Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 113 Shares109 Views

    in Movies

    Know What’s Funny About Getting Old? These Movies Do.

    Star-studded with leading ladies, who are all a bit older, recent comedies like “The Fabulous Four” and “80 for Brady” are establishing a popular new genre.There are two new films this year in which Academy Award-nominated actresses in their 70s whip out tiny sex toys. In “Summer Camp,” Kathy Bates offers up wee vibrators to Alfre Woodard and Diane Keaton. In “The Fabulous Four,” it’s Bette Midler giving Susan Sarandon a kegel ball that she later flings at a bike thief.You might confuse these comedies with “Book Club” (2018), where Keaton, again, finds herself in the company of fellow older luminaries (Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen). Or with “Poms” (2019), which places Keaton on a retirement community cheer squad with Jacki Weaver, Rhea Perlman and Pam Grier. Then, again, there’s also “80 for Brady” (2023), where Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno go to the Super Bowl.From left: Kathy Bates, Diane Keaton and Alfre Woodard in “Summer Camp,” directed by Castille Landon. “It’s important that we see people having fun,” Landon said.Roadside AttractionsThough the circumstances are different, the similarities in plot, casting and themes make the films easy to classify but tough to label. “Legendary ladies of cinema do a light romp,” is a little long; “Old lady comedies” might seem demeaning, but that is, essentially, how the films identify themselves. In the “80 for Brady” trailer, Moreno sums it up by saying: “The Super Bowl is no place for four old women.”Regardless of the label, this growing genre of star-studded comedies has become popular in recent years, with “Four,” which hit theaters on Friday, becoming the latest installment in the canon.You can usually see the same types of characters in each film. At least one of the women is a stick in the mud. In “The Fabulous Four” that’s Sarandon’s job. As Lou, she’s a serious doctor who loves cats and is holding a grudge against Midler’s character over a long-ago offense. Often Keaton, with her turtlenecks, is the most uptight of her group. And Fonda, when she appears, plays sexually adventurous characters, prone to making off-color jokes. Megan Mullally has that gig in “Four,” with an assist from the famously bawdy Midler. There are usually high jinks involving behavior that one might not expect from seniors. They get high. They go on adventurous excursions like parasailing or ziplining. They experiment with technology and social media. (“The Fabulous Four” has a whole bit about Midler on TikTok.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 125 Shares99 Views

    in Movies

    Hollywood’s Message to Red States: Our Movies Are for You

    After a period of openly using movies to display progressive values, studios seem to be heeding a message from many ticket buyers: Just entertain us.For nearly two decades, Hollywood has seemingly missed no opportunity to sound the alarm about climate change.There have been cri de coeur documentaries, most notably “An Inconvenient Truth.” Superheroes have been concerned, with Batman bemoaning mankind’s treatment of the planet in “Justice League.” Nary an award show goes by without a star or several begging viewers to take environment-saving action.So it was startling when the weather-focused “Twisters” arrived from Universal Pictures this month with no mention of climate change at all. If ever there was a perfect vehicle to carry Hollywood’s progressive climate change messaging — a big-budget movie about people caught in worsening storm patterns — wasn’t this it?Apparently not. Movies should not be about “preaching a message,” Lee Isaac Chung, who directed “Twisters,” said in a prerelease interview that served as a dog whistle to conservative ticket buyers.Trend spotting in cinema is a hazardous pursuit. Sometimes a movie is just a movie. “Twisters,” however, is emblematic of a clear shift in Hollywood: After a period of openly using movies to display progressive values, sometimes with success at the box office (“Barbie”) and often not (“Strange World,” “The Marvels,” “The Color Purple,” “Dark Waters”), studios seem to be heeding a message that many ticket buyers — especially in the center of the country — have been sending for a long time: We just want to be entertained, no homework attached.Put bluntly, it amounts to an attempt by Hollywood to bend to red state audiences.“It’s a reflection of economics and the desperation of the film industry,” said Corby Pons, a movie marketer who focuses on the faith community and is based in Nashville. “We want you to attend our movies. We need you to attend our movies.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 75 Shares129 Views

    in Music

    Who Is Eminem for in 2024?

    Subscribe to Popcast!Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicThe 12th studio album by Eminem, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” just had its debut atop the Billboard album chart, 25 years after the rapper’s major-label debut launched him into the pop stratosphere.It’s been an uneven ride — Eminem is one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time, and also an artist who has had numerous musical highs and lows, all while maintaining a durably committed fan base. He has been a flashpoint and an afterthought, sometimes all at once.On this week’s Popcast, a conversation about Eminem’s long and unlikely career, the forces that propelled him to superstardom, his stubbornness in the face of the ever-evolving sound of hip-hop, and how he toys with offense so much that he no longer truly offends.Guests:Jayson Buford, who writes for Complex, Stereogum and othersRob Markman, longtime hip-hop journalistConnect With Popcast. Become a part of the Popcast community: Join the show’s Facebook group and Discord channel. We want to hear from you! Tune in, and tell us what you think at popcast@nytimes.com. Follow our host, Jon Caramanica, on Twitter: @joncaramanica. More

  • 163 Shares199 Views

    in Music

    Three Members of the Nelons Gospel Group Are Killed in a Plane Crash

    The band members were traveling on Friday to a performance when their plane crashed in Wyoming. Four others on board were killed.Three members of the award-winning gospel band the Nelons and four other people on board were killed in a plane crash in rural Wyoming on Friday, according to the authorities and representatives for the band.The plane, an 11-seat Pilatus, crashed at approximately 1 p.m. local time in a remote area north of Gillette in Campbell County, Wyo., the county government said on Facebook.The three band members, Jason Clark; his wife, Kelly Nelon Clark; and their daughter Amber Kistler were traveling to perform on a cruise that was set to depart on Saturday from Seattle and sail to Alaska, according to a statement from Gaither Management Group, which the band recorded for.Ms. Kistler’s husband, Nathan, was also killed, as well as the band’s assistant, Melodi Hodges; the pilot, Larry Haynie; and his wife, Melissa.The Nelons, which were founded in 1977 by Rex Nelon, perform gospel, hymn and folk music. The group’s work drew three Grammy Award nominations, in 1979, 1982 and 1990. The band was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Among other honors, it won Voices of Gospel Music Awards.The group recorded more than 35 albums, with hit Southern gospel songs about hope and faith that include “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown,” “Come Morning” and “O For a Thousand Tongues.”Autumn Nelon Streetman, a fourth member of the band, was already in Seattle with her husband, Jamie. They had flown commercially, according to Mike Roberts, a booking agent for the band. She found out about the crash once she arrived at her hotel.“Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly’s brother, Todd Nelon and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead,” Gaither Management said on social media.The band had dozens of tour dates on its schedule this year. Earlier on Friday, band members posted a video from an airport tarmac in Nebraska City, Neb., before departing for their next destination in Montana.The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report is expected within 30 days.A board spokesman said investigators were expected to be at the scene of the crash on Saturday. “The aircraft is in a remote location, and once they gain access, they will begin documenting the scene,” he said.A wildfire broke out near the crash site, Campbell County officials said. A spokeswoman for the Campbell County Fire Department said that airplanes and heavy equipment were used to contain the fire to about 38 acres on Friday night. More

  • 100 Shares149 Views

    in Movies

    A Guide to Every ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Cameo

    Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are the stars, but they get help from a host of actors you may know from other superhero movies.“Deadpool & Wolverine” expects its audience to have a very good memory. To get the most out of the movie you have to not only be well-versed in the previous films starring the characters of the title — Ryan Reynolds’s foul-mouthed mercenary and Hugh Jackman’s gruff mutant with spiky claws — but you also should be able to recall the last 25 or so years of movies inspired by Marvel comic books. Even the ones that perhaps Marvel would like to forget.It also helps to know your Hollywood deal history. The film, directed by Shawn Levy, refers repeatedly to the fact that Disney, the owner of Marvel Studios, purchased Fox, Deadpool’s previous home. There are all sorts of appearances from previous Marvel stars thanks to a timeline-hopping plot in which Deadpool recruits Wolverine to help him save his friends from destruction. Along the way they meet heroes and baddies from various versions of this universe, many of whom have very familiar faces. Most of these characters have been discarded in what is called the Void, a wasteland of unwanted superpowered individuals first introduced in the Disney+ series “Loki.”Here’s a guide. Be warned: These are all spoilers.Chris Evans as Johnny StormWhen Chris Evans is first unveiled in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” both Deadpool and the audience assume he is playing Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. After all, Deadpool is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Evans is actually here as the superhero he played before Captain America: Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. Evans portrayed that Fantastic Four member in 2005’s “Fantastic Four” and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007). Those films were decidedly not as acclaimed or beloved as any of the Captain America flicks. So Evans’s appearance here as Johnny is both something of an intentional letdown and a more dastardly joke. It’s the first sign that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is going to be heavily referencing the pre-M.C.U. era of Fox Marvel movies.Jennifer Garner as ElektraJennifer Garner in “Elektra,” her 2005 superhero movie.20th Century FoxAfter Evans, there are three other stars who make for the most gasp-worthy cameos. The first is Jennifer Garner, back in leather as Elektra, whom she played in the 2005 movie of the same name. “Elektra,” a spinoff of “Daredevil” (2003), was not reviewed positively at the time, with The New York Times calling it a “rickety vehicle.” What about her Daredevil, played by Garner’s ex-husband, Ben Affleck? He does not show up in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” a fact acknowledged with a knowing laugh line. (Mostly, seeing Garner just made us wish for an “Alias” reboot.)Wesley Snipes as BladeWesley Snipes as Blade, a character that was better received than some of the others making cameos.New Line CinemaWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 63 Shares129 Views

    in Music

    Alanis Morissette Is Not Aloof

    Celebrating the 25th anniversary of her second album, the singer and songwriter spoke about being destabilized by sudden fame — and how she got her center back.If Alanis Morissette’s albums were children, “Jagged Little Pill” would be the spoiled one — universally beloved, lavishly celebrated, extravagantly fed. She has a soft spot for her second born, “Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie,” which was reissued with new material last month for its 25th anniversary. (She plays from the album on her current tour, which has dates through September.)Morissette was only 25 when “Supposed” came out, in 1999, but “Jagged” had made her a battle-hardened veteran of the It Girl industrial complex. She had hoped success would bring communion with other stars of popular and alternative music; instead, she found herself isolated and creatively drained.“I felt like I was at odds with the credo of the ’90s,” she said. “I thought there would be more intimacy and vulnerability and kumbaya, but it was all about aloofness and ennui and I am not aloof.”Inspiration came from the unconditional love of her friends back home in Toronto, and a monthlong trip to India, the grounding influence of which can be heard on the album’s breakout single, “Thank You.” “My songs can be an invitation to three emotions American culture generally doesn’t allow: fear, anger and sadness,” she said. “I get excited to embody those things onstage, and to have people watch me and feel it in themselves.”In an interview from New York, Morissette discussed the parts of her life that give her strength and perspective. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.1Living Libations Essential OilsNadine Artemis had an essential oil spot called Osmosis in downtown Toronto. When I was a teenager, I walked in and I thought, “Wow, this woman is a master. She’s my guru.” So I basically — kind of jokingly, but semiformally — have been under her wing for decades.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 100 Shares179 Views

    in Music

    Jerry Miller, Moby Grape Guitarist, Dies at 81

    He drew praise for his blues-inflected fretwork as his critically acclaimed band rode high, if briefly, during San Francisco’s Summer of Love.Jerry Miller, an acclaimed guitarist who emerged from the Pacific Northwest club circuit to make his mark on San Francisco’s psychedelic rock scene in the 1960s as a founding member of the lauded, if star-crossed, band Moby Grape, died on Sunday at his home in Tacoma, Wash. He was 81.His grandson Cody Miller said that he died in his sleep but that the cause was not yet known.Mr. Miller, whose fans came to include Eric Clapton and Robert Plant, played lead in the potent three-guitar attack of Moby Grape, a San Francisco quintet that hit its zenith in 1967, the year of the so-called Summer of Love.During its brief but shimmering heyday, Moby Grape was considered one of the top bands of the flower-power era. But while its psychedelic contemporaries in the city’s flourishing rock scene tended toward through-the-looking-glass lyrics and cosmic free jams, the band set itself apart by cranking out an earthy mix of blues, country, folk and chugging rock ’n’ roll — an eclectic approach that fit Mr. Miller’s musical philosophy, which he described in a 2013 interview with the website Blues.Gr as “a jolly good mix-up.”Moby Grape’s debut album, released in 1967, packed 13 songs into a tight 31 minutes. Rolling Stone once ranked it No.124 on its list of the 500 greatest rock albums, calling it “genuine hippie power pop.”ColumbiaMoby Grape’s debut album, called simply “Moby Grape” and released in 1967, contained 13 songs packed into 31 minutes. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 124 on its original list of rock’s 500 greatest albums, describing it as “genuine hippie power pop.”Mr. Miller had a writing credit on six of those tracks, including “Hey Grandma” and “8:05,” which came to be hailed as classics of the era. The album was “one of the finest (perhaps the finest) to come out of the San Francisco psychedelic scene,” Mark Deming wrote on the site Allmusic.com.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • 175 Shares179 Views

    in Music

    Darryl ‘Joe Cool’ Daniel, Illustrator of Snoop Dogg’s First Album Cover, Dies at 56

    The 1993 album “Doggystyle” went on to sell millions of copies around the world and solidified the career of Mr. Daniel, known as Joe Cool, as a hip-hop illustrator.Darryl Daniel, a hip-hop illustrator who designed the cover for his cousin Snoop Dogg’s genre-defining 1993 album “Doggystyle” and went on to lend his distinctive artistic flair to brands like Adidas and Supreme, has died. He was 56.His sister Diondra Daniel confirmed his death, and Snoop Dogg acknowledged it on Monday on social media, but neither provided additional information.Mr. Daniel, known in the hip-hop world as Joe Cool, became synonymous with the bright colors, block letters and bawdy canines featured on the cover of “Doggystyle,” which sold millions of copies around the world.His style from then on would always be linked to the album’s hits, including “Gin and Juice” and “Lodi Dodi,” which were heard on the streets and at house parties throughout Long Beach, Calif., greater Los Angeles and ultimately the country in the early 1990s, when “Doggystyle” helped usher in an era of G-funk music and became foundational for West Coast hip-hop.The artwork depicts two dogs in suggestive postures while several others peer over a brick wall above a dumbstruck dogcatcher. The risqué content drew negative reactions in the early ’90s, with some critics saying the depictions were demeaning to women, but Snoop Dogg fervently promoted Mr. Daniel’s work.On an episode of “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1994, Mr. Hall asked Snoop Dogg if he had anything to say about the artwork.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More