Subtext: Take that, Trump! Just as Wiseman’s 2018 portrait “Ex Libris — The New York Public Library” served as a de facto repudiation of leaders who reject intellectual discernment, “City Hall” assails the corruption of American democracy by hovering within the sophisticated efforts on the other end of the equation. It’s an understatement to say that Wiseman — who edits his own material — doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Exhilarating and exasperating in equal measures, “City Hall” coheres into a rich tapestry of Boston in argument with itself....

There has been plenty of speculation about plot and cast details, but little concrete information, with Grammer often contradicting himself in interviews. Some believe the planned reboot will be a continuation of “Frasier” that picks up where the series left off, while others expect a third new sitcom centered around Dr. Frasier Crane and a new cast of characters. David Hyde Pierce, who won four Emmys for portraying Dr. Niles Crane on the show, is in the dark too....

The “Mulholland Drive” director and David Lynch Foundation founder revealed on April 14 that he is setting up an initiative to fund transcendental meditation training for 30,000 international college students with a goal to encourage the next generation to “become advanced peace-creating meditation experts and build a legacy of lasting global peace,” per a press release. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here....

But that might not be all we see from the “Dune” universe in the coming years. Writer Jon Spaihts, who is also nominated alongside Villeneuve and Eric Roth for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards, revealed to The Playlist that while the “Dune: Part Two” script is set, he is already thinking of a third film installment as well as the planned HBO Max spin-off series, “Dune: The Sisterhood....

That’s what inspired Daniel Barnz and Ben Barnz, the married creative duo behind Jennifer Aniston’s 2014 film “Cake” and 2008’s early-career Elle Fanning starrer “Phoebe in Wonderland.” In the past, Daniel typically served as writer and director, while Ben produced most of their work. But for their new HBO Max series “Generation,” they’ve added a third collaborator: 18-year-old daughter Zelda Barnz. (According to Wikipedia, the name is an amalgamation of both men’s last names, Bernstein and Schwartz....

The eight-part season will center on the life of musician and civil rights leader Aretha Franklin, also known as the Queen of Soul. “Genius: Aretha” will premiere March 21 on National Geographic, and two new episodes will air on the following three days. All episodes will be available for streaming on Hulu the day after their Nat Geo debuts. Per National Geographic, Season 3 of “Genius” will explore Aretha Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career, as well as the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world....

That, at least, is the working theory behind Wang I-Fan’s “Get the Hell Out,” a giddy protest of a film with endless geysers of blood and zero time for subtlety. “A wrong movie makes you suffer for 90 minutes,” declares a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it opening title card that reads more like a disclaimer. “A wrong government makes you suffer for four years.” In other words: No matter how exhausting you find this anarchic cross between George Romero and Scott Pilgrim, it can’t be worse than the reality waiting for you when it’s over (and it definitely isn’t, even if Wang’s debut bleeds out long before it finally stops twitching)....