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California Governor Gavin Newsom, appearing on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, defended his largely behind-the-scenes role during the protracted actors and writers strike last year, as well as his decision to take on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Maher, returning for his first show of 2024, started off by asking Newsom why he didn’t do some “jawboning” to try to resolve the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes so they were resolved earlier. Maher asked why Newsom didn’t just go to both sides and tell them, “You knuckleheads are going to find a number that you agree on at some point. It always happens, instead of putting these people out of work for all these months and all this suffering and heartache. Can we just get it done today?”

Newsom answered, “Well, we did all of that except the knucklehead part was expressed on multiple occasions, down here on many,...

Real Time With Bill Maher returns for its 22nd season Friday, January 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. Et/7:00-8:00 p.m. Pt). Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show continues with its opening monologue, one-on-one interviews with notable guests, roundtable discussions with panelists, and its signature “New Rules.” The series airs on HBO and is available to stream on Max. This week features a one-on-one interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic Governor of California. This week’s panel discussion includes Andrew Sullivan, columnist for Substack’s “The Weekly Dish” and author of “Out on a Limb” and Ari Melber, MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent and host of “The Beat with ... Read more...

This Friday night, political aficionados and comedy enthusiasts alike are in for a treat as “Real Time With Bill Maher” kicks off its 22nd season with Episode 1. Airing at 10:00 Pm on HBO, the show promises a dynamic and engaging discussion on current events, with the acerbic wit of the irrepressible Bill Maher at the forefront.

The star-studded lineup for the premiere includes Andrew Sullivan, Gavin Newsom, and Alex Wagner, offering a diverse range of perspectives from the political spectrum. Maher, known for his sharp commentary and fearless approach, will lead the panel through a lively conversation that delves into the most pressing issues of the day.

With Maher’s unique blend of humor, insight, and no-holds-barred commentary, “Real Time” continues its tradition of providing viewers with a thought-provoking and entertaining exploration of contemporary politics and culture. Tune in at 10:00 Pm on HBO for an engaging start to the...

Twitter has a new CEO.

On Thursday, Elon Musk announced that he would be handing the role of chief executive at the social media company to former NBCUniversal exec Linda Yaccarino.

Read More: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes During Test Flight

The announcement of Yaccarino’s selection came a day after Musk had shared the news that he had hired a new CEO for Twitter.

Musk explained that in her role, Yaccarino “will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.”

I am excited to welcome Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter!@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology.

Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app. https://t.co/TiSJtTWuky

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2023

For his part, Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion last year,...

It was the last Real Time before a five-week break, and luckily for Bill Maher, he had one last show to discuss the hottest topic of the moment, the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As much as the country was trying today to make sense of how the new order will affect life in these United States, so Maher and his guests struggled to understand the how and why of it.

Maher began by referencing another recent Supeme Court ruling on carrying guns. “Welcome to right wing America, where if you want to end a young life, you have to shoot them,” he said, ruefully.

We are now in a very different America, Maher noted. It’s one where if you ask a drug dealer if they are holding, “It’s about the Morning After pill.” The scariest part of this, Maher said, was the portion of...

British superstar Adele’s powerhouse voice reached 9.92 million listeners (and viewers) during CBS’ “Adele: One Night Only” special on Sunday night, making it the most-watched entertainment special since the Oscars seven months ago, although below the numbers snagged by “60 Minutes” and NBC’s football broadcast in the evening. The time-zone adjusted Live+Same Day fast national TV ratings from Nielsen do not include out-of-home viewing for the Adele special; CBS predicts that data tomorrow morning will show that the two-hour broadcast presentation will surpass the 10 million range.

Promoting her upcoming and long-anticipated album “30,” the English singer-songwriter’s special on CBS delivered over seven billion potential impressions and 269,000 mentions last night on social media. The special, which showcased Adele’s first new material in six years as well as old hits, garnered a 1.5 rating in the target, ages 18-49 demographic. The special also included an exclusive interview between the Grammy winner and Oprah,...

On Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired an interview that looked a lot like handing someone a megaphone.

Correspondent Scott Pelley aired a profile of the conservative author Andrew Sullivan, one that ran with no clearer time peg than that, as Pelley put it in his introduction, Sullivan is “anxious about the future of the republic.” At some length, Sullivan, who currently publishes his newsletter “The Weekly Dish” via Substack, was allowed to expand upon his thoughts at some length. He is anxious because of a divided political climate in this country, one in which what Sullivan described as tribalism led, for instance, to the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

“This country came to the point where we had violence in the usual peaceful transfer of power,” Sullivan said. “That is a huge warning to how unstable our system can be if we remain tribalists in a system that’s supposed to be designed for reasonable citizens.

While right-wingers usually take the worst punishment in a typical one-hour episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, tonight it was noted progressive George Clooney’s turn in the barrel.

Maher and guests Se Cupp and Andrew Sullivan all criticized the star for calling for a boycott of the Beverly Hills and Bel-Air hotels. The luxe properties are owned by the sultan of Brunei, the nation that is about to pass legislation that would sentence to death anyone who is gay or commits adultery. (Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and former New York attorney general Preet Bharara were on Real Time but stayed out of the Clooney fray.)

In an exclusive guest column on Deadline, Clooney argued that Hollywood is capable of applying constructive pressure to address an unconscionable human rights violation, the possibility that homosexuals can legally be stoned to death. “Every single time we stay...

This Week in Home VideoPlus 20 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.

Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!

Pick of the WeekCatfight

What is it? Two old college friends cross paths as adults and beat the ever-loving crap out of each other.

Why see it? Onur Tukel’s latest is also his best thanks in part to the lead performances by Sandra Oh and Anne Heche. They do a good job of manipulating our sympathies and concerns ensuring that our loyalties shift from act to act. Themes of female friendships, class distinctions, and redemption run through alongside a satirical look at modern life, and there’s a terrifically wicked streak throughout. Funny, smart, and brutal are all apt descriptors for this cynical look at our violent selves.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentaries, featurette, deleted scenes]

Catfight...

‘Bokeh’ Is Devastatingly Beautiful and Beautifully DevastatingIf you have to be depressed and alone somewhere there are far worse places to go than Iceland.

Isolation can be a terrifying experience. The feeling that you’re all alone in the world is frightening even in a metaphorical sense, but to realize that you’re quite literally alone? That no one — stranger or loved one alike — is going to be there for you? It’s the makings of a nightmare.

Jenai (Maika Monroe) and Riley (Matt O’Leary) at least have each other when the rest of the planet’s human population suddenly disappears. Or do they?

The young couple have come to Iceland for a vacation away from the bustle of life, and they’re floored by the island country’s endless beauty. They interact with the locals, get busy in hot springs, and strengthen the love they feel for each other. The...

MaryAnn’s quick take… A pretty blur of an apocalypse happens to pretty, blurry people in this dull Sf drama. This end of the world brought to you by the Reykjavik Tourist Board. I’m “biast” (pro): big science fiction fan

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Bokeh is a photographic term that, to quote Wikipedia, means “the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image.” I suppose that the philosophical application of that could be something like: “Life is what is happening in the foreground, and all the stuff that’s out of focus behind you may be pretty but isn’t as important.” And I suppose that that is meant to be advice to — or a lesson to be learned by — Jenai (Maika Monroe: Independence Day: Resurgence, The 5th Wave) and Riley...

Jenai (Maika Monroe) and Riley (Matt O’Leary) are an American couple vacationing in Iceland. One morning, they wake up to find that they are inexplicably the last people left in the place, and the world. With this simple setup, Bokeh resembles another in a long line of apocalyptic dramas, but directors and co-writers Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan do enough things differently to make it stand out from the rest. Unlike the typical apocalyptic protagonists who immediately assume the worst, Riley and Jenai don’t resort to panicking and breaking down into hysterics; after their initial confusion, they’re perfectly content to explore their surroundings and go on adventures together, at least until isolation starts creeping in. The idyllic surroundings are the perfect place for their relationship...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

So we’re going to try something different this week, because the Weekend Warrior has been getting a little long in the tooth, and we’re worried that our busy readers may prefer shorter and more concise pieces. We’ll give this a try over the next few weeks and maybe I’ll write a little more when there’s a bigger movie opening.

How Will Power Rangers and Two Other Movies Fare Against Disney’s Beauty and the Beast?

This past weekend, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast reigned supreme with nearly $175 million--over $20 million more than my prediction (ouch!)--and even with a substantial drop this weekend, it’s unlikely that any of the three new movies will be able to...

At the beginning of Bokeh — the debut of writer-director duo Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan — an idyllic montage introduces us to a young couple (Maika Monroe and Matt O’Leary) traveling through a scenic Iceland for their five-day getaway. Accompanied by dreamlike music, we watch them pass by the gorgeous landscapes and cold tundras of this mysterious realm. And as the montage goes on, an issue starts to arise. Instead of feeling like we’re getting to know these characters, we, too, feel like tourists — not just to the lush Icelandic vistas, but to the characters themselves.

These opening moments, which should function as groundwork for a dynamic relationship, are stylized in such a way as to feel like a demo reel for an Icelandic visitation website — beautifully shot, but devoid of character. Throughout the rest of the film, Orthewin and Sullivan make the costly mistake of returning to this montage-heavy crutch,...

Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan’s new film “Bokeh” answers the question no one ever really wants to ask themselves: What would you do if you were the last person left on earth?

Maika Monroe and Matt O’Leary star as a young couple on vacation in Iceland who wake up after a beam of light shoots across the sky, only to discover that every other person in the world has disappeared. They are left to fend for themselves and try to survive, all while trying to make sense of this mysterious event.

Read More: ‘Bokeh’ Trailer: Maika Monroe Stars in Sci-Fi Drama About The Last Couple on Earth

Rising star Monroe first broke through in the 2014 horror film “It Follows,” followed by subsequent turns in “The Guest” and “Independence Day: Resurgence,” while O’Leary is best known for his role in Rian Johnson’s debut “Brick,” as well as...

In Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan’s new film “Bokeh,” a young American couple wake up to discover their world has completely changed during a romantic getaway in Iceland. After a flash of light shoots across the sky, the next day Jenai (Maika Monroe) and Riley (Matt O’Leary) discover that every person on earth has disappeared. As they struggle to survive, the mysterious event leads them to reconsider everything they know about themselves and start to wonder if perhaps they should leave too. Watch a trailer for the film below.

Read More: Cannes Review: ‘It Follows’ Is a Teen Horror Movie Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

Monroe is best known for starring in David Robert Mitchell’s 2014 horror film “It Follows,” as well as her turns in “The Guest” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.” She’s set to star in many upcoming films including “Felt,” a biopic of FBI agent Mark Felt,...

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In the directorial debut of Andrew Sullivan and Geoffrey Orthwein, who took to Kickstarter to help fund it, Bokeh stars Maika Monroe and Matt O’Leary as a couple on a romantic vacatoin to Iceland who wake up to find their are the last people on earth.

A little bit Leftovers, a little bit The Quite Earth, I'm definitely down with the vibe of this one.

Synopsis:

On a romantic getawa [Continued ...]...

"This is starting to freak me out... None of this makes any sense." Screen Media Films has unveiled a trailer for a mysterious low-key sci-fi titled Bokeh, starring Maika Monroe (from It Follows, ID: Resurgence) & Matt O'Leary (from Live Free or Die Hard, The Lone Ranger) as a young couple on a trip to Iceland. After exploring around, they wake up one morning to discover that everyone is gone. They attempt to figure out what happened and start wondering if they're the only ones for a reason. The cast includes Arnar Jónsson and Gunnar Helgason. This looks pretty cool, I'm always intrigued by sci-fi like this. Have to check it out. Here's the first trailer for Geoffrey Orthwein & Andrew Sullivan's Bokeh, originally from Yahoo: On a romantic getaway to Iceland, a young American couple (Maika Monroe & Matt O'Leary) wake up one morning to discover every person on earth has disappeared.

When one wants to getaway, it’s nice to feel separated from tourists and the hustle-bustle of the location, but in a new film, that ultimate desire results in the extreme. The first trailer has arrived for the Iceland-set thriller Bokeh, which follows a couple (It Follows star Maika Monroe and Matt O’Leary) on their trip in Iceland. Everything is peachy, of course, until they wake up to find themselves completely alone.

What starts off with shopping cart-rides through the supermarket soon devolves into fear, anxiety, and doubt as the duo try to figure out what has happened. Written and directed by Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan in their collective feature debut, Bokeh could be an intimate, small-scale sci-fi thriller with big ideas packed inside. See the trailer below, with a nod to Yahoo.

On a romantic getaway to Iceland, a young American couple wake up one morning to...

The company has acquired worldwide rights to the Iceland-set sci-fi from Zealous Pictures in association with Vintage Pictures and Kansha Films and is introducing to Afm buyers this week.

Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan directed Maika Monroe and Matt O’Leary in the story of an American couple on a romantic getaway to Iceland who wake up to discover every person on earth has disappeared.

Their struggle to survive and reconcile the mysterious event leads them to reconsider everything they know about themselves and the world.

Screen Media Ventures has set Bokeh for Us theatrical and VOD release in the second quarter of 2017.

Doug Daulton, Kent Genzlinger and Briene Lermitte produced and Dirk Junge and Sullivan served as executive producers.

“Andrew and Geoffrey have created a beautiful and haunting film,” said Seth Needle, senior vice-president of worldwide acquisitions at Screen Media Ventures, who brokered the deal with Adam Galen and Marc Bortz at Preferred Content on behalf...

The premiere post-tiff destination (September 20-25th) in the film community and a major leg up for narrative and non-fiction films in development, the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced a whopping 140 projects selected for the Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week. Made up of several sections (Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight on Documentaries), we find latest updates from the likes of docu-helmers Doug Block (112 Weddings) and Lana Wilson (After Tiller), and among the narrative items we find headliners in Andrew Haigh (coming off the well received 45 Years), Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls and Madame Bovary), Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), Lawrence Michael Levine (Wild Canaries), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal (Stranger Things) and new faces in Sundance’s large family in Charles Poekel (Christmas, Again) and Olivia Newman (First Match). Here...