Features Features This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Elisabeth Moss in a scene from ‘The Kitchen’, which releases in the US on Aug 9. (AP) Lupita Nyong’o narrates docuseries ‘Serengeti’ aims to tell wildlife stories from different view By Nekesa Mumbi Moody L upita Nyong’o remembers clearly the first time she touched a gi- raffe. She was 5, and it was part of her childhood education grow- ing up in Kenya to appreciate the wildlife around her. “They weren’t exotic, they were there,” she recalled. Over the years, the Oscar-winning actress has been involved in con- servation efforts to preserve wildlife, and has spent time touring the national parks of her homeland where she got to marvel at the beauty of animals up close. So when she was recruited by Simon Fuller to narrate the new Discovery docuseries “Serengeti”, which follows the trials and tribulations of animal families including lions, baboons, hyenas and elephants, it was an energetic yes. But it also attracted her for another reason. “I’ve never heard any one like me narrate these documentaries,” she said, speaking of her African heritage, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I was really excited for the opportunity to narrate my own world.” Nyong’o’s voice takes viewers on a journey following several spe- cies that were tracked in the massive Serengeti in Tanzania. Filmmaker John Downer, a veteran wildlife documenter, was tasked with zeroing in on the familial dynamics of various species, like Kali the lioness, who is ousted from her pride in the first episode because she’s mated outside of it. She’s now forced to protect and feed her young cubs without the help of her family. Bakari, a baboon, is seen fighting for the affection of a female baboon who has given her af- fections to the ruler of the pack. Meanwhile Tembo, an adolescent el- ephant, is trying to find his way and place after his mother gives birth again. Differs Downer said “Serengeti” differs from other nature programs because it brings the viewer into the world of the animals in a more intimate way. “We’re not seeing them just sort of as you would within the doc- umentary which is usually about what they do in dramatic moments where you see something happen in their lives. This is kind of more personal. It relates to human behavior,” he said. “We could see ourselves reflected in them, because we see them as animals as complex in many ways as we are, and having to make the same life choices but in very different environments, where it’s all about survival of the family and about jealousies and rivalries and many things that, you know, the human world encounters.” The series produced by “American Idol” producer Simon Fuller, who was inspired by his own experiences watching wildlife on safari and his own time spent in the Serengeti. They were able to film on the Serengeti Reserve, a private area next to the national park, away from tourists, which helped them gain unfettered access to the animals. “The beautiful thing about some of these reserves is that it could be one hundred years ago it could be a thousand years ago. The time doesn’t exist... it’s suddenly their world not ours,” he said. Thousands of hours of animal interactions were filmed over the course of two years and then whittled down to six hours. “The big thing was spending time with the animals and letting them inform the story, so we were always feeding off what happened, when changing the story line as it happened,” Downer said. “We have to start identifying stories early; we have to abandon story lines if they weren’t going to work. So it became a process of actually thinning out the ma- terials that we had so we could tell the most dramatic and true-to-life story that we could from the materials that we have. “ Drones were used to keep track of the animals when regular cameras lost sight of them; Fuller said a drone camera was used to capture a devastating moment when one animal was killed by a snake. While there were uplifting moments, there also were tragedies on the Serengeti that may bring tears to the eyes, as it did for one veteran crew member, who witnessed the death of a young member of a clan and wished he could have been able to intervene. “(He) said ‘We couldn’t because we didn’t want to interfere with nature or that scene.’ And he was sobbing,” Fuller remembered. (AP) NEW YORK: The first spinoff of the 18-year-old “Fast & Furious” franchise, “Hobbs & Shaw”, sped away with $180.8 million in its worldwide debut, including $60.8 million domestically – a strong opening that dethroned “The Lion King” after a two- week reign at No. 1 but couldn’t match the box-office pace of recent “Fast & Furious” films. “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” was crafted as a buddy-movie left turn for the car-mad franchise. It teams two franchise regulars, Dwayne Johnson’s federal agent Luke Hobbs and mercenary Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), for an adventure outside the previous eight films. Those will resume in May with “Fast & Furious 9”. The deviation came with a slight risk for Universal Pictures. The “Fast & Furious” films have developed into one of the most bankable series in Hollywood. The last two entries each grossed more than $1 billion. “The Fate of the Furious” took in $1.2 bil- lion in 2017. “Furious 7” made $1.5 billion in 2015. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ LOS ANGELES: Melissa Leo, Michael K. Williams, Jack Kilmer, Frank Grillo and Alice Englert are starring in the independent crime thriller “Body Brokers”. John Swab is directing from his own script about a multi- billion dollar drug and alcohol treatment scheme involving former drug addicts and dealers who become millionaires as fly- by-night “body brokers”. Those brokers then recruit other addicts to seek treatment, before selling them off to facilities paying the highest price. The film is being produced by Jeremy M. Rosen (“Dog Eat Dog”), Robert Ogden Bar- num (“All Is Lost”) and Swab for Roxwell Films. The latest Roxwell Films’ release, “Charlie Says”, (directed by Mary Har- ron and starring Hannah Mur- ray and Matt Smith), premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was released domestically by IFC Films. Leo won an Academy Award for her supporting actress role in “The Fighter”. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for “Wind River” and won an Emmy Award for her guest role on the television series “Louie”. Williams has received Prime- time Emmy Award nominations for his roles in “Bessie”, “The Night Of” and “When They See Us”. Kilmer’s credits include “The Nice Guys” in addition to apperances in “Avengers: End- game” and “The Purge”. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑ LOS ANGELES: Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson grapple with their sanity on a deserted isle in the first trailer for A24’s “The Lighthouse”. “The Witch” filmmaker Robert Eggers co-wrote and directed “The Lighthouse”. New footage released Tuesday features a black-and-white whirl- wind of entrancing madness led by Dafoe and Pattinson, keepers of the fixture atop an eery black rock. The duo is “just looking to earn a living, on the run,” Da- foe’s character says in the clip. The two guardians pass the time binge-drinking and battling stormy weather, dancing, yelling, embracing, strangling each other and wandering the ominous light- house. The trailer turns surreal with shots of a mysterious woman underwater and slimy octopus- looking creature behind Pattin- son’s character as he beats down on a unknown victim, presumably Dafoe. The hysteria and loneliness of the two leads to Dafoe losing track of time. (RTRS) Film Variety Television Movie explores a woman’s ever-changing identity ‘Otherhood’, ode to smothering moms By Courtney Howard Y ou can never quite predict what will happen when parents intrude on their kids’ lives, no matter what their ages – a fact of life that has in- spired a rich subgenre of such films as “She’s Out of Control”, “Mother”, “The Guilt Trip” and last year’s surprisingly sweet “Blockers”. Based on the novel “Whatever Makes You Happy” by Wil- liam Sutcliffe, director Cindy Chupack’s “Other- hood” follows three meddling mothers who travel to New York City to surprise their wayward adult sons with an unexpected visit, offers a welcome female-centered take on empty-nester syndrome in the process. Part guilt trip, part gentle ode to smothering mothers, it could be called “Why Don’t You Call Your Mother More Often: The Movie”. Despite a shaky third act, Chupack and company find great success by keeping the shenanigans grounded in a sense of pathos. Carol (Angela Bassett), Gillian (Patricia Ar- quette) and Helen (Felicity Huffman) have been close for decades, the bond between them forged way back on the playground when their young sons became best friends. They’ve stuck together through their kids’ milestone moments (like graduation, proms and hospital visits), as well as their own life-altering ones (like divorce and death). But since their boys became men and moved away from suburban Poughkeepsie, the gal pals rarely see each other anymore. They only manage to catch up during their annual Mother’s Day brunch, reminiscing and gabbing about the current exploits of their now-grown children. Yet on the one day of the year set aside to cel- ebrate a mother’s unconditional love, their busy sons have sidelined them, forgetting to send cards, flowers or any thoughtful acknowledgement be- yond the obligatory text message. Of course, there are reasons why none have been eager to stay in touch: Since the death of Carol’s husband years prior, the divide separating her son Matt (Sinqua Walls) has only grown wider, with neither know- ing how to relate to the other. Gillian’s overbearing, overly-opinionated nature has greatly impacted her anxious son Daniel (Jake Hoffman), inspiring neuroses and insecurity over his relationship with girlfriend Erin (Heidi Gardner). Helen’s extreme vanity and bitterness after the divorce from her first husband led to an estrangement from her gay son Paul (Jake Lacy), who’s also hiding a few big secrets from her. Rejected Feeling rejected and miffed, the trio concoct a plan to show up on their sons’ doorsteps unan- nounced, hoping to be needed again and to re- charge their motherly spirits. They believe their parental interference will be a win-win for every- one. However, over the course of their girls trip, Carol, Gillian and Helen inadvertently discover that it’s not just their sons who need to change; they too need to redefine their own lives and re- lationships. For a narrative that inherently works to pull these women apart, scattering them all over the city on their personal, independent journeys, it’s impressive that Chupack and co-writer Mark Andrus are able to keep bringing them back to- gether. That’s where the genuine charm of the film resides, and where the actresses’ effervescent chemistry shines. These typically marginalized women are shown as dynamic, complex and layered. Whether it be shopping in SoHo, a late night run for comfort food, or hanging out in a hotel room validating each other, their rapport is captured beautifully, making audiences feel like they’re one of these friends. Grace notes are handled with a tender touch, whether it’s Matt finding a sketch Carol left behind or Daniel compassionately convers- ing with Gillian. Editors Sunny Hodge and Kevin Tent cleanly cut bubbly, bright montages that em- phasize the key bonding rituals of female friend- ship like road trips, makeovers and late night par- tying. While the filmmakers have crafted compelling characters and conundrums, they unfortunately fail to give them better connective tissue and a sat- isfying third act. Though the story isn’t so much about the sons’ friendship as their moms’, Matt, Paul and Daniel seem too disconnected to be be- lievable buddies. The two brief occasions in which they’re shown together aren’t enough to sell their enduring ca- maraderie. The inevitable role-reversal sequence, where they deliver a lecture to their mothers about partying too hard, staying out too late and not call- ing, feels unearned and not as funny as it ought to be. It’s confounding that Matt and Daniel are allowed earned apologies, but Paul isn’t. His grievances are made clear, yet they’re totally underdeveloped, as are Helen’s actions toward substantive change. Plus, there’s hardly any closure in between the ladies’ predictable third- act argument – complete with super-subtle “Waiting to Exhale” reference – and when they make up later. Exploring a woman’s ever-changing identity – specifically a mother’s morphing role – is this film’s greatest strength. Still, without much of an impactful ending, the potential for resonant the- matic profundity is left unfulfilled. (RTRS) Pattinson Dafoe TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019
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This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Elisabeth Moss in a scene from ‘The Kitchen’, which releases in the US on Aug 9. (AP)
Lupita Nyong’o narrates docuseries
‘Serengeti’ aims to tell wildlife stories from different viewBy Nekesa Mumbi Moody
Lupita Nyong’o remembers clearly the first time she touched a gi-raffe. She was 5, and it was part of her childhood education grow-
ing up in Kenya to appreciate the wildlife around her.“They weren’t exotic, they were there,” she recalled.Over the years, the Oscar-winning actress has been involved in con-
servation efforts to preserve wildlife, and has spent time touring the national parks of her homeland where she got to marvel at the beauty of animals up close. So when she was recruited by Simon Fuller to narrate the new Discovery docuseries “Serengeti”, which follows the trials and tribulations of animal families including lions, baboons, hyenas and elephants, it was an energetic yes.
But it also attracted her for another reason.“I’ve never heard any one like me narrate these documentaries,” she
said, speaking of her African heritage, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I was really excited for the opportunity to narrate my own world.”
Nyong’o’s voice takes viewers on a journey following several spe-cies that were tracked in the massive Serengeti in Tanzania.
Filmmaker John Downer, a veteran wildlife documenter, was tasked with zeroing in on the familial dynamics of various species, like Kali the lioness, who is ousted from her pride in the fi rst episode because
she’s mated outside of it. She’s now forced to protect and feed her young cubs without the help of her family. Bakari, a baboon, is seen fi ghting for the affection of a female baboon who has given her af-fections to the ruler of the pack. Meanwhile Tembo, an adolescent el-ephant, is trying to fi nd his way and place after his mother gives birth again.
DiffersDowner said “Serengeti” differs from other nature programs because
it brings the viewer into the world of the animals in a more intimate way.
“We’re not seeing them just sort of as you would within the doc-umentary which is usually about what they do in dramatic moments where you see something happen in their lives. This is kind of more personal. It relates to human behavior,” he said.
“We could see ourselves refl ected in them, because we see them as animals as complex in many ways as we are, and having to make the same life choices but in very different environments, where it’s all about survival of the family and about jealousies and rivalries and many things that, you know, the human world encounters.”
The series produced by “American Idol” producer Simon Fuller, who was inspired by his own experiences watching wildlife on safari and his own time spent in the Serengeti. They were able to fi lm on the
Serengeti Reserve, a private area next to the national park, away from tourists, which helped them gain unfettered access to the animals.
“The beautiful thing about some of these reserves is that it could be one hundred years ago it could be a thousand years ago. The time doesn’t exist... it’s suddenly their world not ours,” he said.
Thousands of hours of animal interactions were fi lmed over the course of two years and then whittled down to six hours.
“The big thing was spending time with the animals and letting them inform the story, so we were always feeding off what happened, when changing the story line as it happened,” Downer said. “We have to start identifying stories early; we have to abandon story lines if they weren’t going to work. So it became a process of actually thinning out the ma-terials that we had so we could tell the most dramatic and true-to-life story that we could from the materials that we have. “
Drones were used to keep track of the animals when regular cameras lost sight of them; Fuller said a drone camera was used to capture a devastating moment when one animal was killed by a snake.
While there were uplifting moments, there also were tragedies on the Serengeti that may bring tears to the eyes, as it did for one veteran crew member, who witnessed the death of a young member of a clan and wished he could have been able to intervene.
“(He) said ‘We couldn’t because we didn’t want to interfere with nature or that scene.’ And he was sobbing,” Fuller remembered. (AP)
NEW YORK: The fi rst spinoff of the 18-year-old “Fast & Furious” franchise, “Hobbs & Shaw”, sped away with $180.8 million in its worldwide debut, including $60.8 million domestically – a strong opening that dethroned “The Lion King” after a two-week reign at No. 1 but couldn’t match the box-offi ce pace of recent “Fast & Furious” fi lms.
“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” was crafted as a buddy-movie left turn for the car-mad franchise. It teams two franchise regulars, Dwayne Johnson’s federal agent Luke Hobbs and mercenary Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), for an adventure outside the previous eight fi lms. Those will resume in May with “Fast & Furious 9”.
The deviation came with a slight risk for Universal Pictures. The “Fast & Furious” fi lms have developed into one of the most bankable series in Hollywood. The last two entries each grossed more than $1 billion. “The Fate of the Furious” took in $1.2 bil-lion in 2017. “Furious 7” made $1.5 billion in 2015. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑
LOS ANGELES: Melissa Leo, Michael K. Williams, Jack Kilmer, Frank Grillo and Alice Englert are starring in the independent crime thriller “Body Brokers”.
John Swab is directing from his own script about a multi-billion dollar drug and alcohol treatment scheme involving former drug addicts and dealers who become millionaires as fl y-by-night “body brokers”. Those brokers then recruit other addicts to seek treatment, before selling them off to facilities paying the highest price.
The fi lm is being produced by Jeremy M. Rosen (“Dog Eat Dog”), Robert Ogden Bar-num (“All Is Lost”) and Swab for Roxwell Films. The latest Roxwell Films’ release, “Charlie Says”, (directed by Mary Har-ron and starring Hannah Mur-ray and Matt Smith), premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was released domestically by IFC Films.
Leo won an Academy Award for her supporting actress role in “The Fighter”. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best
Actress for “Wind River” and won an Emmy Award for her guest role on the television series “Louie”.
Williams has received Prime-time Emmy Award nominations for his roles in “Bessie”, “The Night Of” and “When They See Us”. Kilmer’s credits include “The Nice Guys” in addition to apperances in “Avengers: End-
game” and “The Purge”. (RTRS)❑ ❑ ❑
LOS ANGELES: Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson grapple with their sanity on a deserted isle in the fi rst trailer for A24’s “The Lighthouse”.
“The Witch” fi lmmaker Robert Eggers co-wrote and directed “The Lighthouse”.
New footage released Tuesday features a black-and-white whirl-wind of entrancing madness led by Dafoe and Pattinson, keepers of the fi xture atop an eery black rock. The duo is “just looking to earn a living, on the run,” Da-foe’s character says in the clip.
The two guardians pass the time binge-drinking and battling stormy weather, dancing, yelling,
embracing, strangling each other and wandering the ominous light-house. The trailer turns surreal with shots of a mysterious woman underwater and slimy octopus-looking creature behind Pattin-son’s character as he beats down on a unknown victim, presumably Dafoe. The hysteria and loneliness of the two leads to Dafoe losing track of time. (RTRS)
Film
Variety
Tele
visi
on
Movie explores a woman’s ever-changing identity
‘Otherhood’, ode to smothering momsBy Courtney Howard
You can never quite predict what will happen when parents intrude on their kids’ lives, no
matter what their ages – a fact of life that has in-spired a rich subgenre of such films as “She’s Out of Control”, “Mother”, “The Guilt Trip” and last year’s surprisingly sweet “Blockers”. Based on the novel “Whatever Makes You Happy” by Wil-liam Sutcliffe, director Cindy Chupack’s “Other-hood” follows three meddling mothers who travel to New York City to surprise their wayward adult sons with an unexpected visit, offers a welcome female-centered take on empty-nester syndrome in the process.
Part guilt trip, part gentle ode to smothering mothers, it could be called “Why Don’t You Call Your Mother More Often: The Movie”. Despite a shaky third act, Chupack and company fi nd great success by keeping the shenanigans grounded in a sense of pathos.
Carol (Angela Bassett), Gillian (Patricia Ar-quette) and Helen (Felicity Huffman) have been close for decades, the bond between them forged way back on the playground when their young sons became best friends.
They’ve stuck together through their kids’ milestone moments (like graduation, proms and hospital visits), as well as their own life-altering ones (like divorce and death). But since their boys became men and moved away from suburban Poughkeepsie, the gal pals rarely see each other anymore. They only manage to catch up during their annual Mother’s Day brunch, reminiscing and gabbing about the current exploits of their now-grown children.
Yet on the one day of the year set aside to cel-ebrate a mother’s unconditional love, their busy sons have sidelined them, forgetting to send cards,
fl owers or any thoughtful acknowledgement be-yond the obligatory text message. Of course, there are reasons why none have been eager to stay in touch: Since the death of Carol’s husband years prior, the divide separating her son Matt (Sinqua Walls) has only grown wider, with neither know-ing how to relate to the other.
Gillian’s overbearing, overly-opinionated nature has greatly impacted her anxious son Daniel (Jake Hoffman), inspiring neuroses and insecurity over his relationship with girlfriend Erin (Heidi Gardner). Helen’s extreme vanity and bitterness after the divorce from her fi rst husband led to an estrangement from her gay son Paul (Jake Lacy), who’s also hiding a few big secrets from her.
RejectedFeeling rejected and miffed, the trio concoct a
plan to show up on their sons’ doorsteps unan-nounced, hoping to be needed again and to re-charge their motherly spirits. They believe their parental interference will be a win-win for every-one. However, over the course of their girls trip, Carol, Gillian and Helen inadvertently discover that it’s not just their sons who need to change; they too need to redefi ne their own lives and re-lationships.
For a narrative that inherently works to pull these women apart, scattering them all over the city on their personal, independent journeys, it’s impressive that Chupack and co-writer Mark Andrus are able to keep bringing them back to-gether. That’s where the genuine charm of the fi lm resides, and where the actresses’ effervescent chemistry shines.
These typically marginalized women are shown as dynamic, complex and layered. Whether it be shopping in SoHo, a late night run for comfort
food, or hanging out in a hotel room validating each other, their rapport is captured beautifully, making audiences feel like they’re one of these friends. Grace notes are handled with a tender touch, whether it’s Matt fi nding a sketch Carol left behind or Daniel compassionately convers-ing with Gillian. Editors Sunny Hodge and Kevin Tent cleanly cut bubbly, bright montages that em-phasize the key bonding rituals of female friend-ship like road trips, makeovers and late night par-tying.
While the fi lmmakers have crafted compelling characters and conundrums, they unfortunately fail to give them better connective tissue and a sat-isfying third act. Though the story isn’t so much about the sons’ friendship as their moms’, Matt, Paul and Daniel seem too disconnected to be be-lievable buddies.
The two brief occasions in which they’re shown together aren’t enough to sell their enduring ca-maraderie. The inevitable role-reversal sequence, where they deliver a lecture to their mothers about partying too hard, staying out too late and not call-ing, feels unearned and not as funny as it ought to be.
It’s confounding that Matt and Daniel are allowed earned apologies, but Paul isn’t. His grievances are made clear, yet they’re totally underdeveloped, as are Helen’s actions toward substantive change. Plus, there’s hardly any closure in between the ladies’ predictable third-act argument – complete with super-subtle “Waiting to Exhale” reference – and when they make up later.
Exploring a woman’s ever-changing identity – specifi cally a mother’s morphing role – is this fi lm’s greatest strength. Still, without much of an impactful ending, the potential for resonant the-matic profundity is left unfulfi lled. (RTRS)
Pattinson Dafoe
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