AP Entertainment
AP-Entertainment
Movie Review: Always time to die? In ‘Mickey 17,’ Robert Pattinson just can’t manage to stay alive
Robert Pattinson just can’t help dying in “Mickey 17.” Actually, it’s part of his job description. As an “expendable” on a colonizing mission to a far-off planet, Pattinson’s Mickey is a basically a human guinea pig, and he gets “reprinted” every time he dies. Bong Joon Ho’s hotly awaited follow to his Oscar-winning “Parasite” is unsurprisingly full of creativity, writes Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck in her review. But the film devolves into narrative chaos, bloat and excess, with only Pattinson’s all-in performance to save the day. Rated R, the Warner Bros release opens in theaters Friday.
Movie Review: A reckoning in surreal, riveting ‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’
Rungano Nyoni’s sophomore feature “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” centers around a family funeral in Zambia. It’s a dayslong endeavor for a large group in which generational traumas and open secrets bubble to the surface. Susan Chardy bridges these generations as Shula, who discovers the dead body of her uncle Fred and begins piecing together how many women he has victimized in her family. In her review for The Associated Press, Film Writer Lindsey Bahr writes that the film is darkly comedic, stylish and hauntingly bizarre, and cements the arrival of a masterful filmmaker. Rated PG-13, the A24 release opens in theaters Friday.
George Clooney revisits a journalistic hero in Broadway version of ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’
NEW YORK (AP) — George Clooney, the proud son of a journalist, likes journalism and telling truth to power. He takes that another step this spring as he makes his Broadway debut, telling the story of legendary reporter Edward R. Murrow in an adaptation of his 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck.” The two-time Oscar winner Clooney returns to Murrow at a time when journalists are under fire from the new U.S. administration and being denied access for not following White House talking points. Clooney says the play is about “who we are at our best.”
Tom Llamas to succeed Lester Holt as NBC “Nightly News” anchor
NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Llamas will succeed Lester Holt as NBC “Nightly News” anchor this summer, but he’ll be working double duty. Llamas will also continue hosting a one-hour newscast on the NBC News Now streaming service, that will begin each weeknight after “Nightly News” ends on television. Llamas’ elevation to the top role was anticipated after Holt announced last week that he was stepping down as NBC News’ top anchor. Holt has been doing that job for a decade, and will stay at the network on “Dateline NBC.” Llamas, who is 45 and joined NBC from ABC News in 2021, has been Holt’s top substitute.
Robert Pattinson reminds audiences that accents are a signature of his performances in ‘Mickey 17’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Often when Robert Pattinson gets a script, one of the first things he does is try on different accents to bring his character to life. It’s unsurprising, then, that when he was offered a starring role in “Mickey 17” — director Bong Joon Ho’s first feature film since his Oscar-winning “Parasite” — Pattinson’s wheels immediately started turning over what his characters would sound like. “Mickey 17,” a Warner Bros. release hitting theaters March 7, tells the story of Mickey Barnes, a naïve but sympathetic protagonist who signs up to be an “expendable” in a world that makes use of “human printing” for dangerous tasks and research.
Former Meta official’s ‘explosive’ memoir about the social media giant to be published next week
NEW YORK (AP) — An insider account being billed as an “explosive” memoir about “seven critical years” at Facebook/Meta will be published next week. Flatiron Books announced Wednesday that “Careless People” is scheduled for March 11. It was written by Meta’s former director of global public policy, Sarah Wynn-Williams. Flatiron says Wynn-Williams will describe in detail Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to allow Meta in China and her own efforts to get the company to monitor misinformation on social media. Flatiron says she will offer “shocking accounts of workplace harassment and misogyny” even as Sheryl Sandberg was urging women to “Lean In.”
The Oscars get their biggest audience in 5 years despite dominance of ‘Anora’ and other small films
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Smaller movies didn’t mean smaller viewer numbers for the Oscars. An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched Sunday night’s 97th Academy Awards ceremony, the biggest audience in five years. That’s according to figures released by ABC on Tuesday. The triumph of “Anora,” which won five Oscars including best picture, and other relatively little-seen winners still brought a lift over the 19.5 million viewers from last year, when the major hit “Oppenheimer” dominated. The Conan O’Brien-hosted telecast did have the benefit of 10 nominations for the big hit “Wicked” and an opening performance from its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two visions of the trauma of disappeared people in Latin America had a central role at Sunday’s Academy Awards. The Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship, won best international film Sunday. And the night’s leading nominee was the musical “Emilia Pérez,” about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. Activists say the films shined a powerful light on the disappearance of tens of thousands of people throughout the region.
New Dries Van Noten designer blends the archive with a new voice in Paris
PARIS (AP) — Julian Klausner has presented his first womenswear collection as creative director of Dries Van Noten at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, a setting that reflected the historical influences woven throughout his designs. The show Wednesday marks a new chapter for the Belgian house following Van Noten’s departure last year after three decades at the helm. Klausner approached the collection with a balance of archival references and new interpretations. Elements of 1930s tailoring were evident in sloping shoulders and vintage head caps, while draped gowns in floral devoré fabric brought a modern take to historical silhouettes. Klausner maintained the brand’s signature layering and textural contrasts, integrating structured tailoring with more fluid elements.
A new exhibition highlights how German artist Anselm Kiefer was inspired by Vincent van Gogh
AMSTERDAM (AP) — When he was 17 years old, German artist Anselm Kiefer retraced the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh from the Netherlands through Belgium and into France. Now, more than half a century later, the museum named for the Dutch master is joining forces for the first time with the neighboring Stedelijk modern and contemporary art museum in Amsterdam to stage a blockbuster exhibition of Kiefer’s work. It’s titled “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind,” a reference to folk singer Pete Seeger’s iconic anti-war anthem “Where have all the flowers gone?” The exhibition opens March 7 and runs until June 9 at the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum.
