Review: In "Get Out," Guess Who"s Coming to Dinner? (Bad Idea!)

GET OUT (Horror Movie) - TRAILER

Those arms and smiles all but engulf Chris (the British actor Daniel Kaluuya, going deep in a breakthrough performance), a photographer with a sweet pad, adorable dog and equally frisky, adoring girlfriend, Rose (a perfectly cast Allison Williams, from the HBO show Girls). The story opens with them preparing for a long weekend with her parents. Do they know Im black? Chris gently asks. They dont, but Rose assures him not to worry, and off they go into the countryside and narrative complications. Mr. Peele, making his feature debut, sets a cozy, innocuous scene complete with coos and loving glances, a tranquillity that shatters with an eerily inopportune deer crossing.

By the time Chris and Rose pull up to her parents house a stately brick building with imposing white columns and rocking chairs on the front porch ripples of unease have disturbed the calm. The nicer Roses parents, Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine Keener), behave, the greater the ripples. They dont blink at him or his race (Ms. Keener is a virtuoso of the deadeye stare), but instead adopt the forced geniality of people who seem anxious to hide their discomfort. Missys the watchful one, while the voluble Dean cozies up to Chris, dropping embarrassing slang and relating an odd story about Jesse Owens, the black Olympian who shocked Hitler.

Photo Mr. Kaluuya in Get Out. Credit Universal Pictures

Mr. Peele is best known for his work with Keegan-Michael Key on their titular comedy sketch show, where politics mixed freely with the laughs. Together they starred in the 2016 comedy Keanu, a lampoon of action cinema that was a (slack) piece with the movie love that was a mainstay of their show. In one memorable bit from the show, heckling cinephiles voice their complaints (this movie has an inconsistent visual language!); in another, two friends realize that the reason the zombie hordes arent attacking them is theyre flesh-eating racists. Get Out expands on, and considerably deepens, a similar idea by turning white racism into disquieting genre shivers.

But Mr. Peele is after more than giggles and shocks; hes taking on 21st-century white racism and its rationales. The opener a black man talking on a cellphone on an empty suburban street briskly sets the tone, unsettles the mood and announces Mr. Peeles way with metaphor. Hes working within a recognizable horror-film framework here (the darkness, the stillness), so its not surprising when a car abruptly pulls up and begins tailing the man. You may even snicker because you think youve seen this flick before. Except that when this man anxiously looks for a way out, the scene grows discordantly disturbing because you may, as I did, flash on Trayvon Martin.

Video Movie Review: "Get Out"

The Times critic Manhola Dargis reviews "Get Out."

By MEG FELLING and ROBIN LINDSAY on Publish Date February 23, 2017. Photo by Universal Pictures, via Associated Press...

Its a jarring moment that might have been catastrophic for the movie if Mr. Peele didnt quickly yank you back into its fiction. (Hes got great timing, no surprise.) Theres relief when the offscreen world recedes just then. Yet part of what makes Get Out both exciting and genuinely unsettling is how real life keeps asserting itself, scene after scene. Our monsters, Mr. Peele reminds us, are at times as familiar as the neighborhood watch; one persons fiction, after all, is anothers true-life horror story. For his part, Chris, separated existentially, chromatically and every other way, spends so much time putting the white world at ease that he cant recognize the threat coming for him.

Mr. Peele knows that threat, plays with it and eviscerates it with jokes and scares, only to top it off messily with full-on Grand Guignol splatter. But some of his finest, most genuinely shocking work is his quietest. One of the best scenes Ive seen in a long while finds Chris talking with one of the parents black servants, a maid, Georgina (a fantastic Betty Gabriel). Chris confesses that he gets nervous when around a lot of white people, an admission that Georgina answers by advancing toward him with a volley of no, no, no, cascades of tears and a smile so wide it looks as if it could split her face in two. Something has gotten under her skin and its frightening.

Get Out

NYT Critics Pick

• Director Jordan Peele

• Writer Jordan Peele

• Stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener

• Rating R

• Running Time 1h 43m

• Genres Comedy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

• Movie data powered by IMDb.comLast updated: Feb 25, 2017

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Morta la �Regina di Myspace�: Christine Dolce deceduta per abuso di alcol

Christine Dolce - "If U Seek Amy"

E morta per indufficienza epatica causata dallabuso di alcol la regina di myspace christine dolce. il decesso avvenuto lo scorso 6 febbraio ma solo negli ultimi giorni la notizia divenuta di dominio pubblico: la stella virale che aveva trovato la fama sullallora popolare Myspace e che ha anche posato per Playboy, aveva solo 35 anni; il ricovero era avvenuto nel mese di dicembre a causa dei problemi insorti legati allabuso di alcol, come indicato da Tmz. La stella del web divenuta popolare grazie ai suoi accattivanti selfie, morta proprio in ospedale, circondata dalla sua famiglia e la scorsa settimana stato celebrato il suo funerale.

Dolce, che postava con il nickname ForBiddeN venne eletta Regina di Myspace da Vanity Fair nel 2006 nel momento di massima popolarit del sito. Aveva infatti raccolto oltre 800 mila amici, comprese celebrit del calibro della rock band Nine Inch Nails e di Dave Navarro. Ha sfruttato la sua fama anche nei mesi successivi, per lanciare una linea di abbigliamento chiamata Destroyed Denime e nello stesso anno, nel mese di ottobre, ha posato per la rivista Playboy con scatti che ha elogiato anche negli anni seguenti nel corso di diverse interviste. Dolce viveva a Huntington Beach, in California: qui negli ultimi anni ha lavorato come modella, make-up artist, attrice e stilista, come indicato sul suo profilo sul sito Model Mayhem.

Daniele Orlandi

Source: http://www.newnotizie.it/2017/02/25/morta-la-regina-myspace-christine-dolce-deceduta-abuso-alcol/

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Warriors" JaVale McGee: May start Thursday

Kevin Durant Defends JaVale McGee & Says Shaq Had No Skills

McGee could remain the starting center Thursday even though Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) is expected to return to action, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels Pachulia will ultimately return to a starting role, but wants to make sure he"s healthy. Kerr is also considering the possibility of leaving mcgee as the full-time starter. the five-man unit featuring McGee and Golden State"s four All-Stars -- Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green -- is the most efficient grouping among the 90 different lineups across the NBA to have played at least 100 minutes together. Kerr will also consider the skill each player offers. McGee"s strength is in the lob-and-dunk game, giving opponents one more element to consider in their own end while spacing the floor. But Pachulia is the superior defender, passer and screener.

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Source: http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/warriors-javale-mcgee-may-start-thursday/

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Why most missing children and runaways won"t get an Amber Alert

Amber Alert Called Off After Girl Found, Dad Arrested

Monday, Feb. 22, 2017

COLUMBIA & RICHMOND Co., Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- It"s not all the time you"ll see an amber alert pop up on your phone . It"s even less frequent the amber alert is from your area, but that doesn"t mean less children are going missing or running away.

"They are reported everyday," said Daniel Gaston. "If we issued Amber alerts every time a child went missing your phone will be constantly going off."

That"s because in 2016 alone 555 runaways were reported in Richmond County, but the sheriffs office didn"t issue any Amber Alerts. Columbia County reported 122 runaways and missing people, mostly kids, but the county only issued one Amber Alert.

That alert was for Cahlah Wascow.

"That was a special circumstance. We knew who is taking that child we knew she was of abducted and we believe that she was in imminent danger," said Gaston.

They also had a tag description for the car and a description of her and her alleged abductor. All requirements to broadcast the alert nationwide.

"as a parent i understand that it"s frustrating not being able to do anything not knowing where your child is that. [...] But then again when the Amber alert the criteria set for certain reasons and part of that is if they were issued every single time society will become numb to that effect :56 he would get a response that you do with an Amber alert ," said Gaston.

Source: http://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Why-most-missing-children-and-runaways-wont-get-an-Amber-Alert-414554573.html

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"Ren Hang" Celebrates the Chinese Photographer"s Work

SnapWorld Tour (Picturalis) - Beijing with Ren Hang

Update 24 February 2017: tragically, it"s been reported that Ren Hang has passed away aged just 29 years old.

Shooting on film, photographer Ren Hang captures his friends in trees and rivers in the woods, in his apartment and on the roofs of buildings in Beijing, all providing an escape from the imposing world around him and breaking from a pervasive Chinese sentiment of sexual expression, sexuality and nudity as taboo. Hang instead celebrates itin portraits, scenes and groupsin a photo book equivalent of a cant-stop page-turner and one of the most refreshing global debuts weve seen lately.

Few books have captured our attention as Hangs has, for his fresh approach and eager eye, use of color (or lack of it, often capturing pale and muted tones), fluid and occasionally head-scratching compositions (is that six pairs of hands popping through two sets of legs?), expression and mystique. Despite a world of n**e and explicit images available online, there arent many capturing Chinese millennials and their sexuality. Further, Hangs work is not about intimacy or eroticism; it is a lens on his friends and their desire to celebrate and memorialize their bodies and sexuality in their prime years. His images depict his friends beautifully, while showy, colorful animals, bright red nail polish, fruit, plants and water all play supporting roles.

Hang, 29 years old, is an artist of growing renown, having shown in China (though not without controversy and censorship) and several countries and a series of collectable self-published books. This is the first book to show his work on a thorough and global scale and its launch coincides with two exhibitions of his workat Amsterdams Foam photography museum, open through 12 March 2017 and at Stockholms Fotografiska museum open through 2 April 2017.

To learn more about Hangs work we spoke with Dian Hanson, a highly regarded writer and editor of sexual subjects whos worked with Taschen since 2001 as their Sexy Books editor, and has published more than 60 books since then, as well as writing and editing numerous adult magazines (including "Big b**t" and "Leg Show") for nearly 30 years before that. "Ren Hang," her latest book, provided the perfect opportunity to learn about hangs incredible talent and his unique perspective on sexuality in China today.

What drew you to Rens work?

Ren is a complicated character. He suffers from severe depression and spends a lot of time barely functioning He couldnt do anything that doesnt give him some hope or pleasure. And because his grasp on pleasure and happiness is so tenuous he is driven to do and do over and over again the things that relieve that depression. Friendships are very important to him. He isnt comfortable with strangers and people he doesnt know well. He can only do this with his friends, and because they live under so much repression and dont have much freedom getting to do things with their bodies is kind of important to them... A way to experience freedom.

His friends are very good looking... and he has well-endowed friends.

You know, that was the main thing that made me want to do this book. I felt I owed it to every Asian man in the world. Ren likes to look at big penises more [than smaller ones], so he photographs big penises, and he seems to have no trouble finding them.

To your point about freedom and expression, you definitely see that in his work. People seem comfortable in their skin, happy to be photographed. How much of that do you think is universal and how much of that is about the sexual repression they experience?

Theres so much to be inferred by what Ren doesnt want to say out loud. That he doesnt want to refer ever to any sense of government repression, any problems with the government. He doesnt want to suggest it because he doesnt want it to come true.

Is that repression part of your attraction to his work?

Having to live in that careful, careful way is sobering. I had long wanted to do a book with a Chinese artist because I wanted to see what they went through, how difficult it was, and then Ren came along just doing anything he wantspissing on Godzilla (which represents Japan), people shoving things up their assholesand you wonder, "How does he think of this?" They are living free lives within their apartments, and when you look at where Ren shoots, they can live a free life way on the top of a building where no one can see, they can live a free life way out in the woods, so theyre choosing where their freedoms are, and when they get to those places, they live to the fullest His assistant says that when they are on a shoot they are all very happy, and Ren is very happy. Hes smiling. Its a time when they feel free.

What images in the book are you particularly drawn to?

The endpapers. The two torsos side by side with their big lolling dicks and the roses strewn across them. The nice thing about the penises is they look a little red, a little greasy, they look as if theyve been used recently I really like the picture of the man urinating on Godzilla. I really like the photo of Jun [Rens assistant] lying starkly in the bathtub with the black fish swimming around her head and her hair.

"Ren Hang" is available from "Amazon" or Taschen for $50.

Images by Cool Hunting

Source: http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/ren-hang-interview-dian-hanson-taschen

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Kim Jong-nam, Illegal Immigration, Mexico: Your Evening Briefing

VX: The Poison That Killed Kim Jong Nam

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Photo Credit Dominick Reuter/Reuters

3. Senate Republicans have been widely seen as the likely holdouts in efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, pushing for a robust replacement before any wholesale repeal.

But Republicans in the House, who have been besieged by protests and raucous town hall meetings, are also beginning to fracture.

If conservative hard-liners oppose any robust replacement plan, and swing-district members demand a more generous plan, a compromise may be out of reach.

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Photo Credit Eric Risberg/Associated Press

4. Ubers workplace culture has been under scrutiny since a weekend post by a former engineer. She detailed a history of discrimination and sexual harassment that she said was barely addressed by Ubers human resources department.

Our reporter interviewed more than 30 current and former employees at the ride-hailing company, and heard accounts of a manager who groped a workers b*****s at a company retreat, another who hurled a homophobic slur at a subordinate and one who threatened to beat an underperforming employees head in with a baseball bat.

We are totally committed to healing wounds of the past and building a better workplace culture for everyone, an Uber official said in a statement.

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Photo Credit Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

5. We now have a clearer understanding of the failed Al Qaeda plot to blow up a plane landing in Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.

Documents obtained by The Times after a two-year battle under the Freedom of Information Act offer a detailed account of how the Qaeda propagandist, Anwar al-Awlaki, recruited the so-called underwear bomber.

The accounts bolster President Barack Obamas justification for ordering the killing of Mr. Awlaki, an American, in Yemen in 2011.

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Photo Credit NBC

6. Stephen Colberts comedy has become more frank and caustic in the Trump presidency, but, our television critic says, Jimmy Fallon is behind the cultural moment. While Mr. Colbert appears to find the presidents antics terrifying, Mr. Fallon seems to find them silly.

In case you dont want to stay up, were rounding up the highlights of late-night comedians.

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Photo Credit Stuart Johnson/The Deseret News, via Associated Press

7. Americas dams are aging, and increasingly perilous.

Almost 2,000 high-hazard dams those that could result in a loss of life if they failed were in need of repair in 2015, according to safety officials.

Fixing them would require $20 billion, and rehabilitating less seriously faulty dams would cost $40 billion more.

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Photo Credit Monica Almeida for The New York Times

8. You should probably be prepared for La La Land to win a lot of Oscars on Sunday. Listen to A.O. Scott, Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris discuss why thats O.K. on the Still Processing podcast.

No matter how much of a cinephile you are, our Oscars quiz is not easy. One out-of-touch Evening Briefing writer got just two of 15 answers, so you can at least beat him.

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Photo Credit Fazry Ismail/European Pressphoto Agency

9. North Korea denied responsibility for the death of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of the countrys leader, kim Jong-un.

The reclusive government accused Malaysian authorities of fabricating evidence in a bizarre case that has become a whodunit with vast geopolitical implications.

The authorities strengthened police presence at the morgue where Mr. Kims body was being kept after an attempt to break into the facility was detected.

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Photo Credit Iida Loukola

10. The wee brains of bees pack more power than youd think.

Researchers found that, much like humans, bumblebees will gladly perform basic tasks for sugary treats.

In one study, bees watched other bees to learn how to push a ball to the center of a platform for a tasty reward, the kind of social learning monkey see, monkey do more often associated with much bigger creatures.

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Photo Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

11. Finally, s*x. Maybe it should be subsidized by tax dollars?

So says a local official in Sweden, who proposes giving municipal workers an hourlong, paid break each week to go home and have s*x, aiming to enhance their work-life balance while lifting the towns birthrate.

The proposal has attracted a mix of mockery, criticism and praise and taken the idea of a welfare state to a whole new level.

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Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

And dont miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a.m. Sundays.

Want to look back? Heres last nights briefing.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

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Live video of giraffe giving birth draws complaints

Live-stream of zoo giraffe birth shut down by YouTube for "nudity or sexual content"
Last Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2017, 4:14 PM EST HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. --

The owner of a new york zoo planning to live-stream a giraffe giving birth says the video feed was briefly removed from YouTube because animal rights activists labeled it sexually explicit.

• Complaint that video was explicit and contained nudity
• Live stream was stopped, then resumed Thursday

Animal Adventure Park started streaming video Wednesday of 15-year-old April in her enclosed pen at the zoo in Harpursville, 130 miles northwest of New York City.

But owner Jordan Patch said YouTube removed the feed early Thursday after someone reported it was explicit and contained nudity.

In a video posted on the zoo"s Facebook page, Patch blamed "a handful of extremists and animal rights activists" for interrupting the stream from the "giraffe cam." The live stream resumed on YouTube later Thursday morning.

April is expected to give birth to her fourth calf in the coming days.

We"ve embedded the video below. If you don"t see it, click here to watch.

Source: http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ap/2017/02/23/live_video_of_giraff.html

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