It’s perfect timing for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. National Geographic has released the new trailer for their upcoming “Genius” anthology series this holiday and holiday weekend. The latest story in this franchise is “Genius: MLK/X,” which centers obviously on seminal and iconic civil rights era geniuses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2024

The series features two up-and-coming but soon-to-be heavyweight actors in the lead roles: Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Continue reading ‘Genius: MLK/X’ Trailer: Kelvin Harrison Plays MLK & Aaron Pierre Is Malcolm X In New February-Set Limited Series at The Playlist.

What is the fine line between altruism and narcissism, and what happens when “higher-calling” religious beliefs blur those demarcations? That vague space is not exactly what celebrated doc filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine are trying to resolve in their compelling new documentary “The Mission.” Honestly, their story is more subtle and nuanced; a fairer and balanced look at the ideas of self-sacrifice, an empathetic examination of a tragedy, and yet a sobering probing of good intentions and the paths that lead us astray.

Continue reading ‘The Mission’: The ‘Boys State’ Directors Examine A Tragic Death & The Hubris Of Christian Messiah Complex [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Taking its title from a quote with which Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family in Amsterdam during WWII, often ended her speeches later in life, “A Small Light” is the latest engaging, richly detailed biographical drama from National Geographic.

Co-creators Joan Rater and Tony Phelan (“Grey’s Anatomy”) find a deeply humanist angle to this well-known piece of history by telling the story of Frank and her family through those who aided them.

Continue reading ‘A Small Light’ Review: A Richly Detailed Portrait Of Anne Frank Protector Miep Gies at The Playlist.

Most people have learned the story of Anne Frank. In many schools, her story is taught in history classes and her diaries are read as classic works. But in the new series, “A Small Light,” the story of Anne Frank is told through the perspective of the woman who promised to keep her safe. 

READ MORE: ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Review: Jennifer Garner Can’t Save Apple TV+’s Plodding Thriller

As seen in the trailer for “A Small Light,” the limited series tells the story of Miep Gies, a young woman who takes on the challenge of hiding the Frank family from the Nazis during WWII after Otto Frank asked her to help.

Continue reading ‘A Small Light’ Trailer: Bel Powley, Joe Cole & Liev Schreiber Tell The Story Of Hiding Anne Frank’s Family in WWII at The Playlist.

Married in 2013, while Oscar-winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin both had been making and shooting films before they met (Chin, “Reel Rock 7,” Vasarhelyi, “Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love“), the power of their collaborative work was instantaneous. 2015’s breathtaking high stakes “Meru” was one of the most harrowing mountain climbing docs ever made up until that point, and they managed to somehow even one-up it with their Oscar-winning doc, the vertiginous and death-defying “Free Solo.”

READ MORE: SXSW 2023 Preview: 25 Must-See Film & TV Projects To Watch

Since then, the duo has turned their love for the outdoors, the environment and landscape, and their innate curiosity about the natural world into some riveting documentaries, many of them fueled by the same ticking-clock adrenaline of “Meru” and “Free Solo” (see 2021’s Thai Cave rescue doc, “The Rescue”).

Continue reading ‘Wild Life’ Review: The Directors Of ‘Free Solo’ Craft A Heartfelt Tribute To The Conservationists Behind Patagonia, The North Face & Esprit [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhely and Jimmy Chin won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, a BAFTA, and seven Emmy awards for their 2018 film “Free Solo,” about rock climber Alex Honnold. Now the pair are back with a new National Geographic documentary, “Wild Life.” Fresh off its surprise screening at the Telluride Film Festival last September, the doc gets another one at SXSW this weekend before hitting theaters and streaming this Spring.

Continue reading ‘Wild Life’ Trailer: New Doc From ‘Free Solo’ Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhely & Jimmy Chin Debuts Disney+ On May 26 at The Playlist.

Some cinematic questions remain eternal. What’s in the briefcase in “Pulp Fiction“? What did Bob whisper in Charlotte’s ear at the end of “Lost In Translation“? And was there enough room on that floating door for Rose and Jack to survive in “Titanic“? As the film approaches its February 10 theatrical rerelease, James Cameron looks to put that mystery to bed in a new National Geographic special, “Titantic: 25 Years Later With James Cameron.”

READ MORE: ‘Titanic’ 25th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer: James Cameron’s Oscar-Winning Epic Returns To Cinema In February

EW has a breakdown of four different scenarios Cameron uses to recreate his film’s tragic scene and speculate if Jack indeed had a chance to avoid his chilly fate.

Continue reading ‘Titanic’: James Cameron Recreates Floating Door Scene In New National Geographic Special To See If Both Jack And Rose Could Fit at The Playlist.

Following the slap, his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and his ten-year ban from appearing at the Academy Awards ceremony, the post-smack aftermath for Will Smith continues. While there were concerns that studios would instantly look at what projects they had in development with Smith and jettison them, some are doing exactly that and some are taking a more cautious approach.

According to Bloomberg, Netflix has canceled Smith’s upcoming film “Bright 2,” an LAPD/sci-fi hodgepodge that initially starred Smith and Joel Edgerton in a world where orcs, monsters, and fairies lived alongside humans.

Continue reading Netflix Cancels Will Smith’s ‘Bright 2’ Sequel & Other Projects Face Delays at The Playlist.

As its short declarative title implies, Janet Tobias and John Hoffman’s documentary “Fauci” is single-minded in its pursuit of exploring and humanizing the now (in)famous director of the National Institutes of Health. Wisely avoiding the uncritical coronation of Fauci that rippled through the media in the past year, Tobias and Hoffman, instead, present a complex and humane figure entrenched in his chosen medical field, who was nevertheless embroiled in the heightened political discourse around COVID-19. 

Continue reading ‘Fauci’ Is A Compelling Exploration Of The Influential Pandemic-Era Doctor [Telluride Review] at The Playlist.

“Free Solo” thrilled the audiences and picked up a handful of awards along the way. Now, directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are back with their follow-up documentary film, “The Rescue.” The first trailer gives viewers a taste of the thrills they can expect in the duo’s upcoming film.

READ MORE: Telluride 2021 Preview: 10 Must-See Films To Watch

In 2018, the world held its breath when a Thai soccer team and its coaches were trapped in a dangerous, flooding cave.

Continue reading ‘The Rescue’ Trailer: The ‘Free Solo’ Directors Document The Harrowing Cave Rescue Of A Thai Soccer Team at The Playlist.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)and has advised seven Presidents on HIV/AIDS and many other domestic and global health issues. He is one of the world’s most well-regarded scientists and yet, because of Trump, the bad faith Republican agenda, and Fox News, he’s become one of the most polarizing figures in the world. And that’s basically what the new NatGeo doc “Fauci,” is about.

Continue reading ‘Fauci’ Trailer: NatGeo’s New Doc About A Dedicated Public Servant Was Shot In Secret at The Playlist.

November 8th, 2018 feels like several lifetimes ago. 85 lifetimes, if you want to put a precise number on it. That’s how many people died that day in Paradise, California. 50,000 more were left homeless in what would later be called “the worst fire in California history.”

READ MORE: The Best Documentaries Of The Decade [2010s]

The documentary “Rebuilding Paradise,” directed by Ron Howard, follows several citizens and council people of Paradise, and their agonizing effort to rise from the ashes.

Continue reading ‘Rebuilding Paradise’: Ron Howard Looks At The Aftermath Of 2018’s Californian Traumatic Firestorms [Review] at The Playlist.

There are a number of reasons to binge NatGeo’s “Barkskins,” an adaption of Annie Proulx’s celebrated novel, this summer. Most importantly, it covers an important period in North American history rarely acknowledged or known outside of Canada and accurately depicts the power of the Indigenous nations in New France at the time during the 17th Century. It also features some wonderfully impressive performances from Marcia Gay Harden, David Wilmot and, of course, David Thewlis.

Continue reading David Thewlis Reveals A Nick Cave Inspiration For ‘Barkskins’ & Clarifies He’s Na’Vi in ‘Avatar 3’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

Who says Disney+ is the place only for kid-friendly stuff? Sure, real-life issues such as marital strife and underage partying might be enough to get “Love, Victor” booted onto Hulu, but Disney+ isn’t afraid to showcase some drama, as we see in the new announcement that “The Right Stuff” is coming to the streamer.

READ MORE: Director Peyton Reed Teases His Involvement In ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

According to Deadline, “The Right Stuff” is moving from National Geographic to Disney+ to get an even bigger showcase.

Continue reading ‘The Right Stuff’ Teaser: Nat Geo’s NASA Drama Series Comes To Disney+ This Fall at The Playlist.

Remember “The Revenant?” The Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio starrer? Well, National Geographic is kind of hoping you don’t, because their latest historical fiction series, “Barkskins,” has a very similar vibe.

An eight-episode adaptation of the bestselling novel by Anne Proulx, “Barkskins” is all about the tension between new settlers and the indigenous population of Wobik, now Quebec, and how it results in an all-out war in 1690s New France.

Continue reading ‘Barkskins’ Trailer: National Geographic Has A New Historical Fiction Show That Feels A Lot Like ‘The Revenant’ at The Playlist.

Almost a year and a half after it was first announced, the merger of most of 21st Century Fox’s assets and the Walt Disney company has finally been completed.  Of course, it’s a merger in technical terms only.  In truth, it’s an acquisition, one that Hollywood’s creative community has tried to embrace with optimism and one that superhero fans have selfishly clamored for.  There have been significant changes to the landscape since the merger was announced but it doesn’t change one important fact: thousands of people will likely lose their jobs.

Continue reading Hopes & Dreams For 20th Century Fox As A Disney Entity at The Playlist.