Miller Sanford

“It’s about the life we all lead,” Jeymes Samuel says of his song “Nazarene” from his film “The Book of Clarence.” “Clarence leads this life of desires and dream fulfillment, but his flaw is he doesn’t recognize the things around him that are most important. And I feel that’s all of us.” (Jennifer S. Altman … Read more

Angelina Jolie scored as an evil fairy in ‘Maleficent,’ her top box-office hit Angelina Jolie, an Oscar winner with a long track record appearing before the camera and working behind the scenes on movies, is back in the awards season conversation for her performance as Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s Netflix biopic about the Greek … Read more

“The Piano Lesson” is a uniquely African American story: Based on the 1987 August Wilson play, it’s about a family torn between its painful past as slaves in Mississippi and a new life in Pittsburgh during the 1930s, all symbolized by an old upright piano that bears the scars, blood and tears of a mighty … Read more

Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo in Universal Pictures’ “Wicked”; Pedro Pascal, left, and Paul Mescal in Paramount Pictures’ “Gladiator II.” (Universal Pictures; Aidan Monaghan / Paramount Pictures) Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” and Paramount Pictures’ “Gladiator II” are expected to post gravity-defying numbers at the domestic box office this weekend. On the heels of a solid … Read more

L7 headlines its inaugural Fast and Frightening Takeover festival at the Belasco theater. (Robert Fagan) Los Angeles art-punk veterans L7 have seen it all, from playing Raji’s in Hollywood in the ’80s, to the grunge circuit in the ’90s, to huge punk and metal festivals all over the world. “We feel at home in a … Read more

‘The Later Daters’ shows that dating after 55 ‘is a lot sexier than people think’ Dating in the swipe-left era is hard for anyone who isn’t a bot, but for singles who grew up in the pre-internet era, when “going steady” was still a thing and an app was what you ate before the entree, … Read more

Can men and women just be friends? ‘Sweethearts’ director Jordan Weiss knows the answer Jordan Weiss was waiting for someone to direct her screenplay. She and her best friend, Dan Brier, had sold their joint effort, the coming-of-age comedy “Sweethearts,” to producers at Picturestart, a company with a deal at Warner Bros. Discovery. They spent … Read more

Phillip K. Smith III, photographed in his Palm Desert studio, faced withering criticism over his original AIDS memorial design, which conspiracy theorists said made a mockery out of tragedy. After a series of community listening sessions, Smith created a new design, which is up for a City Council vote on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / … Read more