“ Kung Fu Panda 4 ” stayed at the top of the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. The Universal and DreamWorks Animation movie earned $30 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The franchise featuring the voice of Jack Black is responsible for over $1.9 billion at the … Read more
Calixto Bieito added an element to “The Exterminating Angel” that Luis Buñuel and Thomas Adès left out: cannibalism. Adès’ opera, based on Buñuel’s 1962 film “El ángel exterminador,” details psychologically blocked dinner guests who can’t depart a mansion and the disintegration of decorum after days of dystopian detachment. Bieito’s new production opened at the Paris … Read more
LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Usher was named entertainer of the year at the 55th annual NAACP Awards on Saturday night, which highlighted works by entertainers and writers of color. After Usher accepted his award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the superstar R&B singer spoke about being thankful about the journey … Read more
The new Mark Wahlberg movie “ Arthur the King ” is the cinematic version of an inspirational classroom poster. It means well and has something worthwhile to say, but for the most part, it’s also rather generic — an underdog story that hits the expected beats. Wahlberg plays an adventure racer, Michael, who has yet … Read more
Frida Kahlo used her own experiences to inform her art. In that spirit, Kahlo’s personal writings are used to help tell the story of her life in a new documentary, “Frida.” Filmmaker Carla Gutiérrez blends first person narration with archival footage and interpretive animation of Kahlo’s work in the film, which is now streaming on … Read more
AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s election-year provocation, debuted Thursday at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, unveiling a violent vision of a near-future America at war with itself. “Civil War,” reportedly A24’s biggest budget release yet, is a bold gamble to capitalize on some of the anxieties that have … Read more
NEW YORK — The romantic tearjerker “The Notebook” lands on Broadway in awkward musical theater form this spring having previously conquered books and movies. It is intent now on making a live audience openly weep by employing massive doses of schlocky sentimentality without the aid of Ryan Gosling. The bombastic musical that opened Thursday at … Read more
LOS ANGELES — For generations, German composer Hans Zimmer ‘s film scores have soundtracked magic movie moments in “The Lion King,” “Gladiator,” the “Dark Knight” trilogy, and most recently, “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two.” This fall, Zimmer will bring his award-winning scores to the live stage. His “Hans Zimmer Live” tour, which sold out in … Read more
LOS ANGELES — If you participated in Atlanta’s wildest gathering called Freaknik back in the day, then beware: You might be featured in Hulu’s new documentary about the legendary street party that became popular through folklore tales involving gridlock traffic, public nudity and highway debauchery. Many of those images will certainly be on full display … Read more
Actress Sharon Stone has claimed a movie producer told her to have sex with her leading man to improve the film. The 66-year-old star claims Robert Evans, a producer on the 1993 film Sliver, put her under pressure to have sex with co-star Billy Baldwin, brother to fellow actors Alec and Stephen Baldwin. Evans told … Read more
