Month: February 2023

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” became the most-streamed Marvel film premiere on Disney+ worldwide, based on hours streamed in its first five days,  Directed by Ryan Coogler, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” launched on Disney+ on Feb. 1, after its theatrical debut Nov. 11, 2022.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” takes place following the death of Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa from the first Black Panther film, with the people of Wakanda grieving his loss and searching for a way for their kingdom to endure. Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of T’Challa’s death, and they must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for Wakanda. The sequel introduces Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, ruler of a hidden undersea nation, and also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livinalli.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is nominated for five Academy Awards, including one for Bassett for supporting actress  Bassett is the first woman, first person of color and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for an Academy Award for a performance in a comic-book adaptation.

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British audiences know Idris Elba best as detective John Luther from the BBC show Luther which ran for five seasons from 2010 – 2019. Elba starred as the Detective Chief Inspector for the Serious and Serial Unit.

Now a new Netflix film titled Luther the Fallen Sun brings the character to the big screen, with Elba portraying a now a disgraced detective and in jail (based on what took place in Luther’s fifth season).  Said Elba: “He’s done so much to bend the law in order to catch the bad guys that he’s ended up in jail. So that’s where we start the story. He’s contemplating what he’s going to do with his life.”

Written by Luther creator Neil Cross, the trailer shows returning character DSU Martin Schenk (played by Dermot Crowley) finding out that Luther has escaped jail, something that doesn’t seem to surprise him. Two-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo plays DCI Odette Raine who tries to get Luther to turn himself in. and the film introduces Andy Serkis as David Robey, the villain to Luther.

Luther: The Fallen Sun comes to theaters on Feb. 24, and will then premiere March 10 on Netflix. You can take a look at the trailer – here.

‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ Trailer: Idris Elba Is On The Hunt For A Serial Killer In Netflix Follow-Up Film

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The upcoming film “Air,” which tells the story of the creation of one of the most iconic pieces of footwear in history — Nike’s Air Jordan — has shared it’s first trailer.

Inspired by true events, the film is directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars alongside Matt Damon. Damon takes on the role of sneaker company executive Sonny Vaccaro, who lobbies Nike co-founder Phil Knight (portrayed by Affleck), with an idea to put the company on the map: creating “the greatest basketball shoe that’s ever been made,” built around a then-unknown college basketball player named Michael Jordan.

The trailer shows Damon’s Vaccaro courting Jordan’s mom Deloris, played by Viola Davis, all while trying to convince the company he’s not out of his mind.  The trailer closes with Affleck’s Knight asking of the shoe, “Got a name for it?” and Damon’s character replying “Air Jordan,” to which Affleck replies, “I dunno. Maybe it’ll grow on me.”

“Air” also stars Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Marlon Wayans, and hits theaters April 5.  You can check out the trailer – here.

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Barbra Streisand will release her first memoir this November 2023.   Viking Books announced that the 80-year-old singer/actress shares the details of her life and career in the upcoming book, My Name is Barbra.  The publisher tweeted: “We are thrilled to announce the long-awaited memoir by the superstar of stage, screen, recordings, and television, @BarbraStreisand! MY NAME IS BARBRA will be published on November 7, 2023. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/MyNameIsBarbra”

In ‘My Name is Barbra,’ Streisand recounts growing up in Brooklyn, her first appearances in New York nightclubs and her breakout performance in Funny Girl as well as her films Yentl and The Prince of Tides, her political advocacy, and her marriage to actor James Brolin.

My Name is Barbra is slated for release Nov. 7. To pre-order, head here.

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Jeremy Renner is sharing an update with his fans as he continues to recover from his snowplow accident. Renner shared on Instagram that his upcoming Disney+ series, “Rennervations,” will still be debuting on the streaming service after he’s fully recovered.  Said Renner: “We are so very excited to share the #rennervations show with you all on @disneyplus coming very soon. As soon as I’m back on my feet, we are coming to YOU, all across the globe…I hope you’re ready!”

Per the series’ official synopsis, “‘Rennervations’ is a four-part series that embraces Jeremy Renner’s lifelong passion to give back to communities around the world by reimagining unique purpose-built vehicles to meet a community’s needs. Behind the big screen, Jeremy is a construction aficionado, and he is heavily invested in the highly creative fabricator culture that exists across the globe and hopes to change lives with these skills and inspire others to do the same.”Prior to his accident, Renner had shared a teaser trailer of the home renovation series, captioning a post: “There’s no better way to kick off the new year than giving back to those who need it most! Don’t  miss #Rennervations, coming soon to @disneyplus.”

Renner has been keeping fans updated on his recovery via social media ever since his serious snowplow accident on Jan. 1 at his home near Lake Tahoe. Renner was attempting to assist a family member after the vehicle his relative was driving became stuck in the snow, per statements made by authorities. An estimated three feet of snow had fallen during a storm the night before in Reno.

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Legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach died in Los Angeles  on Feb. 8 of natural causes at age 94.

Bacharach wrote/co-wrote 73 Top-40 hits in the United States throughout his 70+ year career in the music business, including iconic songs such as “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” often along with lyricist Hal David. Many of his popular songs were performed by Dionne Warwick, with 22 Top-40 hits including songs such as “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

Throughout his career, Bacharach’s songs were recorded by famous artists including Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, the Walker Brothers, and Luther Vandross. His songs spanned across the 1960s and 70s, and in the 1980s he found success with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (who would also become his wife) on hit song from Christopher Cross, Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, and Neil Diamond. His 1998 collaboration with Elvis Costello, Painted From Memory, won a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals, and he re-teamed with Costello in 2018 for another album, Look Now.

Bacharach is survived by wife Jane Hansen, sons Christopher and Oliver, and daughter Raleigh.

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