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Netflix today announced Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson, a three-part documentary series with intimate access to fighters The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul and the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson.

The docuseries follows the fighters as they prepare for Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions’ (Mvp) highly-anticipated Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson heavyweight boxing mega-event, airing live on Friday, November 15, 2024, at 8 p.m. Et / 5 p.m. Pt from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

The documentary series will take viewers behind the scenes of Paul and Tyson’s respective training camps to capture the incredible grit, determination, and physical demands needed to prepare for what will be an explosive, can’t-miss professional boxing mega-event.

Countdown will also follow the lead up to one of the most anticipated women’s fights in history, the rematch between undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor and unified featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano,...

When Netflix revealed it was moving into live boxing earlier this year with a fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, it didn’t realize it was going to take so long.

The fight was originally scheduled to take place on July 20 but was postponed until November as a result of an ulcer issue from former heavyweight champion Tyson.

The move, however, means more time to follow the pair for a docuseries leading up to the event.

The streamer has unveiled it will air Countdown: Paul Vs. Tyson, a three-part follow-doc on November 7, ahead of the fight airing live on Friday November 15 at 8pm Et. The first two episodes will air that night followed by the third episode on November 12.

The documentary series will take viewers behind-the-scenes of Paul and Tyson’s respective training camps ahead of the event. It will also follow the lead-up to one of the most...

Vacation Friends found some great traction when it was released back in 2021. The plot found an uptight couple becoming unlikely friends with a frenzied duo while vacationing in Mexico. Things head south when they get back home. It wouldn't be the last we saw of this foursome. Vacation Friends 2 recently hit Hulu. The sequel to the popular comedy reunites John Cena (as Ron), Meredith Hagner (Kyla), Lil Rel Howery (Marcus), and Yvonne Orji (Emily), this time for an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort that Marcus landed.

But something is awry from the get-go and this quartet suddenly are confronted with real danger. That’s plenty to ignite some comedic sparks, but writer-director Clay Tarver admitted that taking on a sequel was daunting.

“You want to subvert expectations a little bit and play with things in a sequel,” said Carver, who once again co-wrote the film with Tom and Tim Mullen.

Plot: Picking up a few months after the end of Vacation Friends, this hilarious sequel finds newly married couple Marcus and Emily inviting their uninhibited besties Ron and Kyla, who are also newly married and have a baby, to join them for a vacation when Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. His reason for traveling there in the first place is to meet with the owners of the resort to bid on a construction contract for a hotel they own in Chicago. But when Kyla’s incarcerated father, Reese, is released from San Quentin and shows up at the resort unannounced at the worst possible moment, things get out of control, upending Marcus’ best-laid plans and turning the vacation friends’ perfect trip into total chaos.

Review: While we were less than impressed with the first Vacation Friends, the Hulu original amassed a solid audience when it debuted in 2021. Two years later,...

Despite having tried-and-tested methods and multiple pools of inspiration to dip into when running low on the same, the world of buddy comedies is often teeming with tasteless junk trying to pass itself off as movies. Clay Tarver and Tom and Tim Mullen’s 2021 adventure took a shot at taking us back to the good old’ days of The Hangover franchise. Starring the evidently visible John Cena, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner and Lil Rel Howery, the film resolved to take life and itself not too seriously. And lucky for us, Tarver’s vision was clear about the lighthearted escapade where two practically antithetical couples are nudged to do a bit of soul-searching. Here’s a little refresher on the chuckle-worthy tale of these unlikely friends before the much-awaited arrival of the sequel, Vacation Friends 2.

Spoilers Ahead

How Did The Mexico Trip Go For Marcus And Emily?

Rose petals floating all...

Netflix is speeding into its latest sports docuseries.

The streamer has ordered a series that tracks the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and championship race this fall.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has won 26 races in the Cup Series and is the son of legendary motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt, is exec producing the untitled project.

The five-part series has already starting filming as the drivers battle it out to secure their spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, which begin Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway.

It will feature exclusive access to drivers and teams both on the track and at home.

The series will premiere in early 2024.

Words + Pictures, the company launched by former ESPN exec Connor Schell that is backed by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company, is producing alongside NASCAR Studios.

Jackie Decker and Tim Mullen, who exec produced ESPN’s Quest for the Stanley Cup, will serve as showrunners...

Updated, 3:14 p.m: 20th Century Studios has shared the first trailer for Vacation Friends 2, the sequel to its hit 2021 buddy comedy, which saw Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji become Vacation Friends with Meredith Hagner and John Cena.

In the second installment, picking up after the passage of a few months, newly married couple Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji) invite their uninhibited besties Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner), who are also newly married and have a baby, to join them for a vacation when Marcus lands an all-expenses-paid trip to a Caribbean resort. His reason for traveling there in the first place is to meet with the owners of the resort to bid on a construction contract for a hotel they own in Chicago. But when Kyla’s incarcerated father Reese (Steve Buscemi) is released from San Quentin and shows up at the resort unannounced at the worst possible moment,...

Exclusive: Jake Choi (Single Parents) has signed on to star alongside Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, John Cena and Meredith Hagner in 20th Century Studios’ Vacation Friends sequel Honeymoon Friends for Hulu.

In the original film released to the streamer in August of 2021, an uptight couple (Howery and Orji) makes friends with a rowdy couple (Cena and Hagner) while on vacation in Mexico, but their friendship takes an awkward turn when they get back home.

Clay Tarver directed the buddy comedy from his script co-written by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, seeing it score Hulu’s biggest opening weekend for an original title, though the Predator franchise prequel Prey has since trumped it. Todd Garner and Timothy M. Bourne produced, with Steve Pink and Sean Robins exec producing.

Details as to the sequel’s plot are being kept under wraps. While unconfirmed, we hear that...

Fox Sports Films has announced the upcoming original documentary “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall,” spotlighting Boston Red Sox veteran and Fox MLB analyst Ortiz (aka Big Papi). The sports documentary is set to premiere Oct. 14 on FS1.

“David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall” follows the baseball career and legacy of Ortiz, from the Red Sox’s three World Series championships to his Hall of Fame induction. The documentary film features exclusive interviews with various teammates and rivals, along with behind-the-scenes footage showcasing Ortiz’s intimate moments and celebrations.

“This film sends the message to my fans that if you have faith and don’t quit, you can achieve your dreams,” said Ortiz in a statement. “I was very fortunate to achieve mine and I am humbled by my entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am honored that Fox Sports, Check Point Productions and my very own Big Papi Productions...

The “Vacation Friends” will be back for another wild and raunchy ride, as 20th Century Studios has set a sequel to the couples comedy starring John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner.

“Vacation Friends,” which is now streaming on Hulu, followed Marcus (Howery) and Emily (Orji), a straight-laced couple who head to Mexico for a romantic getaway. Things immediately go awry and the couple makes friends with the wild and thrill-seeking Ron (Cena) and Kyla (Hagner), embarking on a whirlwind bonding adventure during their week away from reality. But when it’s time to return home, the relationship takes an awkward turn as Ron and Kyla aren’t ready for the vacation friendship to end.

Directed by Clay Tarver, “Vacation Friends” was written by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Tarver, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. The movie was produced by Todd Garner and Timothy M. Bourne, with...

Vacation Friends 20th Century Studios Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Clay Tarver Writer: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein, Clay Tarver, Tim Mullen, Tom Mullen Cast: Lynn Whitfield, King Bach, Robert Wisdom, John Cena, Meredieth Hagner, Lil Rel Howery Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 8/13/21 Opens: August […]

The post Vacation Friends Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Just as it’s easy to imagine “The Hangover” being transformed, with relatively minor script tinkering, into a deadly serious film noir, one can envision an early draft of “Vacation Friends” serving as the blueprint for a paranoid thriller about vacationers who discover much too late that their new acquaintances are aggressively chummy for all the wrong reasons.

Indeed, there is a teasing hint in an early scene of director Clay Tarver’s comedy that at least one of those acquaintances may have sinister ulterior motives. And that impression is shrewdly enhanced by the inspired casting of Jon Cena, a superstar WWE grappler who’s proven capable of suggesting dark undercurrents — or, in the case of the recent “F9,” raising those currents to flood level — even when he’s demonstrating his comic chops.

But no: There’s no tonal switcheroo comparable to Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” here. Truth to tell,...

20th Century Studios has released the first trailer for Vacation Friends. The upcoming comedy is set to stream on Hulu in the U.S., as well as Star and Disney+ internationally, this summer. The cast is led by John Cena and Lil Rel Howery. The studio describes it as a "raw and raunchy comedy." Based on what we're seeing in the trailer, that appears to be the case.

The Vacation Friends trailer opens with what looks to be a lovely wedding, which is then crashed, quite literally, by a wild couple who clearly weren't invited to join in on the otherwise calm festivities. We come to find that these wedding crashers met the bride and groom somewhat recently on a vacation in Mexico, where they all cut loose with one another. Hence, they felt like it was perfectly fine to show up at the wedding uninvited. As one might imagine,...

The brand new trailer and poster are here for 20th Century Studios’ “Vacation Friends,” debuting August 27 streaming globally as a Hulu Original in the U.S. and a Star Original on Star on Disney+ in select international markets. The film stars John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, Robert Wisdom, Andrew Bachelor and Lynn Whitfield.

“Vacation Friends” is 20th Century Studios’ first film to have a global release on the Hulu and Disney+ streaming platforms.

In this raw and raunchy comedy, straight-laced Marcus and Emily are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron and Kyla at a resort in Mexico. Living in the moment, the usually level-headed couple lets loose to enjoy a week of uninhibited fun and debauchery with their new “vacation friends.” Months after their walk on the wild side, Marcus and Emily are horrified when Ron and Kyla show up uninvited at their wedding, creating chaos...

Whether it’s cocaine on a margarita rim in place of salt or mushrooms that Lil Rel Howery should’ve never eaten, John Cena is quite the bad influence in the first trailer for “Vacation Friends,” as everything he touches “turns to drugs,” giving Howery and his bride to be a bad trip in more ways than one.

“Vacation Friends” is a comedy about a couple played by Howery and Yvonne Orji about to have their dream wedding, only for a couple played by Cena and Meredith Hagner to crash it and claim they’re best friends. Turns out the two couples had a week full of debauchery and fun in Mexico together after Howery and Orji met them and decided to let loose.

“Marcus and I crossed paths in Mexico,” Cena says in an impromptu toast at Howery’s wedding. “We got to know each other…intimately!”

“Vacation Friends...

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“Melodrama, Music, And Mayhem”

By Raymond Benson

The 1936 Hollywood extravaganza, San Francisco, is a near-epic that attempts to place a melodramatic love triangle (or is it four-sided?—it seems to want to be that) in the context of the catastrophic 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco; thus, making the film a melodrama-disaster movie. Oh, but it has singing and dancing, too!—the flick spawned the title number that became one of the city’s official songs.

Helmed by the even-handed W. S. Van Dyke, one of the Golden Age’s most dependable directors, San Francisco reaches to be too many things. Granted, it is a motion picture that has its fans, especially a devoted following in its titular town. It was indeed nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award of its year; Van Dyke was also up for Best Director, and Spencer Tracy was...

Exclusive: Emmy winner Lynn Whitfield, Robert Wisdom, and Kamal Bolden have been added to the cast of Hulu’s Vacation Friends comedy, joining John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, and Meredith Hagner, and Yvonne Orji.

Clay Tarver is directing the feature, from a spec script by Tom and Tim Mullen. The plot surrounds a straight-laced couple that has fun with a rowdy couple on vacation in Mexico. When they return to the States, they discover that the crazy couple they met in Mexico followed them back home.

Todd Garner is producing via Broken Road Productions.

Whitfield is repped by TalentWorks. Wisdom, who also stars in the upcoming Hulu/Marvel series Helstrom, is repped by A3 Artists Agency, Link Entertainment, and Fox Rothschild Llp. Bolden is with Robert Stein Management and Paonessa Talent.

Exclusive: Nigerian-American actress/comedian Yvonne Orji is set to co-star opposite John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, and Meredith Hagner in Vacation Friends, the 20th Century Fox and Hulu comedy directed by Clay Tarver.

Based on a spec script from brothers Tom Mullen and Tim Mullen, the film follows a straight-laced couple that has fun with a rowdy couple on vacation in Mexico. When they return to the States, they discover that the crazy couple they met in Mexico followed them back home. Orji will play Emily Conway, a corporate type on the unwind who comes from a corporate and buttoned-up family.

Todd Garner is producing the project via his Broken Road Productions label.

Orji will return as fan-favorite Molly for the fourth season of the hit HBO series Insecure, set to debut on April 12th. She is also gearing up for the release of her first novel, Bamboozled by Jesus:...

Exclusive: John Cena, Search Party‘s Meredith Hagner and Lil Rel Howery are attached to lead the comedy film Vacation Friends from 20th Century Fox and Hulu. Clay Tarver, an executive producer of HBO’s Silicon Valley, will helm the film as his first feature directorial outing.

Todd Garner is producing the project under his Broken Road Productions label, which produced the recently released family comedy Playing with Fire, which starred Cena.

Vacation Friends is about a straight-laced couple that has fun with a rowdy couple on vacation in Mexico. When they return to the States, they discover that the crazy couple they met in Mexico followed them back home.

This project is a long time in the making as Fox had acquired the spec script from co-writing brothers Tom Mullen and Tim Mullen in a near seven-figure deal back in 2014. The initial plan was for Steve Pink to direct...

Ethan Hawke is this awards’ season critical darling earning several best actor nods from critic’s groups including the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and New York Film Critics Circle for his powerful performance as a troubled clergyman haunted with his past and the future in Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed.”

Hawke, who also won the Gotham Awards honor for best actor, is also nominated for a Critics Choice and a Film Independent Spirit Award but was snubbed in the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

But Hawke, who has received four previously Oscar nominations including for supporting actor for 2014’s “Boyhood,” shouldn’t give up the faith about a fifth nomination. Over the years, the academy has embraced actors and actresses who played members of the clergy with six wins and upwards of two dozen nominations.

Predict the Oscar nominations now; change them until January 22

Both Spencer Tracy...

Ice Cube is set to star in the comedy "Vacation Friends" at 20th Century Fox following a re-tooling of the project. Originally slated to be a vehicle for real-life husband and wife pair Chris Pratt and Amy Faris, the comedy will now feature Cube in the male lead. His female co-lead has yet to be cast.

Tom & Tim Mullen penned the script in which a conservative couple on vacation in Mexico befriend another couple and have a wild time. When the vacation is over and they return to their normal lives, the vacation couple suddenly shows up in their regular lives and... won't leave.

Cube would play the tightly-wound lawyer who loves his seemingly innocent but dedicated girlfriend who actually has a wild streak that she lets loose while on vacation in Mexico. Steve Pink remains onboard to direct while Todd Garner, who worked with Cube on "Are We Done Yet,...

Perhaps cognisant of the fact that, with the world currently going to pot that we all need a laugh, Columbia Pictures has added two comedies to its upcoming roster. God bless ‘em.First up is The Swap, an adaptation of Antony Moore’s recent novel about a comic book dealer who, struggling to deal with the theft of a priceless comic book, goes to his high school reunion and becomes involved in murder, romance and more besides. Sort of like an even geekier Grosse Pointe Blank, then.Columbia has asked sibling writing team, Tom and Tim Mullen, to adapt the novel. The brothers have been making something of a splash recently – Sandra Bullock is attached to One Of The Guys, another of their scripts, over at Fox, while they’re set to direct their first movie, teen comedy Deers And Beers. Second on Columbia’s list is a currently untitled...