Kanene Ayo Holder

A two-time National Endowment for the Humanities award-winning educator and diversity consultant, Kanene is also a writer, comedienne, and the voice behind @BlackIssuesISSUES.
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King Richard

A riveting and thoughtful look at all of the extraordinary members of the Williams family, King Richard is the rare Oscar caliber film that entertains as it inspires, shedding new light on the lives of two of the most iconic athletes of our time and what they and their parents had to overcome.

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The Sex and The City Effect: What We Took From The Show

In the 23 years since Sex and the City first premiered, what impact did the show really have on generations of women? Kanene Ayo Holder looks at what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what she took away from the hit show.

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Colin in Black & White

You’ll want to talk about this scripted dramatic series about Colin Kaepernick’s childhood – created by Ava DuVernay and Kaepernick – which reveals how he faced down racism and classism while rising to the top of the sports world.   

Kanene Ayo Holder

A two-time National Endowment for the Humanities award-winning educator and diversity consultant, Kanene is also a writer, comedienne, and the voice behind @BlackIssuesISSUES.
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Eddington is a pandemic parable. But what is it trying to say?

Set in May 2020 in a fictional New Mexico town, Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix’s new film Eddington draws some parallels to two of the biggest breakout shows of the past decade: The Last of Us and The Walking Dead. It’s a story about a virus that’s less about death and more about exposing the living.

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A Watercooler Watch: Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything

Before social media and podcasts, there was one undeniable truth about news-making interviews: if a story mattered, Barbara Walters would be the one to tell it. Landing a one-on-one with her didn’t just mean publicity, it meant you had become part of a national conversation. But while the interview signified that you had made it,

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A Need-to-Know Guide to The Buccaneers

Was life in the Gilded Age all that gilded?  In the HBO Max series, penned by Downton Abbey’s creator Julian Fellowes, the focus is on the class divide between America’s old money aristocrats and new money industrialists, and the often exhausting rules of “society.”  Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, which just returned for its second season,

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A Watercooler Guide to The Phoenician Scheme: Wes Anderson’s Oil-Baron Fever Dream

Wes Anderson films are easy to spot, but not always easy to describe. Watching them feels like stepping inside a handcrafted diorama of history: symmetrical, stylized, and slightly sentimental. From the wry narration and sharp color palettes to his signature whip pans and deadpan dialogue, Anderson crafts cinematic worlds where emotions are bottled then uncorked

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A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…

It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be

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Bring Her Back

A psychological horror film with standout performances, Bring Her Back isn’t just about summoning the dead, it’s about confronting the parts of ourselves we lose in the process. The Philippou brothers have crafted a film that dares to ask whether the true horror lies in what we’re willing to do in the name of love.

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The Something for Everyone Show: Poker Face is Back

Can’t agree on what to watch together?  Consider putting on your Poker Face. Peacock’s acclaimed mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (best known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, most relevant here, the Glass Onion films) and starring Natasha Lyonne, is finally back for another season after two long years. That’s great news for

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It’s not HBO, it’s The Pitt: How streamers are embracing old TV network models  

“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Remember that old tagline? For nearly all of its history, broadcast television has been fighting against the perception that it’s subordinate to film as a storytelling medium. Television was just media for the masses, as opposed to the more erudite aficionados of cinema (who, by the way, poured into theaters

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What We Do in the Shadows

This series commits to the mockumentary bit in every possible way, allowing you to easily invest in these weirdos. And part of the fun is unpacking all the ways they map over quotidian quibbles with vampiric specifics.

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Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

What happened in the wake of Bob Ross’ death is an egregious example of how the cutthroat business of fame is rife with exploitation, but it’s reassuring to know that the man himself was the real deal.

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After the Dystopian Drama See, Get Inspired by the Blind Magician Documentary Dealt

Welcome to What to Watch After, where you’ll find recommendations inspired by your favorite dark shows and movies that the algorithm couldn’t come up with, and only a thinking human brain would suggest.  Instead of more disturbing dystopian serial killer horror, the Watercooler’s after-watch picks work as “palate cleansers” to help clear your head so

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These Teen Movies are Ripe for a Remake

Since Hollywood is so fond of remakes, we’ve come up with some popular teen movies that are due for one, and imagined what a modern take on them might look like.

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From K-pop Idol to K-drama Star: 10 Artists Who Can Do it All

K-drama actors are talented, good looking, and able to cry on a dime. But did you know that some can also sing, dance, rap, and perform intricate choreography for millions of fans?

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If You Loved The White Lotus, Here Are Six Shows to Watch Next

A biting satire series from creator Mike White (Enlightened, School of Rock), White Lotus covers one eventful week at an exclusive Hawaiian luxury resort, where conflict brews between the spoiled rich guests — who are all going through personal crises that money might not be able to fix — and the stressed-out workers who have

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Charlie Wilson’s War

A suddenly timely look back at how the U.S. first escalated involvement with Afghanistan in the 1980s, told through an eye-opening story that feels like it had to be made up by its Oscar-winning screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin.

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The Suicide Squad

James Gunn brings his own particular blend of irreverence and ultra-violence to the DC Universe with his take on The Suicide Squad.

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The North Water

A dark and intense historical saga, The North Water is not for everyone, but it’s a must-watch for fans of nautical period pieces and truly cinematic television.

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