Latest news with #DGAF
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Highest 2 Lowest' Isn't Spike Lee's Best or Worst — Just a Chance to Watch Denzel Go HAM
A new Spike Lee movie is still a calendar-clearing event; in the near 30 years since She's Gotta Have It helped kickstart the Amerindie boom and introduced the world to a brash, trash-talking auteur from Brooklyn, he's given us era-defining statements and eccentric sidebars, epic biopics and intimate performance movies, blockbusters and docs, highs and lows. His place in the canon is assured. It's still always a dice roll, of course, and you never know which Spike you're going to get — the crank, the cinephile, the cut-up, the muckraker, the messmaker, the master craftsman, the man with so much trouble on his mind — once the lights go down. Best case scenario, you get all of them, each one duking it out for stage time. Highest 2 Lowest gives the majority of those Spikes a chance to step into the ring, though in terms of where this falls on the quality scale of his filmography, it's ironically right smack dab in the middle. An adaptation of Ed McBain's 1959 novel King's Ransom — as well as a remake of/riff on Akira Kurosawa's 1963 police procedural take on the material, High and Low — it evenly splits the difference between straight-down-the-middle morality drama and an idiosyncratic mix tape of things Lee holds near and dear to his heart. Those expecting another Oldboy, his oddly stock 2013 redo of Park Chan-wook's Oedipal nightmare, will be pleasantly surprised by how personal this feels. Folks hoping for the hug-the-corners heights of his extraordinary heist flick Inside Man (2006) may find themselves squirming restlessly in their seats. Regardless, it pairs him with one of his best collaborators, and once again makes the case that few actors do the right thing better than Denzel Washington. More from Rolling Stone That Doc on Shia LaBeouf's Acting School Is Even Crazier Than You've Heard Pedro Pascal Speaks Out at 'Eddington' Premiere: 'Fear Is the Way That They Win' Kristen Stewart's 'The Chronology of Water' Is One Hell of a Directorial Debut Ah yes, Denzel. Comfortably settled into an éminence grise period that includes well-tested action heroes, larger-than-life villains, and Shakespearean heavy hitters, he's now moved into an intriguing phase of his career that laces his usual rigor with a late-act looseness. We take his gravitas for granted, but he's throwing curveballs into that imposing sense of authority in a way that feels unpredictable, volatile, compelling in a different way. He's still the same capital-letter Movie Star he's always been, still the same leading man you want to follow. There's just an extra level of DGAF playfulness going on now. Once upon a time, you could look at a livewire, lit-fuse Denzel perfomance like the one that nabbed him an Oscar in Training Day (2001) as the notable exception. It's turned into the rule. King Kong will never have shit on him. Lee knows all of this. And after kicking off their fifth movie together with a swooping aerial shot of New York City set to Roger and Hammerstein's anthem 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'' (it's not quite the jaw-dropper of the Aaron Copland-scored opening of He Got Game, but it still brings the grandeur), the filmmaker gives his star a foundation to start flexing. In both the book and the Kurosawa film, the tycoon at the center of the story's conflict is in the shoe business. Lee upgrades his version by resetting it in the music industry. Washington's mogul David King, a.k.a. 'King David,' is part Berry Gordy, part Irv Gotti, and a little bit of this guy minus the, um, other stuff. He has the best ears in the biz, though his heyday as the head of Stackin' Hits Records has long past. Now he's looking to make a deal that would allow him to buy back his old label and secure his legacy. King just needs to get corporate support and move some cash around. It's more complicated than you'd think. His wife, Pam (Ilfenesh Hadera), is concerned this is just an expensive ego trip. His son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), is angry that his dad is blowing off promises to be more present. His best friend and driver, Paul (Jeffrey Wright), just wants his boss to be sure he's thinking everything through. Later in the day, a phone call comes in. Someone has kidnapped Trey. They want a hefty $17.5 million ransom, or else. King is prepped to give in to their demands, because nothing is more important to him than family. Soon, it's revealed the criminals have abducted the wrong kid. They actually nabbed Kyle (Elijah Wright), Trey's closest pal …and Paul's son. The question becomes: Will King still pay the ransom? This is the moment when Highest 2 Lowest starts to tackle the thornier issues behind its pulp-thriller surface, and despite both Washington and Wright digging into this dilemma like old pros (especially Wright, who modulates the character's rage beautifully), it's also the movie starts to struggle to maintain a pulse. There have been plenty of quirky Spike-isms spicing things up before then, from stylistic tics to a lot of flipped birds to Larry Byrd's old team; this is the type of movie where someone breaking the fourth wall and yelling 'Boston sucks!' feels totally on-brand. But it also settles into a groove that risks being sluggish and generic. It could be any police procedural, made by anybody with DGA membership, that just happens to star a legend. Still, when Spike wants to turn it up, he rises to the occasion. There are two scenes in Highest 2 Lowest that feel like Lee is having fun while leaving his mark on his homage to a landmark crime flick. One involves the ransom drop, which involves the Bronx subway line, a backpack, a number of interchangeable pick-up men on motorcycles and an outdoor performance by Salsa icon Eddie Palmieri. Lee intercuts all of the action with Palmieri's 1972 hit 'Puerto Rico,' and you can feel the voltage levels going into the red. It's a first rate interpretation of an old genre chestnut, the endless switcheroo hand-off, and the fact that it also feels like a political statement only makes it that much more exhilarating. A joyous public display of ethnic pride, taking place in the city that once housed a commander-in-chief now determined to strip America of its immigrant and/or nonwhite populations, shouldn't feel like such a radical gesture. But these are the fucked-up times we live in. The second takes place once King and the kidnapper finally meet face to face. Thanks to playlist of unsigned artists that his son had made him, the mogul identifies the culprit. It's an aspiring rapper named Yung Felon, played by A$AP Rocky. King tracks him down to the studio where he's recording, and two men square off over success envy, second chances, Felon's simmering anger over being ignored until someone's life is at stake. Then they begin trading freestyle battle-rap verses. None of the lines can be reprinted here in full, but trust us: Denzel has bars. It's also the kind of swagger-off that the star excels in, and that Rocky uses to prove he can match when up against a guy who's played Malcolm X, Macbeth and Gladiator II's power broker Macrinus. It ends sooner than you want it to, all the better for Washington to go full Equalizer on his scene partner. But it belongs in any future highlight reel of everyone involved. It's all over but the emotional healing and one last jailhouse debate after that, and Highest 2 Lowest gamely makes sure its loose ends are left tied. The impression is that you've just seen a great New York movie, with a great star turn at the core of it, and yet still feels like something's missing. It's ultimately an excuse to watch Washington go HAM. What's more interesting is the coda Lee throws in just when you think the credits will start rolling. Throughout the story, we've seen Washington's lion of the industry trying to recapture his roar, as well as looking at music business fixated on the bottom line and asking: Who stole the soul? Then he hears a new singer-songwriter croon, and suddenly, his sense of purpose feels renewed. It's not hard to make the leap from the music industry to the moving pictures, and how that industry might have lost its way. Lee doesn't need to ask who stole the soul there. He's just looking to renew his own sense of purpose and make something both crowds and his own inner cinephile might dig. You have to applaud the effort. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Buzz Feed
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
33 Hilarious People Who Took 'DGAF' To A Whole New Level
1. This big sister who suffers no fools: Objective_Regular158 / Via 2. This kid who has no time for fake IDs: Nesquick_moustache / Via 3. And this person who works smarter/lazier, not harder: ycr007 / Via 4. This forward-thinking uncle: 5. This wife who saw her chance to do something legendary and took it: 6. And this kid who saw the chance to be an ice cream cone ordering an ice cream cone from an ice cream cone and took it: 8. This mom who gets sassy when she needs coffee: 9. And this mom who also hilariously DGAF: 10. This guy who will go the extra mile to prove a point: 11. This vengeful cousin who played the long game: 12. And Jason, the 8th grade badass: 13. This (little) man of the house: 14. This person who should probably become a detective or something: 15. Ben's hilarious co-workers: 17. This party animal who didn't sleep on an opportunity: 18. Whoever dreamt up this bathroom prank: 19. And this genius who sees opportunity where others do not: 20. This guy at the Democratic National Convention: 22. And these high school legends: 24. This guy who is willing to risk getting fired to pull an A+ prank: 25. And here's one more worker with a gloriously DGAF attitude: 28. And this similarly DGAF AirDropper: PocketfulofThoughts / Via 29. This dating app Lothario who took a swing and hit a homer: haveeyoumetTed / Via 30. This student who decided to have a laugh regardless of how much it made his professor hate him: garbanzoboy / Via 31. Ditto for this guy: Impressive_Clerk_643 / Via 32. These kids who... rock: ycr007 / Via ycr007 33. And lastly, this person who 100% commit to the bit: rikhil- / Via
Buzz Feed
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
37 People Who Just Don't Give A 操 (That's Chinese For, Well, You Know)
Some people don't care what anyone thinks. They ignore the so-called rules of society and do things their way — loud, proud, and unapologetic. In short, some people just don't give a fuck. 1. First, there's this kid who isn't afraid to let his feelings known: 3. And this old lady who does not give a damn who has to wait for her: 4. Here's Keanu Reeves who has no time for bullshit: 5. This guy who has taken to heart the book he's reading (It's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck): 6. And this person who — when their flight got seriously delayed — decided to camp out right at the airport: 7. Here's 19-year-old David Isom — a legendary DGAFer — who, on June 8, 1958, broke the color line in St. Petersburg, Florida, by swimming at a whites-only public pool. 8. This father and son who — after seeing a dad play airplane with his 5-year-old — decided to try it themselves: 9. And Leah who doesn't care about what anyone says is "impossible": 10. This carefree kid playing on the swing as the world literally burns around him: 11. This author really has things figured out: 12. And this seasoned gent definitely DGAF about what people think of him: 13. Nobody ever said not giving an eff was smart, as this guy proves right here: 14. This grown-ass adult wanted a dinosaur lunch pail, so he got one, coworkers' judgment be damned: 15. And this dude vacuums his lawn at night (for reasons known only to himself): 16. This person has an honestly inspiring philosophy: 17. This professor does not care one bit what their students think of this test: 18. And this official is going to take a little "me time" playing Solitaire no matter how long the line gets, LOL: 19. This elementary school teacher has got to have a DGAF attitude if they decided to teach little kids with this name: 20. Ditto for this high school teacher: 21. And this mom didn't have any birthday candles in the house, but she's not going to apologize for it: iCeCoCaCoLa64 / Via 22. This server does NOT suffer fools, so they charged an annoying table a "bitching fee": smokeymctokerson / Via 23. This guy — I honestly don't know what's going on with him — but he definitely does things his own way: GallowBoob / Via 24. And I think we can all appreciate Chunk: deleted / Via 25. The bored nurse who put 50 Shades of Grey on the TV over the children's play area 100% belongs on this list: aceofdemons / Via 26. This person's grandma is largely responsible for this sign being put up in her apartment complex (Spoiler alert — she didn't stop): deleted / Via 27. And this grandma has big DGAF energy by deciding to do this instead of tossing out the batch: u/HOLD_MY_POCKETS / Via 28. This wife doesn't care what her husband — or anyone else — thinks about her skincare mask: u/iamthedreadpiraterob / Via 29. If you think this guy cares what anyone thinks, take another look at his car: Akriax / Via 30. The driver of this big truck doesn't care about what anyone thinks it says about him: invisiblemachine / Via 31. And if you want a ride from this very sassy Lyft driver (who drives with a parrot), you gotta do things her way: joyisnotdead / Via It reads: "FIRST AND FOREMOST, MY GRANDS AND GREATS RIDE IN THIS VEHICLE! BE CONSIDERATE OF THAT! I HAVE FAMILY AND I'M RAISING A GREAT THAT NEEDS ME! BE SURE I GET HOME SAFE TO HER AND MY FAMILY! I DON'T CARRY MONEY OR REAL JEWELS! IF YOU CARJACK ME WRECK IT GOOD! I WANT A NEW ONE! DO NOT TOUCH OR CUSS AROUND MY PARROT! I WILL PUT YOU OUT! I DON'T TOUCH YOUR KIDS AND I DON'T TEACH YOUR KIDS TO CUSS, DON'T TEACH MINE! NO SMOKING, VAPING, SMOKING POT, OR SNORTING/SMOKING DOPE! THIS ISN'T YOUR HOOKAH ROOM! OR TRAP HOUSE! NO SPRAYING PERFUME, DOING YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP (I don't want your hair all over the place and other customers don't want to get in to your hair all over them), SPRAYING HAIR SPRAY OR COLOGNE! THIS ISN'T YOUR BATHROOM! NO SEX OR MAKING OUT. THIS ISN'T YOUR HOOKER ROOM/HOTEL ROOM. NO EATING OR DRINKING IN MY CAR! I PROVIDE WATER FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE! THIS ISN'T YOUR DINER! And I can translate all of this to you in Spanish. If you can't be respectful, I will gladly accommodate you with another driver." 32. This person is NOT going to be told how to act: nexus82 / Via 33. This person has their own way of telling coworkers not to steal their lunch: Both-Track-3842 / Via 34. And this very unique person somehow got this license plate: u/jamesian / Via Of course it was New Jersey, LOL. 35. The people behind this Nike knockoff definitely DGAF: aligador / Via 36. This person doesn't give a damn about niceties: tatsmith / Via 37. And whoever delivered this piece of wisdom, is a DGAFer through and through: Crystal-Clear-Waters / Via
