‘On the Count of Three’ Review: Jerrod Carmichael’s Directorial Debut Is a Matter of Life and Death

Sia once cultivated a transgressive sense of mystery. A cult indie pop artist turned global pop star and songwriter, who’s written tracks such as Rihanna’s “Diamonds”, she would appear on red carpets and on stage wearing elaborate wigs that concealed her face.

Jerrod Carmichael's directorial debut On the Count of Three has gone to Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures for North America. Carmichael and Christopher Abbott star as two best friends as they try to carry out a pact to end their lives before the day ends.

Also Read: 'On the Count of Three' Review: Jerrod Carmichael's Directorial Debut Is a Matter of Life and DeathThe film earned some strong reviews out of Sundance as a dark comedy that doesn’t forget its grimly serious subject matter.

EXCLUSIVE: In a deal north of $2 million, Annapurna Pictures has acquired North American rights to On The Count of Three, the 2021 Sundance buzz title that marks the directorial debut of standup comedian Jerrod Carmichael.  Pic is expected to be released through Annapurna’s distribution pact with MGM’s Orion Pictures.

Exceptional and exceptionally confident, Cathy Yan’s “Dead Pigs” is a feature debut that leaves little mystery as to what DC studio execs saw in the filmmaker before tapping her to direct “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021 Energetically directed and sharply written, this sparkling social satire has in its sights no smaller target than the rapid-onset Westernization of China’s urban sprawl, as embodied by five

“My plan was to die before the money ran out” has become the anthem and tagline of the Sony Pictures Classics’ French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer as a 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite — a role that has been earning her plenty of awards season buzz.

Chris Willman Music WriterThere’s a conventional truism about musicals that basically says: If they’re constructed so that you could take all the songs out and nothing about the narrative or emotional impact of the rest of the show would be at all affected, maybe you’re doing it wrong.

Before she made “Birds of Prey,” Cathy Yan impressed audiences at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival with her bold social satire “Dead Pigs,” but despite positive reviews, the film never got distributed for American audiences, until now. READ MORE: Cathy Yan Talks About ‘Dead Pigs’ Finally Coming To The U.S.

Tiffany Haddish ran into some technical and production difficulties while hosting Verizon’s Big Concert for Small Business.

Tiffany Haddish didn't have the easiest hosting gig on Sunday night. The 41-year-old comedian was the host of Verizon's Big Concert for Small Business live stream, which featured acts like Miley Cyrus, Luke Bryan, H.E.R.

© @Copyright HELLO! Hello! Magazine Kelly Ripa has opened up about how she hid her second pregnancy from the team at Live - and how a psychic appearing on the show ended up revealing the truth live on air!MORE: Kelly Ripa makes emotional revelation about youngest son Joaquin - husband Mark was 'choked up'Appearing on The Tonight Show this week, the Live with Kelly and Ryan host was reflecting on her early days on the daytime talk show and recounted the astonishing incident.

Jessica Kiang It starts in sweltering heat; it ends in freezing weather. And in between, as the temperature gradually drops, Rebecca Hall’s “Passing,” based on Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, calmly brings the diffuse racial landscape of prohibition-era New York City into crystalline, gorgeously shot focus.

See Photos: 14 Buzziest Sundance Movies for Sale in 2021, From Questlove's 'Summer of Soul' to Rebecca Hall's 'Passing'As conflicted Irene, Thompson delivers her finest work to date, reminiscent of her turn in the recent period piece “Sylvie’s Love” but with greater substance.

Officially a production of the Covid era—the end credits include such novel crew positions as “Covid compliance officer” and “Covid p.a.”—On the Count of Three plays like a despairing, vaguely comedic twist on more than half-century-old race relations films such as The Defiant Ones and In the Heat of the Night, in which circumstances forced white and black characters to collaborate against their wills.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic“On the Count of Three” is a trifle, but an original one: an existential buddy comedy of despair. It opens with Val (Jerrod Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott) standing outside a strip club in the middle of the day, pointing handguns at each other in what looks like a tense Mexican standoff.

Ramin Setoodeh Executive EditorElyse Bridges lives in a glamorous house in Los Angeles, with her husband and son, where she spends most of her days lost in thought. But despite an idyllic opening shot set in a postcard suburban setting, something isn’t right in Stella Hopkins’ directorial debut, “Elyse.”The black-and-white independent movie stars Lisa Pepper in the role of the film’s title character.

Rebecca Hall discusses making the move from acting to directing, her new racial-identity movie “Passing”, and more in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.