by Kasi Lemmons, charts Houston’s life and legacy, starting with her groundbreaking record deal with Clive Davis, played by Stanley Tucci.

“My dream: Sing what I want to sing, be who I want to be,” Ackie as Houston says in the trailer. While Houston is criticized for not being “Black enough” and her tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) makes headlines, the biopic focuses on her early days as a New Jersey choir girl who became the bestselling and most awarded recording artist of all time. The “no-holds-barred portrait” gives a never-before-seen look at Houston’s “complicated and multi-faceted” career.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” the official biopic of music icon Whitney Houston, is set to be released on December 21, 2022 according to Sony Pictures. London native Naomi Ackie will portray the legendary diva from Newark, New Jersey. The BAFTA-winning actress can now be seen as “The Voice” for the first time in a new trailer released September 15.

Kasi Lemmons directs the biographical musical based on the life of one of the world’s biggest superstars. Lemmons’ previous directing credits include 2019’s “Harriet” starring Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and 1997’s cult classic “Eve’s Bayou” starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, whose previous screenplay credits include “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) and “The Two Popes” (2019).

The trailer begins by showing the night Arista Records founder Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci) discovers the young singer performing in...

Los Angeles-based artist Martine Syms is turning the high art world upside down with her feature debut “The African Desperate.”

A coming-of-age comedy, the film premiered at New Directors/New Films this year as the closing night selection, and opens in theaters September 16 at Brooklyn Arts Museum (Bam) and the Quad in New York City, as well as select theaters nationwide, from Mubi

Per the official synopsis, “The African Desperate” tracks one very long day for Palace Bryant (an expertly deadpan Diamond Stingily), a newly minted Mfa grad whose final day of art school becomes a real trip. Palace is not going to the fucking graduation party! She hates the woods. If this were a reality show, she would be the person who was not here to make friends. Palace needs to get home, back to Chicago from upstate New York. But that means surviving a hazy, hilarious, and hallucinatory night-long odyssey,...

(from left) Eve’s Bayou (Criterion Collection); Saw V (Lionsgate); Think Like A Man (Sony Pictures); Day Shift (Netflix). Image: Criterion Collection; Lionsgate; Sony Pictures; Netflix Brightening up the screen and bringing welcome depth to a role that might otherwise be overshadowed by the film’s elaborate vampire mythology, Day Shift...

We're in the dog days of summer now. Just one month of the heat left to go. July flew by. Here are a dozen of the highlights in case you missed 'em...

• Debbi Morgan in Eve's Bayou Nick takes on this modern classic that has a Criterion release coming

• Fire of Love Glenn on the volcanic love documentary hit

• Till Nathaniel talks to the director of this awards hopeful drama

• 28 Years 28 Films Cláudio celebrates his birthday with a film timeline

• Laura Linney Double Vision She looks Exactly like her mother. Uncanny

• Ranking the Men of LA Confidential Ben looks back at the men of this '97 classic

• Stage Door: The Minutes a new play from Tracy Letts

• Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Chris reviews the frothy Lesley Manville dramedy

• James Caan (Rip) Remembering an underappreciated great

• Through Her Lens 2013 Juan Carlos series returns to look back at the work of...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Sylvia Kristel in Emmanuelle (1974). Audrey Diwan, whose film Happening won last year's Golden Lion at Venice, will be directing an English-language adaptation of the erotic novel Emmanuelle. The film will star Léa Seydoux in the titular role, which was first played by the great Sylvia Kristel. Ahead of this new iteration of Emmanuelle, we also recommend reading Abbey Bender's reappraisal of the subversive softcore series.Lynne Ramsay has announced her next feature: an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's short story Stone Mattress, starring Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh. The story takes place on a cruise into the Arctic Passage, where protagonist Verna (to be played by Moore) encounters a man from her past.Recommended VIEWINGThe trailer for Three Thousand Years of Longing, George Miller's first film since 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road.

One Shot is a series that seeks to find an essence of cinema history in one single image of a movie. The mirror reflects a curious and alarming scene: in the foreground, Mozelle, a young woman, and Eve, a little girl, gaze wide-eyed at the men standing behind them. One of the men holds a gun to the chest of the other. The shot embodies the seamless ambition of Kasi Lemmons’s directorial debut Eve’s Bayou (1997), the tale of the Batistes, a haunted Creole family plagued by the careless philandering of their patriarch. Eve (Jurnee Smollett) has already caught her father making love to his mistress—a poorly kept secret in any case—but by now rage has eclipsed heartbreak as she helplessly watches her family unravel. Her aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan) seeks to impart upon the child an unconventional lesson in grace by revealing her own past infidelity: she had planned,...

Taylor Swift is bringing her short film “All Too Well” to the 2022 Tribeca Festival.

Swift will make a rare appearance to host a special screening of “All Too Well: The Short Film,” which she wrote, produced and directed as part of her “Red” album re-release. The screening, which will take place on June 11 at the Beacon Theatre, will be followed by a conversation with Swift about her approach as a filmmaker.

Pharrell Williams, Seth Meyers, Steve Aoki and Cynthia Erivo, as well as directors Tyler Perry, Adam McKay and Julian Schnabel will also participate in Tribeca’s talks series.

In addition to special talks, Tribeca is organizing film reunions, and master classes with intimacy coordinators, music supervisors and more. The reunion lineup includes Robert De Niro and Al Pacino discussing “Heat,” as well as members of the cast and crew of films “Eve’s Bayou” and “Velvet Goldmine” as they both celebrate their 25th anniversaries.

The 2022 Tribeca Festival lineup has officially announced its slate of talks, reunions, and master classes. The June 8–19 festival will host a slew of film and TV premieres, as well as immersive experiences.

Opening night features Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix documentary “Halftime,” followed by fellow Grammy winner Taylor Swift presenting a special screening of “All Too Well: The Short Film,” which Swift directed, wrote and produced. Swift will participate in a conversation post-screening to discuss her approach as a filmmaker.

Swift’s “Amsterdam” co-star and Tribeca Festival co-founder Robert De Niro will also headline exclusive screenings and panels with Al Pacino to discuss “Heat,” while Pacino is set to introduce a remastered version of “the Godfather” for its 50th anniversary.

The Talks program additionally includes Grammy winner Pharrell Williams, NBC “Late Night” host Seth Meyers in conversation with “Saturday Night Live” and “Shrill” star Aidy Bryant, Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, DJ Steve Aoki,...

Taylor Swift, Common, Seth Meyers and cast and crew including Al Pacino and Robert De Niro reuniting to talk about Michael Mann’s Heat are a few of the headliners confirmed for the Tribeca Festival’s Talks and Reunions lineup.

The festival will run from June 8-19 — a later slot than its longtime April-May home and a holdover from last year’s edition, a Covid comeback held largely at outdoor venues.

Swift made a splash as a filmmaker in 2021, directing, writing, producing and starring in the short film All Too Well, which went with an expanded new version of the song of the same title from her album Red. The 2012 album was re-recorded and released last fall.

Along with Swift, this year’s Tribeca Talks: Storytellers lineup includes Grammy winner Pharrell Williams; NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers in conversation with Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant; Tony winner Cynthia Erivo...

May 2022 represents the calm before the storm for Amazon Prime Video. Early June will see the arrival of the much-hyped third season of The Boys. Before all that, however, Prime has some other streaming goodies to tide you over.

This month is highlighted by a handful of intriguing original series. Season two of Amazon’s sleeper hit The Wilds premieres on May 6. This pulpy mystery series about a group of teenage girls marooned on an island is Prime Video’s version of Lost or Yellowjackets so give it a watch if that kind of thing sounds up your alley. Also arriving on May 6 is the true crime docuseries The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith.

Canada’s finest comedy goobers The Kids in the Hall return in a rebooted version of their sketch series on May 13. The week after that J.K. Simmons will try his hand at sci-fi once again...

An original sci-fi series starring two Oscar winners, the second season of a buzzworthy teen show and the return of a beloved cult comedy series are just some of the new additions to Amazon Prime Video in May.

Below, you can peruse a full list of the movies and TV shows that are being added to Amazon Prime Video in May 2022. The second season of the Prime Video original series “The Wilds” debuts on May 6, telling the story of a group of girls who have been stranded on an island as part of an experiment.

And on May 13, the iconic Canadian sketch comedy troupe “The Kids in the Hall” return for a slew of new episodes, reunited for the first time in years.

If it’s original sci-fi you’re into, J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek play a couple who have a portal in their backyard in the new series “Night Sky,...

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” the official biopic of music icon Whitney Houston, is set to be released on December 21, 2022 according to Sony Pictures. London native Naomi Ackie will portray the legendary diva from Newark, New Jersey. The BAFTA-winning actress’ previous credits include “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,” “Master of None” and “The End of the F***ing World.” The first movie poster for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was recently revealed on Houston’s official website.

Kasi Lemmons directs the biographical musical based on the life of one of the world’s biggest superstars. Lemmons’ previous directing credits include 2019’s “Harriet” starring Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and 1997’s cult classic “Eve’s Bayou” starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, whose previous screenplay credits include “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) and “The Two Popes...