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‘Sunday Best’ Review: Ed Sullivan’s Really Big Impact
Sacha Jenkins’s documentary, about the variety show trailblazer and his commitment to Black performers in the Civil Rights era, will keep you hooked.As the opening credits of the documentary “Sunday Best” roll, Billy Preston in a killer chartreuse suit takes to “The Ed Sullivan Show” stage. Ray Charles pounds the keyboards and brass players ready to enter a sped-up version of “Agent Double-O-Soul.”From the get-go, Sacha Jenkins’s film about the variety show trailblazer Ed Sullivan and his commitment to Black performers, entwined as it became with the Civil Rights Movement, keeps us hooked. It’s not just the trove of archival performances — Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, James Brown — that persuade. It’s observations from legends and friends; among them Harry Belafonte, Smokey Robinson and the Motown impresario Berry Gordy.A music journalist-turned-filmmaker, Jenkins had the hip-hop bona fides to guarantee “Sunday Best” would not be a white savior tale. Instead, his film reveals the authentic amity and steadfast values of an ally. As a young sportswriter, Sullivan denounced N.Y.U.’s football program for benching a Black player when the University of Georgia came to town.“My parents knew these things were wrong … it wasn’t broad-minded, it was just sensible,” he tells the journalist David Frost in a 1969 television interview. Born in 1901 in a Harlem of Jewish and Irish immigrants, Sullivan furthered his mother and father’s example. “You can’t do so-and-so because the South will not accept it,” Belafonte recalls execs and sponsors telling Sullivan. “Ed pushed the envelope as far as an envelope could be pushed.”Illuminating and so entertaining, “Sunday Best” nevertheless elicits a mournful pang. Sullivan died in 1974. Belafonte is gone. Jenkins died in May at the age of 53. And a once celebrated CBS, home to Sullivan for decades, seems to be begging for last rites.Sunday BestNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Watch on Netflix. More
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Behind the Squirrel Scene That James Gunn, ‘Superman’ Director, Says Almost Got Cut
“You’ll believe a man could fly.” That was the tagline for the 1978 “Superman” movie, made when superhero films were so rare that simply watching someone soar through the sky felt magical.Today, though, comic-book movies are commonplace, with flight and other superpowers handed out so liberally that even Annette Bening has blasted energy beams from her hands. (That happened in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” What, you don’t remember?)James Gunn’s new take on “Superman,” in theaters now, has its fair share of flight scenes and they’re all convincingly done. But the movie’s mission statement has more to do with a pure spirit than a special effect: In the middle of one frenetic action sequence, after noticing a tiny squirrel is in danger of being crushed by debris, Superman leaps into action to rush the animal out of harm’s way.Sure, you’ll believe a man could fly. But would you believe that man would go to the trouble of saving a squirrel?“The squirrel moment is probably one of the most debated,” Gunn told me recently. In early test screenings, some audiences were confused about why Superman (David Corenswet) would prioritize a tiny critter when all of Metropolis was in jeopardy. But to Gunn, that was exactly the point: His cleareyed, upbeat incarnation of Superman prizes saving every life, human or not.“A lot of people were anti-squirrel. They thought it was too much,” he said. “And I think it really comes down to, do you like squirrels or not?”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
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In the Spirit of Labubus, Cute Sidekicks Are Taking Over Major Movies
In hit after hit, adorable monsters — as chaotic and cuddly as the popular accessory — have fulfilled moviegoers’ need for escapism.This summer has been invaded by a group of adorable furry monsters with sharp teeth. They are known as Labubus, and they are everywhere.The trendy key-ring dolls, from the Chinese purveyor Pop Mart, have received endorsements from Rihanna and Cher, and are omnipresent on social media. In a way, they’ve also infused the movies.Not literally, of course, though I wouldn’t put it past some executive to be developing a Labubu franchise right now. No, it’s more that the spirit of Labubus is everywhere onscreen. The blockbuster business has been overtaken by cuteness — sometimes ugly, chaotic cuteness in the style of the Labubu craze, but cuteness nonetheless.Nearly every major movie released since May features a cute sidekick, there to make audiences coo with delight. The season opened with Disney’s live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” featuring the charmingly manic blue alien, Stitch. It became a box office success in part because of fans’ enduring love for the extraterrestrial with a penchant for causing a ruckus. You could say Stitch is the original Labubu. They do look an awful lot alike.“Lilo & Stitch,” starring Maia Kealoha, was a box office success in part because of the appeal of Stitch, the lovable blue alien.Disney, via Associated PressIn June, another remake was buoyed by a CGI cutie: Toothless, the title star of “How to Train Your Dragon,” whose oversized eyes and pointy (retractable) chompers have a Labubu-esque quality. Also like Stitch, Toothless looks wild but, at times, acts as a pet, be that a cat or a dog depending on the moment in the story.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
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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Directors Discuss the Film’s Rise and Chart-Topping Soundtrack
Maggie Kang, a director of the hit along with Chris Appelhans, was “just trying to make something that I wanted to see: a movie that celebrated Korean culture.”Ever since its release on Netflix last month, the original animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has burned up the internet — and the charts. The musical fantasy has topped the streamer’s global rankings and inspired countless memes, dance challenges (some even by K-pop stars), themed merchandise and fan art. The film’s equally blockbuster soundtrack has stormed the music charts, with eight of its songs landing in the Billboard Hot 100.“KPop Demon Hunters” follows the members of a fictional K-pop girl group as they juggle demanding careers and fight to save the world from soul-stealing demons. The film’s directors, Maggie Kang (a veteran storyboard artist on films like “Rise of the Guardians” and “Puss in Boots” ) and Chris Appelhans (who directed “Wish Dragon”), spoke about the making of their movie and its unexpected rise as a global cultural phenomenon.Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.Maggie, the story behind “KPop Demon Hunters” was your idea. What convinced you that a film that combines disparate elements like K-pop, animation, traditional Korean art and mythology, and demons could resonate with so many different audiences?MAGGIE KANG Well, nothing did. [Laughs] I was basically just trying to make something that I wanted to see: a movie that celebrated Korean culture. And for some reason, I landed on demonology. I thought the jeoseung saja [grim reapers in Korean mythology] — which is what the boys are at the end of the movie with the black hats and the black robes — was such an iconic image from my childhood that I was very scared of, so I knew that I wanted to feature that. And the thought of demons naturally led to demon hunters. I wanted to see female superheroes that were a lot more relatable, who like to eat and make silly faces. We weren’t trying to make them just pretty, sexy and cool. They had very real insecurities and showed that.Demon hunting is usually done very secretly, so these girls needed a public-facing persona. I was also really wanting to do something K-pop-related. It was like, let’s just see if these two things can go together.“I wanted to see female superheroes that were a lot more relatable, who like to eat and make silly faces,” Kang said.NetflixWe 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
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The Kurosawa You May Never Have Heard Of
The great Japanese genre director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, whose latest film is “Cloud,” has mastered the cinema of psychological fright. Here’s why you should watch his work.“Who are you?” the enigmatic young man central to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1997 breakthrough horror thriller, “Cure,” repeatedly asks. He’s been accused of hypnotizing people and prompting them to commit gruesome murders.That deceptively simple question might be the paramount concern in the cinema of Kurosawa, the prolific Japanese filmmaker whose unnerving, genre-defying films are often preoccupied with questioning or revealing the true identity of their characters — to us and to them.One could say that Kurosawa is to psychological fright what David Cronenberg is to body horror.Masahiro Toda and Koji Yakusho in “Cure.”Daiei StudiosIn “Charisma” (1999), about a detective stranded in a rural community obsessed with a singular tree, he asks what makes some people special and others just ordinary. In “Cure” (streaming on the Criterion Channel), he ponders whether the victims of hypnosis are innate killers or coerced puppets. And in his chilling 2001 internet ghost story “Pulse” (streaming on Tubi), his young characters wonder if they are alone or just lonely.In each of these narratives, the weight of society influences the individual. Kurosawa seems perpetually interested in that tug of war between our free will and the status quo. The supernatural or eerie elements often read like catalysts that incite an inner reckoning.Haruhiko Kato with Koyuki in “Pulse.”Magnolia PicturesWe 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
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What if Theme-Park Rides Were Based on Art-House Films?
Say hello to the Anora-Coaster. More
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Inside L.A.’s Vidiots, a Video Rental Store Where DVDs Still Have a Waiting List
Vidiots, a holdover from the golden age of VHS, is staging a comeback as a community hub.A companion to T’s 212 series about New York institutions, the 213 column highlights beloved landmarks in and around Los Angeles.In 1985, when Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber opened their video store, Vidiots, in a former bail bonds storefront a few blocks from Santa Monica beach, the movie rental industry was just gaining momentum. Blockbuster, the mega-chain, opened that same year in Dallas, while smaller rental franchises like Captain Video and Video Station were springing up all over California. Polinger and Tauber, childhood friends who grew up in West Los Angeles, had been working in international film distribution and business management, respectively, when they decided to change course. “We were tired of working in corporate environments that were dominated by men. We wanted to be in business for ourselves,” says Tauber when we met on a recent video call with Polinger.The two friends came across a magazine article detailing the rise of video stores across the country — by the mid-1980s, there were some 15,000 movie rental outlets in the United States — and decided to take a leap. “Neither of us had ever worked retail before. We were in our early 30s and thought we were over the hill,” says Tauber with a laugh. “This was our chance.” When banks wouldn’t give them a loan, they cobbled together money from family. They knew they wanted a neon sign for the storefront but could only afford seven letters. A brainstorming session led to the name Vidiots.Cathy Tauber (left) founded Vidiots in 1985 in Santa Monica, Calif., with Patty Polinger (right). Maggie Mackay (center) is the Vidiots Foundation executive director. Photographed at the Eagle Theatre in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 12, 2025.Carlos JaramilloPolinger and Tauber set out to distinguish their shop as an alternative video store, and one more welcoming than other niche retailers. They didn’t want customers to think that they “had to know every director,” says Polinger. “We were against that snobbery in other stores.” Initially they offered just 800 VHS cassettes for rental ($2.50 per day for members), including the Beatles documentary “Let It Be” (1970) and Jean Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1946). The founders were also determined to make Vidiots — just 1,000 square feet — a community hub of sorts by hosting events. The year after it opened, customers were invited to a late-night gathering with the experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger. Another early event had Polinger and Tauber baking a breast-shaped cake for the director Russ Meyer, known for campy sexploitation films like “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1965). “Many women wore bras for tops and Russ was happy to autograph them,” recalls Tauber.Rare VHS cassettes on display at Vidiots. Many of the tapes are not available to rent because of their fragile condition, but the foundation has plans to digitize much of the collection.Carlos JaramilloThe store held puppet shows and limbo contests and threw a polka party for the documentarian Les Blank. An Elvis impersonator performed after the screening of the documentary “Mondo Elvis” (1984), and musicians from the nearby Venice Beach boardwalk would drop by to play drums on paint cans inside the store. “The vibe at night, especially on the weekends, was a party,” says Tauber.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
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How Superman Handles a Lois Lane Interview
James Gunn, the screenwriter and director of “Superman,” narrates a sequence featuring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.A budding relationship gets in the way of dogged journalism in this scene from “Superman.”The film’s screenwriter and director, James Gunn, narrates the sequence in the above video, which involves a conversation between Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent (David Corenswet) in Lois’s apartment. The two are dating, and Clark agrees to be interviewed as Superman by Lois. She asks him about a recent incident in which he prevented one fictional country in the DC universe, Boravia, from invading another, Jarhanpur.“I think the fun thing about the scene, what I really love about it, is that it addresses so many different things in so many ways,” Gunn said during an interview in New York. “We’re talking about Lois and Clark’s relationship in a way that we’ve never seen it. But we’re also getting to know them as human beings more and seeing what their belief systems are, which is important for a movie like this. And also, we’re saying, if somebody like Superman did exist, how he could affect world politics in such an incredible and strange way.”“I just wanted to keep things simultaneously grounded, but also fast paced,” Gunn said. “There is a little bit of ‘His Girl Friday,’ ‘It Happened One Night’ in the dialogue, but also keep everything as real as we possibly can and make it a surprise for ‘Superman’ viewers.”Read the “Superman” review.Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics’ Picks and more. More
