American Eagle's ‘good jeans' ads with Sydney Sweeney spark a debate on race and beauty standards
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Weapons' spins small town into chaos that mirrors real life, humor and all
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If there's one thing Zach Cregger learned while writing and directing his upcoming horror movie 'Weapons,' it's that the best laughs won't come from the jokes he writes. The film follows Cregger's 2022 solo directorial debut 'Barbarians,' the widely celebrated genre-bending horror. This time, the young director bends even more, spinning a town into chaos when all children but one from the same classroom mysteriously vanish, leaving a trail of questions in their place. The Warner Bros. release hits theaters Friday and is as creepy as it is hilarious — a delicate balance that required Cregger to strip any intentionality behind his humor, he told The Associated Press. 'If the humor is coming from an authentic reaction that a character's having, then it works,' Cregger said. 'There's a lot of jokes that didn't make it into the movie that I thought were going to be so funny. And then we did a test screening, and nobody laughed and I'm like, OK, it's gotta go.' Paranoia runs deep in the film. The town's heartbroken parents are represented by Josh Brolin's character, Archer, whose son was among the missing. The students' teacher, played by Julia Garner, is determined to solve the mystery, despite parents blaming her for the disappearances. The humor here comes naturally, Cregger said, as characters navigate the absurd events happening around them. 'You're not playing for the laugh, otherwise you lose the laugh,' said Brolin, whose character stumbles through his grief, a state ripe for what he called genuine and 'embarrassingly funny' moments. Maybrook's unrest puts a mirror up to society If 17 kids up and ran out of their homes at 2:17 a.m. one morning with no trace, what would a community do? That question drove 'Weapons,' painting a picture of a town left reeling by the mystery. The film setting — the fictional small town of Maybrook, Illinois — is just as integral to the plot as any of its main characters. The town feels hyper realistic, a core tenet to the movie's ability to blend humor and horror, two genres that Garner said are 'opposite side of the same coin.' 'It's funny because this isn't even like a proper horror film,' Garner said. 'It has comedic elements and has horror elements, but it's kind of its own genre, in a way.' The town's reactions to tragedy and shock was intentionally meant to feel oddly realistic, Cregger said. Parents are outraged, storming into town halls and angrily demanding answers from the police, the school and, most pointedly, the students' teacher. Yet, when Garner's character is attacked in broad daylight, bystanders and store owners hardly bat an eye, a level of indifference that Cregger said is just as realistic as the parental outrage. 'We definitely have a, 'Whoa, not my problem,' kind of a thing when chaos is occurring, because we see it so much on TV that I think we're able to just kind of tune it out, even when it's happening in front of us,' Cregger said. 'Living in America, I've seen crazy things happen with my own eyes right in front of me, and I've just kept walking for better or worse, so I don't know, it feels real.' 'Weapons' relies on imperfect characters Brolin — who's found wide-reaching success across Hollywood, from the 1985 classic, 'The Goonies,' to the Marvel universe — initially hesitated when approached for the film. As a father of four, facing his worst nightmare — losing his children — was 'not something I want to show up to work for,' he said. But 'Weapons' lends the characters a layer of depth that allowed horror, a genre he said is typically treated as cosmetic, to suddenly have 'depth, and humor and absurdity,' which, coupled with his own adult daughter's love of 'Barbarian,' was enough to convince him to sign on. The movie subtly mocks suburban life, as goriness and horror occur under the sights of nosy neighbors, corrupt police departments and struggling relationships. Each character that drives the plot forward is just as flawed as they are victims of tragedy. Gandy, the schoolteacher, is harassed by parents for her missing students, but is secretly battling alcoholism. Archer, the heartbroken father, is failing in his job and his marriage as he navigates his son's absence. Paul Morgan, played by Alden Ehrenreich, is a local beat police officer with secrets of his own. 'Every character is perceived in a certain way and then every character breaks,' Brolin said. 'It all comes down to this very base thing: What if you lost the thing that you value the most? How do you deal?' For Ehrenreich, who's found success in dramas, notably as a young Han Solo, 'Weapons' offered a different pace, but its horror wasn't what drew him in. Rather, he was captivated by the film's depth and weirdness. 'The weird resonance, the weird opening voice-over, the way it was written and the kind of emotional brokenness of these characters and the depth that I felt was in the writing, that was as deep as any drama I've read in years,' Ehrenreich said.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump administration sanctions a Mexican rapper over allegations of cartel ties
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday it was sanctioning Mexican musician Ricardo Hernández, known as 'El Makabelico,' over allegations that the artist was laundering money for a drug cartel. The move comes after the administration has stripped the visas of some of Mexico's most famous musicians, targeting those whose genres often explore themes related to cartels. The U.S. Treasury Department accused Hernández, a musician they refer to as a 'narco-rapper,' of being associated with the Cartel del Noreste, CDN, an evolution of the former Zetas Cartel. According to the department, he laundered money for the criminal group through concerts and events. The CDN is one of several Latin American organized crime groups that the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The administration alleges that 50% of Hernández's royalties on streaming platforms go directly to the cartel, leading to his sanctioning alongside leaders of the cartel on allegations that he acted for or on behalf of the criminal group. Hernández did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'CDN depends on these alternative revenue streams and money laundering methods to boost their criminal enterprise, diversifying their income beyond criminal activity like drug trafficking, human smuggling, and extortion,' wrote the Treasury Department in a news release. The sanctions would block the rapper's properties in the U.S. and freeze financial transactions with any businesses owned by those sanctioned, and threaten secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that do business with them. Hernández, whose stage name is a play on words relating to cartels, performs his songs wearing a black ski mask and often sings songs related to the criminal groups, making reference to street life, cartel lifestyles and the realities faced in cartel-dominated areas. In recent years, young artists like Peso Pluma have brought Mexican genres into the international spotlight by mixing traditional rhythms with trap and other styles, competing with global stars includingTaylor Swift and Bad Bunny on streaming platforms. The genres — primarily 'narco-corridos' — have also become the center of controversy because a number of artists sing about cartels and 'narco culture' associated with them. Some songs romanticize criminals, while others speak to the harsh realities of youth living in cartel-controlled areas, similar to rap music in the U.S. The music has long fueled a debate about the fine line between artistic expression and censorship, as a number of Mexican states have previously banned performances of certain genres. In recent months, the Trump administration has revoked the visas of a slew of different artists related to the genre. In May, the famous northern Mexican band Grupo Firme, which has taken steps to distance themselves from the cartel-centric themes of the genre, announced they would have to cancel an upcoming show in California because their visas were suspended. In April, the administration said it was revoking the visas of the band Alegres de Barranco after they flashed the face of a cartel boss behind them at a concert, prompting a controversy and even criminal investigations in Mexico. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Edmonton Journal
5 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' ads lift American Eagle stock price
Article content A controversy involving actress Sydney Sweeney, U.S. President Donald Trump and clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters continues to swirl, with the company's stock up over 20 per cent in trading early this week after a divisive ad campaign that was launched in July. Here's what to know. Article content Jeans. The famously blue-eyed, blonde, buxom American actress appeared in an ad for American Eagle jeans in July under the tagline: 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' Article content The ad is a cheeky play on the words genes and jeans. In one 15-second spot that makes the comparison obvious, she says: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour.' She then adds: 'My jeans are blue.' Article content Some critics have attempted to drum up controversy over whether there is some nefarious trumpeting of eugenics or racism at play. Article content Sayantani DasGupta, a physician and lecturer at Columbia University, said in her own TikTok video that the campaign was 'really imbued with eugenic messaging,' comparing it to Trump's remarks in 2020 that Minnesotans had 'good genes.' Article content 'It is both a testament to this political moment, and it's contributing to and reinforcing this kind of anti-immigrant, anti-people of colour, pro-eugenic political moment,' she said. Article content American Eagle has since responded with an Instagram post stating that the campaign 'is and always was about the jeans,' adding: 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by American Eagle (@americaneagle) Article content How did Donald Trump get involved? Article content Article content The U.S. president took to social media on Monday to state: 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,' adding: 'Go get 'em Sydney!' Article content On Monday, Trump also told a reporter in Pennsylvania: 'If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.' Article content The BBC and other outlets report that Sweeney has been registered as a Republican in the state of Florida since 2024, but notes that she has not spoken out about politics, telling GQ magazine in a 2023 interview: 'Honestly, I feel like nothing I say can help the conversation.' Article content How is American Eagle doing? Article content According to the New York Times, American Eagle's stock rose by more than 23 per cent on Monday, following Trump's endorsement. On Tuesday the company stock was trading at between US$12 and US$13, before closing out the day at US$12.02. However, that remains a far cry from where it was last August, when it reached more than US$26 before a gradual, year-long decline.
