AIR was honored with the Visionary Icon & Creator Tribute by The Gotham Film & Media Institute, at the 33rd Annual Gotham Awards, live from Cipriani Wall Street on Monday night.
“Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” is a biographical documentary that delves into the life and career of Tyler Perry, a multi-talented figure in the entertainment industry. The film not only explores his remarkable journey to becoming a successful writer, actor, filmmaker, and studio head but also emphasizes the personal struggles and childhood trauma he has had to overcome. It highlights the transformative power of turning one’s pain into a legacy for the upcoming future to look up to.
On October 27, the TLC Chinese Theatre changed into a venue honoring Tyler Perry and the history of his achievements. In order to educate the public about the process by which Tyler Perry’s fame came to be, co-directors Armani Oritiz and Gelila Bekele brought ten years of filming to life on screen. In addition to the stars in attendance, the red carpet was illuminated by the overwhelming affection that everyone had for Tyler Perry, both personally and for his incredible body of work over the years. The anticipation for this movie continued to grow throughout the evening, making it a night full of enjoyment.
The title of the documentary, “Maxine’s Baby,” pays tribute to his mother, Maxine, suggesting that her love and influence played a significant role in shaping Tyler Perry’s life. The film provides a tender and intimate portrayal of Perry, offering a more comprehensive understanding of his life, motivations, and the challenges he faced along the way.
Through the lens of the directors, the audience is given insight into the man behind the success, exploring aspects of his personal life, his journey to fatherhood, and his mission to carve a unique path to the top of the entertainment industry.
“Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” serves as a profound lesson in the importance of understanding one’s roots to navigate the path towards one’s aspirations. It is an inspirational journey that highlights the determination, resilience, and vision of a man who has left an indelible mark on the entertainment world.
Deisy Suarez
Barbra Sanchez
Edwina Findley
Armani Ortiz
Gelila Bekele
Roshon Fegan
Gogo Morrow
With 74 million monthly active users and 200,000 movies and TV shows eligible to stream, Tubi has become the number one Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD) player on the market.
NEW YORK, NY – To many dining enthusiasts, the Mr. Chow restaurant brand symbolizes upscale Chinese-American cuisine.
If you’ve ever talked to or been around a child then you’ve probably heard of PAW Patrol.
The Nickelodeon children’s show first premiered in 2013 and has since spiraled into one of the network’s most successful shows. From toys and merchandise to live shows, PAW Patrol has accomplished what most children’s programs could only dream of doing: world domination.
It’s in your homes, in your phones, on your TV, and now in your theatres. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie will be making its way to the big screen at the end of this month and expect to hear some familiar voices, as well.
The film includes a celeb-packed cast and voiceovers from Taraji P. Henson, Kim Kardashian and her kids North and Saint West, Kristen Bell, Marsai Martin, and more.
Based on the beloved characters from the show, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie follows the whole gang of pups as they venture through their town of Adventure City to defeat supervillains and protect their community.
When a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, it gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The MIGHTY PUPS! For Skye, the smallest member of the team, her new powers are a dream come true. But things take a turn for the worse when the pups’ arch-rival Humdinger breaks out of jail and teams up with Victoria Vance, a meteor-obsessed mad scientist, to steal the superpowers and turn themselves into supervillains. With the fate of Adventure City hanging in the balance, the Mighty Pups have to stop the supervillains before it’s too late, and Skye will need to learn that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie features all-new, original songs from Bryson Tiller, Christina Aguilera, Mckenna Grace, and Blackbear.
Turns out the puppy cops are pretty popular amongst the adults, as well.
Bryson has been MIA musically for a while now but his initial reaction to being asked to be a part of the film’s soundtrack was nothing short of excitement.
“As soon as I saw it, I was like ‘hell yeah, I’m doing this right away.’”
We chatted with Bryson about his deep love for the puppies in uniform and, of course, when he plans on gracing us with new music.
So, let’s talk about this new song that you have for the new PAW Patrol film, “Down Like That.” Could you tell me more about how this came about, when you were approached with this were you all for it or did you need convincing from your kids?
Bryson Tiller: Oh no, I was all for it right away. They didn’t even have to- They didn’t even know about it. As soon as I saw it, excuse my language, I was just like “Hell yes” I’m doing this right away.
Really? Are you a PAW Patrol fan?
Bryson Tiller: It was just more so the fact that I just always wanted to be a part of something, you know, like a kid’s TV show or movie, you know, soundtrack or whatever. I watched the first movie with my daughter a while ago when it came out, the first PAW Patrol movie. So just yeah, it was a no-brainer for me.
Could we see you doing maybe some acting or voice-overs in the future?
Bryson Tiller: Acting, voiceovers, I don’t know. Maybe, yeah maybe voiceovers. I don’t know about acting.
Well, speaking of music, we all know you’ve kind of been in and out of the music scene over the years. So, when you do drop something does it feel like an unofficial return or like a warm-up for when you do officially drop?
Bryson Tiller: Sometimes I guess, I don’t know. I like to create music. People know this about me. I like to just, kind of the way I came up in the music industry was just creating something and releasing creations to the public right away on my own time. With albums and stuff, it’s a sample clearances and all this different stuff. So, it’s not like I can just make the music and then just upload it to Apple Music myself tomorrow. I wish that I could do it that way, I think that would be better. Just trying to get used to this new thing. So anyways, when I do release music it’s not really like, “Oh, I’m gearing up for my return! It’s coming!” or anything like that. I just like to create things and share them with the world.
That’s good to know. Cause I was definitely going to ask if you were pulling a Rihanna on us. I didn’t know if we would ever going to see you again, so you know, I just had to make sure. You’re very active on Twitch, you’re a full-time father. Sometimes you’re streaming, sometimes you’re making music for films like this or you’re doing features. Like, the song you did with Diddy recently. Or you might even drop a mini EP on SoundCloud. What can we expect from you in the future, musically? If you can talk about it, or if you’d like to talk about it!
Bryson Tiller: Yeah, absolutely I can talk about it. I’m releasing an album soon, I’ve been working on it for some time now. I finished it, well at least I thought I finished it earlier this year. I would say I finished the first phase of the album, like just something to listen to, dissect, and see what’s missing.
So, the first phase of the album, I finished it. Now I’m preparing to go back to LA to really finish this thing so I can release it on time for next year. Yeah, I’m super excited about it. You mentioned the Rihanna thing, I actually do plan on taking a bit of a hiatus after this album just to get closer to my kids and do a lot of other passions that are important to me.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is in theaters September 29th. “Down Like That” is out now. Watch the lyric video below.
NEW YORK, NY – There are three people who have been single handedly responsible for capturing the harrowing experience in Mariupol in the early days of its siege in February 2022: Associated Press journalists Mstyslav Chernov and his team, Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko.
Amazon Prime brought Lagos to NYC for an exclusive screening of their first original African movie: “Gangs of Lagos”.
It has been 20 years since the phenomenal release of Eminem’s semi-biographical feature 8 mile and it has only grown in relevance with the forthcoming years.
I, for one, have always been a huge fan of Eminem. I appreciated his lyricism and artistry as a rapper and his body of work has only grown exponentially since the release of the film.
The film takes place in Detroit where a young man named Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith (Eminem) attempts to break out into the rap scene. It becomes difficult for him as he is the only white man to attempt to compete in the 90s to early 2000s zeitgeist.
This film had the muster and energy that you would expect from any high-octane Eminem single off of one of his fire albums.
This film proves to be a gritty and raw look at the life of a young man making his way through a strange and dangerous world in Detroit. Its realism is what contributes to its artistry and makes it a thing of beauty that other hip-hop movies like Get Rich or Die Tryin’ failed to achieve.
8 Mile is a feat in, not only the film genre, but also in songwriting, as Eminem became the first rapper to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. “Lose Yourself” is easily one of the greatest rap songs of the decade if not the century. It is played in every gym and almost every motivational video for a reason.
The song has a unique quality that has remained ubiquitous in its use wherever it is played. The song, much like the film, deals with struggle and perseverance with a message of never giving up no matter what happens.
That is what everyone needs to keep the drive and spark inside of them burning. It’s the only thing that gives up hope for a better tomorrow. That’s what keeps me up and running throughout the day.
How far into the Land of Luck would you go to find your friend a forever home? This is the question asked by Luck’s protagonist, Sam Greenfield (voiced by Eva Noblezada), as soon as she came upon Bob, a Scottish black cat (voiced by Simon Pegg) with whom she shared a panini in her local neighborhood.
Directed by Peggy Holmes, Luck is a film that follows Sam, an eighteen year old girl who has just aged out of her foster home. As she leaves to embark on her journey into adulthood, Sam makes it her mission to find her friend, Hazel (voiced by Adelynn Spoon), the forever home she was never able to find for herself. Having come upon a lucky penny after her chance encounter with Bob, Sam happens upon the Land of Luck where she must face leprechauns, dragons, and talking pigs to scrounge as much luck as she can for Hazel.
LOS ANGELES, CA – July 30: Eva Noblezada, Adelynn Spoon, John Ratzenberger and Colin O’Donoghue attend the world premiere of Apple Original Films’ “Luck” at The Regency Village Westwood Theater.
Throughout Sam’s journey to turn her bad luck around, screenwriter Kiel Murray doesn’t just communicate a heartfelt message that life is full of random ups and downs that we must embrace, but also uses five-star talent to convey that message. The film features star-studded cast members such as Jane Fonda (voicing Babe the Dragon), Whoopi Goldberg (voicing The Captain) and John Ratzenberger (voicing Rootie).
When Murray was asked what the motivation was to write Luck, she said, “for me the idea that bad luck and [Sam] enduring a lot of bad luck could become a superpower she could turn around” is a powerful theme that resonates in our every day lives. During Sam’s various misadventures to find luck, she finds a lot of bad luck along the way. It is these random ups and downs that allow Sam to help Hazel and herself find the pieces of luck that were sitting right in front of them all along. In short, watching Luck teaches us that with every lucky streak need just as much bad luck to appreciate the good. After all, sometimes a kink in that lucky streak can lead to other fortunes down the line.
Luck is available for streaming on Apple TV+.
The Sea Ahead, a Lebanese-film by director Ely Dagher has been exclusively premiered at the Rooftop Films in Brooklyn, NYC this past weekend.