‘Joker’ is self-serious clownery masquerading as art
Warner Brothers/Courtesy
And, in its pompous self-seriousness, incoherent narrative and utter lack of depth, the film succeeds — in being tragically bad.
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Berkeley Playhouse’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ adaptation is a crowd-pleaser despite bumpy creative direction
“Mamma Mia!” brings in audiences with its retro musical numbers and gleefully soapy plot — two charming factors that Berkeley Playhouse’s adaptation mostly manages to capture.
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‘Fleabag,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ win big at 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards
The surprising success of “Fleabag,” along with a historic win for Billy Porter, made this year’s Emmys ceremony a pleasantly entertaining affair.
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Reel Talk episode 10: The dragon in the room
In this episode of ‘Reel Talk,’ Daily Cal Arts & Entertainment editors Anagha Komaragiri, Areyon Jolivette and Grace Orriss make predictions for the 2019 Emmy Awards. Questions addressed include: Does ‘SNL’ deserve to win an Emmy this year? Is ‘Fleabag’ worth the media hype? Is ‘Ozark’ a show for dads?
Let’s not give ‘Saturday Night Live’ another Emmy this year
Part of the justification for the show’s first Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2017 was a desire to reward its cogent, funny and sobering coverage of the 2016 election. But since that well-deserved win, the show’s political humor has been lacking.
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Why HBO reigns supreme at Emmys
HBO’s willingness to take risks when it comes to unique narrative ideas and a commitment to quality programming has allowed it to snag an abundance of nominations for a relatively small lineup of eligible series.
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‘Life as Art’: BAMPFA series explores authenticity, spirit in films of Abbas Kiarostami
Iranian film director, screenwriter and producer Abbas Kiarostami embraced the idea that the reality of others can often serve as some of the most powerful, impactful material for our consumption.
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Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter’ is chilling, worthy successor to season 1
Season two of “Mindhunter” matches the horrors of season one while also stretching its narrative focus in new and interesting ways.
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Hollywood hegemony: Spider-Man’s greatest nemesis
Why the breakdown in negotiations between Sony and Marvel Studios isn’t as simple as it seems
The general narrative among diehards is that Sony needs to “put story over money” — a hypothetical restructuring of priorities that essentially requires Sony to hand over its highest-earning property to Disney, no matter the cost or ramifications.
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‘Ready or Not’ is instant horror-comedy classic
The film is a thoroughly entertaining and original entry into the horror-comedy canon, an irresistibly fun blend of B-movie bloodbaths and smart-alecky satire.
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