A-Town Magazine
Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine’ hits Venice Film Festival with a dark CIA tale
VENICE, Italy | Martin McDonagh had written a few versions of his new film “Wild Horse Nine,” which receives its world premiere on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival, before he homed in on the CIA and the 1973 military coup in Chile. One was about a father and son, another was about two actors. […]
George Lucas presents a galaxy of art that goes far, far past ‘Star Wars’ in new Los Angeles museum
LOS ANGELES | The new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will serve “Star Wars” fans what they crave, but the saga George Lucas spawned represents just one small corner of the galaxy of creative work within the walls of the Los Angeles institution he calls a “temple to the people’s art.” The purpose of the […]
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds star in irreverent Cold War action-comedy ‘Mayday’
Somewhere along the way, Sir Kenneth Branagh developed a knack for playing Russians. He was the vindictive oligarch in “Tenet” and a villainous industrialist in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” but “Mayday” may be the first time he’s been asked to use his very particular set of language skills for … comedy? His character, Nikolai Ustinov […]
Social media companies are trying harder to know which users are kids
Of the child safety measures agreed to in Meta’s landmark legal settlement, no category contains more detailed requirements than its commitments on age assurance — and for good reason. No matter how well the protections work, they are of little use if Meta can’t tell which users are kids. Determining which accounts belong to children […]
Movie stars, timely documentaries and awards hopefuls convene at the Venice Film Festival
August can be a dreary month for Hollywood glamour, but the Venice Film Festival is on the horizon to kick off the busy fall film festival season in style. There will be plenty of stars gracing the red carpets when the 83rd edition of the festival kicks off Wednesday on the Lido: Noel and Liam […]
As Pell grants expand, students see openings to afford short-term job training
Sydney Webb scrimped and saved to pay for an eight-week certified nursing assistant program at a North Carolina community college. On top of the $255 registration fee, the 26-year-old bartender also had to pay for a background check, scrubs, a stethoscope, special shoes and a state certification exam — all while working half as much […]
Fall Movie Guide: Here are the films coming out this fall, from September through November
Here’s The Associated Press’ guide for the movies heading to theaters and the home through Thanksgiving. SEPTEMBER MOVIE RELEASESSept. 4 “By Any Means” (Paramount, in theaters): Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg star in Elegance Bratton’s 1960s-set crime thriller based on a true story. “Mayday” (Apple TV, streaming): A Cold War buddy comedy about a […]
The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival
BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia | It’s that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year began in mid-August. “It is centered around the worship of Da Shi Ye, also known as the Guardian God of […]
Singer D4vd loses prominent lawyers defending him in killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez
LOS ANGELES | Singer D4vd lost his high-profile private lawyers Monday at a hearing where he entered a new not guilty plea to charges that he killed, sexually abused and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. It’s not clear why Blair Berk and her colleagues Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter parted ways with the indie-pop singer […]
At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail
MILLINOCKET, Maine | More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to […]