Created by Issa Rae, HBO Max’s new comedy series follows the story and perspective of Shawna (Aida Osman), an aspiring Miami rapper working at a hotel for the time being. When she teams up unexpectedly with Mia (KaMillion), their impromptu freestyle becomes a viral track and the start of a promising collaboration. “Rap Sh!t” is hyperspecific, laugh-out-loud funny, and deeply engrossing. Osman and the cast shine with Rae’s once-again winning team of writers and directors....

As a way to help combat that, we thought the time was right to assemble our picks for the best that Netflix has to offer. The streaming service finally buckled and incorporated advertisements into its service in early November 2022. (If you didn’t notice, you’re likely paying for the more expensive monthly subscription tier already.) So, for those subscribers who plan to stick around at the higher price point, that’s even more incentive to get the most out of the staple streamer....

There’s something exhilaratingly terrifying about horror movies that keep audiences coming back for more, no matter how gory or how scary they may be. If you love horror films, or really anything related to Halloween and the dark arts, then you’ll want to dive into our list of spine-chilling books that share the details behind iconic characters, directors, writers, and special effects of the creeptastic films that have shaped the genre....

And yet, “A Man of Reason,” grips you in its opening scene. Su-hyuk (Jung) is a slender blade leaning against his black BMW. After ignoring two missed calls from his girlfriend Min-seo, he descends upon the dimly lit hideout of a crime boss. Armed with a flashlight attached to a knife, he proceeds to mow them down. His blade, making the sound of paper cuts in the air, slashes through the men as swiftly as the camera that’s tracking him moves....

In the ’30s, people who drank too much did not have the resources for recovery that exist today. “‘Drink responsibly,’ what do they say in this day and age?” said Oldman. “Now we have Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s a legitimate movement. We have rehabilitation and interventions, all of that. All they had was temperance societies. AA was formed the mid-30s and became a fellowship in 1946. Drinking was looked upon just as an everyday thing....

For the October 28 opening of the 2020 Morelia International Film Festival, Oscar-winner Iñárritu (“Birdman”) joined his cast and crew on Zoom to reminisce about the creative event that changed their lives. Morelia debuted his short film “Journeys” in 1996 and went on to play most of the director’s movies, including the 2020 opening night title — a remastered version of “Amores Perros,” which will be released on streaming platforms later this year, with a special Criterion 4K digital restoration available on December 15....

The name Alvin Ailey is synonymous with modern dance everywhere. The legendary dancer, director, and choreographer predominated contemporary dance through the latter half of the 20th century under the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, democratizing the art form with his racially diverse company and emotionally driven movements that spoke directly to the Black American experience. An eponymous documentary tribute to Ailey’s momentous life’s work offers a moving archive of his most momentous achievements, including his masterpiece “Revelations,” but struggles — as many of his friends and collaborators did — to fully understand the man behind the myth....