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Mike Africa Jr. met his parents in prison. In fact, he was born in a cell. For most of his life, he did all he could to get his mother,
Debbie Africa, and father,
Mike Africa Sr., released. A new documentary,
40 Years a Prisoner, available on HBO now, follows his journey fighting his parents’ incarceration and rigorously examines the sordid history of law enforcement practices like the ones that landed them there in the first place.
Like Africa Jr., director
Tommy Oliver grew up in Philadelphia, hearing rumblings about MOVE the back-to-the-land Black anarchist group Africa Jr.’s parents were core members of. (While the name is capitalized, it’s not an acronym.) It wasn’t until Oliver began doing his own research on MOVE that a much bigger story began to reveal itself. “I watched everything I could. And then I went to the Temple [University] Urban Archives, and I went through dozens of boxes of content,” Oliver told
The world has pretty much already ended at the beginning of director and star
George Clooneyâs mournful new survival drama,
The Midnight Sky (Netflix, December 23). Somethingâa gas? Nuclear radiation? A chemical plague?âhas swiftly wiped out most of Earthâs population, clouds of death expanding across the planet on their way toward the poles. In the icy far north, scientist Augustine (Clooney)âbearded and solitary like a lonely Santa Clausâawaits his inevitable end while trying to rescue one last shred of humanity. A crew of astronauts is returning home from their vital mission on a distant moon that can support human life. Augustine has to inform them that, well, thereâs nothing to come back to. They may as well turn around and make haste toward the future.Â
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Peter Jackson has surprised Beatles fans with a gift for the holidays: a first look at the upcoming documentary
The Beatles: Get Back. The doc, which was set to hit theaters this year but has been delayed because of the pandemic, revolves around a 1969 session in which the Fab Four wrote and recorded new music, and prepared for their first live show in two years. Per Jacksonâs introduction to the first look, the footage isnât a trailerâthatâll come out next yearâbut rather âa montage of momentsâ¦it just gives you a sense of the spirit of the film.â
Save this story for later. The phone is great, and it s terrific you can get a text from somebody that says good to see ya, but there s something about holding a piece of paper in your hand.
And with that,
George Clooney made his case for old fashioned letter-writing as a virtuous form of communication. (He did not divulge if his a typewriter fanatic like
Tom Hanks, or preferred to stick to the ol quill.)
Clooney appeared on Friday night s
Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to promote his forthcoming Netflix sci fi film
The Midnight Sky. While host and guest were chatting across the Atlantic (Clooney is currently in England) they got on the topic of letters.
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When the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 28, 2021, in Park City, Utah, there won’t be a long line of people standing outside the Eccles Theater, watching their breath catch in the cold winter air and Main Street surely won’t be packed with revelers and sponsor activations, either.
Instead, on account of the coronavirus pandemic, next year’s Sundance will actually expand amid the contraction of live events. Rather than relying solely on in-person experiences, the festival has plans that extend far beyond the theater: a digital platform where patrons around the world can watch this year’s lineup; drive-in screenings at venues around the country; in-person showings at independent art houses nationwide where indoor events can happen safely and in accordance with public health guidelines; and even a virtual reality space that includes live performances and a lobby where people can digitally congregate.