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    Review: ‘The Vince Staples Show’ Is a Hip-Hop Head Trip

    Netflix adds to the rap-comedy canon with five episodes that showcase the star’s absurdist, deadpan sensibility.There have been enough offbeat comedies about rappers and hip-hop lately to make up their own genre — the shape-shifting surreality of “Atlanta,” the scatological farce of “Dave,” the social-media savvy of “Rap Sh!t” — not to mention a list of dramas and docu-series from “Empire” to “Wu-Tang: An American Saga.”On Thursday, Netflix adds “The Vince Staples Show,” an impressionistic alt-comedy built around the deadpan sensibility of its star. It is mordantly funny and visually arresting, although at five brief episodes, it’s more of an EP than a magnum opus.Staples, once affiliated with the alternative hip-hop collective Odd Future, is known not just for his music but for a self-aware sense of humor that’s made him a sharp presence on social media. In the series, whose executive producers include Staples and Kenya Barris (“black-ish”), he plays a version of himself, flexing his sardonic voice while playing with the sense of danger that informs many of his lyrics.In the first episode, Vince is pulled over after making a U-turn in his home town of Long Beach, Calif. The experience is part nightmare (he’s locked up with a white man with Nazi tattoos and a behemoth with a reputation for knifework); part satire (when he picks up the communal phone, a voice says, “Hello, and welcome to jail!” followed by the sound of children cheering); part hallucination (for his meal, he’s handed a sandwich topped with a Draw Two Uno card).Outside jail, Vince’s world is just as much of a comic dystopia. A bank visit turns into a combination heist flick and Jordan Peele horror story. On a trip to a water park, the loudspeaker announcements are cryptically menacing (“All children must be accompanied by adults of the same ethnic background”), and the cartoony park mascot glares at Vince with ill intent.Unlike other recent hip-hop comedies, the rap-business part of “Vince Staples” stays largely offscreen. We don’t see Vince recording or performing, though he does run into the megastar Rick Ross. Instead, his fame is the backdrop and premise. It gets him recognized in lockup (an admiring guard quotes his song “Norf Norf” at him); it gets him an invitation to speak at his old school that goes bizarrely south; it gets him targeted by relatives looking for loans.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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    ‘The Vince Staples Show’ Is Part Art House, Part ‘Home Improvement’

    The hip-hop star’s wit has long shone in his critically acclaimed music and on social media. Now, it is the center of his new Netflix sitcom.Vince Staples is not someone you would describe as “excitable.” During a recent conversation about his new Netflix sitcom, “The Vince Staples Show,” his deliberate drawl remained steady throughout. But his clear pride in the series, out Thursday, broke through his placid exterior a few times, such as when he talked about the cameo by the high-living rapper Rick Ross or the show’s Swedish film influences. He also knows that the mere fact of its existence is exceptional.“I don’t think there are many people who have been able to write and produce and star in their first television show, on a network that’s this big, that comes from where I come from,” Staples, 30, said in a video interview from his home in Los Angeles.Staples said he had ambitions to make his own show since he released his debut album, “Summertime ’06,” in 2015. On that LP and the four that followed, Staples wove stories about his upbringing in Long Beach with a sardonic delivery — a perspective that proved to be his through line between multiple mediums. His interviews and social media posts, in which he casts off irreverent one-liners and blunt social critique, have generated enough material for greatest hits collections.Staples made his acting debut in 2015 playing an inept sidekick in the comic coming-of-age film “Dope”; he has since starred in other movies, including the 2023 “White Men Can’t Jump” reboot, and in series like “Lazor Wulf,” an animated comedy on Adult Swim. He’s been able to incorporate some of his wit and other aspects of his personality in more recent roles, like the deadpan but well-meaning romantic interest he plays in “Abbott Elementary,” opposite the show’s creator Quinta Brunson.Staples, right, has acted in films including the 2023 reboot of “White Men Can’t Jump.”Hulu“The Vince Staples Show,” which counts Staples and Kenya Barris (“black-ish”) among its executive producers, is a more idiosyncratic kind of sitcom. In the world of the series, in which Staples plays a fictionalized version of himself wiggling through day-in-the-life predicaments, a trip to the amusement park becomes a treacherous sojourn and gun-culture satire runs alongside physical comedy. It’s part art house, but Staples insists it’s also just him.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 Taylor Tomlinson Nailed the Closing Joke in her Netflix Special

    Images: The New York Times (Taylor Tomlinson in Boston, Dallas, Tucson and Seattle); Margaret Norton/NBCUniversal, via Getty Images (Bob Newhart); Martin Mills/Getty Images (Shelley Berman); Cable Stuff Productions (George Carlin “Complaints and Grievances”); Columbia Pictures (Richard Pryor “Live on the Sunset Strip”); Netflix (Taylor Tomlinson “Have It All”).Produced by: Tala Safie and Josephine Sedgwick. Video editor: Caroline Kim. Senior video producer: Jeesoo K. Park. Production manager: Caterina Clerici. Additional production: Shane O’Neill, Rumsey Taylor, Josh Williams and Lucky Benson. Cinematography: Allie Humenuk, April Kirby, Stephanie Rose and Emily Rhyne. Additional cinematography: Manuel López Cano and Alex Miller. Additional editing: Stephanie Goodman and Alicia Desantis. More

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    ‘Lover, Stalker, Killer’ Review: True Crime With Lots of Twists

    This documentary directed by Sam Hobkinson focuses on a jump back into the dating pool that soon turns horrific.True-crime doc watchers who are in committed relationships may see “Lover, Stalker, Killer,” a bracing account of a lurid series of misdeeds directed by Sam Hobkinson, and breathe a sigh of relief over being out of the dating pool.It begins in 2012, when Dave Kroupa, an auto mechanic in Omaha, was rebounding from a breakup. He finds himself at 35, single and ready to mingle. On a dating app he meets Liz Golyar (likes bowling, enjoys giving the finger to video cameras, as per the archival footage) and then, believing their relationship to be nonexclusive, also takes up with one Cari Farver.Soon into the liaison, Farver starts freaking out. Dave is pelted with nasty texts and emails — the screen fills with vulgar words and threats and the soundtrack becomes awash in digital glitches. The violence soon escapes the virtual: Golyar’s house burns down.As the litany of harassment unfolds, Farver has yet to be seen. The puzzle here might have been solved by the application of Occam’s razor, had all the variables been known at the time. Even so, the twists include a few that even the keenest of armchair sleuths would not have guessed.The filmmakers indulge in some legerdemain, having the real-life participants recount the events as if certain facts were not already in the open at the time of the interviews. The movie also contains staged footage, including arguably cheesy Midwest-law-enforcement world building: Two detectives who help break the case are introduced while killing time in a pool hall. By now these are accepted conventions, so there’s little point in complaining, especially when the end result is so brisk, in a tight 90 minutes.Lover, Stalker, KillerNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Watch on Netflix. More

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    Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in February: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ ‘The Tourist,’ More

    A live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and a new season of “The Tourist” highlight the new offerings this month.Every month, Netflix adds movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for some of February’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)‘Orion and the Dark’Now streamingFans of the writer-director Charlie Kaufman’s playfully complex art films like “Synecdoche, New York” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” may be surprised to see his name in the credits of an animated kids’ movie. But while this adaptation of an Emma Yarlett picture book (directed by Sean Charmatz from a Kaufman screenplay) is very much oriented toward children, it has some of the metafictional layers for which Kaufman is known. Jacob Tremblay is the voice of a young boy, Orion, whose fear of darkness prompts a visit from the physical manifestation of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser), who tries to show him the wonders of the night. Colin Hanks is the voice of the older Orion, describing this boyhood adventure to his own nervous daughter, who keeps questioning her dad’s version of what happened. The tension between the story itself and the way it gets told adds some poignant, adult undertones to a family-friendly romp.‘One Day’Starts streaming: Feb. 8Based on a David Nicholls novel (previously adapted into a 2011 movie), this romantic dramedy miniseries covers 20 years in the lives of two University of Edinburgh classmates, who have one painfully awkward date after graduation in 1988 and then spend much of their young adulthood staying in touch but failing to become a couple. Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod play these distant friends, whom “One Day” revisits on the same day each year, to show how their careers and relationships go through dramatic changes, often pulling them further apart. Like the book, this is the story about the loves and times of two very different people, who could actually be perfect for each other if they can ever get past their hang-ups.‘Players’Starts streaming: Feb. 14In this romantic comedy, Gina Rodriguez plays a New York sportswriter named Mack, who alongside her best friend and colleague Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.) is a master at running “plays” in singles bars, telling lies to help each other coax their romantic quarries into bed. Then Mack meets Nick (Tom Ellis), a renowned war correspondent who might be worth more than a one-night stand. Directed by Trish Sie from a Whit Anderson script, “Players” combines the mechanics of a heist film with the trappings of a old-fashioned big city love story, for a portrait of middle-aged adults starting to realize it may be time to grow up and stop playing games.‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Season 1Starts streaming: Feb. 22Fans of the epic animated fantasy series “Avatar” have been anxious to see this live-action version, after the previous attempt to adapt the franchise into a live-action movie fell flat. This new take is overseen by the writer-producer Albert Kim — the creators of the Nickelodeon cartoon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were initially involved but withdrew in 2020, citing creative differences. Like the original, this version is set in a world where four kingdoms — each representing one of the classical elements — have been in crisis since the Fire Nation went on the attack. The first season’s eight hourlong episodes introduce the title character, Aang (Gordon Cormier), a superpowered youngster who despite his small size and occasional clumsiness may be the one to restore balance to society.‘The Tourist’ Season 2Starts streaming: Feb. 29In Season 1 of “The Tourist” (which originally aired on HBO Max now streams on Netflix), an Irishman traveling through rural Australia suffers a bout of amnesia after getting run off the road by a truck. With the help of the friendly small-town cop Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), this man (Jamie Dornan) — who eventually learns his name is Elliot — tries to piece together who he used to be and why someone may be trying to kill him. In Season 2, Helen and Elliot keep following that trail to Ireland, where he learns more about his violent past and tries to reconcile it with the gentler person he has become since the accident. As with the first season, the second weaves some jarring twists and dark comedy into a story about someone who has been on the run for as long as he can remember.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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    Stream These 11 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in February

    “Dune” and “Snowpiercer” are among the action epics, dramas and teen comedies leaving soon for U.S. subscribers. Watch them while you can.Family fun, action epics, historical dramas, teen comedy — there’s a little something for everyone among the titles leaving Netflix in the United States in February. (Dates indicate the final day a title is available.)‘Chicken Run’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here.With the long-awaited made-for-Netflix sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” having hit the service barely six weeks ago, you’d think Netflix would have licensed the original installment for a bit longer. Frankly, they should keep it around even if there weren’t I.P. to service — this is one of the most delightful family pictures of the 2000s, a fast-paced and very funny riff on “The Great Escape” and its ilk. Assembled with the customary care and wit by the stop-motion masterminds at Aardman Animations (the crew behind Wallace and Gromit), it’s a delight for kids and grown-ups alike.‘Prometheus’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here.In 1979, the director Ridley Scott had his first big hit with “Alien,” an ingeniously conceived and cleverly executed mash-up of an alien adventure and a haunted-house horror movie. The series continued in the hands of directors like James Cameron and David Fincher, while Scott continued to hone his distinctive style; this 2012 installment was his return to the franchise. Some were disappointed that the results weren’t merely “Alien” redux, but credit to Scott for making “Prometheus” an exploration of the themes and aesthetics that preoccupied him at that point in his long career, rather than merely retreading a past success. The special effects are astonishing, the production design is spot-on and the performances (particularly Charlize Theron as a villainous upper manager and Michael Fassbender as an enigmatic android) are memorable.‘Real Steel’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here.It’s not exactly a promising premise: a washed-up boxer turned sleazy promoter finds a champion on the underground robot-boxing circuit, bonding with his estranged son in the process. To call it hypercalculated is an understatement (our critic parsed its DNA as “‘Transformers’ meets ‘E.T.’ meets ‘Rocky’ meets ‘The Champ,’” and that’s not far off), but as Roger Ebert liked to say, it’s not what a movie’s about, but how it’s about it. The director Shawn Levy orchestrates the events with earnestness, refusing the urge to look down on the material (or the audience), and he has an invaluable partner in the movie’s star, Hugh Jackman, who plays the slimy lead without pulling his punches, yet retains enough of his inherent charisma to make us root for his inevitable redemption arc.‘Operation Finale’ (Feb. 19)Stream it here.Oscar Isaac is in fine form as a tough but sensitive Nazi hunter tasked with finding and extracting Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), one of the architects of the Final Solution, from his hide-out in Argentina to stand trial in Jerusalem. This true story is efficiently dramatized by the director Chris Weitz (whose filmography, which includes such divergent efforts as “American Pie” and “About A Boy,” might not make him an obvious choice for a tough historical drama), and though Matthew Orton’s screenplay includes juicy supporting roles for the likes of Nick Kroll, Mélanie Laurent and Haley Lu Richardson, its best scenes put Isaac and Kingsley toe to toe and watch them work.‘Babylon Berlin’: Seasons 1-3 (Feb. 28)Stream it here.This German crime epic became an international sensation when it began airing in 2017 — reportedly the most expensive television program ever produced in its home country. Based on the best-selling novels by Volker Kutscher and brought to life by a trio of writer-directors (Achim von Borries, Henk Handloegten and Tom Tykwer, the latter of “Run Lola Run” and “Cloud Atlas”), this sprawling, handsomely mounted narrative is set in the underworld of Germany during the Weimar Republic, the wild and fruitful period that preceded the Third Reich. It’s dizzyingly complex and giddily entertaining, but also timely; as Handloegten noted on its premiere: “All these people didn’t fall from the sky as Nazis. They had to become Nazis.”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?  More

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    Why We Keep Rewatching ‘Gilmore Girls’

    The show, which ended in 2007, was still one of the 10 most-watched shows across major streaming platforms last year, according to the research firm Nielsen.Some things have inexplicable staying power. The Hermès Birkin bag. Cheetos. Crocs.And for nostalgic millennials, there is “Gilmore Girls.” The show ended its seven-year run on the WB and CW networks in 2007, yet viewers keep returning to the familiar comfort of the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Conn., where the series was set.Netflix recorded 500 million viewing hours for the show from January to June of last year, surpassing hits like “Seinfeld” and “Stranger Things,” and data released on Monday by the research firm Nielsen showed that “Gilmore Girls” was among the Top 10 most-watched shows across the major streaming platforms in 2023.The show, which concluded the month before the iPhone was introduced, is even finding a younger audience on TikTok, where users post scenes they love and argue about their favorite romantic partners for every character.Yanic Truesdale, who played the grumpy inn concierge Michel, lovingly called it “the show that will never die.”“I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands, over the years, of people saying, ‘I got a surgery, and your show kept me going,’” he said. “Or, ‘I lost my dad,’ or ‘I lost this person, and I would watch the show and I would feel better.’”He added that he still meets fans who offer testaments to its popularity: “I’m always amazed that 10-year-olds, 15-year-olds — kids — are watching it as if it just came out.”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?  More

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    The Queer Kids Are All Right. And Now They’re Making Me Better.

    Here’s a list of every openly queer person I knew when I was 15:That’s it. None. Not even myself.Oh sure, Paul Lynde and Liberace were flouncing on television; closer to home, a boy I kept my distance from decoupaged his notebooks. But even if they really were what people whispered or snarled about them, it was not then an identity they would dare to acknowledge.Nor would I. Unable to see through their closet doors to the truth of what their lives might be, I did not have the benefit of their stories, which meant not having the benefit of my own.Cut to today, 50 years later. Another 15-year-old boy — like me intense, unathletic and bullied — is the lead character on “Heartstopper,” a hit teen romance. But this boy, Charlie, knows all about queerness. He is, after all, growing up in the 2020s and, more to the point, in 2020s pop culture. In that magical land, also known as Netflix, adolescence for people like him is not only survivable but often a lovefest, all closet doors blown off their hinges.And I do mean all. Charlie (adorkable Joe Locke) is happy to be gay, and why not: When he crushes on a dreamy and apparently straight rugby player, the rugby player promptly comes out as bisexual. Their romance is supported by a cute teenage lesbian couple they hang out with. Also in the group is a bookish nerd who realizes he’s asexual — or “ace,” as he explains, pinning a fun new name on that identity. Even the straight boy, vastly outnumbered, gets a queer love story when he falls for his best friend, a beautiful trans girl.Welcome to the classic lifeboat plot, checking boxes on a diversity agenda. But this time it’s mostly calm seas and clear sailing.Do I sound envious? I am. Also slightly embarrassed.Don’t get me wrong: My husband and I devoured the first two seasons. (The third is expected in the fall.) I’ve also been watching, with or without him — for these are guilty pleasures — a slew of other queer youth stories, all the while trying to sort out my feelings.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?  More