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After Simone Biles and her husband Jonathan Owens made an appearance on The Pivot podcast with former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder, much of the discussion centered on a two-minute and 30 second clip that many on social media described as another example of a man trying to humble a woman with whom he is in a relationship with. However, Biles and her beau are “unbothered” according to E! News.
The pair matched on the dating app Raya in 2020, and as Biles herself has previously noted in other appearances about her relationship with Owens, the NFL defensive back didn’t know who she was. Owens said he didn’t really follow gymnastics that much before he met Biles, saying that it wasn’t until he looked at her Instagram profile that he really understood how big a deal she was, telling Clark and Crowder, “I’m like, ‘Lemme see who this is.’ I never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity.” Owens recalled. “The first thing that I saw was that she just had a bunch of [Instagram] followers. So in my mind I’m like, ‘Okay, she’s gotta be good.”
Once Crowder asked Owens how he “pulled” Biles, his responses from that point on turned into phrases that seemed built to drum up controversy. Owens said that the question was really about how Biles pulled him, before stating that he believes that men are always the prize. Further assisting in the controversy was Owens’s insinuation that Biles eventually wore him down as he told his story about how he was initially afraid to commit to a relationship but he eventually relented because Biles kept applying pressure. Though that may not be what Owens was aiming to do, many people in the comments section of “The Pivot” YouTube channel chimed in about how his comments, to them, signaled a red flag.
If the two have read any of the online discourse about them and their relationship, largely drawn from people’s reactions to a Super Bowl commercial length clip, they have not taken any of it to heart. According to People Magazine, Owens made a post to his Instagram account featuring photos of the couple on their wedding day as well as other more relaxed shots, with the caption reading “Unbothered Just know we locked in over here.”
Biles commented on the post with a pair of emojis, a fingers crossed emoji and puckered lips emoji, followed by the words “for life.” An indication that Biles also is not going to let the words, ideas, or opinions of strangers online affect the relationship that she enjoys with her husband.
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Besides the excitement of opening presents on Christmas morning, there is another part of the holiday that is rewarding and satisfying. It’s that moment when you’re curled up on the couch with hot chocolate and about to watch a Christmas movie.
This carefully crafted list has suggestions for movies that will stir up your nostalgia, make you laugh, and encourage you to appreciate the holidays more.
Although new Christmas movies come out yearly, rewatching classic films makes the holiday season more memorable. If you’re contemplating which Christmas movie you should stream, here are the top ones to rewatch.
1. This Christmas
Watching the Whitfield family reunite in This Christmas is a reminder that life and families are complicated. Yet, you can achieve harmony through love and perseverance. It is a great movie to laugh with, and it might help you feel better about your family drama.
Available on Peacock
2. Last Holiday
What better rom-com to re-watch than the budding romance between salesperson Georgia, played by Queen Latifah, and her coworker Sean, played by LL Cool J? A movie that led Queen Latifah to receive a NAACP nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture is worth revisiting every year.
Last Holiday is the perfect movie to help you feel all the emotions and be hopeful for the coming year.
Stream on Paramount+ and Prime Video
3. The Preacher’s Wife
You probably already have Whitney Houston’s holiday album playing in the background, so you might as well throw on a movie where she has a leading role. The Preacher’s Wife is a romantic classic that makes the holidays feel extra special.
Besides featuring superstars like Houston and Denzel Washington, the storyline is sentimental, funny, and heartfelt.
Stream on Disney+
4. Home Alone
Is any Christmas complete without watching Home Alone? This cinematic adventure never gets old. Whether you’ve seen this movie once, twice, or more than ten times, it’s easy to get caught up in how an eight-year-old boy is able to create advanced contraptions and outsmart two grown adults.
Stream on Disney+
5. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Jingle Jangle is a beautiful family movie. It is a fun and cheerful musical that stars Forest Whitaker, Madalen Mills, and Keegan-Michael Key. It’s a movie that cousins, parents, grandparents, and children will all enjoy.
Consisting of the same vibes as The Greatest Showman and The Wiz, it’ll have you singing and dancing along.
Stream on Netflix
6. Almost Christmas
Almost Christmas is a great movie to bring out if you need a good laugh or when someone is on the verge of a fight and a distraction is necessary. It is a relatable film about relatives coming together, bickering siblings, and the importance of family. Almost Christmas is a seasonal classic.
Currently streaming on Peacock and available to rent or buy on Prime Video
7. A Madea Christmas
Whether you’re a fan of the Madea movies or have never seen one, A Madea Christmas will surely bring you non-stop laughs. Yet another movie that captivates the craziness of the holiday season, this movie is a comical break from reality.
Available on Prime Video
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A classic in the Christmas movie genre is the infamous How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring the genius comedic Jim Carrey. This is a great film to rewatch with the family or by yourself. It will surely put you in the Christmas spirit if you’ve been in a Grinch-like mood.
Available on Netflix
9. The Night Before
While The Night Before isn’t the pinnacle of Christmas movies, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a second or third viewing. A hilarious comedy about friendships mixed in with Christmas celebrations, it is also a great movie to watch while sipping on some spiked eggnog. It’ll remind any middle-aged man that trying to relive your twenties will only lead to disaster.
Available to rent or buy on Prime Video
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas
There is some debate about whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas or Halloween movie. Since the main character, Jack Skellington, uses most of the movie to recreate Christmas, it deserves a holiday viewing.
Stream on Disney+ or rent or purchase on Prime Video
11. The Best Man Holiday
If you need an excuse to shamelessly watch attractive men such as Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs, then streaming The Best Man Holiday is the perfect movie to rewatch with your girlfriends. It is a movie filled with laughter, sentiment, and a very attractive cast.
Stream it on Peacock or rent or buy it on Prime Video
12. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Let your heart melt as you rewatch Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang come together to celebrate one of the most memorable holidays of the year.
While the graphics may be old and outdated, the storyline is timeless.
Stream it on Apple TV
13. Elf
Elf is another Christmas classic that is guaranteed to make you laugh repeatedly. It is a great movie to rewatch with the family.
Available on Hulu and Prime Video
It’s a bittersweet time for fans of the DC Extended Universe’s (DCEU). On the one hand, the DCEU is being rebooted and rebranded into the DC Universe (DCU) after 10 years of tepid critical and box office response. On the other, fans of the DCEU are saying goodbye to current iterations of beloved DC Comics characters like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and possibly Jason Momoa’s record-breaking turn as Aquaman (2018’s Aquaman remains the highest-grossing DCEU film to date). But as fans shower praise on the actors, directors, and writers of some of the more beloved DCEU properties, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan is showing gratitude to an often-undervalued asset in the filmmaking community: Visual Effects (VFX) teams.
It’s no secret that superhero movies rely heavily on special effects. But it takes real skill to make flying Kryptonians, lightning-wrangling goddesses, and deep-sea battles to look seamless. But for movies where the bulk of the action takes place in otherworldly settings like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directors like James Wan depend even more on VFX teams to bring their illustrious visions to life.
“For something like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and the first Aquaman, so much of the movie is visual effects,” said Wan. “So much of the world is created in a synthetic environment. That immediately allows you to set the different depths and levels.”
Wan’s statement makes even more sense in the context of the Aquaman films, both of which he directed. In the sequel to the 2018’s blockbuster, Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry/Aquaman defends Atlantis and the world-at-large against the villainous Black Manta. But this time Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) wields the Black Trident, a mystical weapon with the power to release a malevolent force upon the world, forcing Aquaman to form an alliance against the brother he imprisoned in the first movie. Needless to say, this kind of underwater adventure isn’t possible without a visionary director like Wan at the helm. But rather than highlight his own contributions to the project, he’s eager to shower praise on the VFX teams that he’s worked hand-in-glove with.
“I totally feel like people can be very dismissive of CGI and visual effects and stuff like that. But there’s so much artistry, there’s so much love, and passion, and just so much hard work that goes into these movies,” said Wan. “And that’s definitely the case with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Myself and my team, we work really hard to try and put out the best-looking stuff out there. I definitely feel like they are the unsung heroes of these kinds of movies.”
Wan’s not wrong. Over the past few years, more VFX workers have been speaking out against the long working hours, unrealistic deadlines, and low pay they’ve been forced to accept. And when special effects aren’t up to audience standards, it’s the VFX teams that are unfairly dragged by fans who don’t understand the brutal conditions those teams are working under.
Here’s how it works. When a film studio like Sony, Marvel, or Warner Bros. Discovery has a film project in the works, they’ll request for VFX studios to submit a bid to work on said project. Competition among the VFX studios is fierce, creating a race to the bottom where often the VFX studio charging the lowest price often wins the coveted contract.
But a low winning bid doesn’t negate the amount of hard work needed to fulfill the obligations of the contract. This has led to frontline VFX workers working horrendous hours for paltry paychecks. Such abominable conditions have led to a more and more VFX teams talking about and choosing to collectively organize. The latest such move came this September during the dual writers and actors strikes, when Marvel Studios VFX workers voted unanimously to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union.
“It doesn’t matter how big of a cog they are, if you take one out and the machine wouldn’t function,” said Wan when speaking in a general sense about the importance of strong VFX teams. “Filmmaking is such a process that you need everyone to be able to contribute to it. You couldn’t make a movie like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom without visual effects.”
But if jaw-dropping special effects and hearthrobs likes Jason Momoa and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II aren’t enough to get you to the theaters for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, then promises of one-of-a-kind movie-going experience might be.
“I would say, if [fans] enjoyed the first movie, it’s really just an extension of the first film in a lot of regards,” said Wan. “The movies that I make, the movies that I direct, I make them a fully cinematic experience so that they can be experienced and seen on the bigger screen. I do think that this movie is truly, truly designed for the big screen.”
For all the DCEU’s bumps and bruises, the Aquaman franchise has remained a bright spot in the cinematic universe. Whether Jason Momoa will be back in the DCU to play the coolest version of Aquaman ever remains to be seen. As for director James Wan, he’s looking forward to his next project coming out in early 2024. But it will be a while before Wan takes a seat in the director’s chair again.
“My next project that I’m producing is Night Swim. That’s the [supernatural horror film] that’s coming out in January. But in terms of directing, I’m taking a break. I’m taking a long nap!”
After completing the visual and storytelling spectacle that is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, that’s a nap James Wan more than deserves.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on Friday, December 22, 2023.
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The post Director James Wan Thanks VFX Artists as ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Closes Out the DCEU appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.