Fear City: New York vs The Mafia
A new Netflix documentary series revisits New York City in the 1970s – an era where the city’s promise of fun was replaced with great fear instilled by the mob, until the FBI decided to go after all five families. “The boss asked me to come into his office,” remembers a man who worked closely on the case. “Said, we want to indite all five families at the same time. I said, what, are you shitting me?” The series details how the FBI tackled the monstrosity of going after the very people who controlled everything from the city’s restaurants and fishing docks to the construction industry and its unions. Plus, it teases previously unheard tapes from different mob boss’ phone lines. One threatens, “I’ll sever your motherfucking head off.” And there’s a lot more where that came from. (July 22nd)
Feels Good Man
Matt Furie, The creator of Pepe the Frog, chronicles how his happy comic character – content just by drinking and hanging out – was usurped by the alt-right and used as a troll meme. As the use of Pepe by white supremacists exploded on the internet, Furie lost control of his creation. “I’m just a spectator to how things evolved on the internet,” he says. However, the new documentary’s teaser gives us a look into how Furie set out to reclaim Pepe. “if you want to escape hell, you can’t ignore it,” says Furie. “You almost have to go to the center of it.” (September 4th)
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful
As the late photographer made a name for himself depicting women, a particular question followed in his wake: Was he empowering his subjects, or turning them into objects? Interviews with Grace Jones, Charlotte Rampling, Isabella Rossellini, Anna Wintour, Claudia Schiffer, Marianne Faithfull, Hanna Schygulla, Nadja Auermann, and Newton’s wife June set out to put this questions – and Newton’s provocative work – into perspective. “The photos were frightening,” says Rossellini, “but there was always sense of humor.” Just one example being his photograph of a chicken wearing miniature high heels. (July 24th)
Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace
On July 23rd at 10:00 p.m. EST, Nick Cave’s live solo performance at the famous London venue will stream as a ticketed event. In the new trailer leading up to the event, Cave can be seen walking through the empty venue until he finally makes his way to the stage and sits down at the piano. Along with the scenes of the empty venue, the clip features Cave doing a voiceover reading of a poem, ending with the lines: “Well this prayer is for you, my love. Sent on the wings of a dove. Upward, and upward, and upward.”
Project Power
“If there was a pill that could give you five minutes of pure power, would you take it?” Jamie Foxx poses this question at the opening of the new action film’s trailer. As the clip shows, most people are answering yes. These power pills are gaining popularity, promising super powers like invisibility, super-strength, and bullet-proof skin. But as a young dealer (portrayed by Dominique Fishback) points out, each pill is a gamble – some can leave a person dead. Together, they join forces with a local cop (portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to stop the havoc wrecked by the power pills and save Foxx’s kidnapped daughter along the way. (August 14th)
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek meets Rick and Morty in this new animated comedy series. While other Installments in the Star Trek franchise focus on the elite “Bridge Crew,” this series puts its emphasis on those taking up the lowest rankings – those who are quite literally resigned to the craft’s lower deck. As one member of the lower deck crew says, “We’re more like the cool, scrappy underdogs.” Though by the looks of it, their responsibilities are a little south of the “cool and scrappy” mark; they tend to waste removal while dreaming of being promoted. (August 6th)
The Swamp
The HBO documentary’s teaser opens with Matt Gaetz receives a congratulatory phone call from President Donald Trump. Gaetz goes on to reflect on President Trump’s presidency, and the changes Gaetz hoped Trump would bring to Washington. Chants demanding that President Trump “drain the swamp!” point out exactly what change Gaetz had in mind. Behind the scenes footage gives us a look inside the United States government where fundraising rules all. When a reporter asks Gaetz what Trump has done in order to drain the swamp, Gaetz responds with a telling moment of hesitation. (August 4th)
Work It
The New Netflix film’s teaser opens with a prayer: “Beyonce, Queen Bey, I pray that you make my feet swift tomorrow, and that you make my moves have swagger, in the name of the “Single Ladies” video, and the Lemonade short film, I pray.” However, the high school’s leading dance team is not impressed by Quinn’s enthusiasm alone. Determined to fill her resume with extra curricular, Quinn sets out to form her own troupe filled with other “diamonds in the rough.” With hardly any experience and outfits that are more suited for nursing home workers than dancers, Quinn and her crew have their work cut out for them. (August 7th)
