All posts tagged: Netflix

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’ Review: Judd Apatow’s Netflix Doc

‘Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald’ Review: Judd Apatow’s Netflix Doc

Published by Daniella Wilson

As much as I adore Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared and The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Judd Apatow‘s greatest legacy may be the documentary project he started fairly late in his career. In the past decade, Apatow has directed or co-directed multi-part documentaries on Garry Shandling, George Carlin and Mel Brooks, as well as feature-length documentaries on Maria Bamford and Norm Macdonald, with the Brooks, Bamford and Macdonald projects all hitting streaming this year alone. In a documentary landscape wildly oversaturated with the stories of certain kinds of comics from a certain generation (or two), Apatow’s films stand out as the most thoughtful and thoughtfully made, puzzle pieces that will eventually come together as an indispensable record of a genre and its key artisans. Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald The Bottom Line A greatest-hits approach that suits its subject fairly well. Airdate: Friday, October 16 (Netflix)Director: Judd Apatow 2 hours 7 minutes Hitting Netflix one week ahead of Apatow and Neil Berkeley’s Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford …

Netflix’s ‘incredible’ drama A Different World has viewers binge-watching repeatedly

Netflix’s ‘incredible’ drama A Different World has viewers binge-watching repeatedly

Published by Daniella Wilson

Rebooting a classic series is always a gamble. Updating beloved shows for modern audiences is no mean feat, and when expectations run high, fans are easily disappointed. Fortunately, Netflix has built an impressive track record of reviving cherished classics. From Little House on the Prairie and Cobra Kai to fan-favourite revivals like Arrested Development and Fuller House, the streaming giant is no stranger to breathing new life into treasured shows – and its latest release is no exception.  © ELI ADE/NetflixMaleah Joi Moon as Deborah and Vincent Jamal Hooper as Ellington in a Different World The iconic 90s sitcom, A Different World, has returned with a new sequel of the same name. It centres on Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of original characters Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), as she navigates the highs and lows of college life.  Keep reading to find out what viewers have said about the series.  WATCH: The trailer for A Different World What is A Different World about?  The series follows a new …

For SNL’s Michael Che, Comedy Is A Sport, and He’s Swinging For The Fences

For SNL’s Michael Che, Comedy Is A Sport, and He’s Swinging For The Fences

Published by Sam Flores

Michael Che watches The Sopranos about four to five times a year, all the way through. “It’s my comfort zone show,” he tells me on the 9th floor of 30 Rock. When I arrive, the Saturday Night Live vet is in the middle of an episode where AJ Soprano’s depressed because his fiancée has dumped him. “Dominican girl,” Che says, shaking his head. He puts the series on mute as I take a seat on a couch in his dressing room, which formerly belonged to Pete Davidson, Bobby Moynihan, and maybe Fred Armisen. (He can’t remember.) He also can’t name his favorite Sopranos episode (“it’s tough”), but Che can confidently say that the show plays a necessary part in his joke-writing process. “A lot of it is just some 40-year-old man mumbling to himself in the living room while The Sopranos is on mute.” Che must have seen a lot of James Gandolfini in a bathrobe this summer because he spent it working overtime on a project of his own. “SNL is like a teacher’s …

From comes to Netflix US ahead of final season

From comes to Netflix US ahead of final season

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sci-fi thriller From is coming to an end… but if US viewers haven’t started it yet, they can soon watch the story play out on Netflix. The series, which follows a small town trapped in place by an unknown supernatural entity, has slowly built up a cult following since it was first released in 2022. Starring Harold Perrineau as the town’s de facto Sheriff, From has escalated to monsters haunting the woods at night to the inclusion of mysterious rituals and even the suggestion of time travel as the residents search for answers. With each answer in this mystery series comes even more questions – and that’s why fans have been finding it so compelling. Speaking to Radio Times, Perrineau spoke about his love for the show’s continuing mysteries, explaining: “Here’s the thing that’s been really great and creative about the way that John [Griffin]’s written some of the stuff. Harold Perrineau stars in From Sky “Some of the answers, some of the clues, are so subtle that you are not going to know for a …

Netflix Makes Biggest Workforce Cut Since 2022

Netflix Makes Biggest Workforce Cut Since 2022

Published by Jenni Sidey

Following our reporting earlier this week that Netflix was preparing its first major workforce reduction since 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning, right before the US cash session, that the company is cutting 6% of its staff, or roughly 1,000 positions. WSJ obtained an email that Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos sent to employees earlier this morning, outlining plans to cut 6% of the workforce, or roughly 1,000 jobs. The cuts highlight mounting pressure from slowing growth and soft engagement growth after years of the streaming platform pushing unappealing, woke, toxic content. “Our mission, to entertain the world, is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources,” the executives wrote in the email. The executives wrote that the company expects to meet its full-year earnings forecast and will continue investing aggressively in important areas while taking a cautious approach to staffing and spending decisions. The workforce reduction follows a rough stretch for the stock. Shares are trading slightly higher at around $71.27 in …

Netflix Hit With Layoffs as Growth Slows

Netflix Hit With Layoffs as Growth Slows

Published by Daniella Wilson

Netflix staff were informed that the company will undergo significant layoffs Wednesday, a source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter, as the streaming giant seeks a reset amid efforts to keep its global business growing. The company is expected to cut about 6 percent of its workforce, per a Wall Street Journal report, making it the largest staff reduction at the company since 2022. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters announced the cuts in a memo to staff Wednesday morning Ted Sarandos lamented at the Bloomberg Screentime summit Sep. 30 that “overall, we’re not growing as fast as I want us to, and we’re working on making that move faster.” While the company continues to post robust profits, and remains the biggest player in subscription streaming, its viewing time has stagnated in recent months. With advertising one of the company’s growth areas, it needs to keep boosting that viewership engagement. Netflix has mostly avoided large-scale layoffs in recent years (the last major round of cuts was 2022), though the company has made adjustments on specific …

Netflix releases first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s new Narnia movie

Netflix releases first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s new Narnia movie

Published by Daniella Wilson

Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew finally has its first teaser – with fans transported into a world of magic without the need for a wardrobe (at least not yet). The first-look trailer dropped today, giving fans a glimpse at what becomes Narnia, and the high-flying adventures of best friends Polly Plummer and Digory Kirke. The Magician’s Nephew follows the pair who, after snooping around Digory’s uncle Andrew’s belongings, find a ring that allows them to travel between worlds. Soon the pair are off on an adventure to return home, witness the creation of the magical world of Narnia, find new friends and make new foes when they disturb the evil White Witch. Sex Education’s Emma Mackey leads the all-star cast as The White Witch, while The Stolen Girl’s Beatrice Campbell and Lord of the Flies’s David McKenna will play Polly and Digory. See a glimpse at the new adaptation in the trailer below. Want to see this content? This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything …

Netflix spent big on Ben Affleck’s AI company. After Animals, they might wonder why

Netflix spent big on Ben Affleck’s AI company. After Animals, they might wonder why

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Sometimes a single movie scene transcends its source material. As soon as you see it, you know it’ll be the only thing anybody wants to talk about afterwards. So it is with Ben Affleck’s Animals, although not for reasons that will please the film’s director and star. The scene in question appears late in the new Netflix thriller, when a kidnapped child is unceremoniously booted over the concrete side of a Los Angeles river channel in a little red trailer. The poor boy careens down the steep incline before striking the ground and being catapulted upwards to soar majestically through the air and into a sprinting Affleck’s waiting arms, in defiance of all earthly physics. This moment of pure, unintended slapstick has already gone viral on social media, where it has been widely and unflatteringly compared to the oft-ridiculed scene from 1988’s Mac & Me that Paul Rudd used to …

Netflix Takes World Cup Broadcasting Rights in Spain

Netflix Takes World Cup Broadcasting Rights in Spain

Published by Daniella Wilson

Netflix has made a major play in the live sports business in Europe, acquiring all rights in Spain and Andorra to the 2030 soccer World Cup from soccer world governing body FIFA. The deal, unveiled Tuesday, will give Netflix exclusive rights in the territories to all 104 matches of the tournament. The streamer is planing to go all in, with full live coverage of the matches and pre-game, halftime and post-game shows, as well as daily round-up show on match days. Netflix said it is also planning extensive pre-tournament programming to build excitement ahead of the event. All the matches won’t be behind the Netflix pay wall. As part of the agreement, Netflix will make one match per day available for free in Spain and will sublicense a package of matches, including every Spain match, both semi-finals and the final, to a national free-to-air broadcaster. Spain, the current World Cup champion, will also host the 2030 tournament, alongside Morocco and Portugal. 2030 will mark the 100th anniversary of the event, with celebration matches also being …

Netflix’s Docuseries Is as Erratic as Its Subject

Netflix’s Docuseries Is as Erratic as Its Subject

Published by Daniella Wilson

Of all the contradictions that make up Mike Tyson‘s public persona, none causes me to scratch my head as much as this: Tyson‘s entire ethos could be boiled down to not caring what “people” — the mainstream in general, but the media in particular — think of him, but no figure of his stature has put in the conspicuous and shameless effort to make sure that anybody whose residency is not beneath a rock has heard Tyson’s version of who he is. He has been the focal point of an Animal Planet documentary about himself and his love of pigeons (Taking on Tyson) and the centerpiece of an Adult Swim animated series about himself and, well, his love of pigeons (Mike Tyson Mysteries). He had a long-running one-man show about his life (I assume pigeons were involved, but I don’t remember). Even when Hulu made a limited series about his life — 2022’s Mike, which couldn’t have made less of a cultural footprint — and Tyson threw a tantrum comparing Hulu to a slave master, …