Ben

PARK CITY, Utah - There is something incredibly fun about a movie tribute to slacker Asian Americans screening at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday morning, just after a handful of non-slacker AAPI actors and directors were cleaning up with Oscar nominations. Randall Park couldn't have predicted the timing, but his directorial debut, "Shortcomings," based on the 2007 graphic novel about Asian Americans millennials by Adrian Tomine (who also wrote the screenplay), was screening in Utah just hours after four AAPI actors got nominations - more than have ever been recognized in a single year - and "Everything Everywhere All at Once" broke records with 11 chances to win Academy Awards. Park's film opens with a spoof of "Crazy Rich Asians" that his protagonist, Ben (Justin H. Min of "The Umbrella Academy"), an art-house snob who dropped out of film school and manages an independent movie theater, calls a "garish mainstream rom-com that glorifies a capitalistic fantasy." His politically … [Read more...] about Randall Park’s directorial debut is an ode to flawed Asian Americans

In the year 2023, if I told you about a Frankensteinian vehicle that crossed a Buick with a Ferrari, you’d probably do a spit take (or, depending on how you feel about the Prancing Horse’s SUV, point to the Purosangue ). But in the year 1963, what feels like an impossibility was a reality, albeit briefly. That’s the model year for the Apollo 3500 GT that’s set to be auctioned off Thursday at RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale. There’s a modern sports car brand known as Apollo Automobili , but this Apollo was started in 1962 in the U.S. by engineer Milt Brown of California. As the auction house puts it, Brown “[sought] to create an American grand tourer to compete with the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari and Jaguar.” To do so, Brown took a bunch of American components (some taken from the Buick Special, some from Chevrolet, as well as a BorgWarner transmission and most importantly a Buick V8 engine) and wrapped them in an Italian-built body. The body design was originally conceived by … [Read more...] about The Rare Apollo GT, an “American Ferrari,” Is Finally Getting Its Due

Click here to read the full article. Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 28th edition of Rendez-Vous With French Cinema , an annual celebration of contemporary French filmmaking. The event will take place March 2–12. It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.” More from Variety Virginie Efira Claims Unifrance French Cinema Award At France's Ministry of Culture Comedies, Family Fare Dominated International Box Office for French Movies in 2022 Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris Sparks Back to Life With 400 Film Buyers, 100 TV Buyers Attending “It is a such … [Read more...] about Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center Reveal Rendez-Vous With French Cinema Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)

The government of Russia dismissed the potential on Tuesday of a shipment of dozens of American tanks, promised by left-wing President Joe Biden, to change the momentum of its invasion of Ukraine, suggesting they would “burn just like all the others.” Top Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, following Biden’s announcement, that the plan to equip Ukraine with tanks in anticipation of the ground in the country thawing in spring was “disastrous.” “I am certain that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea. The plan is disastrous in terms of technology,” Peskov said during his daily press briefing, according to Reuters. “But above all, it overestimates the potential it will add to the Ukrainian army.” “These tanks burn just like all the others,” he concluded. On Thursday, Peskov affirmed that Russia interprets military arms support to Ukraine as America and European allies of Kyiv participating “directly” in the war, suggesting Russia already … [Read more...] about Russia Scoffs at Biden’s Ukraine Tank Giveaway

PHILADELPHIA — At some point, Kevin Durant is going to walk through that door. It’s the silver lining in Brooklyn’s 137-133 loss to the 76ers on Wednesday, the team’s fifth loss in the seven games they’ve played since Durant went down with an MCL sprain in a Jan. 8 matchup against the Miami Heat. The Nets lost but came back from down 17 and had an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter. Against a fully healthy 76ers team with three stars in Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, the Nets nearly stole a victory. Without their best player. The Nets, however, have formed a united front against the idea of moral victories. They know things will look drastically different when Durant — who ranks 14th on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer’s list and averages a hair under 30 points per game — returns to the team, but his return date has yet to be determined . “I think we’re all saying that [it’ll look different when Durant returns], but at the end of day, that’s just … [Read more...] about No moral victories for Nets without Kevin Durant: ‘We can’t snap our fingers and have him back’

PHILADELPHIA — Oh, it’s definitely a rivalry. Joel Embiid and Nic Claxton were assessed double technical fouls jawing with one another after Claxton rejected Embiid at the rim. Montrezl Harrell scored on Kyrie Irving on the low block and was assessed a technical foul after sending choice words his way. “F—k Ben Simmons” chants rained down from the Wells Fargo Center crowd in his first game against Embiid since the blockbuster James Harden trade . All the while, Kevin Durant did his best media impression, live-tweeting reactions to Nets plays while nursing an MCL sprain back in Brooklyn. At Tuesday’s Nets practice, Durant said there’s no rivalry between the Nets and Sixers , that rivalries aren’t a thing in the NBA because teams don’t repeatedly see each other in the playoffs. Head coach Jacque Vaughn also downplayed the idea of a rivalry between these two teams, saying the juice for the game more so comes from the Sixers being two games ahead of the Nets in the … [Read more...] about Nets Notebook: Kyrie Irving says Brooklyn-Philly is definitely a rivalry