‘Back on the Strip’ Review: Could This Grizzled Stripper Comedy Be Wesley Snipes’ Big Comeback?

EXCLUSIVE: Critical Content, the production company behind Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia and Sylvester Stallone doc Sly, has made some hires and promotions in its creative team.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic It’s not easy to upstage Martin Luther King Jr., but that’s exactly what leading man Colman Domingo does in “Rustin,” a movie named for the civil rights pioneer who gave King the platform to speak his most famous four words: “I have a dream.” That day, Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the man standing just over King’s right shoulder — quite literally, his right-hand man — was one Bayard Rustin.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Don’t let the word “bike” fool you. In Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” the wheels in question are choppers — good, all-American motorcycles, built from the ground up by tough guys in leather jackets — and the “club” they’re a part of is really more of a gang.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Flannery O’Connor saw folks in a way few writers did. She saw through them, past their petty prejudices and hollow pieties, to the less civilized selves they so desperately tried to keep under wraps.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic It’s almost cosmic, the way kids start out as nothing more than a twinkle in their mother’s eye. Then they’re born into heavenly little bodies, orbiting the adults who made them like tiny moons, until such time that they overcome their parents’ gravitational pull. So it is with “Janet Planet,” one of those intensely personal portraits of childhood that we’ve come to expect — and appreciate — from A24, the indie studio behind “Moonlight” and “Lady Bird” and “Aftersun” and “Eighth Grade” (the example this one most resembles).

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic It’s hard to say whether Wes Anderson’s sensibility is perfectly suited to that of Roald Dahl or the other way around. Whichever it may be, the “Fantastic Mr. Fox” author’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” seems to have found its ideal screen incarnation in the “Fantastic Mr.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic We’ve all seen our share of stories about inspirational teachers. “The Holdovers” is dedicated to the opposite sort: a hard-ass named Paul Hunham whom everyone hates. The feeling is mutual, as Mr.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic It’s the moment of truth for Emerald Fennell, whose “Promising Young Woman” established the actor-turned-auteur (last seen playing pregnant doll Midge in “Barbie”) as a formidable new filmmaking talent. Building on the barbed sensibility she established with “Killing Eve,” the writer-director’s zeitgeist-throttling feature debut lured audiences like a bright red candy apple, leaving them with plenty to debate after the cyanide-laced sugar high wore off.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Just who is the Equalizer? Despite a hit TV show in the 1980s and another with Queen Latifah still running, that title has become synonymous with Denzel Washington, who returns as government-assassin-turned-vigilante Robert McCall. Billed as the final chapter in a trilogy, “The Equalizer 3” sees McCall finding community in a picturesque part of Italy and being forced to protect its people from the mafia. The film also reteams Washington with director Antoine Fuqua for the fifth time (following “Training Day,” “The Magnificent Seven” and the two previous installments), and their comfort with one another ensures a seamless action movie that might not attract new fans, but should play well to those already fond of this franchise.

Kevin Hart is getting emotional after sending his eldest daughter off to college.The comedian took to Instagram over the weekend to share an emotional tribute to his 18-year-old daughter, Heaven, who he just dropped off to begin her freshman year at college.«I'm not crying your crying….» Hart captioned a snapshot of himself — seemingly in his wheelchair — sitting alongside Heaven, as well as his sons Hendrix, 15, and Kenzo, 5, as well as his wife, Eniko, 39.The whole family got in on the over-the-top frowning at Heaven leaving — except for Heaven herself, who appeared to be subtly smirking.«So proud of my daughter….I can’t even say little girl anymore because you have blossomed into the most amazing young woman ever!!!!!» Hart, 44, wrote. «God knows I am beyond proud of you and that I love you with my all.»«Fly Heav Fly….The world is yours!!!!!» Hart concluded.

Kevin Hart is learning that painful way that he can't go as hard as he once did — especially when it comes to taking on a former NFL running back in a foot race.Hart posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday, explaining why fans will likely see him in a wheelchair during the weeks to come and what led to him challenging ex-New England Patriots star Stevan Ridley to a 40-yard dash in the first place.«Ladies and gentleman, the age 40 is real. To all my men, women out there that are 40 years old and above, it's not a game,» Hart shared in his post. «Respect that age, or that age will make you respect it.

Kevin Hart is learning that painful way that he can't go as hard as he used — especially when it comes to trying to beat a former NFL running back in a foot race.Hart posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday, explaining exactly why fans will likely see him in a wheelchair in the weeks to come, and what led to him challenging ex-New England Patriots star Stevan Ridley to a 40-yard dash in the first place.«Ladies and gentleman, the age 40 is real. To all my men, women out there that are 40 years old and above, it's not a game,» Hart shared in his post. «Respect that age, or that age will make you respect it.

last week with the premiere of “Back on the Strip” – a phenomenal comedy about aged Las Vegas male strippers coming out of retirement. He directed, wrote, produced and stars in the revealing flick.Chris – plus a few surprise guests – put on another performance for the ages on this week’s “Renaissance Man” episode, starting with the director’s inspiration to make the film.“So what happened was, I was in Vegas. When you get off the plane in Vegas you see that sign for ‘Thunder From Down Under,’ ” Chris said, referring to the hit male dancer show in Sin City.“I’ve noticed, for the last 20 years, it’s the same poster.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In out-there Estonian comedy “The Invisible Fight,” a clueless Russian border guard somehow escapes a surprise attack by three formidable Chinese action figures — gravity-defying kung fu warriors who swoop in out of nowhere, blasting Black Sabbath on their bright red boombox — so he does what anyone in his position would do: He resolves to become an Orthodox monk. Huh? “I guess God has other plans for you,” a less-fortunate comrade wheezes with his dying breath, setting up one of the oddest plots audiences are likely to find on the art-house circuit this year.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Vice TV has set the premiere date and released the trailer for “Dark Side of Comedy” Season 2, its “Dark Side” spinoff series that explores the behind-the-scenes stories of iconic comedians. Season 2 subjects include Robin Williams, Sam Kinison, Joan Rivers, Carlos Mencia, Phil Hartman, Tracy Morgan, the sitcom “Family Matters,” Ellen DeGeneres, Norm MacDonald and Gilda Radner.

Keke Palmer is opening up about her motherhood journey after welcoming her first child, Leodis, with her ex-boyfriend, Darius Jackson, and how it's impacted her style as she ushers in a new fashion era with her creative director, Sergio Hudson. In a new interview for, «The Modern Muse» duo — who grace the cover of the magazine's September/October Black Fashion Issue — discuss how Palmer finding herself again after Leodis' birth goes hand-in-hand with their partnership.The pair came together for this year's Met Gala after Palmer wore one of Hudson's designs as a correspondent two years before.

EXCLUSIVE: Sex Education and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa is set to star as David Copperfield in a new all-star audible series executive-produced by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.

Daisy May Cooper is fully embracing single life at the moment, revealing that she takes the opportunity to find a man when filming Never Mind the Buzzcocks.The 37-year-old comedian, who split from her husband Will Weston in 2021, said ahead of Buzzcocks' third series that she often asks the show's runners if the guests are "fit" and romantically available. When asked how she prepares for each episode, she revealed: "I just come in and watch s***e on YouTube.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic “Essential Truths of the Lake” is the last thing most people would expect from Lav Diaz: a direct follow-up to his previous film, “When the Waves Are Gone.” It’s not a sequel, per se (this one actually comes earlier), but they are connected, with a third movie featuring the same disillusioned police detective in the works. The Filipino filmmaker, whose pokey social critiques run anywhere from three to 11 hours, established the character of Lt.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic The “prince of England’s hearts” falls for the American president’s son (or is it the other way around?) in “Red, White & Royal Blue,” an effervescent gay rom-com that might be easily dismissed as a mere trifle, were it not for the still-historic novelty of its existence. Arriving less than a year after “Bros,” director Matthew López’s Amazon-backed, R-rated lark goes even further to normalize queer romance on-screen, taking a classic “chick flick” premise — the kind once reserved for Mandy Moore and Amanda Bynes movies, à la “Chasing Liberty” or “What a Girl Wants” — and recasting it with dudes.