The outcome was a routine that eventually evolved into “Rothaniel,” the 35-year-old Carmichael’s mesmerizing and candid HBO special in which he announces he’s gay to an unsuspecting audience. The show, which Burnham directed, transcends the boundaries of the traditional comedy special many times over: It’s a shadowy, almost noir-like one-man show in which Carmichael invites the audience into his psyche, as he wrestles with his mother’s resistance to his sexuality and the broader sense of repression he’s felt in real time....

Waters, in a phone interview from his Baltimore stomping grounds, is chuffed at the hilarity of the film landing in the National Film Registry this year. At the time, the perverse Divine vehicle was reviled for its scatological sensibilities, its cigarette-in-the-eye of moviemaking conventions and American decorum. It’s perhaps filthier than ever now, and it’s a movie he’ll be discussing in “False Negative,” which is a complete reinvention of his 2006 special “This Filthy World,” now re-written for the post-COVID age....

During his radio segment “The Howard Stern Show,” Stern speculated that Oscar winner Depp is intentionally overacting for a television audience (and that he wants it to be televised). The “Ed Wood” star is suing ex-wife Heard for defamation after she wrote about their allegedly abusive relationship in a Washington Post op-ed. Heard’s legal team reportedly tried to block cameras in the trial, while Depp’s team did not publicly challenge the decision, which was ultimately approved by Judge Penney Azcarate....

First up is a new KVIFF Talents platform initiative. “The objective of this year-round program is to identify talented filmmakers and to support the creation of creative audiovisual projects with international ambitions possessing a high level of originality. As part of the program, selected filmmakers will receive financing for development, mentoring from experts, and the chance to present their projects to potential producers, partners, and investors at the festival in Karlovy Vary,” the festival said....

After Jennings’ gig was announced last night, actress and activist Yvette Nicole Brown posted a tweet decrying the casting choice. When asked by followers why she directed them to a tweet posted by Jennings on September 22, 2014 where he posted: “Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair.” Jennings never condemned his actions at the time, and as of this writing the tweet is still up on his timeline....

The film offers an unprecedented look at the iconic trumpeter, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and personal conversations, according to the official synopsis. The documentary honors Armstrong’s legacy as a founding father of jazz, one of the first internationally known and beloved stars, and a cultural ambassador of the United States. The film shows how Armstrong’s own life spans the shift from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, and how he became a lightning rod figure in that turbulent era....

Produced as part of the filmmaker’s ambitious five-film “Small Axe” anthology about Black British Londoners across several decades, “Mangrove” is a taut and thrilling judicial drama that transcends the genre even while acknowledging its barriers. Just as he used the heist genre as a Trojan horse for sociopolitical concerns, McQueen turns the courtroom formula inside out. In following the trial, “Mangrove” delves into the usual assemblage of passionate monologues about equal rights and dedication to the cause....