Comic books routinely push progressive themes, from <a href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/introducing-the-new-new-warriors">social justice heroes</a> to woke identity changes.
Legendary writer Frank Miller <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/frank-millers-new-dark-knight-comic-goes-donald-trump-1261878">weaponized The Dark Knight against President Trump</a>, one of many similar attacks from the Trump era.
So it’s not a shock to see a new comic book title overtly push an open borders agenda.
The Hollywood Reporter says Image Comics’ “Home,” a miniseries title hitting shelves April 14, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/image-comics-sets-immigrant-superhero-drama-home">features an illegal immigrant child imbued with super powers</a>. Yes, the trauma of his separation from his mother at the border transforms him, much like gamma radiation turned Bruce Banner into the rampaging Hulk.
Anyone thinking “Home” might be a nuanced look at the immigration debate will be set straight by the co-creator’s comments on the five-part series.
<blockquote>&#8220;As the son and grandson of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, and now a parent myself, the news of the government&#8217;s family separation policy both broke my heart, and filled me with anger,” writer Julio Anta told The Hollywood Reporter. “Home is an attempt to channel those complicated feelings about what it means to be an American into a story about empowered Latinx characters dealing with the cruelty of our modern immigration laws.&#8221;</blockquote>
Need more evidence?
Peruse the panels shared by THR revealing a hearty dose of Trump Derangement Syndrome. One sequence has the U.S. Attorney General repeating Trump’s 2015 brash rhetoric involving Mexican immigration, excising critical elements of the text to make the president look worse.
It gets more cartoonish from there.
“We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law … and then some,” the Attorney General says of illegals immigrants heading to America, a statement that would get any AG from either party removed from office.
The new comic book is part of a larger wave of open borders propaganda coming from progressive artists.
The rebooted “Party of Five” series, which got <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/party-of-five-reboot-canceled-freeform-1234583499/">canceled after just one extremely low-rated season</a>, changed the story to feature illegal immigrants separated from their parents by ICE agents, not orphaned following a car crash.
The Selena Gomez produced docuseries “Living Undocumented” similarly showed illegal immigrants from a glowing perspective. Far-left CNN praised the show as “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/entertainment/living-undocumented-review/index.html">advocacy filmmaking</a>,” but worried it might simply “preach to the choir.”
HBO produced not one, but two pro-open borders projects in 2019, “Torn Apart: Separated at the Border” and “Liberty: Mother of Exiles.”
Define American helped make similar efforts possible. The pro-illegal immigration group advises screenwriters on how to sculp scripts to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/entertainment/immigration-tv-shows/index.html">better push their messaging to the masses</a>.
<blockquote>“This is long-term work,” says Jose Antonio Vargas, Define American’s founder. “This is not like, ‘How do we pass a bill next month?’ This is, ‘How do we create a culture in which we see immigrants as people deserving of dignity?’ These policies don’t make sense if we don’t see immigrants as people.”</blockquote>
Some of the shows shaped by Define American include NBC’s “Superstore,” OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico,” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”
All of the above makes the new indie drama <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/no-mans-land-review/">“No Man’s Land” so startling</a>.
The film, featuring Andie MacDowell, Frank Grillo, and George Lopez (yes, that George Lopez), follows a family of Texas ranchers struggling with constant border encroachments.
Illegal immigrants let some of the clan’s cattle escape early in the film, forcing a confrontation where people on both sides are shot, including a Mexican child who dies from the blast.
The film shows how the rancher’s son (Jake Allyn) flees deep into Mexico, meeting several kind-hearted souls on his journey.
“No Man’s Land” isn’t setting critics on fire, given its poor 33 percent “rotten” ratings. What’s remarkable about the film is its balanced presentation.
We see Mexican immigrants as decent, hard working, and spiritual, but the film also showcases other Mexicans who don’t have people’s best interests at heart.
The ranching family is similarly complex, a tight-knit clan grappling with immigrants who threaten their economic survival.
That doesn’t sound extraordinary in the least, when viewed independently of other immigration tales. Seen from above the pop culture landscape, “No Man’s Land” offers a nuanced take on the subject, giving viewers a portrait that doesn’t dissuade from robust debates.
It’s what thoughtful art can do, open up our minds to fresh arguments and perspectives. Most progressive content, alas, strains to do the opposite. It’s likely “No Man’s Land” will be the outlier on immigration for years to come.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Comics

How The Left Is Using Children’s Comic Books To Promote Open Borders

comics

Immigration

Leftism

Comic books routinely push progressive themes, from social justice heroes to woke identity changes.

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How The Left Is Using Children&#039;s Comic Books To Promote Open Borders

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The host of “Real Time with Bill Maher” can be garrulous, prickly and downright mean.
It’s hard to forget how Maher mocked the Palin family, including her special needs child, as inbred mutants in the “Hills Have Eyes” horror tradition. Or how he <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/08/10/bill-maher-really-wants-a-recession-because-we-cant-survive-another-trump-term/">cheered on a “recession”</a> in order to get his party back in the White House.
Still, he occasionally shelves liberal talking points for some unabashed truths, much to his own party’s chagrin.
Yes, Maher spends the majority of his screen time echoing the views of Colbert, Kimmel, Bee and the rest of the hard-left late night crew. It’s his ability to break away from the pack, to share independent thoughts, that resonates with more than just his base.
It’s often just Maher trying to warn his fellow Democrats of political icebergs ahead. So be it. We&#8217;ll take flickers of late-night sanity however they appear.
The Rioters Don’t Represent MAGA Nation
Maher’s penchant for speaking inconvenient truths got a workout this month. The host, returning to HBO for the first time in 2021, said what’s patently true to any clear-thinking soul.
The thugs who broke into the Capitol Jan. 6 were<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bill-maher-defends-trump-supporters-lets-not-confuse-5000-capitol-rioters-with-74-million-voters"> wrong and not indicative of the standard Trump voter.</a>
&#8220;As bad as last week was &#8230; let&#8217;s not confuse 5,000 people with 74 million,&#8221; Maher began his monologue. &#8220;Yes, even supporting the insurrection in spirit is, well, deplorable. But there&#8217;s a difference between holding illiberal beliefs and acting violently on them. At least that&#8217;s what they always told me about Islamic terrorism.&#8221;
He didn’t stop there. He swatted down the notion that <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/11/07/bill-maher-slams-panelist-who-calls-all-trump-voters-racists/">all Trump voters are racist</a>, a view held by a frightening number of liberals.
“Trump did a lot better with the black vote than he did last time,” Maher said. Nance questioned how well the exit polls reflected reality, given the large amount of mail-in ballots.
“I think he’s a terrible leader, but I don’t think that it’s terrible that there’s diversity in the Black community. Or in any community,” the host said.
Free Speech Warrior. 
Maher remains a rock-solid defender of the First Amendment. That hasn’t changed in the Cancel Culture era.
He proved that anew recently<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/01/15/maher-on-trump-twitter-ban-i-dont-like-banning-speech-these-things-turn-into-the-one-true-opinion-in-the-liberal-bubble/">, worrying about the consequences</a> of Big Tech deplatforming Trump.
“I’m a free speech person. I mean, f*** Trump. But when someone, anyone, anywhere decides what speech is allowed and what isn’t, I don’t know.”
He added the reasons for Trump’s removal were “vague” and that Big Tech could soon become a “liberal bubble” with little outside thought poking through.
Maher faced an early version of Cancel Culture in 2014 when Berkeley students tried to remove him as a speaker for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/28/berkeley-petition-bill-maher-commencement">sharing the wrong thoughts during his career.</a>
He persisted, striking a blow against the woke mob.
Defending Amy Schumer from Fellow Liberals.
The fading starlet’s 2018 film “I Feel Pretty” made little noise at the box office. The social media reception, though, proved loud and ugly.
Schumer stars as a woman who looks like … Amy Schumer … but feels empowered after a blow to the head convinces her she’s suddenly supermodel thin.
That set off the woke mob, who attacked the film for not having a person of color as the lead and reeking of the <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/entertainment/a18192099/amy-schumer-backlash-i-feel-pretty/">star’s blonde beauty “privilege.”</a>
Maher wasn’t having it.
“… the professionally offended have decided that even though it’s a film by women filmmakers presenting a pro-woman message, it does it the wrong way!” … Amy helped wrong! Even though she really just remade The Nutty Professor, where someone not thin and not cool magically sees themselves as better looking and gains confidence — except when Eddie Murphy did it, he didn’t have the purity police up his a**.”
He wasn’t finished.
“Can’t we just sit in a movie theater, unclench our a**holes for two hours, and laugh at what it is instead of dissecting it for what it is not?” Maher asked. “Movie reviews, they’re not even reviews anymore. They’re just, ‘How come you made the movie you made and not the movie I would’ve made if I had talent, which I don’t?&#8217;”
America Isn’t That Sexist … or They Still Hate Hillary
Maher took a long, hard look at the 2020 election results and came to a conclusion anyone “With Her” might find repugnant.
<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/11/13/maher-2020-results-disprove-idea-hillary-lost-due-to-sexism-biden-won-by-slightly-more-than-hillary/">AKA the truth.</a>
“Again, we all know the pollsters were wrong. We thought it was going to be a much bigger victory. He won by slightly — in other words, the country looked at Trump for four years and he won by that much more than Hillary. First of all, doesn’t that say maybe we’re not as sexist as we thought? I mean, it really doesn’t seem to be that oh, Hillary was a woman, we wouldn’t vote for her. They voted for Biden by this much more after Trump f***ed up for that long.”
Yes, Hunter Biden Is Sketchy. 
The mainstream media and Big Tech successfully squelched the Hunter Biden scandals that could have cost his pappy the election. Yet in 2019 Maher sounded a siren, of sorts, on the son’s <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/09/27/maher-if-don-jr-did-what-hunter-biden-did-it-would-be-all-rachel-maddow-was-talking-about/">dubious behavior tied to Ukraine</a>.
“I don’t think he was doing something terrible in Ukraine, but it’s just so — why can’t politicians tell their f***ing kids get a job? Get a g**damn job. I mean, this kid was paid $600,000 because his name is Biden, by a gas company in Ukraine, this super corrupt country that just had a revolution to get rid of corruption. It just looks bad. And the Republicans are geniuses at muddying the waters. … It’s all going to be about, you did this in Ukraine, well, Joe Biden did this.”
Maher even added a bit about media bias to make the argument stick.
“And if Don Jr. did it, it would be all Rachel Maddow was talking about.”
Maher subsequently backed off the Hunter Biden stories, perhaps following the media’s corrupt suggestion there was nothing “there” in the first place.
Maher on Thanksgiving: Just Eat, Thanks
The newest November tradition finds media outlets sharing how to survive Thanksgiving with your “racist” uncle or how to defeat their Trumpian rants. It’s exhausting and defeats the purpose of the holidays, a time meant to unite, not inflame.
Maher shredded the new Thanksgiving playbook with this <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/11/16/maher-we-have-to-learn-to-live-with-each-other-a-second-civil-war-is-possible/">glorious, and surprisingly nuanced, attack.</a>
“And never forget the single, shining truth about democracy, it means sharing a country with a**holes you can’t stand. In that way, it’s a lot like Thanksgiving. You don’t get to choose the guests. Because those freaks are your family. Think about that the next time you think you can own somebody politically.”
America is a big country, filled with millions of people who don’t think the way you do and never will, and you can’t own, vanquish, or disappear them. We’re stuck with them, and they’re stuck with us.”
Calling out Democratic Israel Bashers
The mainstream media won’t go near Rep. Rashida Tlaib in any meaningful way, no matter how many outrageous things she says or does. The same is doubly true for late night comics, who ignore her flaws to focus on GOP targets.
Yet Maher singled Tlaib out in 2019 after she called for a “Real Time” boycott.
Why?
Maher dubbed the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) a “bull***t purity test by people who want to appear woke but actually slept through history class.”
The comedian responded to the Michigan politician in savage fashion days later.
“Some people have one move only: boycott. Cancel. Make-go-away,” Bill Maher said. “But here’s the thing, the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the #BDS movement, including 93% of Dems. Does Tlaib want to boycott 93% of her own party?”
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones – Inside

8 Times Bill Maher Told the Truth (and Stunned the Left)

Bill Maher

Cancel culture

entertainment

Hollywood

Readers Pass

The host of “Real Time with Bill Maher” can be garrulous, prickly and downright mean. It’s hard to forget how Maher mocked the Palin family, including her

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/8-times-bill-maher-told-the-truth-and-stunned-the-left/

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Father Mike Schmitz might be the most unlikely podcast star … ever.
“The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz featuring Jeff Cavins,” rocketed to the top of the Apple Podcast charts within its first 48 hours of release. The podcast, which began on New Year’s Day, shouldered past secular fare like “Pod Save America,” “Office Ladies” and “Morbid: A True Crime Podcast.”
More than two weeks later, it’s still hunkered down in the no. 1 slot on The Apple charts — typically home to politically-charged shows, celebrity banter and podcasts tied to mega brands, like NPR and NBC News.
“The Bible in a Year” lacks that corporate synergy, relying instead on a nation eager to hear their faith echoed back at them. Or simply souls seeking a spiritual balm.
The podcast itself couldn’t be simpler. Fr. Mike’s radio-friendly pipes read a portion of the Bible, roughly 20-odd minutes, every day.
That’s it, plus an amiable introduction and some Biblical context from its host. The bite-sized nature of the show allows people to savor it without consuming too much of their day.
“It eliminates that barrier of entry for people,” Fr. Mike says. “Just press ‘play’ for 20 minutes every day.”
Like the savviest entrepreneurs, Fr. Mike found fame by making the kind of show he wanted to hear. The self-described podcast fan found his steady show lineup left him feeling distracted.
“I was getting all wrapped up about current events. They can’t define my life,” he says. It’s why he often turned to The New Testament in audiobook form, which “challenged and pushed” him without being a source of distress.
He figured others had a similar craving. Boy, was he right.
“The Bible in a Day” didn’t need a blockbuster marketing campaign or celebrity endorsement to crush the podcast charts. In fact, as Fr. Mike casually describes, the outreach campaign consisted of a few emails and Facebook postings. 
The show’s sudden popularity caught its host by surprise.
“If someone were to ask me two months ago what kind of show could you create that would resonate so quickly and so across the board with so many people, I would not have chosen getting a microphone and read the Bible,” he says.
Fr. Mike isn’t a newcomer to the digital space, having uploaded a podcast version of his Sunday seminars and appeared on “Ascension Presents,” a popular YouTube channel. 
The “Bible in a Year” podcast, based on Cavins’ “Great Adventure Bible Timeline,” can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other audio platforms including Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation app.
For Father Mike, feedback from the podcast has been swift and satisfying. At times, the response can be personal.
“I’ve noticed that the encouragement I received from people I know and care about matters a lot,” he says, a group that includes both family and former students. Fr. Mike currently serves as director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and as chaplain for the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
The podcaster says the show is helping him highlight the Bible in ways that otherwise might be challenging. “Bible” shares smaller stories in a way that illustrates how they’re part of “the” story, he explains.
“This is the story of how God has interacted with his people, their brokenness,” he says.
Fr. Mike understands the fickle nature of fame as well as what it means to be the so-called Flavor of the Month.
“I’m excited to see what happens as we move forward,” he says, adding the early success could dim over time, akin to New Year’s Resolutions being left behind with each passing month.
Hollywood finally acknowledged faith-based movies could turn a profit after Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” shocked the industry with a $370 million domestic haul. Smaller Christian films followed that up, routinely earning many times their small budgets (think “Fireproof” and “War Room”).
“The Bible in a Day” similarly shows the clout Christians can have in the podcasting space. The show’s speedy success, Fr. Mike says, also suggests a hunger that all the true crime roundups and partisan sniping can’t fix.
“We want the answers to the big questions … why am I here? Where am I going?”
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

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Christian Podcast Tops the Charts — Shockingly Beating The New York Times, NPR and The Washington Post

Christianity

Podcast

Religion

Father Mike Schmitz might be the most unlikely podcast star … ever. “The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz featuring Jeff Cavins,” rocketed to the top

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We all know, and can’t get enough of, Jack Bauer, Tony Soprano, Liz Lemon, Walter White, and other icons of television’s new Golden Age.
What about the other characters on those shows, the ones who make everything better, funnier, more entertaining?
The following 11 characters do just that. They’re not lavished with the attention given to the main characters, but they deserve credit for making today’s TV as mesmerizing as it is.
This list is by no means complete given the crush of stellar shows created over the past 20-plus years, so feel free to add your choices in the comments section.
Mickey Donovan, “Ray Donovan”
It’s not a stretch to say Jon Voight’s conservative politics cost him an Emmy or three for his work on this Showtime series.
How could his turn as Ray’s irredeemable fah-ther not have netted him endless Emmy nominations, if not a few outright wins?
That’s a theft even Ray Donovan couldn’t solve, apparently.
Voight’s Mickey is a singular delight, a crook whose biggest con is pretending he cares more about family than himself. It’s always about Mickey, something his friends and family learn as the show progressed.
Still, no one could charm quite like this ex-con. As played by Voight, Mickey turns ordinary moments into the stuff of TV legends. He’s seductive and silly, bubbling with a new get rich quick scheme every other episode.
The Oscar-winner’s body of work speaks for itself, but his “Ray Donovan” performance could be his finest achievement.
Boyd Crowder, “Justified”
Every law and order story needs a villain, but they often let their actions speak for them.
Not Boyd Crowder. Heck, if you listen to him long enough you might just join his gang or be his getaway driver. Walton Goggins’ sociopath is that persuasive, powered by a wit that’s always a few paces ahead of Johnny Law.
Raylan Givens begged to differ, of course.
Boyd’s skirmishes with star Timothy Olyphant gave the show its crooked heart. We always rooted for Raylan to prevail, but a small part of us hoped Boyd would wriggle free in the end.
Teddy, “Bob’s Burgers”
He’s the poorly shaven soul who wolfs down a burger a day at the eponymous restaurant. In between bites, he’s a capable handyman, but that’s where his skill set abruptly ends.
In short, Teddy’s a mess, but a lovable one you can’t help rooting for on the long-running sitcom.
“Bob’s Burgers” creatively limped into its current season, no. 11, but the show picks up every time Teddy graces the screen.
Gob Bluth, “Arrested Development”
The celebrated sitcom stuck around too long thanks to a Netflix-powered extension. Still, those first three seasons proved magical, especially when failed prestidigitator George Oscar “Gob” Bluth dropped in.
Will Arnett’s deeper than Johnny Cash on a bender voice, paired with that idiotic grin, made Gob the best character in a show teeming with outsized figures. David Cross’ is-he-or-isn’t-he shtick proved hilarious, but Gob’s incessant plotting trumped all the Bluths.
Gemma Teller Morrow, “Sons of Anarchy”
You had to be tough, really tough, to survive seven seasons on this brutal FX series. Katey Sagal’s Gemma qualified, and then some.
The brawling matriarch made life interesting for Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) and everyone else in the motorcycle club. Gemma loved as hard as any of them and had the emotional scars to prove it. She also protected her brood with a fury that took our breath away.
Eleven, “Stranger Things”
Some shows sock the zeitgeist square in the jaw. This Netflix series did just that with its lovable young cast, ‘80s vibe, and patient creature reveal. Young Millie Bobby Brown tied it all together as Eleven, the nearly bald girl who might just save the town … and beyond.
That’s plenty of weight to place on an unknown child actor, but Brown never buckled. Eleven’s charming bond with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and a budding father/daughter subplot with Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) made her an indelible Netflix presence.
Leon Black, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
You may start laughing at J.B. Smoove before he opens his mouth on the HBO series. That’s the kind of comic energy Smoove first brought to the show when his Leon Black character joined the series in season 6.
Leon makes Larry David’s blunt anti-hero look polite by comparison. Leon lacks any kind of filter – his critiques flow without a thought to how they may land.
He’s not spouting anti-P.C. bromides, just unvarnished truths according to Leon. That kind of unhinged character needs a master’s touch to pull off, and Smoove is up to the task.
Jack Donaghy, “30 Rock”
Alec Baldwin’s many off-screen missteps should have gotten him canceled from Hollywood years ago. Still, he’s a considerable talent who can shift from comedy to gritty drama like few of his peers.
His Jack Donaghy character on Tina Fey’s NBC sitcom offers a prime example of the star at his best. Sure, “30 Rock” used Jack’s conservatism to mock the right, but Baldwin had so much fun in the role it felt like the joke was on the writers, not the character.
The same proved true 30-odd years ago when “Family Ties” introduced us to a young Alex P. Keaton.
It helped that early “30 Rock” episodes similarly teased liberal sensibilities, an even-handed approach no network show would attempt today.
John Short, “Life in Pieces”
The sly CBS comedy lasted four seasons, all under the massive shadow of ABC’s “Modern Family.” “Pieces” deserved a better fate, if only for its superlative cast.
We could praise Zoe Lister-Jones, who played the family’s hard-edged Jen, or perennial stand-out Dianne Wiest, a Woody Allen regular comfortable with comedy.
What about James Brolin’s puzzled patriarch? The handsome star forged a career from playing straight, sturdy leaning man types. Who knew he could also deliver a sozzled ex-pilot trying to keep tabs of his brood?
Brolin’s John stole so many moments it’s hard to tally them all. If you doubt his comic chops, try watching his experiment with puppetry, yielding the ghastliest dummy in recent memory … Cheeto.
Phil Dunphy, “Modern Family”
Like “Life in Pieces,” this Emmy winner boasted a killer cast that makes selecting just one supporting superstar a chore.
Nah. It’s Ty Burrell in a walk.
The chatty real estate salesman could crush us by sucking up to his father-in-law (Ed O’Neill) or pretending he’s the next great stand-up.
He hit his stride when flirting with his on-screen wife, Claire (Julie Bowen), especially when the couple attempted some role-playing romance. Burrell’s bumbling attempts at seduction gave the show its funniest moments.
Daryl Dixon, “The Walking Dead”
It’s not Norman Reedus’ fault the zombie show won’t die, even after losing its grip on pop culture long ago. “TWD” shuffles on until 2022, but Daryl will team with co-series regular Carol (Melissa McBride) for their own anthology horror yarn.
The franchise cannot be killed. Oh, the irony.
Still, there’s little debate over Daryl’s role in “TWD” lore. His hardscrabble hero, a guy who’s tough to love, but impossible to kill, gave the series its swagger.
Daryl’s ill-tempered brother Merle (Michael Rooker) epitomized how Hollywood too often portrays Southerners in Season One. Daryl quickly shook off his brother’s hate to become a full-bodied character in his wake.
BONUS: Fleabag, “Fleabag”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character is the star of the show, not a supporting player, but in every other way she’s like a scene-swiping addition.
The unnamed character, dubbed Fleabag in the credits, is rude, hyper-sexual, and brave in her own weird way. Waller-Bridge, the show’s creative force, wisely ended the series after two short but razor-sharp seasons. Fleabag’s tics may be best consumed in small, scabrous portions.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Norman Reedus

12 Unforgettable Supporting Characters From TV’s Modern Era

Television

We all know, and can’t get enough of, Jack Bauer, Tony Soprano, Liz Lemon, Walter White, and other icons of television’s new Golden Age.

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/12-unforgettable-supporting-characters-from-tvs-modern-era/

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It’s unfair to say all of today’s stars either support or refuse to stand up to Cancel Culture.
Does 99 percent sound more accurate?
Today’s celebrity class routinely bends the knee to the woke mob, from smaller stars like <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/455582-mario-lopez-apologizes-for-ignorant-comments-on-parents">Mario Lopez</a> to A-plus listers like <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/07/06/halle-berry-apologizes-considering-role-playing-transgender-man/5388508002/">Halle Berry</a> and <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/scarlett-johansson-apologizes-accepting-transgender-185916559.html">Scarlett Johansson</a>.
A few brave souls refuse to follow their lead. Their numbers are small, microscopic even, but they stand apart as artists who grasp Cancel Culture’s brutal consequences.
Theses stars are putting their professional necks out to smite Cancel Culture, and they all deserve respect for doing just that.
Matthew McConaughey
Mr. &#8220;Alright, Alright, Alright&#8221; seems an odd choice for this list. Yet his comments on the subject landed harder for just that reason. If a gallant Oscar winner, someone who rarely throws sharp elbows, has a beef with the woke revolution, it matters even more.
Where the waterline is going to land on this freedom of speech and what we allow and what we don&#8217;t and where this cancel culture goes, where that waterline lands is a very interesting place that we are engaged in right now as a society that we&#8217;re trying to figure out because we haven&#8217;t found the right spot,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;I would say we don&#8217;t have true confrontation right now,&#8221; McConaughey added. &#8220;And that means that actually in a way it&#8217;s sort of unconstitutional.&#8221;
McConaughey pushed further on the subject in a new conversation with Jordan Peterson — although just sharing time with the Canadian professor, a figure abhorred by the Left, could put McConaughey in Cancel Culture&#8217;s cross hairs.
&#8220;In the name of rehabilitation, we have to have a world in which we&#8217;re able to grow and evolve if that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re trying to do,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not for repeat offenders or tyrants but if someone screws up and sincerely wants retribution, I think it&#8217;s fair to give it to those people.&#8221;
Bryan Cranston
The “Breaking Bad” star joined this exclusive club recently with comments that echoed across the media. The truth has a habit of doing that.
Cranston scowled at Cancel Culture as a force that lacks wisdom while exacerbating division, according to <a href="https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/tv/bryan-cranston-hopes-2021-brings-more-forgiveness-and-an-end-to-cancel-culture-2851694">his chat with the Associated Press.</a>
“Where does forgiveness live in our society? Where can we accept someone’s behaviour if they are contrite, if they are apologetic and take responsibility?
“Isn’t it possible that forgiveness plays a part in that and they are welcomed back in, as opposed to creating more fences?”
Cranston wasn’t under Cancel Culture attack at the time, although he did face heat for playing a partially paralyzed man in the 2017 drama “The Upside,” a role the woke community said should have gone to a disabled star. 
Ricky Gervais
No other celebrity has spoken as forcefully, and consistently, against Cancel Culture as “The Office” alum. One could say Gervais’ stance stems from self-preservation, given the abrasive nature of his stand-up material. 
Fellow comedy titan Dave Chappelle traffics in similar circles, but he’s less vocal on the subject than Gervais is. The British star is the real deal, waxing eloquently on why Cancel Culture is a scourge of western life. He’s equally adept at revealing why it’s an impossible way to navigate humor. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ricky-gervais-celebrity-cancel-culture-twitter-lockdown-a9659171.html">Case in point:</a>
“You shouldn’t have to go to court for telling a joke.” 
Simple. Direct. Undeniable.
Rowan Atkinson
The man known to millions as Mr. Bean is famous for his physical comedy, not his elocution. He still grasps how limiting Cancel Culture can be for artists of all stripes, evoking the <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/mr-bean-rowan-atkinson-says-cancel-culture-to-medieval-mob/">word “mob” in its proper context</a> in a chat with UK’s Radio Times.
“It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob, roaming the streets looking for someone to burn,” the “Blackadder” series creator lamented. “So it is scary for anyone who’s a victim of that mob, and it fills me with fear about the future.”
It’s not the first time the comic actor addressed the matter.
The star spoke out <a href="https://www.christian.org.uk/news/mr-bean-actors-free-speech-video-goes-viral/">against Cancel Culture in 2012</a>, roughly six years before the term gained international traction.
“If we want a robust society, we need more robust dialogue and that must include the right to insult or to offend. Because, as someone once said, the freedom to be inoffensive is no freedom at all.”
Adam Carolla
<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/carolla-prager-pc-police/">“You retreat, they encroach,”</a> the podcast king once said about Cancel Culture and its subsidiary, the woke mob. He’s right, of course. Carolla created his own “Pirate Ship” in 2009 to tell jokes his way without compromise. 
He knew enough about Hollywood’s thin skin at the time to protect his career. Perhaps the “No Safe Spaces” co-star sensed being a free-thinking comic could have consequences down the road.
Boy, did his instincts prove sound.
Rob Schneider
There’s something about leaving “Saturday Night Live” that makes comedians appreciate free expression all the more. It might sound counter-intuitive given the show’s anarchic roots, but former players like Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Rob Schneider have all drifted to the Libertarian side since graduating from the sketch series.
Schneider has been on a tear in recent years, defending liberty and savaging those eager to snuff out freedom. That <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/17/rob-schneider-rips-era-of-cultural-unforgiveness-a/#:~:text=Comedian%20Rob%20Schneider%20fired%20off,Gillis%20over%20past%20insensitive%20remarks.">got personal for him</a> when “SNL” hired, and swiftly fired, comedian Shane Gillis over crude Asian jokes he told on a podcast.
“As a former SNL cast member I am sorry that you had the misfortune of being a cast member during this era of cultural unforgiveness where comedic misfires are subject to the intolerable inquisition of those who never risked bombing on stage themselves,” Schneider Tweeted at Gillis after the firing. “An honest, sincere apology and also accepting it seems appropriate as well. Destroying someone does not.”
Kevin Hart
Some stars see the light after it shines directly on them. Hart, one of Hollywood’s most bankable movie stars, got the gig of a lifetime in 2018 when he was named to host the Oscars telecast.
The honor lasted but a few days after some of his bruising anti-gay jokes miraculously resurfaced.
Hart strains to be inclusive in his public statements, avoiding political stances and pushing positivity whenever he can. Yet he still saw fit to shred why Cancel Culture is so destructive, doing so <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/08/kevin-hart-dont-fk-this-up-emmys-netflix-controversy-interview-news-1203015498/">as surgically as he could.</a>
&#8220;If people [have done something] wrong, the idea of canceling those people, and ending whatever career or thing they have…If it’s just over, then what’s the teachable moment for them? What, it’s over, and then you can’t do nothing else for the rest of your life, because you made a mistake?&#8221;
&#8220;What happened to the days of making a mistake, learning from the mistake, not doing that, and educating others on what not to do because of your mistakes? Isn’t that parenting? Isn’t that the world of raising a kid? How do you know what to tell your kid to do or not to do? You have to be in a position of experience to say, &#8216;Don’t touch that stove because it’s hot,&#8217; because you touched it when it was hot. I can’t give you that lesson if I don’t have the experience.&#8221;
John Cleese
The Monty Python alum could teach us all a thing or two about comedy. Or maybe a hundred.
Cleese, like Gervais, understands the intricacies of humor better than most. And he’s been fighting against language restrictions for some time now. If only the woke crowd would listen, really listen, when Cleese <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/monty-python-star-john-cleese-cancel-culture-misunderstands-the-main-purposes-of-life">explains the cornerstone of comedy like this:</a>
“Everything humorous is critical. If you have someone who is perfectly kind and intelligent and flexible and who always behaves appropriately, they’re not funny. Funniness is about people who don’t do that, like Trump,” he said.
Cleese also defended artistic expression five years ago, a time when woke punishments were starting to heat up.
&#8220;I&#8217;m offended every day. For example, the British newspapers every day offend me with their laziness, their nastiness, and their inaccuracy, but I&#8217;m not going to expect someone to stop that happening; I just simply speak out about it&#8230; So the idea that you have to be protected from any kind of uncomfortable emotion is what I absolutely do not subscribe to.&#8221;
Nick Cave
Singers should be afraid of Cancel Culture’s reach as much as any artist. After all, some of the most iconic songs require them to step into the shoes of unsavory souls. 
Look no further than Johnny Cash singing, “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.”
It’s likely why Cave answered a fan query on his web site in the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53768254#:~:text=Nick%20Cave%20has%20said%20cancel,creative%20soul%20of%20a%20society%22.&amp;text=It%20%22embodies%20all%20the%20worst,to%20offer%22%2C%20said%20Cave.">following fashion</a>:
&#8220;As far as I can see, cancel culture is mercy&#8217;s antithesis. Political correctness has grown to become the unhappiest religion in the world.&#8221;
&#8220;Its once honorable attempt to reimagine our society in a more equitable way now embodies all the worst aspects that religion has to offer (and none of the beauty) &#8211; moral certainty and self-righteousness shorn even of the capacity for redemption. It has become quite literally, bad religion run amuck.”
Bonus: Sarah Silverman 
The far-left comic’s Cancel Culture critique comes with a massive asterisk. Silverman previously praised woke culture, saying we must follow what young people are telling us about the culture.
She had a partial change of heart when she got “cancelled” for a decade-old blackface sketch meant to highlight racism. The mob, in the form of a film’s creative team, ignored the nuance and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/sarah-silverman-says-she-lost-film-role-wearing-blackface-2007-n1041621">let her go</a> at the literal last minute.
Silverman spoke differently about Cancel Culture <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8880547/Sarah-Silverman-slams-non-forgiving-cancel-culture-progressives-warns-digging-mistakes.html">after the incident.</a>
&#8220;If we don&#8217;t give these people a path to redemption, then they&#8217;re going to go where they are accepted, which is the mother****ing dark side.'&#8221;
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

The Lincoln Lawyer – Berlin Photocall

9 Stars Who Scorched Cancel Culture

It’s unfair to say all of today’s stars either support or refuse to stand up to Cancel Culture. Does 99 percent sound more accurate? Today’s celebrity

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The gritty actioner follows a teen who, caught in the middle of a school shooting, does the unthinkable.
She fights back.
The very premise sent film scribes into full pearl-clutching mode. In a way, that’s understandable. School shootings are part of our nightmarish “new normal.” Should they be exploited for entertainment? Here’s a better question? Two, actually.
Why should select topics be off the table for artists? Is there only one way to tackle sensitive material?
“Run Hide Fight” isn’t making any grand statements, and it walks a very thin exploitative tightrope. It’s also rigorously engaging, with a strong lead performance and a script which teases out bigger questions without getting on a soapbox.
Isabel May shines as Zoe Hull, a sullen teen processing the recent loss of her mother (Radha Mitchell, “Rogue”). Her father (Thomas Jane) has taught her to be self-sufficient, witness the film’s opening scene where she takes down a deer with one shot and finishes the job on her own terms.
She’s her father’s daughter, but he can’t help her process the pain of losing a parent.
That back story matters when Zoe arrives at school on Prank Day, alongside her bestie, Lewis (Olly Sholotan, great in a small but pivotal role). A small group of students have other, more deadly, plans for the day.
Writer/director Kyle Rankin (“The Battle of Shaker Heights”) builds the tension up early, using our knowledge of existing tragedies and film tropes. The quick, bold strokes of teen life land with authority, giving the eventual violence the necessary grounding.
And oh, is “Run Hide Fight” violent. Several of the killings are as blunt as possible, but not in a garish horror movie manner. We’re meant to feel like we’re in that building, desperate for escape or at least an explanation for the unfolding evil.
Life, and the film, don’t offer easy answers.
Zoe’s transformation from sullen to soldier is slow and believable by genre standards. All the while we get to know the killers holding the school hostage. Tristan (Eli Brown) is the brains behind the attack, and he looks and sounds like Heath Ledger’s Joker.
Coincidence?
Brown brings villainous charisma to the role, which makes his social media obsession pop. If there’s one recurring theme behind “Run Hide Fight” it’s the teenage desire for clicks and “likes.”
Some of Rankin’s creative choices don’t pay off. The recurring presence of Zoe’s mom, for example, doesn’t mesh with the film’s tone. Nor does a brief explainer behind one of the killer’s motivations. That sequence is the film’s weakest link, stopping the narrative momentum.
Most of the cast members aren’t well known to film fans, but the presence of pros like Jane, <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/barbara-crampton-horror-kindness-pandemic/">Barbara Crampton</a> and Treat Williams gives the film a respectable gloss above and beyond the precise storytelling.
The urge to turn “Run Hide Fight” into a message movie must have been considerable. Rankin resists that temptation, even refusing to cheap shot the media types covering the melee.
If there is a message here it’s an honest, unblinking one. Some children are broken as they near adulthood, a tragic lesson we’ve learned from real-life headlines.
The thriller ends with a blast of surprising restraint followed by a limp action movie cliche. Yet for most of its running time “Run Hide Fight” eschews the easy label applied prior to its release date &#8212; it’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/why-die-hard-still-matters/">“Die Hard”</a> but at a school shooting.
Not even close.
The gravity of the situation we’re forced to endure steers the film clear of ’80s action movie bromides. Zoe isn’t a wisecracking heroine in the John McLane mold. She’s broken, but with the strength a loving family can offer, even one which suffered a grave loss.
“Run Hide Fight” isn’t for everyone given the incendiary subject matter. Those willing to watch a sly tweak to the vigilante genre are in for a treat.
Editor’s Note: This review reflects the film’s final edit.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Run Hide Fight

REVIEW: ‘Run Hide Fight’ Packs Gritty Action Without Woke Theatrics

Film Reviews

The gritty actioner follows a teen who, caught in the middle of a school shooting, does the unthinkable. She fights back. The very premise sent film

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/review-run-hide-fight-packs-gritty-action-without-woke-theatrics/

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It’s getting harder to glean good life lessons from Hollywood stories.
Today’s tales too often focus on antiheroes, souls who quicken our pulse but leave little room for role modeling.
Other films flood the screen with hard-left talking points, the kind conservative parents want their sons to avoid.
It wasn’t always this way. 
Once upon a time, parents could watch a movie with their sons and have long, healthy conversations about the lessons shared by the characters in the film.
The following nine films allow just that, giving parents fresh tools to teach their children right from wrong, and so much more. 
“Shane” (1953)
It’s arguably the best western of its kind and a perfect film to watch with your son. Why? Alan Ladd’s gunslinger is the prototypical hero, but only on the surface. He’s burdened by the killing he’s done in his life, and he’s seeking peace, not more bloodshed. His reluctant heroism resurfaces when a crooked cattle baron (Emile Meyer) threatens the Starretts, who could use Shane’s particular set of skills to save their home.
Young Joey Starrett (Brandon deWilde) is enamored of Shane’s grit and gunslinging, and Shane returns the admiration with firm lessons about the power of a gun and more.
There’s no crying in baseball, but the manliest of men are allowed a tear or two during “Shane’s” closing moments.
<iframe title="Shane (1953) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2AWaGILUCYg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Jaws” (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s classic serves up not one, not two, but three male archetypes. Sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider) is calm and calculated, a good man confronted by his ultimate nightmare — a beach held hostage by a killer shark. Hooper the shark researcher (Richard Dreyfuss) uses his brain to solve problems, but he’s not above getting dirty to get the job done. 
And then there’s Quint (Robert Shaw), a raging Id who will stop at nothing to snare that shark.
There’s bravery and bravado aplenty, with Sheriff Brody pushing aside his seasickness to save his town from more bloodshed. It’s a near-perfect treatise on what it means to be a man from several critical angles.
<iframe title="Jaws Official Trailer #1 - Richard Dreyfuss, Steven Spielberg Movie (1975) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U1fu_sA7XhE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“About a Boy” (2002)
Hugh Grant stars as Will, a trust fund type who feels little pressure to grow up. He’s also a consummate liar, pretending to be a single dad to score with the ladies. His shtick hits a rough patch when he meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a lad who needs a father figure-badly … even one as damaged as Will.
The two connect, allowing Marcus to have the male influence missing in his life. As for Will, he’s shown what it means to be a father and, even more, a grown up.
Rachel Weisz enters the movie as Will’s love interest, but the film cares more about the essential Will-Marcus bond than traditional rom-com beats.
<iframe title="About a Boy Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-apwoGTpi7E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Firstborn” (1984)
This neglected gem cast Teri Garr as a single mom eager to meet Mr. Right. She settles for Mr. Oh, So Wrong (Peter Weller), a con artist whose presence upsets the entire family, especially teenage son Jake (Christopher Collett).
Jake has plenty of the usual teen struggles, but he’s forced to grow up, and fast, to protect not just his mom but his kid brother (Corey Haim in his film debut).
Teens shouldn’t have to serve as the man of the house, but it’s a role thrust upon Jake at the worst possible time. Watching him grow up before our eyes gives way to a gentle, poignant coda.
“My Bodyguard” (1980)
Conservative actor Adam Baldwin made an impressive debut with a drama that doesn’t get enough cultural love. Young Clifford (Chris Makepeace) is getting bullied at school, but he thinks he has a solution.
He hires Ricky (Baldwin), a quiet, hulking recluse to be his “bodyguard” against his schoolyard nemesis (Matt Dillon). Things don’t go exactly as Clifford plans, but he learns to look past outward appearances and, later, stand on his own two feet.
Ricky, in turn, learns to trust new friends, a step that didn’t seem possible at the start of the film.
<iframe title="My Bodyguard - The Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yj8sZlSUI38?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006)
Will Smith stars in this fact-based story brimming with hope, determination and an American dream that feels out of reach. It’s a rag-to-riches story based on the life of Chris Gardner (Smith), a man with an unflagging faith in capitalism.
Smith joins his real-life son, Jaden Smith, for a heartbreaking story of fatherly devotion, persistence and grace. Parents can use Gardner’s arc to show their sons what it means to study hard, knock on every door and always try to do the best for your family.
Smith may be a superstar thanks to “MIB” and the “Bad Boys” franchise, but “Happyness” remains the best Smith vehicle for father-son discussions.
<iframe title="The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Official Trailer 1 - Will Smith Movie" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DMOBlEcRuw8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“The Karate Kid” (1984)
“Cobra Kai” made this franchise cool again, but the original “Kid” didn’t need any artificial boost. Young Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is getting bullied at school. Sound familiar? Only these thugs study under a sensei who relishes cruelty above all. His disciples, especially Johnny Lawrence (‘80s go-to villain William Zabka), happily oblige.
Daniel finds a father figure and karate mentor in Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), a gentle soul with a curious method of training. Together, they grow strong enough to challenge Johnny Lawrence and Team Cobra Kai.
<iframe title="The Karate Kid Trailer (Original) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n7JhKCQnEqQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Flash of Genius” (2008)
President Obama’s toxic lament, “You didn’t build that,” is precisely why this Greg Kinnear vehicle matters.
The “Talk Soup” alum plays Bob Kearns, an inventor who creates an intermittent windshield wiper device that could revolutionize car safety. The fact-based film follows how Bob is beaten down by the system — i.e. Ford Motor Company — robbed of well-earned glory and stripped of his dignity along the way.
He perseveres, providing an essential role model to his young children. It’s not that simple, though. What did Bob lose in the fight? Time with his family, for starters. His stubbornness hurt his marriage, too. The film offers complex questions with no easy answers, all the better to explore in post-film conversations.
<iframe title="Flash of Genius Official Trailer #1 - Greg Kinnear Movie (2008) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Biy-okZ0l8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“The Way, Way Back” (2013)
Father figures come in all shapes and sizes. Some can even be found at the local water park. Liam James stars as Duncan, a quiet teen forced to spend summer vacation with his mother and her ne’er do well beau (Steve Carell, beautifully cast against type).
Everything seems horrible until Duncan meets Owen (Sam Rockwell, never better) at the nearby amusement park. Owen doesn’t play by the rules, and he’s a far from perfect role model. Still, he helps Duncan come out of his titanium-strength shell, installs the first few molecules of confidence within him and kick-starts the boy’s journey to manhood.
Coming-of-age stories can make your eyes roll when handled poorly. Not “The Way, Way Back.” The film brims with relatable themes about the steps en route to adulthood, for better and worse.
<iframe title="The Way, Way Back Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Sam Rockwell Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6qoaVUdbWMs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Pursuit of Happyness

9 Great Movies To Watch With Your Son

movies

It’s getting harder to glean good life lessons from Hollywood stories. Today’s tales too often focus on antiheroes, souls who quicken our pulse but leave

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/9-great-movies-to-watch-with-your-son/

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Political comedy took gut punch after gut punch in 2020.
Not only did most comedians rehash the same ol’ President Donald Trump jokes, they studiously avoided a crush of ripe topics. Black Lives Matter. Socialism. AOC. Lockdown hypocrites. Defund the Police.
A few dared to be different, though, finding the funny wherever it led them. And, as the new year begins, these same comics offer hope for big laughs over the next 12 months.
One thing is certain.
They won’t look away when President-Elect Biden drops another word salad bomb or Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris baldly virtue signals anew.
They’re fearless, funny and forever pushing the bounds of comedy. That’s why each is worth your attention … assuming you’ll have access to them in the new year. Big Tech is already gunning <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/big-tech-censorship-conservative-comedy/">for several of them</a>, a trend that may intensify in a Biden-Harris landscape.
Andrew Schulz
He’s a YouTube sensation who made it big outside the traditional channels. Even better? Schulz brought his Everyman posture to Netflix, yes … Netflix, via a four-part series called “Schulz Saves America.” The title may be hyperbolic, but it reflects what his humor brings to a laugh-starved nation.
Sanity. Real-life experience. An aversion to PC sacred cows. 
It’s why the Netflix series mocked Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s tragic COVID-19 response instead of rubbing his political belly like New York’s own Howard Stern did a few months back.
Like the best humorists, Schulz smacks both sides of the aisle sans apology. The approach powered “South Park” to iconic status. Who knows how far Schulz’s star will rise?
That may depend on a hostile press. Several media outlets dubbed his “America” series racist for calling a super virus that started in Wuhan, China the <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/andrew-schulz/andrew-schulz-netflix/">“Wuhanic Plague.”</a> Never mind that many media outlets called it <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-china-wuhan-coronavirus">similar names</a> at the dawn of the pandemic before realizing they could weaponize the branding against President Donald Trump and, as it turns out, comedians who don’t pledge allegiance to the Progressive flag.
JP Sears
He’s the faux spiritual advisor for our digital age, but the comedian shifted gears dramatically in recent weeks. Sears saw the cultural winds blowing, from extreme lockdowns to Big Tech censorship, and he started addressing them head on via his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwUizOU8pPWXdXNniXypQEQ">YouTube channel</a>.
The results? Funny and fearless clips that speak to a growing frustration many feel in the culture. Our voices aren’t being heard thanks to the woke mob and Big Tech censorship.
Sears knows the feeling.
Facebook threatened to cancel his professional page … permanently. Sears’ response? A flurry of new comedy clips slashing Big Brother, liberty in retreat and creeping Communism.
He’s not ready to back down.
“I will without question risk losing what I have in the name of freedom. And I know many others are doing the same. I will keep going,” he promised his social media flock.
Ryan Long
If you saw only one comedy video last year let’s hope it was Long’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev373c7wSRg">When Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on Everything</a>.” That brilliant, subversive blast shamed every syllable spoken on “Saturday Night Live” over the past 12 months.
Long isn’t a one-clip pony, though. The aggressively apolitical comic routinely blasts Cancel Culture, woke overkill and other cultural scourges with his weekly videos. His bits are reliably R-rated in tone, but his willingness to go where others refuse is his unifying trait.
He’ll never tell an Orange Man Bad joke for the simple reason a thousand other comics already beat him to the punchline.
Anthony Cumia
Miss Howard Stern, not the sanitized version you hear today, but the old-school model who spoke sans filter? “The Anthony Cumia Show” is the closest thing to Stern 1.0.
That’s no accident, since the two were terrestrial radio rivals for years in the shock jock tradition. While Stern went corporate, attacking all the approved targets and cozying up to his show biz chums, Cumia created his own free speech oasis.
Compound Media gives Cumia insurance against the Cancel Culture crowd. The radio veteran, alongside whipsmart stand-up Dave Landau, dishes unexpurgated chat that’s bold, bawdy and never dull.
Listening to “TACS” is like stepping into a time capsule. The conversations are raw and sometimes wildly inappropriate. It’s just two comic minds riffing and renovating laugh lines in real time.
Comedy without a net or apologies … what a concept.
Adam Yenser
By day, Yenser pens jokes for “Ellen,” the syndicated talk show that nearly sank in 2020 following nasty workplace revelations. The Emmy-winning scribe has another side to him. He’s an openly conservative stand-up willing to smite both sides for laughs.
That’s true each week on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGYhDbf6NSS9cWnBL9LiMEA">“The Cancelled News,”</a> Yenser’s YouTube monologue that mimics the modern late-night format with two notable exceptions. It’s very funny and it shreds both sides of the aisle.
Simple. Effective. Refreshing.
Joe Rogan
The podcast superstar made waves in 2020 by joining Spotify’s audio lineup. That wasn’t his biggest victory, no matter how many millions Team Spotify coughed up for his services.
Rogan withstood a relentless Cancel Culture attack for letting unconventional voices share his microphone. Inviting conspiracy monger Alex Jones back on his show shoved an audio thumb in the eyes of his critics.
Far better? How Rogan reached across the aisle with the best of intentions and said what all of the Mainstream Media wouldn’t admit – Joe Biden’s mental state worried him deeply.
In between, he dropped humor bombs between paeans to hunting and other leisurely pursuits. The future couldn’t look brighter for an emboldened Rogan in 2021.
Adam Carolla
Who knew the “Loveline” cutup would evolve into the era’s plainspoken hero? Carolla’s knack for genuinely speaking truth to power made him even more essential in 2020. That he did so while resisting party labels sharpens his impact.
You could always count on Carolla for killer analogies and witty retorts. Now? His ability to shred media narratives and call ‘em like he sees ‘em, without apology, makes him nothing less than a revelation.
When he recently told Dave Rubin the media essentially “rigged” the election for Joe Biden it meant more than a thousand anti-Trump rants from his fellow comedians.
Nick Di Paolo
The most unapologetically conservative comic on this list has been blasting liberals for years. Now, he does so via his popular <a href="https://www.nickdip.com/podcast">podcast</a> and, hopefully, stand-up stages nationwide once the lockdowns recede.
Di Paolo follows the take-no-prisoners approach to comedy. He’s not trying to be subversive. It just comes naturally. 
He’s also a reluctant innovator, releasing his 2019 comedy special <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aIdNexGjw0">“A Breath of Fresh Air”</a> free of charge on YouTube to snare new fans. It seems to have worked.
Tim Dillon
He’s politically tough to pin down, although he appears to lean Right. He’s gay, but it’s not a part of his comic persona or political identity.
Like Schulz, Dillon leverages YouTube to help his podcast reach thousands of hungry fans. It helps that he’s squeezed a lot of living in his 35 years, from selling mortgages to helping his schizophrenic mother deal with an incurable condition.
Rolling Stone dubbed him a <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/10-comedians-you-need-to-know-199408/gina-brillon-199576/">comic to watch</a> in 2017, but chances are the far-left site regrets giving someone like Dillon such high praise.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Sirius XM Annual Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft

9 Fearless Comics Who Will Actually Make You Laugh In 2021

Comedy

Woke Culture

Political comedy took gut punch after gut punch in 2020. Not only did most comedians rehash the same ol’ President Donald Trump jokes, they studiously

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Larry Elder has a simple response as to why critics are ignoring his 2020 documentary, “Uncle Tom.”
Again.
“Water is wet. Sky is blue. Conservatives get the shaft,” says Elder, veteran talk show host, opinion columnist and an executive producer behind the powerful documentary.
“Uncle Tom” explores how black conservatives are diminished in American culture, the foundations of their right-leaning views and how the GOP fails to connect with them in a meaningful manner.
A quick peek at the “<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/uncle_tom">Uncle Tom” page</a> at RottenTomatoes.com shows only three certified critics bothered to even review the film. The audience score for the documentary? A hefty 96 percent “fresh.” 
That’s not where the snubbing ends, though.
The movie became a swift success during its 2020 run, earning seven times its production costs. It also snared a crush of glowing user reviews at IMDB.com despite the film’s atypical release schedule. “Uncle Tom” originally appeared via the movie’s web site, not the standard video on-demand platforms.
Now, as Hollywood’s award season kicks into high gear, several prominent outlets are sharing their Best Documentaries of 2020 lists. Once again, “Uncle Tom” is left out of the conversation.
<a href="https://www.polygon.com/22190136/best-documentaries-2020">Polygon</a>
<a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-best-documentaries-of-2020/">Paste Magazine</a>
<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/12/best-documentaries-2020-1234604321/">Indie Wire</a>:
Elder notes “Uncle Tom’s” 9.0 viewer IMDB rating eclipses all the documentaries found on the aforementioned lists. It’s also a higher rating than the last 10 Oscar winners for Best Documentary, including “Free Solo” (8.2).
It’s worth noting that several left-leaning documentaries, including “I Am Greta” and “All in: The Fight for Democracy,” as well as the Obamas-produced “Crip Camp,” earned several critical nods.
The “Uncle Tom” snub continued at three other “Best Of” documentary lists, including ones filed by <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22160050/best-documentaries-2020-streaming">Vox</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/30/best-documentaries-2020-film">The Guardian</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/year-in-review-the-10-best-documentaries-of-2020-964615/time-2-1075986/">Rolling Stone.</a>
All of this comes at a momentous time in popular culture. The rise of Black Lives Matter convinced many platforms to double and triple down on black representation. It’s why Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime introduced new sections dedicated to black voices last year. It similarly describes Hollywood’s efforts to amplify black talent in front of and behind the camera.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts &amp; Sciences upended decades of Oscar rules to demand more diversity and representation for people of color.
And yet a polished, powerful documentary about black Americans produced by a black filmmaker gets ignored by critics. 
A similar snub is happening with “What Killed Michael Brown?” a searing look at race relations featuring black conservative Shelby Steele.
That documentary, whose director is a multiracial, Jewish deaf man, faced a similar reception from movie critics as well as Amazon. The title can’t be found on the aforementioned lists, and the online megastore initially blocked it from its VOD services, claiming it <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/michael-brown-film-amazon-ban">didn’t meet the streamer’s quality standards</a>.
A quick look at Amazon’s title offerings reveal such Oscar-bait fare as “Uncle Peckerhead,” “Llamageddon” and “Zoombies.”
Amazon quickly reversed its decision after right-leaning media outlets covered the matter.
Elder notes that being snubbed comes with life as a prominent black conservative. 
His life story began in South Central Los Angeles with a father who once cleaned toilets to make ends meet. The young Elder went on to become an Ivy League educated lawyer, nationally syndicated radio show host, New York Times best-selling author and host of not one but two syndicated TV shows.
He’s yet to have his books reviewed in his hometown paper, The Los Angeles Times. Said paper also has yet to review “Uncle Tom,” let alone stack it atop any “Best of” movie lists.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Dinesh D’Souza’s “Death Of A Nation” Premiere

Critics Ignore Larry Elder’s ‘Uncle Tom’ Documentary, Despite Popularity With Viewers

Larry Elder

Uncle Tom

Larry Elder has a simple response as to why critics are ignoring his 2020 documentary, “Uncle Tom.” Again. “Water is wet. Sky is blue. Conservatives get

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We’re living in the age of superlatives, yet not enough are heaped upon Jon Favreau.
Not only did the writer/director jumpstart the MCU with 2008’s “Iron Man,” he directed the biggest Christmas movie of the modern age, “Elf.” He also wrote and co-starred in the seminal screen bromance “Swingers.”
That was just a warm-up act for his biggest pop culture magic trick to date. Favreau brought “Star Wars” back from the pop culture grave with “The Mandalorian.”
So who does Team “Star Wars” think can revive the franchise’s movie fortunes?
Patty Jenkins.
The director <a href="https://apnews.com/article/disney-investor-day-star-wars-marvel-68c5b8c3be5e5e0452095f493e86d9d8">will helm “Rogue Squadron,”</a> the first new “Star Wars” movie following the poorly received trilogy that capped the Skywalker saga. The next “Star Wars” film hits theaters Christmas 2023, assuming the theatrical model still exists by then.
The choice seemed wise, even hopeful, as recently as a few weeks ago. Now? It might seal the fate of “Star Wars” as a theatrical empire.
Sound harsh? Take a long, hard look at Jenkins’ new film, “Wonder Woman 1984.” It brims with all the sins fans accused the new “Star Wars” films of committing.
<ul>
<li>Woke storytelling</li>
<li>Muddied narratives</li>
<li>Massive plot holes</li>
<li>Feminism on steroids</li>
<li>Ignoring canon</li>
</ul>
Yes, Jenkins directed a flat-out gem with 2017’s “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/wonder-woman-review-gal-gadot/">Wonder Woman</a>” and deserves plenty of credit for it. It’s why the “Star Wars”-Jenkins pairing seemed so promising.
She’s far more hands on with the sequel, though, given her growing Hollywood clout. She likely felt less pressure from Warner Bros. suits following the runaway success of the first “Wonder Woman” adventure. Plus, she co-wrote the story and screenplay for “WW84,” meaning her fingerprints are all over the finished product.
It’s her baby, and <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/wonder-woman-1984-review/">it’s a mess</a>.
In fact, once the geek hype for the sequel subsided the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score sank from the high 80s to a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder_woman_1984">modest 65 percent “fresh.”</a>
That’s no accident.
So Disney, the studio that now owns Star Wars, Inc., is entrusting its movie franchise to Jenkins.
Why?
For starters, Disney is as woke as any film studio these days. Jenkins will be the first female director to helm a “Star Wars” feature. That matters.
It’s also likely why Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, the person in charge of the “Star Wars” brand, still has her job after torching “Star Wars” as a theatrical juggernaut. Each of the main “Star Wars” sequels created under her watch made less money than the previous film.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2488496/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">“The Force Awakens” &#8212; $936 million</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2527336/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">“The Last Jedi” &#8212; $620 million</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2527338/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">“The Rise of Skywalker” &#8212; $515 million</a></li>
</ul>
Kennedy built that.
The other “Star Wars” films under Kennedy’s reign delivered mixed results.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” became a box office disappointment with a<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3778644/?ref_=bo_se_r_1"> $213 million haul.</a> “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” served up the best thrills of the new “Star Wars” era, earning a <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3748528/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">respectable $532 million</a> despite its microscopic ties to the Skywalker clan.
The same “Star Wars” fans who clamor for Baby Yoda merch feel far less attached to the “new” “Star Wars” characters from the recent trilogy.
Analysts can point to many reasons for “Star Wars&#8217;” creative decline, from never assembling the original trilogy’s core heroes on screen to a narrative that felt scribbled down on the fly.
The film’s woke nods clearly factored into the equation. Think Mary Sue heroines (Rey, Rose Tico) strained progressive subplots (“The Last Jedi’s” casino debacle) and emasculating the one character who could carry Han Solo’s rogue torch (Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron).
Any chance Jenkins, given the keys to the biggest space franchise in history, won’t repeat what she brought to “WW84?”
<ul>
<li>An anti-GOP villain</li>
<li>Bald feminism</li>
<li>Overt victimhood for its female characters</li>
</ul>
Slim, meet none.
Movies like “Wonder Woman 1984” and the upcoming “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” must thrive outside the American marketplace to make fiscal sense. China is currently the dominant theatrical market for Hollywood given the current pandemic — and it may remain so moving forward.
So how did “Wonder Woman 1984” fare in China? The movie under-performed in its opening weekend to the tune of $18.8 million, getting bested by a Chinese original (“The Rescue”). “WW84” <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/china-box-office-shock-wave-2-opens-to-65m-wonder-woman-1984-fizzles-out">plummeted 92 percent</a> the following weekend.
That’s not a typo.
The far-left Hollywood Reporter added some <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-wonder-woman-1984-limps-towards-second-place-opening">necessary context to “WW84’s” lousy showing.</a>
<blockquote>The sequel’s slide is particularly disappointing since China, which has bounced back strongly from the novel coronavirus pandemic and is known for its affinity for superhero movies, was expected to be the title’s largest theatrical market.</blockquote>
This is the director “Star Wars” is pinning its cinematic rebirth around?
Favreau made us care about “Star Wars” again with a simple, foolproof formula. Skip the woke theatrics. Tell a story hearkening back to core elements like a stoic main character, companionship, and selfless acts of heroism. Deliver slam-bang action without hand-wringing.
In short, summon the creative spirit George Lucas first unleashed on the culture in 1977. Can Jenkins do the same with “Rogue Squadron?” The evidence so far suggests she can’t, and Kennedy doesn’t care.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Patty Jenkins

Why Star Wars Made A Massive Mistake Hiring Patty Jenkins

Star Wars

Wonder Woman

We’re living in the age of superlatives, yet not enough are heaped upon Jon Favreau. Not only did the writer/director jumpstart the MCU with 2008’s “Iron

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No matter where you stand politically we can all agree on something.
Good riddance, 2020.
It was an awful, terrible, no good year on many levels, including the pop culture front. Cancel Culture roared back to life. Propaganda invaded many movies and TV shows. Late night hosts actively mocked audience members, as did some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The list is extensive, and nauseating.
What better reason to look ahead to pop culture items we’ll see and hear in the new year, goodies that appear both apolitical and potentially great.
“The Many Saints of Newark” – HBO’s “The Sopranos” unofficially kicked off the new Golden Age of Television. The mob drama changed the rules for small screen storytelling, from its gritty tone to narratives that continued from show to show, season to season. It wasn’t the first to employ that approach, but few did it more effectively.
Now, show creator David Chase is bringing us back to Newark, N.J. for a prequel to the groundbreaking series. Chase’s big-screen directorial debut, “Not Fade Away,” had little impact on the zeitgeist. Chances are his “Saints,” which he wrote but didn’t direct, will have a different reception.
Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, will play a young Tony Soprano in the film slated for a March 12 HBO Max/theatrical release.
“No Time to Die” &#8211; It’s Craig, Daniel Craig’s fifth and final turn as 007, and the wait has been excruciating. The disappointing “Spectre” hit theaters in 2015, and it took time to create a new adventure, woo Craig back for one last time and wait out a global pandemic.
We don’t know how “No Time to Die” will reach us – HBO Max? Netflix? Old-fashioned theaters? A combo plan? No matter. The wait for Bond’s latest adventure should end in 2021.
That leaves a larger issue, though.
Will this be the Bond we all know and love, or a newer, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/it-seemed-as-if-nothing-could-stop-james-bond-but-then-came-a-novel-enemy-the-coronavirus-20191230-p53noz.html">woke model</a> who eschews Bond girls and hyper-masculinity? We’ve gotten snippets to make us fear the latter, but it’s likely being overplayed by media outlets eager to retrofit the classic character to their progressive desires.
Chances are Bond will still be Bond in 2021. Let’s hope it’s more like “Casino Royale” Bond than “Quantum of Solace,” though.
“Reagan” – Hollywood abhors the nation’s 40th president. Will Ferrell once flirted with a <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ferrell-reagan-alzheimers-comedy/">project depicting Ronald Reagan as comically senile</a> during his second term. More recently, we saw a Reagan-like figure given a demeaning cameo in “Wonder Woman 1984.”
This … will be different.
“Reagan” is a full-bodied biopic of the Gipper, starting from his youth and capturing his remarkable Oval Office tenure. Dennis Quaid plays President Reagan, with Jon Voight, Penelope Ann Miller and Kevin Dillon fleshing out a large, and still expanding, cast. Expect “Reagan,” currently shooting with COVID-19 precautions in place, in the fall of 2021.
“Fast and Furious 9” – Do we really need yet another sequel in this franchise? Of course, and here’s why. Hollywood is losing its populist touch. Modern storytellers too often try to lecture, or focus solely on sending a message, with their art. It often falls on deaf ears, proving a disconnect between artist and audience.
The “Furious” movies are different. The creative team behind the franchise knows the formula by heart, and it’s one many movie goers adore. Fast cars. Beautiful women. Family … lots of talk about family. And a cast of colorful characters who are both funny and larger than life.
We’ll get more of the same on May 28 (presumably in theaters), and what a relief it’ll be.
“Mission: Impossible 7” – Speaking of irresistible formulas, Tom Cruise found one of his very own in the middle of this spy franchise. Yes, the first three installments proved entertaining, but they felt like cookie-cutter blockbusters. They didn’t have a strong identity … yet. By the time part 4 came around, “Ghost Protocol,” the franchise started making sense.
Adding co-horts like Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames gave the “M:I” series more personality and heart. Cruise’s Ethan Hunt remains the focus, but the series took a page out of the “Furious” handbook with startling results. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018) delivered some of the most rousing action scenes of the last decade. 
“Zack Snyder&#8217;s Justice League” – Everyone should cheer the project’s HBO Max arrival if only to shush Comic Book Nation. Super fans have been clamoring for the “Snyder Cut” of the mediocre supergroup movie ever since its 2017 debut.
Joss Whedon took over for Snyder mid-production after a personal tragedy rocked the “300” director’s life.
Now, we’ll see if it was worth all the yammering, although there’s no firm release date yet.
Foo Fighters, “Medicine at Midnight” – If rock music isn’t dead it’s either on life support or eyeing hospice. A quick peek at the 2020 music charts show mostly geriatric rockers grabbing headlines, from <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/11/30/fleetwood-mac-dreams-band-of-2020/">Fleetwood Mac</a> to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/07/14/beatles-bts-1-million-albums-2020/?sh=51cb325b5ec4">The Beatles</a> (still!).
Dave Grohl’s underrated outfit returns with its 10th album, and the first since 2017’s “Concrete and Gold.” The Feb. 5 release promises more smart, old school rock from the Nirvana alum and co. The first single, “Shame Shame,” hits some familiar beats but feels more melancholy, fitting given the current times.
“Cobra Kai,” Season 3 – Hollywood can’t stop resurrecting its past, be it prequels, sequels or gender-flip reboots. It’s exhausting, but once in a navy blue moon such a project scores a bullseye.
“Cobra Kai” masterfully continues the “Karate Kid” story, muddying the waters between hero and villain. Season one, which debuted on YouTube, found us cheering on Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), not the aging “Kid” (Ralph Macchio. That first season also poked fun at the new woke by laws.
YouTube’s foray into original programming flamed out, but Netflix rode to the rescue and made “Cobra Kai” an even bigger hit. We’ll see how season 3, debuting Jan. 1, tweaks the reimagined “Kid” template.
“The Chosen,” Season 2 – Remember the knock on faith-based movies and TV shows? Corny. Preachy. Micro-budgeted. Amateurish (and that’s being kind). The old rules no longer apply, especially not with this sharp production.
The VidAngel team made the life and times of Jesus Christ into a smart, satisfying series with both grit and soul.  Now, they’re hard at work on a Season 2, continuing a production funded by the fans. Yes, this massively successful show likely wouldn’t exist if it relied on the traditional Hollywood ecosystem.
The Untitled Dana Carvey Podcast – Dennis Miller hung up his podcasting mic in 2020, a terrible loss for those addicted to his smart, right-leaning quips. This may cushion the blow, at least a little.
The uber-talented Carvey, one of Miller’s very best guests, told his former “Saturday Night Live” colleague he’s launching his own show in 2021. Few “SNL” stars transformed the sketch show quite like Carvey, even though he didn’t find massive film success like Aykroyd, Murray, Murphy and Chase. 
No matter. Carvey’s quick wit and genius-level impressions make him a clown of the first order. Who knows what, or who, we’ll hear on his upcoming podcast. Just know he eschews partisan comedy in favor of pure, unadulterated laughs.
“Only Murders in the Building” – There comes a time when audiences realize a master showman won’t be around forever. Steve Martin doesn’t look 75 by any stretch, but at that age it’s clear we won’t have his sophisticated wit around forever.
So this project, which he co-created for Hulu, could be a late career comeback from a man who’s been making us howl for decades.
The series co-stars his frequent collaborator, Martin Short, along with Selena Gomez. The story involves three true crime addicts who stumble upon a murder and must combine their intellectual firepower to solve it.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

‘Spectre’ Photocall In Soelden

11 Must-Watch Shows And Movies Debuting In 2021

Daniel Craig

Enterainment

Tom Cruise

No matter where you stand politically we can all agree on something. Good riddance, 2020. It was an awful, terrible, no good year on many levels,

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Free speech warriors had reason for hope at the end of 2019.
Comic superstars like Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Sebastian Maniscalco delivered upper cuts to the scourge known as Cancel Culture and its enforcers, the woke mob.
Chappelle’s Netflix special “Sticks and Stones,” in particular, suggested a cultural sea change given his status as comedy’s elder statesman. Plus, while only <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dave_chappelle_sticks_and_stones">35 percent of professional critics</a> liked it at RottenTomatoes.com, 99 percent of audience members praised its politically incorrect jabs.
Was the tide turning at long last? It sure seemed that way until the spring of 2020. On May 25, a Minneapolis police officer held George Floyd, a black man, down by his neck for nearly eight excruciating minutes.
Floyd later died. Protesters torched the Twin Cities. Any hope that 2020 would see Cancel Culture’s demise similarly went up in flames as Americans scrambled in an attempt to right historical wrongs, sometimes going to absurd lengths.
Now? Cancel Culture’s control over western culture shows little sign of abating.
America dramatically changed following Floyd’s death. Black Lives Matter found new life, permeating sports, Hollywood and the mainstream media. Corporations doubled and tripled down on BLM support while the media actively suppressed news that painted the movement in an unflattering light. “Mostly peaceful” protests turned major metropolitan centers into war zones. 
And, bit by bit, pop culture moments went down the memory hole.
Shows featuring <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/blackface-tv-episodes-scenes-removed-streaming.html">blackface moments</a> were canceled, including episodes from “The Golden Girls,” “Scrubs,” “Community,” “30 Rock” and more.
Jimmy Fallon, the formerly apolitical “Tonight Show” host<a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/blackface-tv-episodes-scenes-removed-streaming.html">, got bullied into apologizing</a> on-air for his own blackface moment 20 years ago. It’s important to note that fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jimmy-kimmel-apologizes-blackface-impression-nba-star-karl-malone-1299893">apologized via a statement</a> for his serial blackface offenses weeks later, striking a far more combative tone.
The creative team behind the police comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” <a href="https://screenrant.com/brooklyn-99-season-8-scripts-changes-black-lives-matter/">threw out scripts</a> for its upcoming season, vowing to rework the material to better reflect the BLM moment.
Classic movies were slapped with warnings or outright cancellations. “Gone With the Wind,” one of the most beloved films of all time, got yanked from HBO Max for insufficiently capturing the horrors of slavery. The film later returned to the fledgling service, but with a warning label attached.
Similar labels showed up across streaming platforms. Disney proved to be the most aggressive, slapping labels on everything from “Dumbo” to an episode of “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.”
An Oregon screening celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Kindergarten Cop” was nixed in August after a <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2020/08/kindergarten-cop-screening-canceled-in-oregon-accused-of-glorifying-police-traumatizing-children.html">single critic</a> said it made light of “cops traumatizing kids” and reflected the “school-to-prison” pipeline.
More recently, the 1980 camp classic “Flash Gordon” earned a warning label for casting Max von Sydow, who is white, as an Asian character – Ming the Merciless. The decades-old casting decision was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55409194?fbclid=IwAR02GaeguBu5dT7uXpbTZzphm--j76irSi5zOsblgYvgz9axV5ax59JThZ0">“potentially offensive</a>.”
The list of academia-related cancellations would take up an entire article all on its own. Here’s just one to set the scene:
Leslie Neal-Boylan, Dean of Nursing at UMass-Lowell, lost her job after <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=15379">sharing this “racist” email</a> with students and faculty:
“I am writing to express my concern and condemnation of the recent (and past) acts of violence against people of color… I despair for our future as a nation if we do not stand up against violence against anyone. BLACK LIVES MATTER, but also, EVERYONE’S LIFE MATTERS.”
The world of sports wasn’t immune to cultural cancellations.
A sports broadcaster also <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/06/03/sacramento-kings-broadcaster-grant-napear-out-after-all-lives-matter-tweet/3132629001/">lost his gig for saying, “All Lives Matter.”</a> Famed quarterback Drew Brees got <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drew-brees-caves-asks-for-forgiveness-for-saying-americans-should-respect-the-flag">punished for defending the American flag</a>.
Yet we also saw Cancel Culture’s limits in 2020.
The woke mob tried to cancel Mark Wahlberg for heinous acts he committed as a much younger man. The “Transformers” star, who previously apologized for the ignorance of his youth, didn’t respond to the attacks. The mob subsequently moved on to other targets.
More importantly, Cancel Culture ignored a crush of hateful comments, showing its true, political nature.
Singer Noah Cyrus called Daily Wire contributor Candace Owens a racial slur and faced zero consequences, even though a similar slur all but ended radio superstar Don Imus’ career back in 2007. Owens is one of the most prominent black conservatives, and isn’t afforded Cancel Culture protection.
Stars routinely wished physical harm, or worse, on President Donald Trump while the woke mob shrugged because of his GOP bona fides.
Howard Stern’s history of wildly inappropriate racial humor surfaced mid-year, but the shock jock’s quasi-apology was deemed sufficient. Stern had previously turned on former chum President Trump, granting him limited mob immunity.
Nick Cannon’s very bad year also revealed Cancel Culture’s curious standards.
The versatile star shared anti-Semitic views and suggested white people are inferior to blacks in a grotesque podcast episode. Either one could have cost him his livelihood.
Instead, he lost a business connection with Viacom but retained his hosting gig on FOX’s “The Masked Singer.” His still-alive talk show project got pushed to 2021.
It’s worth noting that ABC essentially erased Roseanne Barr’s career and signature sitcom in 2017 for one ugly, racially-charged Tweet.
Those looking for hopeful signs on the Cancel Culture front can cling to a few recent developments. The BBC nominated J.K. Rowling’s <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/bbc-nominates-jk-rowlings-controversial-essay-on-trans-rights-for-award/a-56014673">essay on “sex and gender”</a> for its Russell Prize honors. Rowling’s contrarian views on trans culture made her Cancel Culture’s number one target in 2020.
Joe Rogan survived a massive Cancel Culture assault during his switch to Spotify, giving the audio platform its biggest podcast numbers for 2020.
Ricky Gervais refuses to back down in his personal fight against Cancel Culture, most recently comparing it to “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/ricky-gervais-cancel-culture-road-rage-accountability">road rage</a>.”
Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matthew-mcconaughey-elaborates-on-illiberals'">savaged the Cancel Culture mindset</a> earlier this month:
“Where the waterline is going to land on this freedom of speech and what we allow and what we don’t and where this cancel culture goes, where that waterline lands is a very interesting place that we are engaged in right now as a society that we’re trying to figure out because we haven’t found the right spot,” he said.
He’s right, but he’s putting it mildly.
The fight to defend free speech continues in 2021, but the momentum is squarely on the mob’s side.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

85th Annual Academy Awards – Backstage

2020: The Year Cancel Culture Took Over

Free Speech

Free speech warriors had reason for hope at the end of 2019. Comic superstars like Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Sebastian Maniscalco delivered upper cuts

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/2020-the-year-cancel-culture-took-over/

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Christian Toto