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Netflix announced 12 new titles for the first of the month and then added a dozen more to the mix. The stealth release slate was at least as good as the previously announced group. Happily, it included one of my favorite films ever. If you haven't seen it yet, this is your chance to add it to your list.

I saw this movie at the theater when it came out in 1989. It was astonishing, amazing, and absolutely brilliant. Sounds like an especially arrogant LLC, doesn't it? Well, it truly was and still is all of those things. From the opening frame to the last, I was riveted, as was the entire audience. As soon as it was available on DVD, I had my own copy. That was followed by the Blu-ray, then the digital version. And lucky you, you get to watch it now on Netflix.

When I say this is...

From his early years as an NYU film student to Oscar-winning success with BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee remains one of the most provocative filmmakers in modern cinema. Each of his “joints” dating back to his breakout 1986 dramedy She’s Gotta Have It often provides a snapshot of where black America stands socially and politically. In 2004, he took on the politics of sex and Wall Street in the satire She Hate Me.

After premiering on Prime Video back in January, Harlem season 3 has finally reached its conclusion. The last two episodes of the third installment are now streaming on Prime Video, and fans are eager to see how the six-episode season wraps up.

However, some fans were eagerly counting down the minutes for the final episodes to drop, staying up late and repeatedly refreshing Prime Video. The moment they were released, they wasted no time watching both episodes back-to-back. Now that they've finished, the big question on their minds is whether Harlem will return for a fourth season with a new batch of episodes.

Sadly, there’s disappointing news for fans. Harlem season 4 will not be happening as the beloved comedy series was announced last month to be ending with its third season. On Jan. 8, the official trailer for Harlem season 3 was released. At this time, it was also confirmed that this...

DeWanda Wise will star in “Killer Bee,” an adaptation of the upcoming graphic novel from David Crownson that Tommy Oliver’s Confluential Films will produce for the screen. Confluential, an award-winning, Black-owned and Black-founded film, television, and documentary production company, will co-finance the action film.

Wise, whose credits include “Jurassic World Dominion” and Spike Lee’s Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It,” will portray a retiring assassin who takes on an underground criminal network after being tasked to kill the man she’s recently fallen in love with. Crownson’s work includes the graphic novel, “Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer.”

The script for “Killer Bee” will be written by Kevin Arbouet and Terry Rossio. Rossio’s credits include all five of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, as well as “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Shrek,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Arbouet recently worked on the...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSMegalopolis.The 2025 Oscar nominations were announced late last week following multiple delays due to the Los Angeles fires. Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez (all films 2024) received the most nominations (thirteen) followed closely by Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist and Jon Chu’s Wicked (ten each). The New Yorker’s Richard Brody unpacks the assumptions underlying the Academy’s choices and posits an alternate list of nominees for five categories.London’s Prince Charles Cinema, a mainstay in the West End since the early 1960s, is facing a serious threat of closure after their landlords have demanded “a rent increase significantly above market rates” in their new lease. Zedwell Lsq Ltd and their ultimate parent company Criterion Capital have...

Acclaimed New Jack City screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper has passed away. He was 66 years old.

Per Variety, Cooper passed away on January 22, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. Cooper's passing was announced by a representative for award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, with whom Lee collaborated for Netflix's streaming series adaptation of She's Gotta Have It.

Born in Harlem, New York sometime in 1957 or 1958, Cooper grew up in Little Washington Heights, spending much of his youth in the Esplanade Gardens co-op. Cooper served as an investigative reporter for The Village Voice throughout the 1980s. His time with the alt-weekly paper led to the publication of his article "Tedd Riley's New Jack Swing: Harlem Gangsters Raise a Genius," which is largely attributed for naming the genre itself back in 1987. Later that year, The Village Voice published Cooper's article "Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young," which drew the attention of Quincy Jones, who...

Barry Michael Cooper, the groundbreaking screenwriter who shed light on urban experiences through film and journalism, died Tuesday in Baltimore. He was 66 years old.

Filmmaker Nelson George confirmed Cooper’s death, though the cause was not immediately known. Cooper leaves behind a significant legacy in Black cinema and journalism, best known for his influential “Harlem Trilogy” of films: New Jack City, Sugar Hill, and Above the Rim.

A Harlem native, Cooper began his career as an investigative journalist for The Village Voice and Spin Magazine in the 1980s. His reporting on the crack epidemic, particularly a 1986 Spin article titled “Crack, a Tiffany Drug at Woolworth Prices,” would later inspire his screenwriting work.

Cooper’s breakthrough came with New Jack City in 1991, a film that dramatized the crack epidemic through drug kingpin Nino Brown, played by Wesley Snipes. The movie was a major success, earning nearly $50 million on an $8 million budget...

Anticipation is building for the X-Men's arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The legendary mutants have been an integral part of comic book history for decades, and they made the jump to the big screen in 2000 with 20th Century Fox's game-changing movie series that ran for almost two decades. But now, they are slowly making their way to the biggest movie franchise of all time.

Marvel Studios is actively developing an X-Men movie in the MCU. It's expected to arrive in movie theaters in either 2028 or shortly after it, as the franchise's new chapter will have begun at that stage. The two upcoming Avengers movies will close out the Multiverse Saga, but that saga has also been imperative in opening the door for the X-Men's arrival, particularly due to the return of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

The rest of the X-Men, however, will likely be recast for the new project,...

Barry Michael Cooper, a writer and producer who co-wrote the blaxploitation ’90s classic “New Jack City” and finished his “Harlem trilogy” writing “Sugar Hill” and “Above the Rim,” died in Baltimore, Md. on Tuesday. He was 66.

Cooper’s death was confirmed by a representative for Spike Lee. The pair collaborated on the Netflix series adaptation of Lee’s debut feature “She’s Gotta Have It.” Cooper served as a producer for both seasons, and a write for three episodes.

Cooper made his feature screenwriting debut with Mario Van Peebles’ “New Jack City,” which he co-wrote with Thomas Lee Wright. The film starred Wesley Snipes and Ice-t as a gang leader and a hardened cop, dodging one another amid a crack epidemic in Harlem. The production represented a career change for Cooper, who had been working as an investigative reporter at The Village Voice beforehand — a tenure that produced the 1989 cover story...

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. will host the 77th Annual Writers Guild Awards in New York next month. WGA nominations were announced yesterday after being postponed amid LA wildfires.

The awards are still set to unspool in concurrent ceremonies on both coasts — the Edison Ballroom in New York and the Beverly Hilton in LA — on Feb. 15.

NYC presenters include Ronny Chieng, Adriana Diaz (CBS Mornings), Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain), Cole Escola, Bridget Moynahan (Blue Bloods), Michael McKean (The Diplomat), Annette O’Toole Rosie Perez (The Flight Attendant), Meredith Scardino (Girls5eva), Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night Live), DeWanda Wise and Michael Zegen.

Wood is currently host of CNN satire Have I Got News For You. He wrote and starred in the Writers Guild Award-nominated series Command Z, produced...

MGM+ has released the first photos from Godfather of Harlem Season 4, which will premiere on the streaming service in the spring.

In the fourth season, Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York’s Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Black gangster Frank Lucas (Rome Flynn).

After Malcolm X’s (Jason Alan Carvell) tragic death, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise’s (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) involvement with the Black Panthers. The fourth season will span 10 episodes.

The Emmy-winning drama series stars Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and was co-created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos). The series is produced by ABC Signature, which is a part of Disney Television Studios.

Godfather of Harlem is MGM+’s No. 1 all-time acquisition driver for subscribers and one of the platform’s top-performing original series. It’s...

A retired Green Beret addresses the inaccuracy of an explosion in a Spike Lee war movie. Since his first feature-length movie, She's Gotta Have It, was released in 1986, Lee's movies have been widely watched and celebrated. In the decade that followed his directorial debut, Lee directed many movies, including the critically acclaimed Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, with both the 1989 and 1992 movies garnering multiple Academy Award nominations.

Lee's prolific directing career continued into the 2000s with notable movies ranging from the Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman-led 25th Hour to Inside Man, the latter of which was Spike Lee and Denzel Washington's fourth movie together. Lee received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director in recognition of his 2018 movie, BlacKkKlansman, starring John David Washington and Adam Driver. Since then, Lee has signed a multiyear deal with Netflix.

An Explosion In Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods...

Spike Lee spoke about his upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest--which will reunite the director with Denzel Washington--and the Japanese director that inspired it.

Spike Lee has long been an acclaimed director. Films like Do The Right Thing and BlacKkKlansman are searing examinations of the impact of racial politics in the United States, while works like She's Gotta Have It and 25th Hour show his versatility as a director, covering wildly different subjects and genres. According to Variety, he spoke about his newest film, Highest 2 Lowest, during an on-stage talk Tuesday at the Red Sea Film Festival, for which he is president of the competition jury. He talked about how the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was a key inspiration for his film career.

Related 'I Didn't Give a F—': Spike Lee Defends Madonna's Casting in 1996 Comedy

Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee breaks down his thought process...

During a recent Red Sea Film Festival interview, legendary filmmaker Spike Lee spoke about his long-standing cooperation with actor Denzel Washington. Their collaboration, which includes five critically praised films, demonstrates a strong personal and professional affinity.

Lee, the jury president for the festival’s Yusr Awards, discussed his future project, “Highest 2 Lowest.” This film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 criminal thriller “High and Low” It is Lee’s eighth collaboration with Washington. The director was surprised to learn that their previous cooperative effort was 18 years ago, demonstrating the strength of their bond.

“We’re brothers,” Lee said, highlighting his close relationship with Washington. He lauded Washington’s extraordinary talent, calling him “arguably the best actor on the planet” and describing his portrayal of Malcolm X as “the best performance in a biopic ever.”

The conversation heated up when Lee mentioned Washington’s recent Golden Globe nomination for “Gladiator 2.

Spike Lee spoke warmly of his long-time working relationship and friendship with Denzel Washington in a conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival on Tuesday.

Lee is currently in post-production on Highest 2 Lowest, his latest collaboration with Washington, and their fifth film together after Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game and Inside Man.

“Someone pointed out to me that the last time we worked together was 18 years ago. I was surprised because it didn’t feel that way. I’m very blessed to have done five films together, he is arguably the best actor on the planet,” he said.

Lee, who also cast Washington’s son John David Washington’s son in BlacKkKlansman, suggested he shared a special bond with the actor.

“We’re brothers,” he said. “We just do our thing. We’re familiar with one another… our families are very tight.”

Talking about their collaboration in Malcolm X,...

Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman) took a brief break from his work as the president of the main competition jury at the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, sharing industry and career insights during an “In Conversation With” session and talking about being in post-production on his fifth film with Denzel Washington.

He calls his partnership with the actor “the dynamic Duo of D and Lee,” the legendary filmmaker told a crowd in Jeddah Old Town Al-Balad that was hanging on his every word amid growth in Saudi production activity and box office. “We are brothers. … We just do our thing.” Despite a long “gap” between working together, namely 18 years since Inside Man, he shared that it didn’t feel that way once they were on set. “We are familiar with each other. Also, our families are very tight.

Spike Lee spoke about his upcoming film “Highest 2 Lowest” – which will see the director reunite with lead actor Denzel Washington – during an on-stage talk Tuesday at the Red Sea Film Festival, where he is the president of the competition jury.

The film is inspired by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low,” he said, adding that Kurosawa has been a key inspiration for his career – from “She’s Gotta Have It” onward. In “High and Low,” an executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.

Lee said that attending NYU film school opened his eyes to filmmakers like Kurosawa, who introduced him to new approaches to story structure.

“One of the best things about film school is that you get introduced to world cinema, not just Hollywood. Seeing Kurosawa’s film...

With the fourth Thursday of every November comes an opportunity to give thanks, as families across the United States gather around warm fires and hand-decorated tables to break seasonal bread. The festive tableau — loved ones pulled close by the promise of turkey, stuffing, sides, and pie — is synonymous with what little it seems still unites Americans these days. And yet, the actual experience of the divisive holiday (notorious for its deeply dubious history origins and penchant for forcing fun with problematic relatives) can be enough to send you fleeing from the dining room in a fit of stressed-out gravy sweats.

When you’re done navigating the metaphoric minefield that is kith and kin, why not find comfort in a different kind of holiday hearth? We’re talking about the glowing screens that keep cozy all year long. Whether you’re enjoying a festive holiday movie or something else, films help...

Spike Lee is one of cinema's most distinct and prevalent voices to date, with seminal films like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and She's Gotta Have It under his directorial belt. Next, Lee is undertaking an adaptation of a beloved classic, Akira Kurosawa's thriller masterpiece, High and Low from 1963. Many other filmmakers have previously expressed interest in remaking the Kurosawa classic, including the likes of Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

However, Lee will be the first to bring the project to fruition, along with increasingly popular production company A24. High and Low will feature a script written by Alan Fox and Lee himself, and it is slated to star long-time collaborator Denzel Washington. This adaptation of High and Low will mark Lee's first feature film since the Oscar-nominated Da 5 Bloods. Here is everything we know so far about Lee's High and Low.

What Is 'High and Low' (1963) About?...

Exclusive: The Writers Guild of America East has a new class of Showrunner Academy graduates.

The 2024 class includes Radha Blank, Eleanor Burgess, Dominic Colón, Grainger David, Gerry de Leon, Kate Erickson, Gina Gionfriddo, Eliot Glazer, Eric Anthony Glover, Leah Gotcsik, Joseph Hampton, Christina Kallas, Nambi E. Kelley, Greg Lisi, Ted Malawer, Tim Mason, M Raven Metzner, Nathan Min, Adam Whitney Nichols, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, Charlie Oh, Celeste Parr, Jacquelyn Reingold, Dan Perlman, Katie Rich, Zach Smilovitz, Lauren Ashley Smith, Iturri Sosa, Jim Strouse and Mfoniso Udofia.

The Wgae’s Showrunner Academy is a training program that is designed for upper-level writers to hone their skills “to become successful showrunners and leaders in today’s television industry.”

The Academy is also “specific to the unique landscape and needs of the East Coast” in the instruction that it provides.

The full list of graduates and their bios are below.

Radha Blank is a Director,...

Exclusive: Jerrika Hinton (Hunters) and Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem) have wrapped lead roles in Mr. Crocket, a horror film produced for Hulu Originals by WorthenBrooks (formerly 20th Digital Studio), which will premiere exclusively on Hulu later this year.

Directed by up-and-comer Brandon Espy, from his script written with Carl Reid, Mr. Crocket is based on the 2022 short of the same name, written and directed by Espy for Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween. The story is about a mother who goes on a dangerous journey to get her son back when a demonic children’s show host begins kidnapping children.

Others in the cast include Ayden Gavin (Big George Foreman), Kristolyn Lloyd (Blue Bloods), and Alex Akpobome (Industry).

Part of WorthenBrooks’ first-look horror slate with Hulu Originals, the film was developed by WorthenBrooks, with David Brooks, Arbi Pedrossian, Jenna Cavelle, Carl Reid, Josh Feldman, Sean O’Grady, and Jesse Ford serving as producers.

Here’s a bit of The Last of Us casting news you’ll want to wolf down: Jeffrey Wright is joining Season 2 of the HBO series, TVLine has learned.

Wright will play Isaac in Season 2 of the dystopian drama based on Naughty Dog’s video-game series. This is a huge deal for fans of The Last of Us Part II, because Wright also played Isaac in the game.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Cristin Milioti Joins Hulu's Hit-Monkey, Death by Lighting Adds Bradley Whitford and MoreTVLine Items: Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia Lead Amazon Thriller, Peacock's Laid Adds 8 and MoreA...

Why Did DeWanda Wise Leave Captain Marvel? Actress Breaks Silence - Main Image

Marvel found its Maria Rambeau in Lashana Lynch, but before the British actress took the role, DeWanda Wise was supposed to play Carol Denver’s best friend in the 2019 Captain Marvel. However, she left the project before the production began, and Wise has now broken her silence about the real reason behind her exit.

Wise was cast as Maria Rambeau in January 2018 but was forced to part ways with the project in March of the same year before the filming started that Spring.

At the time, it was revealed that her departure was due to scheduling conflicts with the production of She’s Gotta Have It Season 2.

However, some couldn’t help but notice Wise’s words when she said making a Marvel movie was her “own personal nightmare.” So, what’s the truth about her exit?

DeWanda...

Jurassic World Dominion star DeWanda Wise was originally cast as Captain Marvel's Maria Rambeau in early 2018, but later exited the movie before production began later that year.

Lashana Lynch soon replaced her and has since played the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels.

While it was initially reported that Wise left Captain Marvel due to scheduling issues with She's Gotta Have It season 2, the actress has since been quoted as calling Marvel Studios' approach to filmmaking "[her] own personal nightmare."

Talking to The Direct, Wise explained that her comments were taken out of context and confirmed her Captain Marvel departure boiled down to a conflict with her television work.

"No, but that was a funny headline. I had to exit because it conflicted with Season 2 of 'She's Gotta Have It,'" she confirmed. "It was just both of those things were true at one time.

The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the official poster for its 77th edition.

Cannes likes to evoke cinematic history in its official merch, and this year’s poster is no exception. It features a scene from Rhapsody in August, Japanese classic from the late Akira Kurosawa, which premiered out of competition in Cannes in 1991.

In the film, Kurosawa’s penultimate feature as a director, a grandmother who was a victim of the Nagasaki bombing passes on her faith in love and integrity as a bulwark against war and violence to her grandchildren and her American nephew.

The poster chimes nicely with what is becoming a bit of a Japanese theme at this year’s Cannes festival. Earlier this week, Cannes announced it would present an honorary Palme d’Or this year to Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli (The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away), the first time the French festival...

Black leaders in the film industry have continuously broken barriers with their films in order to pave the way for upcoming voices, and many do so by forming their own production companies. Case in point—Oscar Micheaux, noted as America's first Black filmmaker, was the only man of color to ever produce a feature-length film in 1919. Micheaux, regarded as the most successful African-American filmmaker during the first half of the 20th century, worked as a film director and independent producer on more than 44 existing projects. He produced both silent and sound pieces throughout his career, creating opportunities for hundreds of artists along the way.

Spike Lee transformed the industry in '86 with his directorial debut, the acclaimed romantic comedy film She's Gotta Have It, centering on sexuality in the Black community; the main character, Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns), explores sexual relationships with three different men. Although deemed as controversial by some,...

Exclusive: Ilfenesh Hadera (Godfather of Harlem) has been tapped to star opposite Denzel Washington in Apple and A24’s High and Low, an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller, from filmmaker Spike Lee.

She comes to the project following collaborations with Lee on his acclaimed Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, based on his classic 1986 film, as well as his movies Chi-Raq and Oldboy.

Loosely based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom, written by Evan Hunter under the pen name Ed McBain, the original High and Low watches as a shoe company executive becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom. It’s unclear how closely Lee’s film will hew to the original storyline, and there’s no word yet as to the role Hadera will play.

Developed and produced by A24, Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures, Lee...

DeWanda Wise was originally tapped to play Maria Rambeau, best friend to Carol Danvers, in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” DeWise later said she backed out due to other filming obligations, but in an interview with Collider published Sunday, the “Jurassic World Dominion” star revealed a major reason had to do with the way Marvel actors work, which she described as “my own personal nightmare.”

“When I almost did Captain Marvel, there was a crew member, because I was going down the process, and they said to me, ‘Yeah, you know how it is, these movies, you hit your mark, you say your line, you go home’ … I heard that and I was like, ‘That is my own personal nightmare.… pic.twitter.com/n6TthhDBa9

— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) March 17, 2024

“I don’t think I’ve said this, and this is not good news, but when I almost did ‘Captain Marvel,’ there was...

DeWanda Wise rose to prominence with her performance in the Netflix comedy-drama series She’s Gotta Have It. However, fans of the Jurassic World franchise might know the actress as Kayla Watts in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Wise is currently starring in the Blumhouse horror film Imaginary, and gave an interview while promoting the film.

DeWanda Wise as Kayla in Jurassic World Dominion

In the interview, Wise opened up about her Hollywood career and spoke about being a part of a blockbuster franchise. At the same time, Wise shared her brief experience in the MCU and criticized Marvel for their approach to characterization and acting. Here is what Wise revealed about her short-lived MCU stint and why the Marvel process was one of her worst nightmares.

Jurassic World‘s DeWanda Wise Criticizes Marvel Movies Over Creative Approach

DeWanda Wise in a still from Jurassic World Dominion

Actress DeWanda Wise recently appeared...

Exclusive: Continuing to expand its cast, HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title) has added five as recurring: Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), Mickey Sumner (Snowpiercer), Brian Goodman (Fatal Attraction), Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem), and Colin Bates (American Rust).

Sbarge plays Police Chief Dorsey, who oversees a multi-unit operation to assist FBI Agent Tom (Ruffalo) and the team in their search. Sumner portrays Shelley Driscoll, who is desperate to escape her husband Ray, with Goodman as Vincent Hawkes, one of the 13 National Leaders of a dangerous biker gang. Nolasco plays Freddy Frias, the savvy and ruthless captain of Philadelphia’s largest drug trafficking organization, while Bates portrays Shane McReynolds, the Sergeant-At-Arms of a dangerous biker gang and a member of Jayson’s inner circle.

Others previously cast include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff...

Blumhouse strikes again with yet another bone-chilling horror feature. This particular genre is doing a pretty effective job of taking the things we cherished as children — looking at you, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey — and turning them into terrifying entities. What if that adorable little teddy bear you cuddled with every night suddenly started tasking you with dangerous and hostile acts? Or maybe it's your imaginary friend who's forcing your hand? These terrifying hypotheticals are explored in Imaginary, a new PG-13 offering that hits the masses this week. Don't let the more mild MPAA rating fool you, however. This bad boy packs a punch, and it's up to one heroic stepmom (DeWanda Wise) to swoop in and save her new family from seemingly evil spirits that have plagued their formerly peaceful home and existence at large.

We recently caught up with lead actress DeWanda Wise for an in-person interview...

The American Society of Cinematographers has done the right thing.

The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.

“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”

The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...

Can Anthony Ramos fix it? Yes, he can!

The Hamilton alum is attached to star in a feature-length Bob the Builder movie, based on the popular children’s series.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Anthony Ramos Joins Ironheart, Better Things Trailer and MorePerformer of the Week: Rose ByrneTVLine Items: Peete Joins Housewife, Hamilton Vet Is In Treatment and More

The animated film will find Ramos voicing Roberto aka Bob, who travels to Puerto Rico for a major construction job. There, according to the project’s synopsis, “he takes on issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build.

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's collaborations span multiple genres and have cultural and cinematic significance. "Mo' Better Blues" received mixed reviews, but showcased Lee's signature camerawork and Washington's acting talent. "Malcolm X" was a critically acclaimed biographical epic that earned accolades and preservation in the National Film Registry.

Distinguished by the talent and versatility of two of Hollywood's biggest names, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee collaborations are film treasures to behold despite varying to some degree of notability. The duo share a catalog that grew from the 1990 musical comedy Mo' Better Blues, crossed into the drama and biographical epic genres, and concluded in the action-packed heist film Inside Man in 2006. Their near 15-year collaborative history accounts for endeavors into vastly different genres, narratives, and intentions, yet all of their movies share the critical characteristic of being noteworthy in both cultural and cinematic spaces.

Prior to their work together,...

James McCaffrey, the actor who portrayed firefighter and 9/11 victim Jimmy Keefe on Rescue Me and provided the titular voice of the Max Payne video games, died Sunday at his home in Larchmont, N.Y. He was 65.

McCaffrey died after a battle with myeloma. The news was confirmed by his wife, actress Rochelle Boström, to The Hollywood Reporter.

More from TVLineJack Axelrod, General Hospital Actor and Grey's Anatomy Guest, Dead at 93Matthew Perry's Cause of Death RevealedAndre Braugher's Cause of Death Revealed

In addition to starring in 55 episodes of the FX dramedy Rescue Me, McCaffrey also starred in 1994’s Viper as...

James McCaffrey, who portrayed the firefighter and 9/11 victim Jimmy Keefe on Rescue Me and provided the voice of the title character in Max Payne video games, has died. He was 65.

McCaffrey died Sunday at his home in Larchmont, New York, after a battle with myeloma, his wife, actress Rochelle Boström, told The Hollywood Reporter.

McCaffrey also starred in the 1990s as expert driver Michael Payton/Joe Astor on the first and fourth seasons of the NBC drama Viper and as Capt. Arthur O’Byrne on the Fox crime series New York Undercover.

McCaffrey’s Jimmy was killed on 9/11, and his vision hounded friend and fellow New York firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) over all seven seasons (2004-11) of the acclaimed FX drama Rescue Me. He said it was his favorite role.

He voiced Max Payne — the avenging former NYPD officer turned DEA agent whose wife and daughter were murdered by...

Anthony Ramos, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Xolo Maridueña are solid choices to play Evelyn Hugo's first husband, Ernie Diaz, in the upcoming film adaptation. Jacob Elordi, David Corenswet, and Scott Eastwood are popular choices to portray Evelyn's second husband, Don Adler, in the highly anticipated film. Harry Styles, Diego Boneta, and Avan Jogia are top contenders to play rock star Mick Riva, Evelyn's short-lived third husband, in the upcoming movie adaptation.

A film adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is coming soon, which raises the question of which actors should play each of the seven husbands. Taylor Jenkins-Reid's novel tells the story of fictional Hollywood icon, Evelyn Hugo, a former movie star and sex symbol from Hollywood's Golden Age. Throughout her life, Evelyn has had a total of seven husbands, to whom each has a chapter dedicated with a descriptor attached to their name. However, her...

The stars are hitting the red carpet in New York City!

America Ferrera and husband Ryan Piers Williams joined Mary J. Blige and Mariska Hargitay on the red carpet at the 2023 Glamour Women of the Year Awards held on Tuesday evening (November 7) at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Keep reading to find out more…

Other stars in attendance included Brooke Shields, Chloe Moretz, Millie Bobby Brown, Selma Blair, Ayo Edebiri, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Malin Akerman, AnnaSophia Robb, Lauren Sanchez, Chelsea Handler, Abbott Elementary actresses Quinta Brunson and Lisa Ann Walter, And Just Like That actresses Karen Pittman and Sarita Choudhury, Real Housewives of New York City stars Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan, influencer Olivia Ponton, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore, fashion blogger Olivia Palermo, model Aoki Lee Simmons, Girls actress Jemima Kirke, The Vampire Diaries actress Kat Graham, Tony winner Alex Newell, comedian Amber Ruffin,...

Low-budget films can achieve cinematic greatness and have a lasting impact, as demonstrated by cult classics like Little Shop of Horrors and The Blair Witch Project. Independent filmmakers can create successful films without exorbitant budgets, as seen with El Mariachi and She's Gotta Have It. Low-budget movies promote artistic innovation and creative storytelling, challenging filmmakers to think outside the box and deliver compelling narratives on limited resources.

While budgets have notably skyrocketed in recent years for many major franchise films, comedies, and dramas alike, some of the most iconic and beloved movies of the past several decades cost less than $500,000 to make. In the age of multi-million-dollar blockbusters, it can be easy to overlook the creative gems that emerge from low-budget, independent filmmaking. Often driven by ingenuity and resourcefulness, low-budget films can still captivate audiences with unique storytelling and innovative approaches. Films with a limited budget can fuel artistic innovation,...

Spike Lee has helped launch the careers of many venerated actors and actresses, some of whom have delivered his movies' best performances. Since his feature directorial debut with She's Gotta Have It in 1986, Lee has cultivated a loyal stable of frequent actors, including Denzel Washington, Delroy Lindo, and John Turturro, who regularly appear in the filmmaker's "joints." He brings out the best in his casts, as most of his actors have received critical praise and a few have even been recognized by the Academy Awards.

With more than 40 features to his credit, Spike Lee doesn't always hit a home run with his movies, but almost all of them feature great actors doing standout work. The best performances in Spike Lee's movies can be found in a variety of dramas, comedies, biopics, and thrillers representing every decade of the filmmaker's lengthy career. These performances also highlight Lee's own skills in front...

Spike Lee praises Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as a great film but criticizes its omission of the impact on the Japanese people from dropping the atomic bombs. Lee suggests that more minutes should have been dedicated to exploring the long-term effects on Japan, as people were vaporized and affected by radiation. Despite its critical acclaim, Oppenheimer neglects to portray the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the displacement of indigenous people during Trinity's construction.

Direct Spike Lee thinks highly of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, though he does have one major criticism. Kicking off his career with his 1986 breakout hit She’s Gotta Have It, Lee is known for his socially-conscious films like Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and Malcolm X. Beginning his feature film career over a decade later with 1998’s Following, Nolan has become a blockbuster film director, helming The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, and most recently the box office-breaking biopic Oppenheimer.

Netflix's Sex Education has left a demand for more coming-of-age series on sex and relationships, luckily there are plenty available to watch on Netflix. Derry Girls, Skins, She's Gotta Have It, The End of the F***ing World, Never Have I Ever, Atypical, On My Block, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Heartstopper, and Euphoria are all recommended shows with similar themes to Sex Education. These shows explore love, life, awkward situations, and important discussions in unique and entertaining ways, making them suitable for young adult audiences.

Netflix has released the fourth and final season of its British comedy Sex Education, bringing the beloved series to its end and leaving a major demand for more coming-of-age series focusing on sex, relationships, and young people, which luckily, there is an abundance of. In particular, there are series that replicate Sex Education's British charm, its high school ambiance, its unashamed look at sex and relationships,...

Proud New Yorker Spike Lee took time to address the 22nd anniversary of Sept. 11 during a keynote talk at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday.

Specifically, Lee recalled he was in Los Angeles on that Tuesday in 2001 and was scrambling to get back to his hometown in crisis to be with his family.

“The world has changed since that day,” Lee said of 9/11 on Monday during a Visionaries session presented by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lee began his keynote with a 30-minute episode of NYC Epicenters 9/11 -> 2021 1/2, his 2021 four-part documentary for HBO that filters the Covid-19 pandemic, the racial reckoning of the summer of 2020, the Jan. 6 insurrection and the tragedy of 9/11 through the director’s New York city perspective.

“There’s some rough things you’ll see. But as a filmmaker, I’ve never been one to hide shit. It’s not simulated computer stuff. This is real, what happened to,...

Toronto — Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF, is delighted to announce the first honourees of this year’s Tribute Awards: Academy Award®–winning directors and legends Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee. One of the world’s foremost filmmakers and provocative storytellers, Almodóvar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant, and Lee, a cultural icon who has influenced generations of filmmakers, will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award. The 2023 Tribute Awards presented by Bulgari will take place on Sunday, September 10, during the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival at Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Now in its fifth year, the TIFF Tribute Awards have served as an awards-season bellwether, with past honourees Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao going on to win awards on the international stage.

“It’s a true thrill to acknowledge Pedro...

TIFF is honouring big talent.

On Thursday, the Toronto International Festival announced the first recipients of its 2023 Tribute Awards, to be handed out during the fest in September.

Read More: TIFF Reveals First-Look At Nicolas Cage In ‘Dream Scenario’, Announces Movie As Platform Programme Opener

The first pair of recipients will be directors Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee, both well-recognized lights of international filmmaking.

A Spanish filmmaker, Almodóvar is known for his brightly coloured, melodramatic films dealing with sex, relationships and much more. He has frequently worked with actors like Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas.

His films include “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!”, “All About My Mother”, “Talk To Her”, “Volver”, “Pain and Glory” and more.

“It’s a true thrill to acknowledge Pedro Almodóvar as the distinguished recipient of the Jeff Skoll Impact Media Award for 2023,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Pedro has been coming to TIFF for...

Directors Pedro Almodovar and Spike Lee will receive special awards at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey announced on Thursday.

Almodovar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, which is sponsored by Participant, while Lee will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award, named for the late film critic Roger Ebert. The honors will be presented during the TIFF Tribute Awards on Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, on the fourth night of the 11-day festival.

“Pedro has been coming to TIFF for years and each time is better than the time before,” Bailey said in a statement. “His artistic vision, bold storytelling, and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of cinema have had a profound impact on cinema. He challenges societal norms, champions diversity, and illuminates the human experience with sensitivity and grace.”

Almodovar, whose films include “Talk to Her,” “All About My Mother,...

Celebrated directors Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee will be honored at at the fifth annual TIFF Tribute Awards on Sept. 10, during the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, organizers said on Thursday.

Spanish auteur Almodóvar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media from Participant, while the Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods filmmaker Lee will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel gala.

Toronto tips its marquee awards show as an awards-season bellwether, as past honorees include Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi and Chloé Zhao.

Almodóvar has been among the most successful European directors since his 1988 melodrama Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown won the best young film honor at the inaugural European Film Awards and went on to art house success worldwide. He has won five more European Film honors, as well as five BAFTAs,...

Oscar winning filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee are getting feted at this year’s TIFF Tribute Awards.

Almodóvar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant, while Lee will be bestowed with the TIFF Ebert Director Award. The fifth annual Tribute Awards ceremony presented by Bulgari will take place on Sunday, Sept. 10 during the 48th edition of the fest at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

The TIFF Tribute Awards in its short run have already served as an awards-season bellwether, with past honourees including Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao who all went on to receive Oscar wins.

“It’s a true thrill to acknowledge Pedro Almodóvar as the distinguished recipient of the Jeff Skoll Impact Media Award for 2023,” stated TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “Pedro has been coming to TIFF for years and...

Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee will be feted at TIFF 2023.

Both auteurs were announced as the first Tribute Award recipients for this year’s festival, with the fifth annual fundraising gala taking place Sunday, September 10. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey confirmed that Almodóvar will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media presented by Participant, and Spike Lee will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award.

The Tribute Awards are presented by Bulgari, with the celebration hosted by the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

The Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media recognizes leadership in creating a union between social impact and cinema, with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Alanis Obomsawin, and Mira Nair previously earning the award.

“It’s a true thrill to acknowledge Pedro Almodóvar as the distinguished recipient of the Jeff Skoll Impact Media Award for 2023,” Bailey said. “Pedro has been coming to TIFF for years and each time is better than the time before.

Previous winners have included Mira Nair and Martin Scorsese.

Pedro Almodóvar and Spike Lee have been named as the recipients of the Tribute Awards at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The awards, now in their fifth year, will be presented on September 10, the first Sunday of the festival’s September 7-17 run.

Almodovar, whose Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown won TIFF’s People’s Choice award in 1988, will receive the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, presented by Participant. The award recognises “leadership in creating a union between social impact and cinema” and past recipients have included Buffy Sainte-Marie,...