hbo – The News Desk

“The Sympathizer” Has an Identity Crisis

15Apr

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

“The Sympathizer” Has an Identity Crisis

HBO’s “The Sympathizer,” which traces the diasporic aftershocks of the Vietnam War, establishes its pitch-black humor and moral complexity almost immediately, with a scene set in Saigon days before its fall. Though a fortunate few among the South Vietnamese military have been guaranteed spots on planes bound for the United States, each man is allowed admittance only for himself, his wife, and “a child.” Upon hearing the news, a major (Phanxinê), nicknamed Dumpling, plans to leave behind his daughter so that he can bring his mother. (“You can always have another kid,” he figures.) A less coöperative soldier threatens suicide if he can’t secure five more seats. The Captain (Hoa Xuande), the officer with the power to decide the final flight manifest, is unmoved by the ultimatum. He gestures ...

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” Finale, Reviewed: Larry David Gets the Last Word

8Apr

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” Finale, Reviewed: Larry David Gets the Last Word

On a late December night many years ago, I was riding around midtown cheerfully stuffed into the back seat of a taxi with two of my kids. One was around seven, the other around four. We passed the skaters and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. We passed by the twinkling displays in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue, and the clusters of people clutching shopping bags and peering in. There were Santas tolling bells for the Salvation Army, venders hawking blistered chestnuts, flocks of pedicab drivers, tree hustlers, carollers, the whole frenetic birth-of-Jesus, half-off-at-Macy’s phantasmagoria.My kids gazed out the window. A long silence set in. Finally, the four-year-old turned to me and said, “Daddy, why is there so much Christmas, not so much Hanukkah?” As I went about drafting an...

A ‘House of the Dragon’ Star Made a Video Game to Grieve His Father

3Apr

By adminNo Comments

Technology

A ‘House of the Dragon’ Star Made a Video Game to Grieve His Father

A decade ago, Abubakar Salim lost his father. That grief lives within him. An actor by trade, with credits in Raised by Wolves and House of the Dragon’s upcoming season, he searched for years for the right medium to work through the hurt. A film. A TV show. Nothing did it justice—until he tried to make a video game. “If you’re really depicting grief in a truthful and honest way, it is so open and chaotic that actually, you can kind of gamify it,” he says.Salim is the CEO and creative director of Surgent Studios, the developer behind the upcoming Metroidvania game Tales of Kenzera: Zau. The game, set to launch April 23, follows a young shaman, Zau, who has made a deal with the god of death to bring his father back to life in exchange for three great spirits. Its story is a reflection of co...

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ And The Way TV Used To Be

28Dec

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ And The Way TV Used To Be

In an oft-quoted line from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the titular slayer herself quips: “Dawn’s in trouble, must be Tuesday.” The line, delivered after learning that her younger sister is in trouble in the musical episode in Season 6, is a meta reference to the night that Buffy used to air on television. Buffy’s bit of banter has been referenced by other shows as well, including “Supernatural” and “The Flash.”The moment is more than just a wink-and-a-nudge to the show’s time slot, concocted in a boardroom by a bunch of executives. It was a very real ode to the time fans carved out every week, choosing to spend it with Buffy, rather than with other characters jostling for their attention. Watching her story unfold was an intentional journey, like a great, long friendship. To watch “Buffy”...

‘The Gilded Age’ Has The Potential To Be Good

19Dec

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

‘The Gilded Age’ Has The Potential To Be Good

On Sunday night, as the Season 2 finale of “The Gilded Age” was set to stream on Max, I was shocked when I found myself watching the clock, waiting for the episode to drop, to see what would happen next in the battle between old and new money on New York’s Fifth Avenue in the 1880s. Who would win the season-long war of the opera houses between Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), the show’s embodiment of new money, and Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), the gatekeeper of old-moneyed society? Would Bertha’s patronage of the Metropolitan Opera displace the historic prominence of the Academy of Music, where securing a box had historically cemented one’s social acceptance? My investment in the outcome was a large departure from how I’d felt about the HBO show since its premiere almost two years ago. In fact...

28Sep

By adminNo Comments

Technology

The Animated TV Show You Never See

Animated comedies told from a Black perspective have an uncomfortable relationship with TV. The Boondocks relied on sharp observational humor as proof of its genius. The PJs portrayed The Black Struggle as a clownish depiction of daily life in a housing project. A character like Tolkien Black on South Park (first introduced into the series as Token Black) was only useful as a prop. Black animated comedies, and thus Black characters, have had to rely on the pageantry of identity to win over audiences: the subtext of their stories is always the overperformance of race.There’s nothing wrong with that. The predicament of being Black in America is a cycle of repeated ironies. You are hypervisible and erased at the same time, a reality based in the surreal. Some days it can feel like you’re a c...

Bill Maher says “Real Time” to return, but without writers

14Sep

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

Bill Maher says “Real Time” to return, but without writers

Citing the need "to bring people back to work," comedian Bill Maher announced Wednesday that his HBO political talk show "Real Time" will return to the air, but without writers amid the ongoing strike, now in its fifth month. "The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns," Maher said in a statement posted to social media, indicating that the economic wellbeing of his staff played a role in his decision. "Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily," Maher wrote. The 67-year-old also noted that although the show would resume, it would be without several writer-driven segments, including his ...

‘Euphoria’ Creator Reveals Insights Into New Season And Collaboration With Zendaya

24Aug

By adminNo Comments

Entertainment

‘Euphoria’ Creator Reveals Insights Into New Season And Collaboration With Zendaya

Sam Levinson is finally giving “Euphoria” fans what they want.Dedicated viewers of the HBO Max drama have patiently endured the last year and a half without as much as a hint about its anticipated third season. Fortunately, showrunner Levinson made an appearance in Elle’s recent cover story about lead actor Zendaya — and finally dished.Audiences last saw Zendaya’s character, Rue, in the Season 2 finale in February 2022 and watched her loved ones stage a drug intervention. While a voiceover confirmed she stayed sober for the rest of the school year, Levinson teased more upcoming hardships.The showrunner told Elle he plans on turning the next season into a “film noir” that uses Rue as a vehicle to “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.” Further detail...

The 19 Best Movies on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

9Aug

By adminNo Comments

Technology

The 19 Best Movies on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

As the birthplace of prestige TV shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, HBO—and, by extension, Max (aka the streamer formerly known as HBO Max)—is best known for its impressive lineup of original series. The network has also been upping the ante with feature-length content that is the stuff of Oscar dreams. However, because Max is not (yet) a production powerhouse like, say, Netflix, hundreds of great movies come and go each month. So if you see something you want to watch, don’t let it linger in your queue for too long. Below is a list of some of our favorite films streaming on Max—from international awards darlings to piercing documentaries you’ll see near the top of any “Best Movies of the Year” list. If you decide you’re in more of a TV mood, head over to our picks for the best shows o...

The 17 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

14Jul

By adminNo Comments

Technology

The 17 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

Max (previously HBO Max) might be one of the greatest things to come out of the streaming revolution. No, this is not a paid promotion; it’s just simple logic, given that so much of television’s most compelling content of the past 25 years—from The Sopranos and The Wire to Game of Thrones and The Leftovers—originated on the “it’s not just TV” network. So having one hub to find them all (including the aforementioned titles) makes good sense for both the network and binge-watchers looking to maximize their investment. But HBO’s streaming arm has gotten into the original content game too, with highly acclaimed series like Hacks, Station Eleven, and The Staircase (the owl did it!). When you’re done rewatching some of the classics, here are our favorite shows streaming on HBO Max right now.Loo...