Author: David Grove
At the end of this week, Sean Combs – the rapper and record producer also known as Diddy – will be sentenced by a federal judge in the aftermath of his sex-trafficking trial. Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July, and he now faces years in prison. As the hearing draws nearer, new developments continue to arise, and there’s now been another. Legal documents reveal that Combs wants to address the judge during the proceedings, and his lawyer laid out his reasoning for that.Diddy opted not to take the stand during his sex-trafficking…
Last week marked the final late deadline for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Best of luck to all who play; the next two months will be an exercise in raw anxiety. Last year, Sundance screened 151 projects out of 15,775 submissions, a success rate of just under one percent. That ratio underscores a longstanding truth: Sundance has always been a crapshoot. My first festival was 1995, when the Narrative Grand Jury prize was split between Edward Burns’ “The Brothers McMullen” (Fox Searchlight acquisition) and Benjamin Ross’ “The Young Poisoner’s Handbook” (released by now-defunct home video company Cabin Fever Entertainment). Neither…
Paul Bettany, the actor best known for playing Vision (and J.A.R.V.I.S.) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had his breakout roles in films like A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. However, one of his earliest and best roles was in the medieval action comedy A Knight’s Tale, where he played Geoffrey Chaucer, the creator of The Canterbury Tales. Almost 25 years have passed since the film’s release, but Bettany recently shared that he hasn’t been able to watch it again. The reason? He says he misses his co-star Heath Ledger too much. Ledger passed…
FX has a number of great shows out right now, which are streaming with a Hulu subscription. We’ve been treated to another show to binge on Hulu with Season 2 of English Teacher, which brought us back to Morrison-Hensley High School. I’ve been flying through the new episodes, and I’ve got to say, I feel extremely seen as a millennial. Let me explain further.While folks figure out how to watch English Teacher, I was there ready when Season 2 premiered on September 25th. Some of the best shows this season are when Evan is trying to teach his students, and…
“One Battle After Another” has already been hailed as a modern masterpiece, but for its opening weekend in Los Angeles, the lines outside the new Paul Thomas Anderson film looked almost tame compared to another pop culture must-attend happening on the other side of town. Not even Leonardo DiCaprio in limited VistaVision could compete with the most powerful midnight movie ever made as partygoers in full costume emerged across the city to toast “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and celebrate its 50th anniversary at the Academy Museum, the Roxy Theatre, and more L.A. venues, kicking off a particularly festive October…
Mattson Tomlin might be working with Matt Reeves on The Batman – Part II, but he also has his sights set on working with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire on Spider-Man 4. Tomlin is a screenwriter who has worked on films such as Project Power and the Netflix anime series Terminator Zero, and contributed uncredited work to The Batman. Tomlin has been working with Matt Reeves on The Batman – Part II, the sequel to the 2022 film that recently completed a script and is aiming for a 2027 release date. Following Fathom Pictures’ re-release of Sam Raimi and Tobey…
For 20 years, Survivor was appointment viewing for me. Starting with Season 2, The Australian Outback, I made sure to either be home or to DVR (yep, it was in those days) each episode and watch them as soon as I could. The show, which just premiered Season 49 on the 2025 TV schedule, was one of my most anticipated hours of the week. I fell off after Season 40, but now, with Season 50 on the horizon, I’m back in. Here’s my Survivor story. (Image credit: CBS)Season 39 Was Great, But Covid Changed My Viewing HabitsSeason 39, Winners At…
When Charli xcx coined “Joachim Trier Summer” earlier this year, who knew that that would soon turn into “Joachim Trier Fall,” and now, “Joachim Trier Awards Season.” His latest, “Sentimental Value,” debuted at the 63rd New York Film Festival on September 30, sending his Cannes Grand Prix winner into even further awards chatter. His follow-up to “The Worst Person in the World,” the film centers on two daughters (Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reuniting with their estranged filmmaker father (Stellan Skarsgård) after their mother dies, and as he prepares for his next project. “This film somehow is a continuation…
It’s fitting that director Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon opens on the death of its central character, acclaimed songwriter and lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke). As the film winds back to focus on one pivotal moment of Hart’s life, it feels as though he is being eulogized in real time. Linklater’s film is an important and humanizing work, as it gives dimensionality and space to an artist who was worried he’d only be remembered for his hits. The world may have closed the book on Lorenz Hart, but it’s projects like these that encourage us to re-open its pages. Release Date…
Bad auditions are as much of a norm in Hollywood as sunshine and craft services, and while they can sometimes be detrimental to a career or specific project, it’s not always a bad thing for famed actors to whiff on promising roles, which hindsight can speak to. Case in point: megastar George Clooney recently reflected on one of his least positive attempts to secure a role, which led to a surprisingly harsh comment from Francis Ford Coppola.Clooney was speaking about an incident from nearly 35 years ago, when he auditioned for one of the more high profile horror adaptations of…