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47 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

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Jim and Andy Francois Duhamel Netflix final

One of the great things about Netflix is that it has brought thoughtful, compelling documentaries to a much wider audience — something filmmakers could only dream of a decade ago.

And with binge-worthy titles like Netflix original "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond" and Oscar-nominated "Last Men in Aleppo" a click away, you can get a lot of great nonfiction viewing any night of the week.

You'll learn a lot more about the world, but don't worry — you'll also be entertained.

Here are 47 documentaries we think you should stream right away on Netflix.

Note: Numerous Netflix titles drop off the streaming service monthly, so the availability of titles below may change.

SEE ALSO: All the 'Avengers' and Marvel fans who nailed their cosplay at Comic-Con

1. "13th"

Director Ava DuVernay looks at the history of the US prison system and how it relates to the nation's history of racial inequality.



2. "Amanda Knox"

The murder trial in Italy of the American exchange student Amanda Knox, who is now free, captivated the world in the early 2000s. This Netflix original looks back at the case and gets the perspective of Knox and others closely involved.



3. "The Battered Bastards of Baseball"

In a fascinating look at one of the more colorful stories in baseball lore, directors Chapman and Maclain Way follow the Portland Mavericks, an independent baseball team owned by the movie star Bing Russell (Kurt Russell's father) who threw out all the conventions of the national pastime to build a regional sensation in the late 1970s.



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Trump seemed to place part of the blame for school shootings on violent video games and movies — and a Parkland survivor called it a 'pathetic excuse'

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Donald Trump AP

  • In the wake of the school shooting in Florida last week, President Trump said on Thursday that violence in video games and movies were affecting kids.
  • One Florida school shooting survivor called the President's remarks "pathetic" when asked about them on CNN.


At a moment when many are trying to figure out how to prevent another school shooting, President Trump believes we need to look at video games and movies that young people are consuming.

During a meeting in the White House about school safety on Thursday, President Trump said that today's video games and movies are "so violent," and that the rating systems for both need to be reexamined.

"The level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts, and then you go the further step, and that’s the movies," Trump said. "You see these movies, they’re so violent, and yet a kid is able to see the movie. If sex isn’t involved, but killing is involved. And maybe they have to put a rating system for that, and you get into a whole very complicated, very big deal.”

There are currently rating systems for both movies and video games. The Motion Picture Association of America has a rating system that's used at movie theaters nationwide. For video games, they are conducted by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

"We know that's not how life is"

This is hardly the first time both mediums have come under fire after a violent act. But it's the victims of this latest school shooting that are coming out to say it's not the content that's causing the violence.

"My friends and I have been playing video games our whole lives, and seen, of course, violent movies, but never have we ever felt driven or provoked by those action in those games to do something as horrible as this," Samuel Zeif, a Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor, said on CNN soon after Trump made the remarks. "It's a video game, something happens you restart, we know that's not how life is. I think it's a distraction, the president is trying to distract us."

Fellow survivor, Chris Grady, gave stronger words about Trump's comments.

“That’s just a really pathetic excuse on behalf of the president," he told CNN. "I grew up playing video games — 'Call of Duty,' those first-person shooter games — and I would never, ever dream of taking the lives of any of my peers. So it’s just pathetic."

Since the Florida shooting, students across the country have rallied for stricter gun-control measures. Protests have been held, and there's a planned national school walkout on March 14, and a "March for Our Lives" protest on March 24.

The National Association of Theatre Owners declined to comment for this story. The Motion Picture Association of America and Entertainment Software Rating Board did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Here's President Trump's comments on there being too much violence in video games and movies:

 

SEE ALSO: 47 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

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NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

REVIEW: 'Every Day' is a unique teen drama carried by the impressive performances of 15 young actors playing the same role

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Rhiannon Every Day cafeteria movie scene

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for "Every Day."

"Every Day" is a highly unique teen love story that has an equal chance of leaving you in tears or scratching your head. The movie centers around two characters: Rhiannon and "A" who fall in love, but of course it's more complex than that.

"A" is a person (or perhaps more accurately, a soul) who enters the body of a different person every day. "A" wakes up inside a real person each morning, and effectively co-opts their life for a day. It's never the same person twice, but they're always the same age as "A."

Rhiannon is a high school teen who happens to be the girlfriend of Justin — the person "A" wakes up inside at the movie's beginning. "A" and Rhiannon have a connection that leads "A" to return day after day to her side in a different body.

Why you should care: "Every Day" is based on a bestselling novel

"Every Day" is an adaptation of the bestselling book of the same name by David Levithan, who co-wrote another YA novel-turned-indie-movie, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." Director Michael Sucsy is best known for his other romantic drama, "The Vow," which starred Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. 

 Every Day movie George A library

At a time in Hollywood culture where audiences are demanding more diversity and representation from creators, "Every Day" takes a high-concept romance to new levels. There's a range of actors who play the same love interest, "A," with a compelling nod to the LGBTQ+ ethos of "love is love."

What's Hot: The cast who plays "A" are all super talented

The movie wouldn't be successful if it weren't for the cohesive performances of all the main "A" actors. Though "A" takes over 15 different bodies in the course of "Every Day," the character is kept grounded by a few key actors who are stellar in their portrayal of the same personality.

Actor Justice Smith had perhaps the toughest task of all. He had to portray the audiences first look at "A" while they are in the body of Rhiannon's boyfriend, Justin.

 Every Day movie Justin Still A

Then for the rest of the movie, Smith plays the real Justin — a lousy boyfriend who is nothing like the kind and caring "A." The transformation is fascinating to watch, and Smith's tender portrayal of "A" is carried through the rest of the movie by the other actors. 

The other standout "A" is Owen Teague, who has to also pull off two different characters (both "A" and Alexander). His performance is infectiously charming, and helps seal your understanding of why Rhiannon fell in love with this spirit. 

Two more notable actors who take on "A" are Ian Alexander, one of the breakout stars in Netflix's "The OA," and Jacob Batalon ("Spider-Man: Homecoming").

 Every Day movie James Still A diner scene

The soundtrack for "Every Day" is also unique and lovable, with '80s hit "This is the Day" by The The playing a significant role, and a cover of Francis and the Lights' lovely single "May I Have This Dance" closing out the movie.

What's Not: The movie doesn't stick the laning

"Every Day" carries the fantastical plot with a surprising amount of grounding, but then falters at the finish line. The emotional climax is cut short, and also brings in a slight twist that never gets fully explored. The result was a hurried final act that left me more confused than satisfied. 

Rhiannon and A Alexander Every Day movie

The writing throughout the movie also borders on predictable. After Rhiannon opens up about her dad's mental health struggles, she says the clichéd "I don't know why I'm telling you all this." There's also a lot of running-and-holding-hands that begins to feel sillier than it's likely intended. 

"Every Day" ultimately suffers from a lack of a clear moral undercurrent. The movie tries to send a message about leaving your mark on the world, but it's muddled in the hurried ending. 

The Bottom Line: "Every Day" is a worthwhile teen rom-com

This is a teen romance that sheds an important light on the idea of loving someone for their internal spirit rather than their external looks. With touches on mental health, LGBTQ+ gender identity and relationships, and the importance of empathy, "Every Day" can send a strong message to viewers of all ages. But it doesn't quite stick its landing, and falls into several tropes that can be hard to get past. 

Grade: B-

"Every Day" arrives in theaters on February 23. Watch the full trailer below:

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REVIEW: Natalie Portman's 'Annihilation' is a freaky, original sci-fi thriller led by a powerful female cast

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annihilation movie

Movie studios have given us a good run of satisfying, entertaining sci-fi movies lately thanks to Marvel and "Star Wars."

But now Paramount has given us something all too rare: a smart, ambitious, and mysterious sci-fi movie led by women.

Starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac, "Annihilation" is about a group of scientists who enter and investigate the "shimmer," a disaster zone caused by an alien force. No one who's entered it has ever left, and no signals can go in or out.

The "shimmer" is filled with flora and fauna that defy the laws of science and form a beautiful — and frightening — self-contained world. When the team goes inside, they find both a dream and a nightmare.

Why you should care: It's a smart sci-fi movie with a diverse cast.

"Annihilation" is cut from the same cloth as "Ex Machina," Alex Garland's previous movie, which was a thrilling, cramped sci-fi movie that dealt with ideas about artificial intelligence and humanity. It's also a lot like Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival," starring Amy Adams, in that there's female scientists who try to understand an alien force. "Annihilation" is a lot like that, except it's drawn on a more ambitious canvas and has more texture to it.

annihilation movie female cast

It's also refreshingly diverse. Science fiction is a historically male-dominated genre, but "Annihilation"passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. Some people may have been concerned that Portman was playing an Asian-American character, but they don't hold up when you consider the movie on its own terms. "Annihilation" doesn't remotely stick close to the Jeff VanderMeer book it's based on (which VanderMeer is comfortable with). And a diverse cast of women are on screen for nearly the entirety of the movie's running time.

What's hot: "Annihilation" is thought-provoking, treats its characters well, and is extraordinarily well-crafted.

It's totally clear that "Annihilation" was made with care and precision by everyone involved. Its four main characters are well-balanced. They're each damaged in their own way, but all united in their purpose of entering the "shimmer." They're not two-dimensional staples, like DC's "Suicide Squad," or annoying old science nerds who crack lame jokes, like the guy in "The Martian." 

annihilation movie shimmer science

The movie's science fiction conceit is based on the idea of a sort of biological singularity, where genes of different living beings can blend together. Rendered onscreen with Garland's visual imagination, the end result is beautiful. Some scenes feel like Pandora from "Avatar," but more grounded in reality. There are creatures that look like they might exist in real life, but are unsettlingly unreal at the same time. As Portman's character says at one point, the inside of the "shimmer" is like a nightmare but also has the beauty of a dream.

Garland's smartest visual choices inject the story with mystery. He takes no pains to explain everything to the audience in technical terms, like with Ellen Page jabbering away about dream psychology in "Inception." He gives us information using visual signals and is confidence enough in its abilities and in his audience's intelligence to make it work. The final 20 minutes of the movie are nearly wordless, but every motion onscreen communicates meaning. They are tense, precise, and crafted with intelligence and care.

What's not: Some of the science fiction stuff doesn't hold up.

While it's good that Garland doesn't over-explain his world, some of his science remains inexplicable. There's a stretch of the movie where the limits of the "shimmer"— which appear as a bubble over a large area of land — should be visible in the horizon but for some reason isn't. And while one of the characters takes care to explain the biological consequences of the movie's conceit, anyone with a passing understanding of physics would understand that it doesn't entirely work.

annihilation movie 3

There's also a useless plot threat where Portman cheats on her husband, which could have been entirely cut. And much of the story is communicated through interviews Portman gives after she leaves the "shimmer," which rob the story of some tension because we know she definitely escapes in the end.

"Annihilation" also has one intense body-horror scene that's hard to watch, so beware.

The bottom line: It's a smart movie that's definitely worth watching.

If you like smart science fiction movies, "Annihilation" is just as essential as "Ex Machina" and "Arrival." You'll be thinking about it long after you leave the theater.

And if you care about the movie business, watch it in theaters. Paramount, the company distributing "Annihilation,"ultimately struck a deal that would allow Netflix to stream the movie internationally instead of showing it in theaters. That means the United States is one of the only countries where you'll be able to see the movie on the big screen. That's a shame. It's a rare non-franchise science fiction film to be drawn on a magnificent, big canvas.

Grade:

A

"Annihilation" is in theaters Friday.

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The Oscar-nominated director of Netflix's 'Heroin(e)' talks about exploring a side of the opioid epidemic that the media ignores

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HEROINE netflix

  • Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon's Oscar-nominated documentary "Heroin(e)" follows three women fighting the opioid epidemic in the town of Huntington, West Virginia. 
  • Sheldon spoke to Business Insider about the challenges of the drug crisis, her collaboration with Netflix on the film, and the film's life as a tool for community outreach. 

 

In her striking, Oscar-nominated documentary, "Heroin(e)," director Elaine McMillion Sheldon depicts the personal, social, and medical challenges of the opioid epidemic through the lens of Huntington, West Virginia — a town that suffers an overdose rate ten times the national average.

A documentarian and native West Virginian, Sheldon followed three Huntington women — the state's first female fire chief, a drug-court judge, and a street missionary — who are each combatting their town's opioid crisis with what Sheldon called in our interview a "kindness" and "inner-resilience."

Produced by Netflix, "Heroin(e)" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August 2017. Netflix released the film in September, and The New York Times called it a frontrunner in the Oscar category of best documentary (short subject), for which it is nominated.

Sheldon spoke to Business Insider about the myriad challenges and misconceptions of the drug crisis, her collaboration with Netflix, and the film's life as a tool for community outreach. 

John Lynch: As a West Virginia native, how did you decide to take on this crisis that's particularly prevalent in your home state?

Elaine McMillon Sheldon: I grew up in West Virginia. Certainly this is a crisis that makes headlines all across the nation, but my home state's been particularly hard hit. We lead the nation in overdose death rates. It's just been a topic that, as a journalist and documentary filmmaker, has come up in a lot of the stories that I've been documenting over the past eight years. And I've seen a lot of media come out of my home state that's really focused on the use and abuse, and oftentimes the victim side of the story. We wanted to try and find a story that was around solutions and the inner-resilience that people have to overcome this problem. We did an initial reporting trip down to Huntington and met [Huntington fire chief] Jan Rader, and then from there she introduced us to a lot of amazing people across the city that were working really hard with very few resources.

Lynch: Jan Rader is one of three women you tell this story through, including a drug-court judge and street missionary. How did you settle on these three women to provide your film's perspectives of the crisis?

Sheldon: Well, Jan Rader is the first female fire chief in West Virginia's history. She's a person that's very well connected in the community. She grew up right across the river in Ohio, and she herself was an obvious candidate because she leads a group of nearly 100 men in a fire department who every single day see the worst part of this, which is the overdoses. They on the front lines rarely have a positive experience; six to seven overdoses a day is not positive for these first responders. And she just seemed so optimistic, I guess I would say, which surprised me and interested me. And I wondered how she found that resilience within herself to lead in a more empathetic way. 

The other two women are friends of Jan's. Like I said, Jan probably introduced us to 20 people across Huntington, but Necia Freeman and Patricia Keller stood out because they're three women who work across different strata of society. The three of them actually work with the same people, just at different parts of their life. Jan's the one that's reviving them, Nisha's often the one that's getting them into rehab or into a homeless shelter or place to sleep, and oftentimes they go through the drug court if they've committed a crime or felony related to their drug use. So they oftentimes work with the same people but with very different approaches, but all treating people as human beings and not as junkies. So they have a lot in common but they all represent more kindness in the fight against drugs. They were pretty obvious people to feature, but certainly there are a lot of people on the ground that could have been featured as well. 

Lynch: Pulling back, what do you think is the biggest misconception people have about the opioid epidemic?

Sheldon: There are a lot of misconceptions. I think it's important that we talk about addiction as a whole. Addiction to any substance can ruin someone's life and burn bridges and isolate them from society. Right now, we're talking about opioids and heroin, but this could easily be any other substance that is tearing apart communities. The prevalence of opioids that were dumped into Appalachia by distribution companies really helped create a perfect storm. People have described it as like an "addiction of misery," but the problem with describing it as such is that it seems to say that those who aren't in misery, those with good jobs and a good standing in society are exempt from addiction, which just isn't the case. I think America has pushed addiction off as a largely lower-class or a very racialized issue. And addiction doesn't see color. It doesn't see gender.

So there's this huge misconception about who can become addicted. And unfortunately, I think it has taken the opioid crisis, which first started in the form of a pill, to penetrate parts and classes of society that thought they were exempt from addiction, to now become part of that conversation. There's a lot of stigma associated with addiction and a lot of misconceptions around who uses heroin and who doesn't. It's been studied that four out of five heroin users actually started with a pill, Oxycontin or a synthetic opiate. This is unfortunately an addiction crisis in America  that we can't just point fingers at and say, "It's not in our community." It's everywhere. So while that's a very negative thing, it's good that we're actually talking about addiction now, and we're talking about it very differently. In the past, we've said, especially for communities of color, "Lock them up and throw away the key. They're moral failures. There are no second chances." And now that other classes and other races have become impacted by this, our eyes are being opened. And that's very unfortunate for our history, but it's time that we don't make the same mistakes we've made in the past. 

heroine netflix

Lynch: The depiction of the antidote Narcan in the film was striking to see. Here in New York there are subway ads that advocate the use of it in the home — if you know someone who's a user, this is something that can revive them in an overdose situation. In your film, someone poses in a community meeting that's it's possibly enabling for addicts to have Narcan. How do you weigh the pros and cons of that issue?

Sheldon: Yeah, I think all American communities right now are trying to figure out: A) how can we pay for this drug, especially if pharmaceutical companies keep raising prices? And B) what are the ethical choices? Because the stigma of addiction has narrowed it down to being a moral failure, people often bring that "three strikes, you're out" opinion to it. You know, "We'll revive you three times, but after that you don't deserve another chance." And that unfortunately has been sort of the idea behind Naloxone. A lot of people have seen syringe exchanges, harm reduction programs, and Naloxone training as enabling, and unfortunately now we're seeing higher rates of HIV and hepatitis C. We're not actually enabling people to use drugs, we're allowing them to live healthier lives with these harm reduction programs. They are going to use no matter if there's a clean needle or not. They are addicted to a substance that completely alters the brain, and not providing them with those services is not going to in some way, all of a sudden, make them decide to go to rehab. Going to seek out recovery options comes at a different point in everyone's life. 

And in Cabell County, the county that Huntington's in, with six to seven overdoses a day, there are less than ten detox beds in the entire county. The problem with that is that rehabs oftentimes won't accept people unless they've gone through that really brutal detox, and there's a bottleneck of people even getting help. So we have to change our thinking around harm reduction. We have to see it as a public health issue. If we think the opioid crisis is expensive in and of itself, rising rates of hepatitis C and HIV are only further costs on healthcare that we just can't afford. It's just changing though, the conversation around it. Especially in a place like West Virginia, in media portrayals you wouldn't think of West Virginia as a place that's leading a progressive way forward and treating people differently, but Huntington was one of the first places in the state to have this syringe exchange. And it was important for us as native West Virginians to show that we're part of the solution, too. Yeah, it's a problem here, but the people here have come together and decided, we're not enabling, but we have to do something because it's a public health crisis.

Lynch: If I could ask quickly about the production side of the film, how did you get involved with Netflix to tell this story?

Sheldon: Well, my husband and I shot the film together. We were the only two on the ground, and we shot with the women from February 2016 until May of 2017, about 38 days total, on and off. The Center for Investigative Reporting was actually the first funder in, through their Glassbreaker initiative. Once we started thinking about editing and taking it into post-production, that's when we approached Netflix, and they came on board and really helped us creatively approach these stories and craft it into the film that it became.

Lynch: As absorbed as I was in the film, and I found the brevity of it very impactful, I also thought, you know, I could watch like a couple episodes or hours of this. How did you determine that the 39-minute length was appropriate?

Sheldon: The length for us was a really smart way to use it as a tool for education. What's been incredible is that the film's under 40 minutes, within another 20 minute discussion packed on to that, and within an hour, a community can have this film be a conversation starter for them. There's a screening this week in Sitka, Alaska. There have been screenings almost in every state in the country now where communities who are experiencing the crisis — and it may look different in their community than what you see in "Heroin(e)"— but the fact is, they're able to start a conversation with this film. And that's the hardest part is starting to talk about this, so I think the short allows the film to travel really well. It's good that you have an appetite to learn more I think, because that's where the discussion comes in and that's where further research comes in. So we've just been able to see it travel in a way that is really incredible for education and outreach. We've created a field guide for people that want to host their own screenings. There's been screenings hosted at prisons and rehabs and medical schools. At heroinethefilm.com, under the resources page, we made this guide that gives you actual questions you can lead an audience with through a proper discussion. So yeah, it's a great length for that particular educational tool.

HEROINE netflix

Lynch: The film really illustrates how prevention and rehabilitation can work at a local level. What steps do you think we need to take to curb this nationally, at the federal level?

Sheldon: It's kind of hard to say what should happen from the federal level. Certainly these small communities, especially rural communities, cannot afford to provide the resources they need to help people. And I think it actually all changes on a grassroots level. I'd like every politician to watch the film and see what people on the front lines deal with on a daily basis, and make policies that are based on informed decisions of what the front lines look like. I think that every community's response to this is going to look different. What's happening in Huntington, West Virginia, is different than what's happening in Portland, Oregon. And the entities that are there to solve it, whether it's the faith-based community, the medical community, the criminal justice and court system, they can all come together and decide to change this.

But unfortunately, it's very hard to do that without funding. So I'd like to see more effort go towards — well, obviously, not taking away the expansion of Medicaid would help a lot — but making sure that people are able to access resources on a local level. Most people that want help in West Virginia are on a three-to-four month waiting list and are often overdosing while on that waiting list. One of the guys that we filmed was actually going to rehab that week, and you see that a lot. A lot of people aren't using because it's fun or exciting for them anymore, they're using because they'll be dope-sick if they don't, and they're just waiting until they can get in some places, so it's very complicated. I don't think there's one solution that's a silver bullet. Jan Rader, if she were on this call, would say it starts with kindness, it starts with being more perceptive to what's happening in your own community and seeing how you can help in being kinder to one another, and trying to see how we, on an individual level, can help improve each other's lives.

Lynch: Going into the film, did you personally have any preconceived notions or background on the subject matter that shifted after the process of making it?

Sheldon: Well, just looking at my middle school and high-school graduating class, I mean, it's kind of unreal to look at how many people I've gone to school with have overdosed and died. Or who are currently in long-term recovery, which is really incredible to see — friends who I know have struggled, getting their life back together and getting their kids back. So I always had experience through those connections but never personally. And I think the biggest surprise and the biggest concern for me was learning that the people on the front lines also need care. The first responders that are quite exhausted from this, they have this exhaustion from being compassionate and being able to help. And they feel helpless in that they're bringing back the same person several times in one week, and they're not feeling like they're doing their job helping people. I think the biggest thing any community member can do, if you're in long-term recovery, I think that people in recovery and first responders need to speak and be in touch more often, because I think these first responders are getting really burnt out on what they're doing, because they don't feel like they're helping. And if they could just meet people in long-term recovery and see that people have changed their lives, I think that would really help morale on the ground, which is really waning at this time.

Lynch: With the Oscars coming up, I have to ask. I've seen your film listed as a frontrunner. What would an Oscar win mean to you and to the cause?

Sheldon: Just being nominated has already been so positive for the community outreach. We had a lot of people doing the educational screenings beforehand, but now that it's an Oscar nominee, they can get more people out. You know, "We're doing our own private screening of this Oscar-nominated film." And Netflix has made it available for educational streaming unlimited, so as long as people aren't charging admission, they can screen it to as many people as often as they like. So with that, in and of itself, we've seen an uptick in community screenings since the Oscar nomination. I would just hope that it continues to add to the conversation that's ongoing, that it continues to help find new solutions.

Certainly, the three women and I and my husband are all going to be going to the Oscars together, bringing attention to people on the front lines and to those who are suffering from substance abuse disorder, so that we can actually have a full-on conversation reducing the stigma around how we can help people. Because while we're looking at this current generation, my generation, what we're not thinking about is the kids that are coming up behind us that are orphaned, that are often left in situations that are beyond their control. So that's my biggest fear is that we're having this conversation now about saving people and getting them into rehab, but we have a younger generation that's suffering from our really zeroed in vision on this current generation. I would like the conversation to expand into that: how we can help the next generation avoid falling into this.

SEE ALSO: 47 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

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Making the punching sound in movies requires more work than you think

Brendan Fraser says he was groped by a Hollywood executive and that it made him 'retreat' from his acting career

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  • Actor Brendan Fraser said in a recent interview with GQ that he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
  • Fraser said that the incident made him "retreat" from the Hollywood spotlight. 
  • Berk, who previously described the incident in a memoir as being done in jest, told GQ that Fraser's version of the incident was a "total fabrication." He also admitted to writing an "apology" letter to Fraser.
  • The HFPA said on Friday that it was "previously unaware" of the incident as Fraser alleged it, and that it is currently investigating the matter.

 

Actor Brendan Fraser said in a recent interview with GQ that he was groped by a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk, after an HFPA luncheon in 2003. Fraser said that the incident played a part in his decision to "retreat" from the Hollywood spotlight.

Fraser, who starred in a number of leading roles in successful movies throughout the 1990s, including "The Mummy," has been largely absent from the same leading film roles since the early 2000s.

The 49-year-old actor told GQ that the incident was one of the sources of his career's standstill. Fraser recounted the incident in detail, which GQ reported that Berk had previously described in a memoir as being done in jest.

"His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around," Fraser said. "I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry."

Fraser said the experience "made me retreat. It made me feel reclusive." He said that he wondered if the HFPA had blacklisted him, as he was rarely invited to the Golden Globe Awards after the incident. 

Berk responded to GQ in an email, saying that Fraser's account of the incident was "a total fabrication."

Fraser also said that his representatives asked the HFPA for a written apology. Berk acknowledged to GQ that he wrote an "apology" letter to Fraser, but said that it "admitted no wrongdoing, the usual 'If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize.'"

The HFPA responded to the story in a statement to Deadline on Friday, saying that it was "ppreviously unaware" of the incident as Fraser alleged it, and is currently "investigating further details surrounding the incident."

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The director of Netflix's latest blockbuster movie, 'Mute,' breaks down 4 memorable scenes in the sci-fi thriller

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Mute 3 Keith Bernstein Netflix

Duncan Jones has wowed us his whole career with movies like “Moon,” “Source Code,” and “Warcraft,” but his latest is his most ambitious work yet — which might explain why it took over a decade to get made.

“Mute” is a futuristic who-done-it set in Berlin starring Alexander Skarsgård as a mute bartender named Leo. In the film, Leo must navigate the shady underworld of the city, filled with unique characters like two ex-pats Cactus (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux), to track down his missing girlfriend. 

With the backing of Netflix (which released the movie on Friday), this movie that is part “Blade Runner,” part David Fincher fever dream, has been let out to the masses.

And if you’ve seen it, you probably want more insight on what you’ve experienced. 

Here Jones chatted with Business Insider about three standout scenes from the movie, and one that’s his favorite.

Warning: Spoilers coming if you haven’t seen “Mute” yet:

SEE ALSO: Here are all the confirmed original shows coming to Netflix in 2018

The Sam Bell clones cameo

Sam Bell is the beloved main character of Jones’ debut feature “Moon,” which follows an astronaut, played by Sam Rockwell, at the end of his three-year stint working on the Moon who realizes he’s a clone. At the end of the movie we see him get off the Moon and head back to Earth (there’s a lot more to this movie, you should really see it if you haven’t yet).

Jones always planned to continue telling the Sam Bell story in future films, and in “Mute” he does that by having the story take place when Bell has landed back on Earth, and is testifying about the misuse of clones by the company that does work on the Moon.

In a scene where Leo walks into a coffeehouse, the TV screen behind him shows a live look-in on the Bell testimony, which is interrupted by other Sam Bells who are in the courtroom. 

And if you look close enough, you can catch “free the Sams” graffiti throughout the movie in shots of the streets of Berlin.      

“I wanted to have some way of not exactly wrapping up ‘Moon’ in this film but at least giving those who are curious about what happened to Sam an answer to that in this film,” Jones said. “But at the same time, ‘Mute’ is its own story and I wanted to see if there was a way that I can do that and at the same time not be too distracting from the film that we're trying to make.”

Jones had Rockwell come in for a day of shooting. Rockwell had numerous wardrobe changes, including beards and wigs put on him to play the Sam Bell clones.

Jones said he hopes to close out the Sam Bell storyline in a third film. 

“For the third film you’ll see Sam again probably in the same way you saw him in ‘Mute’ — him in the universe of the story being told,” he said. “That’s what I’m thinking, but it’s flexible.”



Cactus confronts Duck

In a movie that has a lot of disturbing moments, one of the most chilling is a scene an hour into the movie when Cactus goes to Duck’s office. There he notices Duck’s been secretly videotaping his female teen patients, which enrages Cactus, since he's the father of a little girl, and leads to the two war buddies (which Jones based on the friendship between “Trapper” John McIntyre and “Hawkeye” Pierce in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H”) having a heated encounter.  

The scene highlights how dark Rudd and Theroux got in their performances for this movie, which Jones said came from shooting the movie chronologically as much as possible.

“Paul and Justin were able to get some of the fun friendly scenes done earlier, so there was already a rhythm before we allowed them to sort of play with ‘How do I get furious with someone that I’m normally cool with?’” Jones said.

Jones said he also allowed both actors to improvise as much as they wanted on the movie, often doing a few takes of he and Michael Robert Johnson’s screenplay and then letting them do some takes on their own.

The director said the biggest challenge with this scene was getting Rudd to a point where he begins to slap around and shove Theroux.

“I think I did push Paul a little bit to be more physical,” Jones said. “Between the three of us we agreed we’d work our way up to really whacking Justin, but Paul needed to be the psychopath in that moment. We had dropped hints over the course of the film, he needed to be the violent guy at this moment.”



Cactus’ final moments

You get the feeling in "Mute" that sooner or later the bad guys are going to get some kind of gruesome end, and Jones doesn’t disappoint with Cactus. 

Leo’s journey to find his love Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh) leads him to Cactus’ basement at the end of the movie, where he learn her fate. Leo then avenges her by putting Cactus’ trusty knife through his throat. 

The graphic death was how Jones always saw Cactus going out, but he also wanted to give the buildup another darkly twisted feel like the Cactus/Duck confrontation. So he wrote Cactus taunting Leo and cracking jokes before his death.

“I wanted a weird energy and for me it comes out of that excitement Cactus gets out of confrontation,” Jones said. “He carries that in this scene, he doesn’t want this to be the situation, he didn’t want Leo to show up, but he comes down those stairs and he knows he’s going to have this confrontation and Cactus gets off on that.”

And playing off the Trapper/Hawkeye vibe, he also wanted Cactus to have a swagger like he’s going to survive the encounter with Leo. 

“He thinks he’s going to get out of it,” Jones said. “He’s always thought he and Duck are smarter than anyone else around them.”



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Only 3 theaters in the US let you see 'Black Panther' on massive 270-degree screens — here's what you can expect

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Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched "Black Panther."

"Black Panther" is ruling the box office with an iron fist and as film exhibition technology advances, movie fans have more choices when it comes to seeing blockbusters: There’s 3D, IMAX and now there’s also ScreenX, a process developed in Korea and the tech company works with movie companies to extend certain sequences to accommodate the expanded panoramic shots.

INSIDER visited the CGV Cinema in Los Angeles to watch "Black Panther" in ScreenX to give you an idea of what the experience is like.

Why you should care: It's a very rare experience.

"Black Panther" is the first Marvel movie incorporating ScreenX technology in a theater equipped with six projectors that help to immerse viewers in 270-degree panorama shots during certain sequences of a film. While ScreenX is available in 8 countries and 131 screens, only three of them are in the US. 

black panther ship marvel

What’s hot: There are several scenes that are vastly enhanced in ScreenX.

A handful of sequences get a boost from the ScreenX technology and most of them involve sweeping vista shots of Wakanda. When T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), General Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) are on board the ship flying into Wakanda and T’Challa takes in the breathtaking view and says, “This never gets old.” The view is even more beautiful as it takes up most of the audience’s peripheral view in the theatre but it doesn’t take long to notice the expanded visual on the theatre walls isn’t nearly as rich as the main screen.

The ScreenX shot again expands the vastness of the Wakanda waterfalls as the format allows us to take in an even more expansive view of T’Challa on board the spaceship that’s delivering him to the Wakanda waterfalls for his royal coronation. During the coronation ritual, ScreenX surrounds viewers with the vivid colors of the Astral Plane, drawing us into the emotional moment.

chadwick boseman black panther suit disney marvelWhen the story shifts to Busan, South Korea, the dazzling car chase scene – it’s the one you know from the TV commercials for the film where Black Panther and his sister Shuri chase the villain Klaue and his entourage. The ScreenX view envelops viewers as the cars careen through the Busan streets.

michael b johnson chadwick boseman fight black panther disney marvelDuring the climactic Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)/T’Challa fight on the train track, the tussle is illuminated by the vibranium track lights and broken up by lightening-fast trains whizzing by. The ScreenX process almost makes viewers feel like they’re on the tracks watching the fight. Almost.

black panther ships air battle

What’s not: The visual quality may not live up to other viewing experiences.

In a “Star Wars”-esque sequence, Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) assists in defending Wakanda by flying a ship designed by T’Challa’s sister Shuri, and with her coaching, he shoots down enemy ships commanded by interloper king Killmonger. During this part of the film, all we could think was that Industrial Light and Magic has spoiled us for all movie spaceship sequences.

The bottom line: For the money, IMAX and other ways of viewing movies is a comparable experience.

While some of the African vista shots are beautiful, the visual quality of the extended footage projected onto the ScreenX theatre walls is not of the same high quality as the main film footage. Also, depending on the theatre you choose, the sound quality isn’t on par with the visuals. The ticket price in Los Angeles starts at $18.25 and there’s an added online booking fee. For that price, fans will have to decide if there’s enough bang for their buck. While we enjoyed some of the expanded visuals, the overall experience was underwhelming.

Grade: C

Watch a trailer for "Black Panther" in ScreenX below:

Join the conversation about this story »

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The biggest misconception about the opioid crisis, according to the Oscar-nominated director of Netflix's 'Heroin(e)'

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  • Elaine McMillion Sheldon's Oscar-nominated documentary "Heroin(e)" confronts the challenges of the opioid epidemic by depicting those who are fighting the rampant crisis in Huntington, West Virginia. 
  • Sheldon spoke to Business Insider about the misconceptions of the drug crisis that she sought to counterbalance, including the reach of opiate addiction, the plight of first responders, and negative perceptions of West Virginia, her home state.

 

In her Oscar-nominated documentary, "Heroin(e)," director Elaine McMillion Sheldon confronts the national opioid epidemic by depicting those who are fighting the rampant crisis in Huntington, West Virginia — a town that suffers an opioid overdose rate 10 times the national average.

In an interview with Business Insider, Sheldon discussed a number of misconceptions that surround the opioid crisis, many of which she sought to counterbalance in her Netflix original film. 

HEROINESheldon described how the crisis has reached beyond the common perception of heroin and opioid abuse as a "lower-class issue," infiltrating communities of all kinds across the nation.

"People have described it as like an 'addiction of misery,'" Sheldon said of the epidemic. "But the problem with describing it as such is that it seems to say that those who aren't in misery, those with good jobs and a good standing in society are exempt from addiction, which just isn't the case. I think America has pushed addiction off as a largely lower-class or a very racialized issue. And addiction doesn't see color. It doesn't see gender."

Sheldon's film partly follows the Huntington, West Virginia firefighters and first responders who revive overdose victims with the opioid antidote-drug naloxone.

She described how the process of making the film changed her own perception of those fighting the epidemic on the front lines, who also suffer from the difficulty of their selfless work. 

"I think the biggest surprise and the biggest concern for me was learning that the people on the front lines also need care," Sheldon said. "The first responders that are quite exhausted from this, they have this exhaustion from being compassionate and being able to help. And they feel helpless in that they're bringing back the same person several times in one week, and they're not feeling like they're doing their job helping people."

Sheldon added that her effort to depict the "kindness" and "inner-resilience" of those fighting the crisis also served to combat negative perceptions of West Virginia, her home state.

"Especially in a place like West Virginia, in media portrayals you wouldn't think of West Virginia as a place that's leading a progressive way forward and treating people differently, but Huntington was one of the first places in the state to have [naloxone] syringe exchange," she said. "And it was important for us as native West Virginians to show that we're part of the solution, too. Yeah, it's a problem here, but the people here have come together and decided, we're not enabling, but we have to do something because it's a public health crisis."

Watch "Heroin(e)" on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: What Facebook is looking for in the TV-like series it's bankrolling, according to an exec who just got a show renewed

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NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

13 Oscar best-picture nominees that critics loved but audiences didn't think were anything special

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  • Critics and audiences aren't always on the same page when it comes to movies.
  • The Oscars are a great example of this, as there are plenty of films that critics liked way more than audiences.
  • We picked 13 Oscar best-picture nominees that have divided critics and moviegoers throughout the years, based on their critics and audience scores on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

 

Critics and audiences don't always see eye-to-eye, and the Oscars put it into focus.

At the Academy Awards, some best-picture nominees are ones that audiences enjoyed more than critics — like "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," which has a 46% critics score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes compared to a 61% audience score.

But there are also plenty of movies nominated that critics loved a lot more than audiences.

We went back in time over four decades to find Oscar best-picture nominees that drew a clear line between critics and general moviegoers.

We picked 13 that had above an 80% critics score, but below a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. A few may come as a shock; the 1997 crowd-pleaser and box office champ "Titanic" doesn't seem to have aged well with the public, at least by Rotten Tomatoes standards. 

Below are 13 Oscar best picture nominees that critics liked a lot more than audiences:

SEE ALSO: All 89 Oscar best-picture winners, ranked from worst to best by movie critics

"Phantom Thread" (2017)

Critics score: 91%

Audience score: 69%

Also nominated for: actor, supporting actress, director, costume design, original score

An acclaimed dress designer played by Daniel Day-Lewis poorly balances work and romance in 1950s London.



"The Tree of Life" (2011)

Critics score: 84%

Audience score: 60%

Also nominated for: director, cinematography

Terrence Malick directed this surreal look at the history of the universe, centered around a young boy's life and relationship with his parents. 



"A Serious Man" (2009)

Critics score: 90%

Audience score: 67%

Also nominated for: original screenplay

Michael Stuhlbarg, who appeared in 2017 best picture nominees "The Shape of Water" and "Call Me by Your Name," plays a professor who experiences one life crisis after the next in this Coen Brothers-directed film. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Black Panther' earns $108 million at the box office in its 2nd weekend — the 2nd-best performance ever

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  • "Black Panther" took in an estimated $108 million at the box office its second weekend in theaters.
  • That's the second-best performance for a movie ever in its second weekend.
  • It's also only the fourth movie ever to have a $100 million second weekend.


"Black Panther" has no signs of slowing down at the domestic box office.

The Disney/Marvel Studios hit scored an estimated $108 million this weekend, according to boxofficepro, making it the second-best performance ever (passing "Jurassic World," $106.5 million) for a movie's second weekend in theaters. Its domestic total is now $400 million.

This marks only the fourth movie ever to score a $100 million second weekend, joining "The Avengers,""Jurassic World," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." All three of those movies would go to earn lifetime box office returns of over $650 million domestically and over $1 billion worldwide (over $2 billion in the case of "The Force Awakens").

After taking the crown last weekend for best opening weekend ever for the month of February ($202 million) and best Presidents' Day weekend ever ($242 million), Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" showed it wasn't going to be one of those movies that has a dramatic drop in sales its second weekend in theaters.

The movie took in an impressive $28.8 million on Friday and an incredible $47.6 million on Saturday. That proves that there's still a big audience for the movie and that folks are returning to theaters to see the movie multiple times.

"Black Panther" also didn't have much competition to worry about this weekend.

The comedy "Game Night," starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, came in second place with $16.6 million (on a $37 million budget). The sci-fi thriller "Annihilation," starring Natalie Portman, only earned around $11 million.

SEE ALSO: The top 20 Marvel Cinematic Universe villains, ranked from worst to best

DON'T MISS: The official numbers are in, and 'Black Panther' soared past the latest 'Star Wars' for a historic $242 million opening weekend

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

Jennifer Lawrence says she 'wanted to kill' Harvey Weinstein after learning of sexual assault allegations — and hopes he gets jail time

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  • Jennifer Lawrence said in an interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday that she "wanted to kill" Harvey Weinstein after learning of the dozens of sexual harassment and assault allegations against the film mogul.
  • Lawrence said in November, after the allegations surfaced, that Weinstein was "always almost paternal to me" and "never inappropriate with me."

 

Jennifer Lawrence gave a candid interview to "60 Minutes" on Sunday and discussed topics including the Harvey Weinstein scandal and feeling empowered to appear nude in her new film, "Red Sparrow."

In the interview, CBS News' Bill Whitaker asked Lawrence if Weinstein had ever been inappropriate with her.

"No, he was never inappropriate with me," Lawrence said. "But what he did is criminal and deplorable. And when it came out and I heard about it, I wanted to kill him. The way that he destroyed so many women's lives. I want to see him in jail."

Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault since The New York Times and The New Yorker published bombshell reports on allegations against the producer in October.

In November, Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter that the allegations against Weinstein were "shocking," and described Weinstein as "always almost paternal to me" and "never inappropriate with me."

"I thought that we had a nice relationship where, when he acted like an a------, I called him an a------. I actually think the word I used was 'a sadistic monster' — but it was just never of that nature, so that was really shocking," she said.

Earlier in the "60 Minutes" interview, Lawrence discussed being the victim of a 2014 photo hack that led to nude photos of her leaking online. She said that the hack made her feel "empowered" to appear nude in her new spy thriller "Red Sparrow."

"I realized that there was a difference between consent and not and I showed up for the first day and I did it and I felt empowered," Lawrence said. "I feel like something that was taken from me I got back and am using in my art."

Watch the interview:

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence says Harvey Weinstein was almost like a dad to her before the scandal: 'We had a nice relationship'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

MoviePass' CEO explains why a 'small percentage' of accounts were terminated, and how to make sure it won't happen to you (HMNY)

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  • MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe explained why a "small percentage" of MoviePass subscribers were terminated in the beginning of February.
  • Lowe addressed the customer service issues the company has been dealing with since its gigantic increase in subscribers.


In the beginning of February, a “small percentage” of MoviePass subscribers were startled to find an email in their inboxes from the app announcing their accounts had been terminated. The reason: They had allegedly violated the company’s terms of service.

This move led to a slew of complaints on social media by those who received the email, and many stories from those who claimed MoviePass had canceled their subscriptions without proper cause.

Since then, Business Insider has received over a dozen emails from customers who believe they should not have lost the service. Some said they had spent hours trying to get through to a customer service agent to plead their case, only to be told they either had violated the terms of service and nothing could be done, or that their request to be reactivated would be sent to another department. This led to days of waiting for the customers to learn their fate.

So why did MoviePass delete accounts, and what do customers need to do to make sure they never get flagged by the app?

Business Insider had a phone call with MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe to get answers.

Trying to kick out those that are taking advantage of MoviePass

Lowe said MoviePass started terminating accounts after it found a group of repeat offenders who consistently violated MoviePass' terms of service. The violations were found by a loss prevention team Lowe hired, and included users checking in for a basic 2D ticket but then getting a 3D, RealD, or IMAX ticket; using MoviePass to obtain movie-theater gift cards; or buying concessions along with a ticket, according to Lowe.

Lowe said these overcharges “cost a lot of money” for MoviePass to cover.

moviepass CEO mitch loweThe reason why the MoviePass MasterCard is able to buy more than a 2D movie ticket, Lowe explained, is because MoviePass always keeps more than a 2D ticket price on the card just in case a movie theater suddenly raises the price. That way the MoviePass customer won’t get shut out of a movie they are allowed to see with the app.

“We’re trying to run a business, we offer a great service at an amazing value, and you have a small percentage of people who are taking advantage of us to the detriment of our customers who are enjoying the service,” Lowe told Business Insider.

Lowe pointed out that MoviePass even sent out a warning email a month ago to some of the customers who were part of the group of accounts terminated in the beginning of February. The warning said they had been violating the terms of service and if they continued to do so, their accounts would be canceled.

However, Lowe did admit that upon further review, MoviePass found not all of those accounts were terminated due to the fault of the customers. The aftermath has highlighted that MoviePass needs to have a better relationship with movie theaters and improve its customer service.

Making inroads with movie theaters and winning back customers

A majority of the MoviePass customers who contacted Business Insider had similar theories for why their accounts were flagged: They all bought tickets at the box office (rather than a kiosk) and a theater staff member did not know how to properly run the transaction.

This has occurred in numerous ways. One example given was the box office combining the charge of the MoviePass subscriber and non-MoviePass patron with them, causing the MoviePass subscriber’s account to look like it went over its allowed total. Another was a situation when the theater’s box office was also the concession stand, and the theater staff combined both the MoviePass charge and the concession.

Some theaters that accept MoviePass have caught onto this happening and have taken steps to better educate their staff and patrons.

In fact, one customer sent Business Insider a photo of the sign their local theater has put up to help remind MoviePass customers how to correctly use it.

moviepass“I know for a fact theaters are taking advantage of the customer in this scenario,” Lowe said.

Lowe stressed that despite having a MoviePass subscription — which means with the service you get to see one movie a day per month — you should look at your theater receipt to make sure your charge is done properly by your theater.

And to help theaters better understand how to accommodate MoviePass subscribers, Lowe said he'd hired on four additional staff members to MoviePass' movie theater relations team. He also said MoviePass would have a presence at April’s CinemaCon, the annual movie theater convention, in hopes of improving its relationship with theater owners.

“We need to do a good job in better communicating to the exhibitor community so they can help us help their customers,” Lowe said.

But what happens if a MoviePass subscriber realizes they were overcharged? What are they supposed to do so MoviePass doesn’t terminate their account?

The logical answer would be to call MoviePass customer service, but since the app changed its price plan to $10 a month, its customer service has been overwhelmed by new subscribers. If you take a glance at the MoviePass social media accounts, you will notice they are flooded with complaints from subscribers who can't get through to anyone in customer service.

However, Lowe is confident that is about to improve.

“We are not fulfilling quickly the customer service demand and a lot of that is because we were not working with the right provider nor had the right team in place,” he said. “And we have just recently put in a new leader in that group and brought in a new provider that is essentially starting this week. We’re making some big improvements.”

Lowe said the company’s revamp of its customer service includes having over 100 full-time customer service reps on the team.

“It’s definitely not something I’m proud of,” Lowe said of the customer service woes. “It’s just not been as easy as throwing bodies at it. It’s a combination of a lot of different things. But I feel very good about our new direction and its ability to create a much better experience for our customers.”

And it starts with reactivating the customers who had their accounts deleted but had legitimate excuses for charges larger than their allotted amount per-movie.

Lowe said that roughly 10% of the members terminated in early February have been reinstated.  

SEE ALSO: The director of Netflix's latest blockbuster movie, "Mute," breaks down 4 memorable scenes in the sci-fi thriller

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NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

These are the best movies set in each state

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The great thing about movies is that no other artistic medium is better at transporting you to another place.

To honor that quality, we took a look at the best movie from each state, plus Washington, DC. We looked at reviews, other resourcesthat analyzedmovies fromdifferent states, and our own professional opinion.

Each film on this list captures its setting, while also telling a great story.

ALABAMA: "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962)

The state's history as the flashpoint of race and criminal justice in United States history has made it the setting of excellent films about those subjects, whether serious dramas like "Selma," thoughtful satires like "Talladega Nights" and "Borat," or goofy comedies like "My Cousin Vinny."

The great forerunner of them all is "To Kill a Mockingbird" starring Gregory Peck, based on Harper Lee's seminal novel, which has a moral clarity few films can match.



ALASKA: "Grizzly Man" (2005)

Werner Herzog's documentary tries to peer into the soul of Timothy Treadwell, an environmentalist who dedicated his life to protecting Alaska's grizzly bears, only to be eaten by one.

The film combines Treadwell's own footage with Herzog's research into the circumstances of Treadwell's death and the nature of his relationship to wildlife. It's harrowing, darkly funny, and unforgettable.



ARIZONA: "Midnight Run" (1988)

Arizona has a wealth of great films that take advantage of its beautiful desert landscapes and idiosyncratic suburbs — like "The Searchers,""Thelma & Louise,""Johnny Guitar,""Raising Arizona," and "My Darling Clementine."

The greatest Arizona film, though, is the overlooked "Midnight Run," about a criminal accountant who jumps bail and get chased by a bounty hunter, the FBI, and the Mafia. It stars Robert De Niro, in an extremely good leather jacket and one of his rare excellent comedy roles, Martin Brest, Yaphet Kotto, and Charles Grodin.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Jennifer Lawrence says she turned off Oscar-nominated 'Phantom Thread' after 3 minutes

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  • Jennifer Lawrence said she only watched three minutes of Oscar nominee "Phantom Thread" before she stopped watching.
  • She said she didn't "need to watch" a love story about a "narcissistic sociopath" artist who makes the girl "feel bad about herself."
  • Lawrence then clarified that she wasn't referring to former boyfriend and "Mother!" director Darren Aronofsky.

 

"Phantom Thread's" six Oscar nominations don't mean a thing to Jennifer Lawrence.

The Oscar-winning actress recently told Marc Maron on his "WTF" podcast that she only got through three minutes of "Phantom Thread,"which is nominated for best picture at this year's Oscars, before she stopped watching. 

“I got through about three minutes of it. I put in a good solid three. I’m sorry to anybody who loved that movie,” Lawrence told Maron. “I couldn’t give that kind of time ... Is it just about clothes? Is [Daniel Day-Lewis's character Reynolds Woodcock] kind of like a narcissistic sociopath and he’s like, an artist, so every girl falls in love him because he makes her feel bad about herself and that’s the love story? I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know. He is a little narcissistic. I’ve been down that road, I know what that’s like, I don’t need to watch that movie [laughs].”

If that sounds familiar, it's because Lawrence starred in director and former boyfriend Darren Aronofsky's controversial film "Mother!" last year. One of the main themes of the film, among other things, was an artist's obsession with his work.

"Mother!" was received poorly by audiences, with an "F" from audience polling company, CinemaScore. It also has a 69% critics Rotten Tomatoes score compared to "Phantom Thread's" 91%.

But Lawrence quickly clarified to Maron that she wasn't talking about Aronofsky when she mentioned a "narcissistic sociopath."

"I've dated people that nobody knows about," she said.

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence says she 'wanted to kill' Harvey Weinstein after learning of sexual assault allegations — and hopes he gets jail time

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: You can connect all 9 Best Picture Oscar nominees with actors they have in common — here's how

All the futuristic technologies in 'Black Panther,' and how close they are to becoming reality

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"Black Panther" is officially a box office and cultural phenomenon

The Afro-futurist blockbuster takes place in Wakanda, a fictional African nation that is generations ahead of the rest of the world technologically, but chooses to hide its innovations in order to protect its people.

Since there were some clear connections between the fantasies of "Black Panther" and actual innovation happening in the real world, we took a closer look at a some of the most exciting technologies featured in "Black Panther," and tried to figure out how close these technologies are to becoming reality. (Warning: Massive spoilers ahead.)

SEE ALSO: How to use the new-look Snapchat like a pro, whether you're new to the app or you've been using it for years

"Black Panther": Shuri's magnet-powered subway

There are several references to futuristic vehicles in the film, but none got more screen time than the high-speed magnetic levitation subway that runs through Wakanda's famous vibranium mine.

Like most of the tech in Wakanda, the magnetic levitation (or maglev) rail system was designed by Shuri, King T'Challa's teenage sister and Wakanda's very own Tony Stark equivalent.

"Black Panther" director Ryan Cooler, a native of Oakland, California, has said in interviews that the Bay Area Rapid Transit (or BART) offered some inspiration for the design of the fictional subway, but you wouldn't be able to tell by simply comparing the speed, efficiency and innovation of the two rail systems.



Real Life: Elon Musk's Hyperloop

Shuri's maglev may be years ahead of any current transit rail systems, but as with most conceivably achievable sci-fi tropes, Elon Musk is working on it. 

Just last week, SpaceX got a permit to begin excavations in Washington, DC for building the Hyperloop, a high-speed, vacuum-powered railway that Musk says will someday be able to carry passengers from New York to the capitol in under 30 minutes.

The technology is still in its infancy and the permit to dig does not mean it will be ready to ride anytime soon, but SpaceX has been hosting student prototype competitions at its headquarters in California to speed up the research process, according to the SpaceX website.

With any luck, someone young and innovative like Shuri will win the next competition and lead the charge into the future of high-speed rail. 



"Black Panther": Remote piloting

In the movie, both Shuri and CIA Agent Everett Ross are shown driving a car and flying a plane, respectively, from a remote location. 

Using a recurring piece of Wakandan technology, called a Kimoyo bead, they are able to see the view out of each vehicle, as well as touch and manipulate the controls, as if they were really in the driver's seat. 



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The director of last year's infamous Oscars telecast looks back on the 'La La Land'-'Moonlight' mix-up that ended up winning him an Emmy

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GLENN WEISS on OSCARS RED CARPET Photo Credit   Courtesy of AMPAS final

Glenn Weiss has made a career directing some of the most nerve-racking live television shows ever created.

Working on the Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, American Music Awards, BET Awards, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Weiss thought he’d seen it all over a 30-year career.

But then came last year’s Academy Awards.

It was the second time he’d directed the epic show and everything was running smoothly until the final award of the night: best picture.

You know the rest.

Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope, incorrectly said that “La La Land” won, the cast and crew come on stage, and that lead to one of the most incredible live moments in TV history. “La La Land” producer, Jordan Horowitz, realizing that his movie did not win, held up the card revealing the real best picture winner was “Moonlight.”

A year later, Weiss is preparing to direct another Oscars telecast (airing Sunday), but he still can’t shake those infamous few minutes of live television.

“I had no idea that one shot of a card that says ‘Moonlight’ will probably define my career for the rest of my life,” Weiss told Business Insider over the phone.

Here Weiss breaks down how they captured the best picture win at the 89th Academy Awards.

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“I really thought he was just being funny”

Looking back on it now, the reaction Warren Beatty has when he opens the envelope he was given and sees what’s inside speaks volumes. But at the time, Weiss just thought Beatty was putting on the same act he was doing during rehearsals.

“Warren and Faye were very playful with each other during rehearsals,” Weiss said. “So when he started doing that [during the show] I really thought he was just being funny.”

Once “La La Land” was announced as the winner, Weiss said he and his team were getting ready to present Jimmy Kimmel’s closing bit and the end credits.

“It didn’t feel like anything was wrong, looking back, Warren was looking for help,” Weiss said.

Beatty told the audience later that the card he was given was not for best picture, but a duplicate of the best actress award the was already announced, which was awarded to Emma Stone for “La La Land.”



“All my years of training at that moment went 180 degrees”

Weiss said he wasn’t notified something was wrong until a minute and a half after “La La Land” was announced. By that time the producers of the movie had begun giving their acceptance speeches.

“I hear in the headset from my lead stage manager, ‘The accountant just said he thinks we gave the wrong winner,’” Weiss recalled. “I said, ‘Get out there and get this fixed.’”

You can see in the video someone with a headset walking into the camera frame on stage. Weiss said you see that because he decided instantly to show what was unfolding, which goes against everything he was taught.

“When you direct live television, your training says if something is going so wrong that your stage manager has to go out there you’re going to do a wide shot,” Weiss said. “That’s just what we do when we try to keep shows clean. All my years of training at that moment went 180 degrees. I basically thought, something really bad just happened, I don’t want the headline tomorrow to be we tried to cover it up.”

Weiss showed all the whispering and scurrying on stage as producers gave their acceptance speeches and members of the crew tried to obtain the correct envelope.



Weiss was “obsessed” with getting a shot of the card that said the real best picture winner

Weiss said he became “instantly obsessed” with finding someone holding the correct winning card.

“I basically told one of our camera operators who didn’t have an assignment at that moment to ‘just go tight on the card if anyone holds it up,’” Weiss said.

The director said all he was trying to do in the moment was show the audience watching at home what they all were seeing. And then Horowitz lifted up the card that said “Moonlight” was the winner.

“When that card was held up and we took the shot, honestly, I was just doing what my gut told me to do,” Weiss said. “Now, it’s the most talked about thing, it’s crazy.”

Weiss said the significance of that shot didn’t hit him until the next day when he began seeing the shot in newspapers and on TV. He admitted that didn’t make him that pleased.

“I felt really good about that television show I made,” he said. “The next morning reading about this one shot of the card was weird because I really thought the show was beautiful.”



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The 40 actors who have won multiple Oscars, and who has won the most

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Phantom Thread

Oscar wins are hard to come by, and those actors who have won multiple Academy Awards are an elite club.

Daniel Day-Lewis, who is one of the six actors with three or more Oscar wins, could tie for the most wins of all time at this year's Oscars should he win for his best actor-nominated turn in "Phantom Thread."

Day-Lewis is joined at the top of the following list by several other actors and actresses with illustrious careers, including Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, and Katharine Hepburn. 

Here are the 40 actors who have won multiple Academy Awards in acting categories:

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Christoph Waltz — 2 wins, 2 nominations

Best supporting actor:"Inglorious Basterds" (2009), "Django Unchained" (2012)



Hilary Swank — 2 wins, 2 nominations

Best actress:"Boys Don't Cry" (1999), "Million Dollar Baby" (2004)



Kevin Spacey — 2 wins, 2 nominations

Best actor:"American Beauty" (1999)

Best supporting actor:"The Usual Suspects" (1995)



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Jennifer Lawrence shared her 'biggest fear' about doing a nude scene for her new movie 'Red Sparrow'

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Jennifer lawrence

  • Jennifer Lawrence told Vanity Fair that appearing nude in her new movie "Red Sparrow" was a prospect that "scared the hell out of" her, following a 2014 hack that leaked her nude photos online.
  • Lawrence said that her "biggest fear" was that people would say "'Oh, how can you complain about the hack if you're going to get nude anyway?'"
  • Lawrence said in an interview on Sunday with "60 Minutes" that she ultimately felt "empowered" to do the nude scenes. 

 

Jennifer Lawrence said in a new profile with Vanity Fair that she was wary of appearing nude in her new movie, "Red Sparrow," following a 2014 hack that leaked her nude photos online.

Lawrence stars as a Russian secret intelligence agent in the film, a spy thriller filled with sex, violence, and nudity.

"'Red Sparrow' really scared the hell out of me because I get nude," Lawrence said. "I tried to do the movie without nudity but realized it just wouldn't be right to put the character through something that I, myself, am not willing to go through."

The 27-year-old actress told Vanity Fair that she was concerned viewers would criticize her for appearing nude after she condemned the hack of her nude photos.

"My biggest fear was that people would say, 'Oh, how can you complain about the hack if you're going to get nude anyway?,'" Lawrence said. 

Lawrence said in an interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday that she ultimately felt "empowered" to do the nude scenes. 

"I realized that there was a difference between consent and not and I showed up for the first day and I did it and I felt empowered," Lawrence said. "I feel like something that was taken from me I got back and am using in my art."

"Red Sparrow" opens in theaters on March 2.

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence says she felt empowered doing nudity in her new movie following her 2014 nude photo hack

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