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Black Mass (2015)

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In Theaters

• September 18, 2015
• Johnny Depp as Jimmy 'Whitey' Bulger; Joel Edgerton as John Connolly; Benedict Cumberbatch as Billy Bulger; Dakota Johnson as Lindsey Cyr; Kevin Bacon as Charles McGuire; Peter Sarsgaard as Brian Halloran; Jesse Plemons as Kevin Weeks; Rory Cochrane as Steve Flemmi; David Harbouras as John Morris; Corey Stoll as Fred Wyshak; Julianne Nicholson as Marianne Connolly; W. Earl Brown as John Martorano; Bill Camp as John Callahan; Juno Temple as Deborah Hussey; Luke Ryan as Douglas Cyr; Mary Klug as Mom Bulger; Erica McDermott as Mary Bulger; Bill Haims as Jerry Angiulo

Home Release Date

• February 16, 2016
• Scott Cooper

Distributor

• Warner Bros.

Movie Review

Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger knows exactly what it takes to be a successful criminal. “It’s not what you do,” the Boston crime boss tells his young son after little Douglas gets caught hitting someone in the face at school. “It’s when and where you do it, and who you do it to or with.”

Then he adds, “If nobody sees you, it didn’t happen.”

That cold, calculating, conniving creed serves Jimmy well. His many victims? Not so much.

Black Mass is based on the Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill nonfiction narrative Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal , which tells Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger’s sordid story of crime and punishment.

It begins in 1975. Jimmy is a South Boston kingpin whose expanding empire—drugs, prostitution, racketeering—is limited not so much by law enforcement but by rivalry with the hated Italian mafia, headed by Jerry Angiulo.

Luckily for Jimmy, Angiulo’s syndicate is for a time much higher profile than his own, so it’s the other guy who attracts the FBI’s attention. Better yet for Jimmy, the ambitious agent determined to break the Italian mafia, John Connolly, is also his childhood friend from the mean streets of Southie. Jimmy once rescued Connolly from a beatdown when they were kids, in fact, yielding a debt of honor the FBI agent has never forgotten.

Connolly knows that Jimmy is hardly an altar boy. But he’s willing to tolerate his old friend’s “misbehavior,” even going to far as to deflect FBI heat away from him if Jimmy can help him nail the Angiulo gang.

Connolly insists that it’s not ratting anyone out—the most heinous sin a criminal can possibly commit in Jimmy’s eyes. No, it’s more like an … alliance . Jimmy helps the FBI nail some bad guys. And the FBI turns a blind eye to Jimmy and his bad guys.

It’s an alliance that bolsters them both for a decade. And then the balance of power shifts so radically toward Whitey’s Winter Hill Gang that Connolly’s in-the-dark superiors begin to wonder why their star agent can’t seem to bust Boston’s new No. 1 gangster.

Positive Elements

Black Mass can be read as a cautionary tale illustrating what happens when someone tries to do the right thing the wrong way. In pursuing a noble goal (taking down the Italian mafia) via ignoble means (aiding and abetting another gangster who’s as bad or perhaps worse), John Connolly grows increasingly self-protective and corrupt himself. The film also depicts what happens when someone’s understanding of loyalty becomes a warped rationalization to willingly, knowingly participate in that person’s crimes.

Connolly’s wife, Marianne, desperately tries to help her husband see that he’s being drawn deeper and deeper into Jimmy’s ensnaring criminal web. And the film depicts her eventual decision to protect herself from her husband’s poor choices (by changing the locks on their house) as a wise move. Likewise, fellow agent John Morris, who has been dragged down into the morass with Connolly, finally has a moment of moral awakening and confesses everything to reporters from The Boston Globe .

We see the massive toll these crimes have taken, both on their victims and their perpetrators. And we’re reminded of what Jimmy’s final fate is: He’s taken into custody in 2011 and, along with his hatchet men, given a pretty-much-forever prison sentence.

Along the way, the movie seeks to humanize Jimmy a bit by showing us his absolute devotion to his young son, Douglas, and his affection for his mother. After both die, Jimmy becomes an even more monstrous character.

A principled, law-abiding prosecutor named Fred Wyshak refuses to be manipulated by Agent Connolly.

Spiritual Elements

At a Catholic funeral for Jimmy’s mother, a priest says, “They who trust in Him will understand the truth.” Connolly tells Jimmy “God bless” afterwards. Another scene pictures Jimmy sitting alone in the an empty church.

Sexual Content

A coarse conversation revolves around a henchman receiving oral sex from a young prostitute, who also happens to be the stepdaughter of his current girlfriend. We see the woman wearing a garish outfit consisting of short shorts, a plunging top and a fur. We hear that pimps are among the many “businessmen” Jimmy extorts.

In a disturbing and unsettling scene, Jimmy confronts Connolly’s wife in the couple’s bedroom. He puts his hands on her face and neck, looks her up and down suggestively, then says, “John is a lucky man.”

Connolly kisses his wife’s neck, then embraces her passionately. But at a club in Miami, he dances suggestively with another woman. Members of Jimmy’s gang dance similarly with other women. Crude references are made to masturbation and erections.

Violent Content

Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger is a murderer. And so are the three men who work most closely with him, Kevin Weeks, Steve Flemmi and John Martorano. We see Jimmy brutally strangle and kill two people. He chokes a prostitute to death. He uses a rope to strangle a snitch who’s already been badly beaten.

Jimmy and one of his men deliver a savage beating to someone who’s crossed the kingpin, leaving him unmoving, bloody and apparently dead. Quite a few folks are shot and killed through the course of the story, often amid spatters and pools of blood, sometimes at ruthlessly close range. All of these killings are premeditated executions chillingly carried out in cold blood. At least twice, victims think they’re making nice with Jimmy and his crew when they’re abruptly, brutally murdered. A henchman gets beaten up by three rivals who administer an awful shellacking with their fists and feet. We hear a story about a deceased woman whose cats partially ate her corpse.

Crude or Profane Language

About 220 f-words, a dozen or more of which are paired with “mother.” There are at least 20 s-words, and close to 20 rough references to the male anatomy and/or oral sex, including these words and/or their variations: “d–k,” “pr–k” and “c–k.” Other vulgarities and putdowns (some of them racially charged) include “h—,” “a–,” “a–hole,” “p—,” “douche bag,” “wop” and “dego.” Also: 10 or so misuses of God’s name (half the time paired with “d–n”) and half-a-dozen abuses of Jesus’ name.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Alcohol consumption (beer, wine) and smoking (cigarettes, cigars) occupies screen time throughout. Several scenes take place in a bar.

We see a man snort some kind of powdered drug. We hear that Jimmy’s ever-expanding drug-dealing empire in Boston includes, among other things, “white stuff” and “brown stuff,” marijuana, cocaine and heroin. It’s said that Jimmy volunteered to participate in LSD experiments when he was incarcerated for nine years at Alcatraz and Leavenworth; FBI agents say he dropped acid 50 times. One person gets labeled a “coke-snorting piece of s—.”

John Morris expresses his unease with the fact that giving Jimmy free rein means he’s distributing “speed to high school kids.” Jimmy says he’s not a fan of “little whores on drugs.”

Other Negative Elements

Jimmy’s scope of criminal operations gradually broadens to a national and even international level. He gets deeply involved in betting by way of a jai alai organization in Florida, and he eventually orders a hit on the group’s president. He even goes so far as global gunrunning at one point. Which brings us to Jimmy’s brother, Billy, an influential state senator in Massachusetts. It’s implied, but never directly shown, that Billy looks the other way when it comes to his infamous sibling’s crimes. Billy’s never directly implicated in any of Jimmy’s illegal activities, but it seems clear that he’s deeply loyal to his big brother and wouldn’t intentionally do anything to help bring him to justice.

Jimmy plays a game of gin rummy with his mother. She wins by cheating, and she jokes to her son, “Didn’t they teach you anything in prison?” We hear talk of urinating and defecating in a bar.

Black Mass tells a gritty, grimy and murderously grim story of Boston’s underworld in the late ’70s and early ’80s. And moviegoers are invited to take an unblinking look at the merciless maelstrom swirling through it. Over and over again, we watch as a deeply damaged psychopath (a word the film uses to describe Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger) and his men ruthlessly execute rivals and anyone who slights them.

The movie makes it easy to see why the man so many knew as Whitey was second only to Osama bin Laden on the FBI’s most-wanted list during his 16 years on the run before his California capture in 2011. And there is, ostensibly, a cautionary tale buried alongside all of Bulger’s bloodied victims. Namely, that you can’t combat evil by imitating and appropriating its methods. The means don’t justify the end here, as John Connolly tragically discovers when he’s sentenced to 40 years in prison, the “good” guy thrown into a pen right alongside the bad guys.

Theoretically, that’s the message viewers of this visceral, vulgarity- and vice-laden film are supposed walk away with. In reality, though, such a detailed and explicit portrait of one man’s violent life arguably glorifies the brutality as much as (or even more than) it critiques it.

Obviously, Jimmy Bulger is wicked. But he’s always in control. He always gets what he wants. He comes very close to getting away with it all. That might ultimately—if perhaps inadvertently—deliver another, much more problematic message: that crime is cool, compelling and profitable. And that you can get away with it as long as nobody’s looking.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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10 harsh realties of rewatching oppenheimer, 1 year later, the epic 3-hour war movie that united sean connery, michael caine, laurence olivier & more classic stars, black mass  is an intriguing blend of classic gangster movie drama under the umbrella of an intimate bulger biopic..

Following nine years of incarceration for armed robbery (including a stint at Alcatraz), Jimmy "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) returns home to his childhood stomping grounds: South Boston. Overrun by Italian organized crime families, Bulger and his Winter Hill Gang set out on a violent campaign to wrest control of Southie from Gennaro Angiulo - underboss to the infamous Patriarca mafia family. Despite a lowly status in the grand scheme of organized crime, The Winter Hill Gang's war against Angiulo and his associates makes Bulger a person of interest at the F.B.I. - especially to Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton).

A former Southie kid who idolized the Bulger boys growing up, Agent Connolly approaches Jimmy with the idea of informing on the Angiulo family in exchange for F.B.I. protection. Despite an initial reluctance, Bulger eventually agrees to inform for Connolly - seeing the alliance as a lucrative business opportunity (not "ratting"). However, after providing Connolly with key intel on Angiulo, Bulger soon begins to exploit the F.B.I.'s blind eye in order to grow his own criminal empire.

Based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's book of the same name, Black Mass follows the true events of Bulger's two decades spent " informing " for the F.B.I. Directed by Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart and Out of the Furnace ), Black Mass is an intriguing blend of classic gangster movie drama under the umbrella of an intimate Bulger biopic. Certain aspects of the production are more successful than others, as the theatrical cut (which is roughly 45 minutes shorter than Cooper's director's cut) is a relatively slow but still captivating burn. Moviegoers looking for a real-life version of The Departed (which was loosely based on Bulger's F.B.I. informant days) may find too much "bio" in Cooper's biopic; nevertheless, the film succeeds on its own terms as an intimate portrait of Bulger's increasingly violent (and erratic) grab for power in Boston.

As with any biopic, Cooper takes liberties with the events of  Black Mass  in order to make Bulger's story work as a movie - not just a highlight reel of key moments - so die-hard Boston historians will need to check their encyclopedic knowledge of the Winter Hill Gang at the door. That said, Cooper's streamlined version of the tale (which removes former associates in order to maintain focus on Bulger) succeeds in a near-impossible task: establishing Bulger as a sensitive, and subsequently relatable, human being in the first act -  which makes the character's descent into unchecked violence and paranoia all the more impactful.

That small shred of humanity (showing Bulger as a doting son and dedicated father) ensures Jimmy is more layered than a standard gangster movie villain;  a likable but vicious person, untethered from the relationships that, in a different world, might have kept him grounded. Unsurprisingly, Depp disappears into the role thanks to convincing age makeup and a savvy blend of charisma and quirk, filtered through the lens of a murderous sociopath. Some viewers will recognize shades of famous Depp characters in Bulger, but the line between weird and homicidal works, painting a convincing portrait of the Boston gangster - a man that, despite violent criminal actions, could also be extremely witty and charming.

As with any quality biopic, the supporting cast turns in strong performances - and, like Bulger, Cooper portrays even the most ruthless of Winter Hill's associates as people, not cliches. In particular, Joel Edgerton captures the increasingly callow F.B.I. agent tasked with covering Winter Hill's tracks for twenty-plus years - a man that starts out with good intentions but is consumed by lies, money, and desperation to earn Bulger's admiration. Similarly, Benedict Cumberbatch takes-on the challenge of portraying Jimmy's younger brother, Billy Bulger - a well-respected state senator attempting to do right by his constituents, while remaining loyal to his family. Billy Bulger is another strong Cumberbatch role, serving as a quiet and thoughtful counter-balance to Jimmy's raw personality and impulsive violence.

Several familiar faces also make-up Jimmy Bulger's gallery of associates and rogues. Dakota Johnson (playing Bulger's girlfriend Lindsey Cyr), Jesse Plemons (as bruiser Kevin Weeks), David Harbour (F.B.I. liaison John Morris), and W. Earl Brown (hitman John Martorano) each provide interesting perspective on Bulger's life. In particular, Rory Cochrane's portrayal of enforcer Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi is a powerful barometer for how the audience can view Bulger throughout the film. Though understated, Flemmi's comments (or absence of comments) as events unfold offer many of the most insightful (and haunting) scenes in Black Mass - made even more poignant in the aftermath of a death close to Flemmi.

Next to brief appearances by Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll, and Peter Sarsgaard, Julianne Nicholson ( Masters of Sex ) is another standout - depicting John Connolly's wife, Marianne. Marianne reinforces the slow corruption of her initially well-intentioned husband, and Nicholson delivers a gut-wrenching performance in one of the film's most chilling scenes.

Historians may take issue with elements of Black Mass , but Cooper has developed a captivating look at Bulger and the numerous people complicit in the gangster's unchecked criminal activity. The director's choice to portray Bulger as more than a ruthless killer may be hard for some viewers to reconcile; yet, the layered depiction actually makes Jimmy even more terrifying - and to that end, Cooper succeeds.  Black Mass covers a lot of territory that audiences will have seen before in both fiction, adaptation, and non-fiction, but memorable performances from the leads - as well as an uncompromising look at Bulger, his crew, and his enemies - ensure that Cooper's film is a substantive glimpse at one of America's most notorious, clever, and ruthless criminals.

_____________________________________________________________

Black Mass  runs 122 minutes and is Rated R for brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references and brief drug use. Now playing in theaters.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below.

Black Mass is a crime drama biography based on the true story of one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. History, Whitey Bulger. When Bulger's turf is encroached on by a rival mafia family, the Angiulo brothers, the death of one of his own mafia family members leads him to join his long-time friend and become an informant for the FBI to exact his revenge - and push the Angiulo's out of his turf.

• Movie Reviews
• 4 star movies

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Ice-cold. Dead eyes. Demonic laugh. His face a mask you can’t read until he’s up in yours. Then run. That’s Johnny Depp giving everything he’s got in a riveting, rattlesnake performance as South Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in Black Mass. The FBI finally grabbed this Osama bin Laden of gangsters in 2011. The Irish mobster had been hiding in plain sight since 1994. Now 86, Bulger molders in prison, found guilty of 11 of the 19 murders with which he’d been charged.

Jack Nicholson did a fictional take on Bulger in 2006’s Oscar-winning The Departed (while a fugitive, Bulger reportedly sneaked in to see the film). Black Mass, smartly directed by Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart ), casts a wide if hardly deep net, since the tentacles of Bulger’s tale could fill a mini-series or five. The script, by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, is based on the 2000 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. And an unholy alliance it truly was.

Bulger had known FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) from the Boston hood. It’s Connolly who persuades his fellow Southie to turn FBI informant in return for help in crushing the Italian Mob. Bulger got the best of that deal, leaving the FBI boss (Kevin Bacon) fuming. Edgerton excels at detailing the dread eating at Connolly; the dread also infects his ethical wife, Marianne (a superb Julianne Nicholson), whose quiet scene with Depp instills more terror than a hail of bullets.

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But you get the bullets, too, and the gore, especially when Bulger lieutenant Stephen Flemmi, expertly slimed by Rory Cochrane, is on the scene. And duck when Bulger turns his gun on informant Brian Halloran, played with bug-fuck lunacy by Peter Sarsgaard.

Is there any sympathy for the devil that is Whitey? The death of his only son, at age six, clearly rocks him, as it does the boy’s mother (a touching Dakota Johnson). But the key path into Bulger is his good brother, William “Billy” Bulger, former Massachusetts Senate president. Billy remains shrouded in mystery. Luckily, Brit acting icon Benedict Cumberbatch doesn’t need dialogue to make his character understood. Cumberbatch reveals Billy’s loyalty in the space between words. Frustrating? At times, yes. But you forgive the zigs, zags, evasions and subplots for the hardcore power of Depp’s performance and the film’s portrait of moral rot on both sides of the law. If there’s such a thing as a wild ride into the heart of darkness, this is it.

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'Black Mass': Movie Review

Find out what makes this movie one of the best dramas of 2015.

— -- Starring Johnny Depp

Four out of five stars

It’s interesting that "Black Mass" is being released the same weekend that marks the 25th anniversary of the release of "Goodfellas," because it’s impossible not to compare the two. Both are stylish dramas about organized crime, both have stellar ensemble casts, and both take place in roughly similar time periods ("Goodfellas" is far more sprawling, while Black Mass is confined to about a decade).

But "Black Mass" isn’t "Goodfellas," or "Casino," or "The Sopranos," or any other gangster movie where you know the main guys are scum but you like them anyway. "Black Mass" makes it very clear: Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger -- and almost everyone around him -- is a very bad man who did inexcusable things. There’s little to no glamour here -- no one’s eating lobster in prison or committing crimes to a classic rock soundtrack. "Black Mass" is grittier, darker and ultimately more real than most of what’s come before it.

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Johnny Depp stars as Bulger, one of Boston’s most notorious crime bosses. We pick up in the mid-70s, with Bulger already in power, and the film focuses on how he used his relationship with FBI agent and childhood friend John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) to gain even more power and ultimately control the city. If you like watching people get shot in the head, this is the movie for you, because that happens a lot. Don’t worry, though: people also get strangled, so there’s a little variety.

You can’t talk about a film like this without talking about the Boston accents, which are solid for the most part. But with a cast this big, it’s expected not everyone’s going to nail the Boston brogue. I’m no expert but Depp seemed solid, Aussie Joel Edgerton excelled, and Jesse Plemons nailed it. But British actor Benedict Cumberbatch seemed less convincing as Whitey’s brother, Billy, a state senator from Southie. Same goes for Corey Stoll as the U.S. attorney working to take down Bulger. Both have limited screen time, however, so it’s not a huge distraction.

One thing I did find distracting, though, was Depp’s character makeup. Every time he came on screen, my first thought was “Hey, there’s Johnny Depp, made up to look older.” It’s not a question of whether he looks like Whitey Bulger – I have no idea what Bulger looked like during those years. It’s just to me, the huge forehead combined with Depp’s mostly unwrinkled face just never looks natural. And sadly, that gets in the way of his otherwise strong performance.

It’s also hard to shake the feeling we’ve seen a lot of this stuff before. One scene that’s meant to be a major mood-setter involves Bulger testing a member of his alliance by making him think he’s going to kill him for revealing a family recipe, only to laugh it off at the end. The whole time, you’re just waiting for Joe Pesci from "Goodfellas" to pop up and say, “Whaddaya mean, I’m funny? Funny how?”

The feeling you’re not watching something new and fresh is one of the things that stops "Black Mass" from being a great movie. That said, though, it’s a very good movie. Depp, with his piercing, icy blue eyes, is chilling as the cold-hearted crime lord with a severely wonky moral compass. Joel Edgerton is fascinating as the FBI agent who slowly gets further and further away from the right side of the law. Jesse Plemons is fantastic as the muscle with the mangled face -- my only complaint is he’s rather prominent in the beginning of the movie and then fades away.

As for the female characters, well, that’s a different story. It’s not that Julianne Nicholson and Dakota Johnson aren’t great: they do what they do well, given their limited roles. The problem is, here’s another movie where the only job of the women is to yell at and have sex with the men. And I get that this is based on a true story, but I feel the writers could have done a little more to make the women more than just nagging, window dressing.

The story, though, is gripping and well-paced -- lean and tight at just a smidge over two hours, when you know they probably could have easily stuffed it with another 30 minutes of murder and mayhem. Solid writing, directing and acting make "Black Mass" one of the more impactful dramas of the year so far.

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Black Mass Review

13 Nov 2015

NaN minutes

A group of gangsters drive out to a remote location. One of them is a motormouth, so focused on firing his gob off that he can’t see what’s about to come: a bullet to the brain. Stop us if you’ve seen this one before, in GoodFellas , sundry Godfathers and a thousand other Mafia movies that don’t begin with ‘G’. Thankfully, this is as clichéd as Scott Cooper’s Black Mass gets.

That might be because it’s based on a story that, however improbable, is true. Whitey Bulger was a notorious Boston gangster, with a crusading senator for a brother. He did get into bed with the FBI. He did use their influence to help clear his path to the top.

It might also be because Cooper assiduously avoids a Scorsese/Coppola impression, ditching showy camerawork in favour of establishing a tone that starts ditch-dark and becomes increasingly corrosive and oppressive. And it might be because it’s not just a gangster flick.

The crucial decision here, by Cooper and his writers Mark Mallouk and British playwright Jez Butterworth, is to split the focus equally between Bulger (Johnny Depp) and his FBI handler Connolly (Joel Edgerton), a childhood friend of Bulger’s whose strange loyalty to, and almost hero worship of Bulger leads to his downfall. As Connolly slowly succumbs to corruption, Edgerton — skyscraper of hair jutting above his perpetually furrowed brow — is excellent. He’s the standout in a superb ensemble cast (Peter Sarsgaard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon), and more than holds his own opposite the star attraction, Depp.

He hasn't been this intense or vital in years. Welcome back, Johnny.

Depp, of course, has had a rough couple of years. If Australia isn’t threatening to shoot his dogs one minute, then he’s making terrible movies the next. Seemingly lost in a sea of gurning caricatures, it feels like it’s been an age since we saw Depp deliver. He does here, but with caveats. There’s no question that the black mass of the title refers to Bulger, a human cancer slowly destroying everything and everyone around him. There’s also a satanic aura about him, reinforced by Depp’s commitment to looking like the real-life Whitey. The rotting teeth, scaly skin, chalk-white hair and blazing blue eyes are a million miles away from mugging with a moustache, but his otherworldly look may be counter-productive. As powerful as the performance is, it’s ultimately damaged when you’re constantly reminded that that’s just what it is: a performance. Still, he hasn’t been this intense or vital in years. Welcome back, Johnny.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Depp terrifies as dangerously violent real-life gangster.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Loyalty is important, even to criminals. The main

The main character is a violent gangster who kills

Bulger and his fellow violent thugs are shown taki

A few scenes mention sexual activity; a sequence s

Constant, extreme swearing right from the very fir

Adults drink Budweiser and Canada Dry.

Adults drink wine, beer, and hard liquor while soc

Parents need to know that Black Mass is based on the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp) -- the most notorious gangster in South Boston history -- and his relationship with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton). The pair, who were childhood pals, form an alliance to help take down…

Positive Messages

Loyalty is important, even to criminals. The main characters grew up together, and even though one is now an FBI agent and the other is a criminal, they frequently fall back on their longtime bonds and refuse to betray each other.

Positive Role Models

The main character is a violent gangster who kills anyone who gets in his way; he's abetted by corrupt, complicit law enforcement agents -- nobody comes across in a positive way.

Violence & Scariness

Bulger and his fellow violent thugs are shown taking out their enemies throughout the film. They beat people to a pulp, shoot them in the head at close range, strangle them, and leave bloodied corpses on the street, in cars, and more -- and it's all shown in gory close-up. Other killings are seen through graphic crime-scene photos, and still more happen off screen. Bulger is extremely menacing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A few scenes mention sexual activity; a sequence set at a nightclub shows couples dancing and groping each other.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Constant, extreme swearing right from the very first scene. Characters use "f--k" in almost every conversation, and there's plenty of "s--t," "c--ksucker," and "f----t" as well.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Adults drink wine, beer, and hard liquor while socializing/hanging out at a bar. A few characters smoke cigarettes and cigars frequently. The main character is a gangster who controls the local drug trade, though viewers rarely see any drugs being sold or used. A minor character is shown snorting cocaine.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Black Mass is based on the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger ( Johnny Depp ) -- the most notorious gangster in South Boston history -- and his relationship with FBI agent John Connolly ( Joel Edgerton ). The pair, who were childhood pals, form an alliance to help take down Bulger's rivals, and things quickly get complicated ... and very violent. Expect many scenes of graphic brutality as Bulger (who exudes menace at all times) takes out anyone in his way, with gory, close-up scenes of people being shot in the head and beaten to death, as well as a disturbing, graphic strangulation. There's also extensive swearing, including "f--k" in nearly every scene, and plenty of drinking and smoking, as well as a little drug use and some groping and sex references, so this true-crime drama is best saved for older viewers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (5)
• Kids say (4)

Based on 5 parent reviews

Violent true crime drama isnt for kids

Interesting character study but could use more drama., what's the story.

It's the 1970s, and James "Whitey" Bulger ( Johnny Depp ) is the most feared gangster in Boston's underworld -- but few of his fellow thugs know that he's also working with the FBI. John Connolly ( Joel Edgerton ), Bulger's childhood friend, has grown up to become an FBI agent, and the two make a complicated arrangement that's the focus of BLACK MASS. In exchange for protection, Bulger provides information that helps Connolly take down his pal's rivals. That leaves Bulger free to expand his own criminal empire -- and as he becomes more successful, he also becomes even more violent.

Is It Any Good?

The story of James "Whitey" Bulger -- mobster-turned-FBI-informant-turned-fugitive -- is the stuff of great fiction; Black Mass nearly does this rich material justice, but not quite. First, the good stuff: Told in a bracing history-revisited fashion bolstered by close-up "interviews," the film feels like it's allowing audiences into the backstage of a criminal investigation that most aren't privy to -- an effective means to lure viewers in. And the actors don't disappoint; as an ensemble, they're like a finely tuned machine (or, if you prefer, gang) that knows how to move with precision, led by a Depp so intense he could make you quake with his stare (though his over-the-top makeup is a bit distracting).

If only the movie dug as deep as it does wide. There's a Cliffs Notes-version feel to the Bulger we see here, and not much time is spent on getting to know what motivates him -- nor what he was like when he was finally captured. Nonetheless, Black Mass thrills.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Black Mass. Is it more or less disturbing than what you'd see in an action or horror movie? Why? What's the impact of different kinds of media violence?

Black Mass is based on a true story. Do you think Bulger was really as violent as he's portrayed here? Why might filmmakers tweak the facts in movies based on real events? How could you find out more?

Talk about the relationship between Bulger and Connolly. Who's using who? Is the FBI agent corrupt, or is he really trying to clean up Boston? How are the "good guys" and "bad guys" different in this movie?

How does the movie address the idea of good vs. evil? Can people be both? Bulger is clearly a bad guy, but his neighbors love him. How can one person be so many different things to different people?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 18, 2015
• On DVD or streaming : December 22, 2015
• Cast : Johnny Depp , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dakota Johnson
• Director : Scott Cooper
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Warner Bros.
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : History
• Run time : 122 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references and brief drug use
• Last updated : April 27, 2023

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Black Mass Review

This new true crime drama featuring a great johnny depp turn is wicked good..

For those familiar with the Whitey Bulger-FBI saga, Black Mass won't reveal anything you didn't already know, but those who aren't will hopefully leave the cinema realizing that monsters can be created, sustained and set loose by bureaucratic agendas, institutionalized apathy, tribal fealty, and brotherly bonds. And that these same vicious, greedy monsters can also love their siblings, children and heritage as much as you do.

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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times : This is a good, solid, well-executed crime story. Nothing more, nothing less. Read more

Wesley Morris, Grantland : The acting here is much stronger and more soulful than I would have expected, and not only from Depp. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post : Welcome back to the real world, Mr. Depp. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety : Johnny Depp does career-best work as notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger in Scott Cooper's taut, elegantly understated crime drama. Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club : Black Mass more or less limits itself to procedural status. Within those aims, it's a pretty good one, absorbing and well-made. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic : The acting in "Black Mass" is tremendous. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe : The movie's good enough that you should see it if you want to. But you don't have to, and, in these parts, that matters. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader : This is the sort of movie Sidney Lumet might have made in his prime -- intelligently written, handsomely mounted, and loaded with top actors. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune : In scene after scene, some fine actors go to town and dive into the material gratefully. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor : [Depp] holds the screen as pure malevolence. Read more

Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press : It's absolutely chilling to watch Depp. With bad teeth and a head of dramatically receding hair, the actor somewhat resembles Jack Nicholson in The Departed but deftly avoids caricature as he grows more sinister with every murder. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News : With all the talent on board here, expectations go beyond creepiness; unfortunately creepiness is about as far as the movie ultimately goes. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com : If there's a problem with Black Mass, it's that the general arc of the story is well known...its details reflect the plot points of many other gangster films. But it's the getting there that's the thrill. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly : It's a very good film about a very bad man. But as well-crafted and well-acted as it is, it never rises to greatness because we've been watching this story in one way or another going back to the time of Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter : Depp shines in a solid gangster biopic. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times : A bleak, claustrophobic based-on-fact film that draws us completely into a dark world of crime and complicity. Read more

Tony Hicks, San Jose Mercury News : "Black Mass" is a riveting character study and might land Depp an Oscar nomination, even if the film itself is not very ambitious. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald : Black Mass struggles to find something new to say about organized crime and the loyalty between men. But the only thing the film manages to do is remind us we've seen all this stuff done before, and done better. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday : Depp's brutal antihero is the highlight of this compelling if somewhat familiar gangster movie. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker : How much longer must we subscribe, as moviegoers, to the sentimental brotherhood of violence? Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger : There are moments of icy violence, and some great lived-in faces among the characters. But this is no "Goodfellas." It's just another punk, talking tough. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News : Black Mass isn't The Departed, and it's a bit too black and white. But movie mobster fans can relax, cause the movie doesn't need to have a hit taken out on it. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times : I'm as susceptible as any other deskbound, conflict-averse fantasist to the visceral appeal of a good gangster movie. But "Black Mass" isn't one. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer : Black Mass, a down and dirty crime drama based on the exploits of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, is thrilling for a number of reasons. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews : For Black Mass, Johnny Depp has dusted off his A-game, which has lain dormant for far too long. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone : You forgive the zigs, zags, evasions and subplots for the hardcore power of Depp's performance and the film's portrait of moral rot on both sides of the law. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times : It's one of those movies that you don't exactly enjoy (so many guns, so many deaths), but you appreciate for its craft and tension, and for its cast's willingness to lose themselves in the darkness. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle : "Black Mass" is a solid piece of filmmaking, from subtle beginning to the excessive end. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate : Depp's performance as Bulger is as strong, and as energized, as anything he's done on screen for years. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune : "Black Mass" is the sort of gangland film you would call run of the mill, if only it dashed faster. Read more

Christopher Orr, The Atlantic : The role is Depp's best in many years, and a welcome respite from the parade of prancing pseudo-villains-Mortdecai, the Wolf, Barnabas Collins, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka-to which he has devoted far too much of his career. Read more

Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail : Whenever Depp is on screen, nothing else matters. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star : A crime drama that creeps and drips blood like a horror movie, and in many respects it is. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap : This is Depp bringing his skills to the table as a man with a propensity for being both terrifying and charming, often switching between the two on a dime. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out : Johnny Depp is more engaging than he's been in years, even if his performance can feel a little restricted and one-note. Read more

Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun : Propelled by a raw and primal performance by Johnny Depp, Scott Cooper's Black Mass will have you barricading your doors and hiding under the bed after seeing this corrosive gangster film. Read more

Brian Truitt, USA Today : While there's nothing totally new here, Black Mass works the tropes extremely well and sets the scene early in the mean streets of 1970s South Boston. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice : Black Mass is a tightly wound piece of work, and Cooper keeps its many small parts moving with ease. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture : It's as if the spirit of a psychopath like Bulger resists the camera. Or maybe the movie isn't imaginative enough to penetrate his shell. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post : What "Black Mass" gains in moral honesty, it loses in dramatic momentum. Even filmmakers and actors as fine as these haven't managed to solve one of cinema's most enduring challenges - making criminals interesting without exalting them. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal : "Black Mass" isn't pretty, but it certainly is strong. Read more

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – Black Mass (2015)

September 18, 2015 by Robert Kojder

Black Mass , 2015.

Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll and Kevin Bacon.

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Our introduction to Johnny Depp’s James “Whitey” Bulger sees him in a bar with his Winter Hill Gang, staring intensely at a bowl of peanuts for some unknown reason. Nevertheless, it allows us to collect some very important, quick thoughts; the physical transformation on display for Johnny Depp (complete with piercing icy blue eyes and a slicked back receding hairline) paints the revered actor wholly unrecognizable. From minute one we become enamored with what is going through the head of this apparent sociopath, giving off the vibe that he’s ready to go on a rampage. And the second you are done coming to the conclusion that you’re looking at one nasty, evil motherf*****, Whitey begins verbally abusing his henchman for shoving those peanuts into his mouth and dipping his saliva drenched fingers back into the bowl meant for public consumption.

Essentially, to say that Johnny Depp’s performance as the notorious gangster (he actually ended up being second on the FBI’s Most Wanted list right below Osama bin Laden) is the cornerstone of Black Mass would be an enormous understatement. This is unquestionably the charismatic actor’s comeback role, accomplishing everything from resurrecting his career from the gutter, to bringing this delightfully psychotic criminal to life, to placing himself in contention for Best Actor 2015. Simply put, Johnny Depp owns Black Mass , elevating what is admittedly a mediocre gangster affair into something worth remembering.

So where does Black Mass falter? For starters, the structure of the plot is jarringly odd, not really giving viewers a reason to care about the various characters. It’s clear that Whitey alienates himself from society, becoming even more remorseful and terrorizing as key members of his immediate family die off for different natural reasons, but how and why this affects him isn’t really explored. I believe it’s mentioned in passing once, but that’s really it. The movie seems content with depicting Whitey becoming a violent kingpin simply because he could. It obviously wasn’t about the money, since he never fixes his teeth or is seen indulging in expensive clothes or sexual encounters.

There is also the disappointing fact that Benedict Cumberbatch doesn’t get to do much despite playing the state senator brother to Whitey. These two men are respectively the most powerful men in Boston thanks to completely different methods, but that juxtaposition isn’t really explored. The brothers remain close, and that’s really all we gather.

Despite feeling highly isolated from caring about anyone in Black Mass , it conjures up a number of intense scenes, namely a dinner table scene involving a passive aggressive threat about ratting. It’s just one of many scenes that allow Johnny Depp to pop off the screen as a terrifying menace to anyone and everyone, regardless of how strong his relationship may seem with someone. If you cross him, you’re dead.

With that said, a lot of Black Mass ‘ key moments come during the first two acts of the film, along with the majority of the bloodshed. This means that the final act falls relatively flat, ending the movie with more of a whimper than a bang. I realize the filmmakers are trying to stick to reality and not embellish everything into a climactic showdown, but it really is surprising that the movie slowly begins to wrap itself up when it does. Furthermore, you’re still not left caring about anyone going to jail or those that put a stop to the gang’s dominance over South Boston; it’s just stuff that happened.

Again though, not many movies in general can claim to have as electrifying a performance as Johnny Depp in Black Mass . Credit also must go to a strong supporting cast featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon, Corey Stoll, and even Dakota Johnson who shares a very emotional scene when her and Whitey’s son tragically becomes fatally ill. It can’t engage on a level similar to the best mafia films, but Black Mass is a strong showcase for actors featuring some splendidly bloody murders.

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=qvTY7eXXIMg

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Black Mass (United States, 2015)

For Black Mass , Johnny Depp has dusted off his A-game, which has lain dormant for far too long. The actor's transformative portrayal of Whitey Bulger reminds us that Depp, when motivated, can do impressive work. By inhabiting the character rather than merely playing him, Depp deepens an otherwise generic gangster story that often feels familiar (a little like Scorsese-lite). Bulger is by far the most interesting thing about Black Mass and Depp's acting is what gives Bulger his screen presence and intensity.

As a dramatic thriller, Black Mass has trouble getting into low orbit. There are some tremendous scenes but the narrative as a whole feels more like a chronology of dastardly dealings than the epic tale of a criminal's rise and fall. There's a sense that too much of Bulger's life has been compacted into an easily digestible two hours, disallowing the kind of character development that would have made Black Mass a richer, more disturbing experience. We catch glimpses of complex, conflicted relationships but they are never allowed to germinate beyond the basic needs of the story.

Central to Black Mass ' storyline is the relationship between Bulger and Connolly. More a business arrangement than a friendship, this provides Bulger with a degree of immunity and Connelly with a quick ladder to promotion. The film is less successful in developing Connolly than Bulger. Perhaps it's because of the latter's larger-than-life persona but, despite character building scenes between Connolly and his wife, the FBI agent never feels fully formed. The density of Connolly's motivations is only partially explored. To what degree does he allow himself to be manipulated? Is his primary motivation personal gain or is he in awe of Bulger?

Black Mass is not The Next Great American Gangster Film. When Oscar season rolls around, it's unlikely to be found on any Best Picture nomination short lists. However, by putting aside the outrageous Captain Jack-fueled image that has earned him so much money over the past decade, Depp provides a character who transcends the screenplay's weaknesses. He makes Black Mass not merely watchable, but enjoyable. He brings Whitey Bulger to life with force and flair that allow us to forgive the movie's narrative shortcomings.

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In Theaters and Digital

The black mass (2023) - movie review.

Quite frankly, Devanny Pinn ’s directorial debut, The Black Mass , is an above average true-crime affair.  It is a film which, almost immediately, feels fresh and confident and, thanks to an incredible cast, builds its big reveal with a slow burn of methodical approaches toward telling the victim’s stories.

True crime thrillers, when stripped down, rarely feel this real.  The film is disturbing, quite frightening, and delves into the strange and bizarre psyche of a renowned killer - who wants people to call him Ted, as well as the consequences of the violence befallen the victims.  It is quite tastefully done, occurring over a 24-hour winter day.  It even features some bizarro scenes in which we see what this “Ted” character sees when he is fantasizing about the women.

Based on real events in southern Florida, The Black Mass follows an infamous serial killer in 1978 as he carves out the final days which would eventually lead to his end.  Yet, The Black Mass prefers to stay with the victims, bringing them and their lives into focus with stunning clarity.  This is a film where the male gaze destroys with disturbing intensity, yet the female victims are allowed to shine, thanks to some solid ingenuity from cinematographer Noah Luke whose over-the-shoulder approach to the infamous killer works incredibly well.

Written by Eric Pereira and Brandon Slagle , The Black Mass is a film which surprises on many levels due to the artistry involved.  Some of you know the story of this particular true crime story, but the surprise here is in the execution.  It is bold and refreshing, tense and shocking all at the same, and it works to create a mood which is palpable, delicious, and full of all the right ingredients.

Direct from a lauded theatrical run, Devanny Pinn ’s The Black Mass is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital from Cleopatra Entertainment .

MPAA Rating: Unrated. Runtime: 82 mins Director : Devanny Pinn Writer: Eric Pereira; Devanny Pinn; Brandon Slagle Cast: Nicky Whelan; Jeremy London; Kathleen Kinmont Genre : Biographer | Crime Tagline: Memorable Movie Quote: Distributor: Cleopatra Entertainment Official Site: Release Date: February 23, 2024 (limited) DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:  February 23, 2024 Synopsis : Inspired by real events, The Black Mass is set over a 24-hour period in Florida during the winter of 1978 when college girls were being stalked by serial killer Ted Bundy.

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The Black Mass

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Critics Reviews

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'Black Mass' Review: Johnny Depp and Co. Can't Do Mob Tale Justice

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10 Crime Movies With Incredible Action Scenes

The 10 worst shark movies, ranked, george clooney's post-apocalyptic space movie on netflix shouldn't have flown under the radar.

[ This is a re-post of my review from the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.  Black Mass opens today. ]

The true story surrounding notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger and his relationship to the FBI is so sensational that it had to be a movie, but director Scott Cooper fails to provide a compelling angle on this stranger-than-fiction crime drama in his adaptation, Black Mass . Instead, Cooper is content to rely almost entirely on Johnny Depp ’s charismatic-yet-one-dimensional take on Bulger, which is a shame since the film has a far more interesting character in FBI Special Agent John Connolly, who actually has an arc as opposed to being an outright sociopath from start to finish. Unfortunately, focusing on Connolly still isn’t enough to provide the movie with any definition or reason to exist other than to remind us that Bulger was a monstrous mobster.

In 1975, South Boston criminal and Winter Hill Gang leader James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) is courted to become an informant by his childhood pal John Connolly ( Joel Edgerton ), an ambitious FBI special agent looking to take down the mafia in North Boston. Connolly sees their partnership as an alliance—Bulger gets rid of competition, and Connolly cleans up Boston (or at least cleans out the criminals who aren’t affiliated with Bulger). However, Bulger gets the much better end of the deal and he grows from hoodlum to kingpin with the FBI—specifically Connolly—running interference.

Even though the story spans two decades, there’s not much more to the film than that. The protagonist should be Connolly, and with a more polished script, we could have truly delved into a misguided man who made a deal with the devil. Cooper does go in a somewhat interesting direction by showing that Connolly practically idolizes Bulger, but he doesn’t go in depth with that conflict. And although Edgerton gives a solid performance, he portrays Connolly mostly as a slimeball rather than someone who wrestled with the cost of getting into bed with someone like Bulger. That’s too bad because we could have seen a rich, unique character who believes it’s better to work with the devil he knows even if it damns the entire city.

Sadly, Cooper doesn’t devote enough of his story to Connolly, and instead fixates on Bulger but with no specific aim or intent. The Bulger we meet at the beginning of the film is as despicable as the one we see at the end. The monster entrances Cooper, but the character is as cartoonish as any makeup drenched character from Depp’s recent filmography. Hiding behind contact lenses, fake teeth, and a bald cap, Depp relishes playing Bulger, but there’s hardly any nuance to the character even though he’s a captivating figure. Scenes with Bulger’s common-law wife Lindsey Cyr ( Dakota Johnson ) could have been left on the cutting room floor because all they show was the Bulger was occasionally nice to people he liked.

Cooper also skirts up against finding depth in the Bulger’s relationship with his lieutenants Kevin Weeks ( Jesse Plemons ), Johnny Martorano ( W. Earl Brown ), and Steve Flemmi ( Rory Cochrane ), who provide the film’s framing device by informing on Bulger. But the movie rarely gets into why these three men would betray Bulger after twenty years of loyalty. One scene makes the case for Flemmi, but there’s definitely nothing to show why Weeks or Martorano would turn “rat”.

Perhaps if Cooper had explored the notion of loyalty and betrayal more deeply, this framing device would have more weight, but frequently, Black Mass is always chasing after the shiny object. If Depp wants to give a scenery-chewing performance, the director if more than happy to give his star the floor even if the scenes add nothing to the story or any semblance of a larger theme. Casting Benedict Cumberbatch as James’ brother, State Senator Billy Bulger, is almost a distraction since the movie fails to do anything novel with the character. It’s like Cooper couldn’t resist including the reality that Boston’s biggest criminal and one of its most powerful political figures were siblings. But it’s irrelevant in the course of a film if it’s not used for any larger purpose.

And Black Mass has no purpose other than being based on remarkable true events. Unfortunately, now following Crazy Heart and Out of the Furnace , Cooper has shown himself to be a filmmaker who is enamored of ideas, but fumbles badly in the execution despite getting strong performances from his cast. Crazy Heart boils down to an AA ad and Out of the Furnace is a mumbled half-nothing about the struggles of the working class. Black Mass only illustrates the life of Whitey Bulger, turning what could have been a powerful crime film into a dour and exquisite docudrama.

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Black Mass review: Johnny Depp and the make-up problem

• By Bryan Bishop
• on September 18, 2015 09:00 am

At some point in the last 10 years, Johnny Depp crossed the Make-Up Event Horizon. The versatile actor has never been afraid of reaching for prosthetics or wigs when conjuring up his characters, going all the way back to Edward Scissorhands in 1990, but the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl seemed to unlock something. Suddenly, nearly all his major roles ( Alice in Wonderland , Dark Shadows ) became exercises in affectation, while the few that weren’t ( The Tourist , Transcendence ) slipped quickly from public consciousness.

Now Depp is coming back in Black Mass , and for the first time in several years he’s playing an actual human being: notorious Boston gangster Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger, in what’s being hyped as an Oscar-caliber performance. As I stepped into a recent screening, a number of questions ran through my mind. Would he still be able to pull off a nuanced, dramatic role? Had he lost the knack for naturalistic performances that he once showed in things like Finding Neverland and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Would I feel for his take on Bulger, and get a deeper understanding of the man?

After countless prosthetics-laden performances that blurred from one to another in a kaleidoscopic swirl, could Johnny Depp make audiences care?

Black Mass , based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, tells the story of Bulger’s rise from South Boston thug to crime lord — a move he completed with the help of the FBI in the late 1970s. When the movie opens, Bulger is a small-time crime boss, beloved in his neighborhood, but getting squeezed out by the Italian Mafia that’s taken over the North End. His childhood friend, an FBI agent named John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), gets the idea to align himself with the man he grew up with: Bulger will become an FBI informant, feeding the Bureau information so they can take down the Mafia, and in return, the FBI will look the other way when it comes to Bulger’s own activities.

It’s a dicey proposition for both the FBI and Bulger, but Connolly talks both sides into it, and soon Bulger finds himself knocking out his competitors and spreading his criminal operation across the country. But with Bulger’s growing power comes increased audacity and recklessness, and it soon becomes clear to Connolly’s higher-ups that Bulger may be more dangerous than the people he helped bring down in the first place.

Director Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart , Out of the Furnace ), steers the story with confidence, filling it with beautiful compositions and methodical camera moves. He takes a fair share of stylistic cues from Martin Scorsese, including multiple storytelling points of view that make the film feel like a second cousin to Goodfellas or Casino . Cooper continues to prove himself a remarkable actor’s director, with Edgerton’s performance standing out in particular. His John Connolly is a man who can’t come to grips with who he is or even wants to be, putting on airs of false confidence and bravado to convince his wife, bosses, and colleagues of his sincerity and innocence — constantly spinning plates until the Bulger investigation brings everything crashing down.

But there should be no mistaking the fact that this is Depp’s movie, from start to finish. Bulger is onscreen in nearly every scene, and the actor reveals a savagery and intensity we haven’t seen from him before — at least not like this. The word I keep coming back to is "articulated"; he’s pivoting in new directions and pulling levers I didn’t know he had. It’s a glorious contrast to the cackling madmen caricatures that have become his stock in trade, and it shows there’s an entirely different type of character he can tackle if he wants to.

But something keeps the performance from being completely transporting, and it starts with that familiar sticking point: the make-up. Depp wrapped himself in prosthetics to become the balding, blue-eyed Bulger, and at first glance the resemblance is impressive. But in walking, talking action, it’s distracting, nearly alien at times, undercutting the nuance of the performance itself. And despite its many high points and impeccable craftsmanship, I found myself walking away from Black Mass feeling surprisingly empty. Depp’s performances may be remarkable, yes, but that alone isn’t a reason for a movie to exist. There needs to be purpose — it needs to be about something — and Mass doesn’t seem to have much to say beyond what already exists on public record. Depp and Cooper clearly put plenty of work into fully realizing Bulger on screen, but they leave it to the audience to find the broader meaning in his story.

That same concept can serve as a throughline for Depp’s entire career. His willingness to transform himself is fearless and brilliant when in service of character, but it’s hard to find any rhyme or reason to his career choices beyond the bizarre inclinations of an eccentric superstar (see: Mortdecai ), a public-facing role Depp seems all too happy to play. But if Black Mass reminds us of one thing, it’s that those affectations account for a tiny fraction of his considerable talent and presence. The terrifying steeliness in Bulger’s voice and the way he looms over a soon-to-be victim aren’t the result of something he wears; they’re the work of an actor painstakingly modifying his gait, inflections, vocal cadence, and stance. They’re the truest expression of a performer turning themselves into somebody else from the inside out, and proof that even after all this time, audiences haven’t even begun to see everything that Johnny Depp is capable of.

Black Mass is now playing.

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July Fourth violence nationwide kills at least 33, Chicago ‘in state of grief,’ mayor says

Police say two people were killed and three others injured in Independence Day violence in Huntington Beach, California.

The temporary memorial for the Highland Park shooting victims, Katie Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin Michael McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacki Lovi Sundheim, Nicolás Toledo and Eduardo Uvaldo, is seen near 1707 St. Johns Avenue in Highland Park, Ill., Thursday, July 4, 2024, two years after a mass shooting at the parade. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

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Paradegoers with Moms Demand Action march during the Independence Day Parade along Central Avenue in Highland Park, Ill., Thursday, July 4, 2024, two years after a mass shooting at the parade. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Erin Cartwright Weinstein, clerk of the circuit court of Lake County, receives a hug during the Independence Day Parade along Central Avenue in Highland Park, Ill., Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Shootings and other violence during the extended Fourth of July weekend have left at least 33 people dead, including 11 in Chicago, and injured dozens more nationwide, authorities said.

The Fourth of July historically is one of the nation’s deadliest days of the year. A flurry of shootings around the holiday a year ago left more than a dozen people dead and over 60 wounded. And a year before that, seven people died in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago.

Violence and mass shootings often increase in the summer months , with more people gathering for social events, teens out of school and hotter temperatures.

Chicago ‘in state of grief’

In Chicago alone, 11 people had been killed and 55 wounded in shootings as of Friday morning during the extended July Fourth weekend, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The violence included a mass shooting on Thursday that killed two women and an 8-year-old boy.

The recent violence “has left our city in a state of grief,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

A community rally was planned for Friday evening, and the city will beef up police presence over the weekend, Johnson said in a statement.

“We are devastated by the recent violence that has left our city in a state of grief and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted by these recent events,” Johnson said.

Eight people were wounded in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood shortly after midnight Friday. About 90 minutes later, a shooting in the city’s Austin neighborhood injured six. Police said preliminary findings suggest the separate shootings involved an exchange of gunfire between two people who then fled.

Recent violence at a popular Lake Michigan beach in Chicago prompted officials to close it early each night through the holiday weekend as a precaution. The 31st Street Beach has been the scene of recent stabbings and shootings.

Southern California violence

In Huntington Beach, California, two people were killed and three others injured in an Independence Day attack less than two hours after a fireworks show ended, police said. Authorities arrested a suspect after responding to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon Thursday night.

15-year-old boy arrested in Niles, Ohio, shooting, 10-year-old girl dies in Cleveland

In the northeastern Ohio community of Niles, Police Chief Jay Holland said a 15-year-old male was in custody after a 23-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday night at a Fourth of July party at a residence.

A 10-year-old girl, identified as Gracie Griffin, was fatally shot in a Cleveland neighborhood, police said. It is not yet known what sparked the shooting or if she was targeted.

Fatal drive-by shooting in Philadelphia

A 19-year-old man was killed and six others were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia on Thursday night.

The wounded, which included four juveniles, were being treated at hospitals for various injuries that were not considered life-threatening. It is not known yet what prompted the shooting.

Boston-area shootings leave 1 dead, 5 wounded

Three shootings occurred in the Boston area following the city’s Fourth of July celebrations, leaving one man dead. The fatal shooting occurred about 1:30 a.m. Friday in a park near Boston’s South End neighborhood. At about the same time, three other people were wounded in the city’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. A third shooting at a gas station later left a victim with life-threatening injuries.

A 17-year-old male suffered a stomach wound in another shooting Thursday night in a condominium parking lot in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Connecticut woman fatally shot in car

In Connecticut, a woman was found shot in her car early Friday and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police identified her as Shamyria Williams, 23, of Hartford. Relatives told reporters they believed she had just left a Fourth of July party.

Six teens shot at home in Albany, New York

Police in Albany, New York, said six males ranging in age from 16 to 19 were being treated at a hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening after a shooting at a large gathering.

Police responded to reports of a shooting at a home around 12:15 a.m. Friday. None of the victims were found at the scene but police said they located evidence consistent with gunfire in the yard behind the residence and in the street.

One teenager who had been shot flagged down officers along a street a short time later, police said.

Five teens shot during party in suburban Detroit

Five teens were wounded when shots were fired into a crowd following a fight at a party early Friday morning in Pontiac, about 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.

Three of the victims are 14 years old. The other two are 15 years old. All are males. Authorities said they were taken to hospitals with wounds not considered to be life-threatening.

Tampa nightclub shooting wounds 4

Four people were wounded in a shooting early Friday outside a Tampa adult nightclub after an altercation between the club’s security guard and two men, police said.

The two men drove their car to the front of the Pink Pussycat Lounge and one of them shot the security guard with a handgun, police said. The security guard underwent surgery at a hospital and was in stable condition. Three other men suffered unspecified minor injuries. Police said both suspects were arrested and charged with several crimes.

Violence elsewhere

In the Queens section of New York, an 8-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in an apartment in what police described as a domestic dispute. Police said officers later fatally shot a 20-year-old man who held a knife to his 43-year-old father’s throat and refused commands to drop the weapon.

In High Point, North Carolina, a shooting at an unofficial fireworks display left one person dead after a large crowd had gathered in the parking lot of the city about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Raleigh, police said. The victim was identified as Keith S. Lynch, 32, of High Point.

Shootings at two St. Louis-area Fourth of July gatherings left two men dead and five others injured, two critically, police said.

In West Virginia, Charles Speer, 42, of Kermit, died early Friday after being shot multiple times following a physical altercation at the home of another man, state police said.

And a road-rage incident led to the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man in Taneytown, Maryland, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

Earlier Thursday, a police officer serving a warrant in Cleveland and an armed person making threats in Yellowstone National Park were among those killed in other shootings .

Associated Press reporters Rick Callahan in Indianapolis; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida; Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jim Salter in St. Louis; and Karen Matthews in New York City contributed to this report.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, goldilocks and the two bears.

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In Jeff Lipsky's films, it's normal for characters to talk for ten minutes straight, and it's normal for other characters to listen without interrupting. You have to just go with the convention. Or, not. You don't "have" to do anything. If a director doesn't establish a context and style, if the actors aren't skilled enough to pull it off, if the audience is given enough time to think "Wait, what is this person babbling on about?" ... the thing unravels. "Goldilocks and the Two Bears" starts unraveling with the first unmotivated monologue and falls apart from there.

Ivy ( Claire Milligan ) arrives in Las Vegas to start college. She is sharing a condo with her grandmother and finds two squatters holed up there, Ian (Brian Mittelstadt) and Ingrid ( Serra Naiman ). Ivy is terrified, but doesn't call the police. Instead, she takes a long walk with Ingrid, and the two swap lengthy monologues. Then they go back to the condo. A fully naked Ian pees in the toilet and stares at Ivy as she walks by the door. Ivy is not freaked out. Instead, she is titillated.

So far so Goldilocks.

Ingrid is a (former?) junkie, and she doesn't shave her armpits. These are her distinguishing characteristics. Ian barely speaks, and when he does, he says things like: "It was one week after receiving my first blowjob that I decided to become a philosophy professor." There's unconvincing sexual tension between Ivy and Ingrid, and they end up fooling around while simultaneously referencing Immanuel Kant. Ivy giggles as she fingers Ingrid, "There's one too many Germans in bed with us."

Directors present their fascinations for their own particular reasons. Howard Hawks created a certain type of female protagonist so distinct she is referred to as "The Howard Hawks Woman". Lars von Trier wears his obsessions on his sleeve. So did Alfred Hitchcock . So did John Cassavetes , Chantal Akerman , Ingmar Bergman . These directors are obsessed with women, and they made art out of it. Lipsky is equally obsessed but can't manage the art part of it. Instead, we have naked young women talking about stereotypically male-centric Boomer cultural references, like Henry Miller and the Three Stooges, while never being convincing they know about any of these things. These women are lip-synching to Lipsky. It would have been refreshing if Ivy were a happy bimbo.

Ian owns four books: William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Joseph Heller's Something Happened (Catch-22 is obviously too popular for such a rarified mind), the Portable Dorothy Parker, and finally, a slim book called Men and Menstruation, by David Linton. I looked up the last one. Here's the description: "Though a biological characteristic, menstruation is also a complex social construction, one that men play an active role in creating via a process of 'menstrual transactions.' This book explores the means by which menstruation is given meaning through an examination of a wide variety of such transactions." I menstruate and no man plays an "active part" in the process. This confirms my suspicion after seeing Lipsky's " Mad Women ", that Lipsky can't get over the gobsmacking fact that women menstruate and excrete waste. How can women do this while also being sexually attractive to him?

Ingrid reveals she is HIV+. Her sister is trying to get her into a clinical trial, and there's discussion of antiretrovirals and a possible vaccine. The film takes place in 2016 (for some reason), but the HIV dialogue sounds like it's from 1997 when these clinical trials were mainstreamed. (A friend of mine was in the first clinical trial of the antiretrovirals in 1996.) The HIV plot point is a problem mainly because it is a plot point, although I'm not sure what the plot is. It ends up trivializing the issue as well as confusing the history of HIV treatment.

In many ways, the film is a Woody Allen pastiche, or just Woody Allen fanfic, without Allen's sense of humor. Ivy is supposed to be wise beyond her years, just out of the teenager stage, but still with enough wherewithal - and financial means - to have rented what she calls a "sex apartment" for hookups with this one guy. Plausible? I suppose. But not as Ivy is presented here by Milligan, who says everything with a small childish laugh behind her voice. Whether or not you "get" or even like Allen, his sense of humor undercut the self-seriousness of the characters and there's satire present. Is Lipsky satirizing something? And if so, what?

In the Goldilocks story, Goldilocks enters the bears' home and takes over their belongings. It's one of the most popular fairy tales of all time and can be "read" a number of different ways. Goldilocks could be seen as a colonizer, barging in where she doesn't belong. Go home, Goldilocks. Make your own porridge. Here, it's Goldilocks' home, and the two "bears" have barged in uninvited. You could "read" it as a story of corrupted innocence, but Ivy once rented a sex apartment. Good for her, but it muddies the metaphorical waters. Ian has a beard and Ingrid doesn't shave her armpits or pubic hair (this is referenced in the language and visually). Is Lipsky's conception as simple as: Ivy is blonde and smooth, and the other two are hairy like bears? Aren't metaphors supposed to lead somewhere else?

"Goldilocks and the Two Bears" is probably supposed to be "provocative," "shocking," and "playful," the title being what it is. The film is none of these things. I'm not in academia, but I am an educated, liberated woman, and even I Kant figure this out.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Goldilocks and the Two Bears (2024)

136 minutes

Bryan Mittelstadt as Ian

Abby Rey as Irina

Serra Naiman as Ingrid

Russell Koplin as Abigail

Claire Milligan as Ivy

Savannah Schoenecker as Marian

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Scarlett Johansson's new movie debuts with fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating

"Houston, we have a likeable, if somewhat forgettable rom-com."

Directed by Greg Berlanti, the rom-com is set against the backdrop of the 1960s space race and stars Johansson as marketing guru Kelly Jones, who's tasked with fixing NASA's public image ahead of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

However, her presence soon wreaks havoc for NASA launch director Cole Davis (Tatum) and his already-difficult task as the countdown begins.

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Ahead of its release in cinemas on Friday (July 12), Fly Me to the Moon film has landed a 68% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes from 50 reviews at the time of writing.

Here's what some of the critics have been saying:

"Even with its two A-list stars as jet boosters, Fly Me To The Moon' s bloated runtime and messy plotting mean that it doesn't quite make it beyond the Kármán line. Then again, the art of the formulaic rom-com isn't rocket science. Houston, we have a likeable, if somewhat forgettable rom-com – and that's okay."

" Fly Me to the Moon only needs to sell one thing: that beneath Kelly and Cole's fast-paced dialogue and combative flirtation, there exists a mutual attraction compelling enough to keep us guessing. We already know how the lunar mission turns out, but never tire of gazing upon stars such as these."

Related: Scarlett Johansson "shocked" and "angered" over voice controversy

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"The film weirdly blends together romantic comedy, historical drama and conspiracy thriller into exactly the sort of unholy mess that you'd expect. Except no one would expect it to be a numbing 132 minutes long. It's no wonder Tatum looks uncomfortable throughout."

"It's fair to say that Greg Berlanti's film is more successful when it's funny than when it's serious, but it never gets sidetracked by one tone for very long. Instead, Berlanti keeps his film zooming along at a brisk, even breathless clip. Always pressing forward, always shooting off sparks. It's a rocketship ride of a rom-com, and one day – probably not far in the future – I suspect it may be considered a classic."

Fly Me to the Moon is released in cinemas on July 12. It will stream globally on Apple TV+ at a later date.

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The crazy true story behind ‘the man with 1000 kids’—where is jonathan meijer now.

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Jonathan Jacob Meijer

Netflix’s new three-part docuseries, The Man With 1000 Kids, is currently the No. 1 show on the streaming platform. While you’re watching, you might have questions about what happened to the families in real life, including where Jonathan Jacob Meijer is now.

The Man With 1000 Kids recounts the true story of multiple couples and single women who discover that their sperm donor was a prolific donor, fathering hundreds of children across various countries and continents. He donated to 11 sperm banks in the Netherlands (which boasts a population of around 17 million, or just over half that of Texas) and also made private donations.

“You get one life on this Earth — why has he chosen to use his charm and his intellect and his creativity in order to try to procreate on a mass scale and deceive all these people?” the docuseries’ director Josh Allott asks Tudum . “Speaking to lots of different parents that have met him and people that know him well, it seems like it almost became an addiction for him.”

Who Is Jonathan Jacob Meijer?

Jonathan Jacob Meijer is a Dutch musician and YouTuber who allegedly has upwards of 500 children worldwide from sperm donation. Meijer said in a YouTube video in February 2024 that he was inspired to become a sperm donor after a classmate told him he was infertile. Earlier in an October 2023 video, he explained that because he doesn’t have a family history of cancer, diabetes, or genetic diseases, he believed that donating sperm would be a kind thing to do, according to People .

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Meijer comes from a large family and has seven siblings. One of his friends, Patricia, speaks in the docuseries about his childhood. She said that as a young adult, Meijer struggled to find his own identity and constantly circled through jobs and looks. One mother in the series described him as having a “God-like complex,” thanks to his long, flowy blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

While he was donating his sperm in the Netherlands and around the world, he frequently posted to his YouTube channel, where he shared his opinions on everything from cryptocurrency to trying a raw-meat diet.

The Man With 1000 Kids on Netflix.

What Did Jonathan Jacob Meijer Allegedly Do?

Jonathan Jacob Meijer is accused of lying to parents and deceiving them to use his sperm donations to have children around the world. The Man With 1000 Kids details how Meijer used several names like Jacob, Ruud, Walter, and Maarten to communicate with the parents of children he would help to conceive.

Serial donors like Meijer pose significant risks due to the possibility of hundreds of children sharing the same genes. One of the most severe is called consanguinity, which involves sexual relationships or marriages between people with common biological ancestors. This threat is particularly concerning in the Netherlands, where Meijer has made numerous donations within a small geographical area. Three of his offspring even ended up in the same daycare, according to Time.com .

“Children who haven’t been brought up together are more likely to get attracted to each other because they see some familiarities in the face of the sibling,” one mother named Natalie said in the documentary. That feeling of romantic love is also known as the phenomenon called the “Luke and Leia complex,” which is named after the Star Wars characters.

What Happened To The Families Affected By Jonathan Meijer?

Meijer’s sperm donations have impacted hundreds of families, many of which appear in The Man with 1000 Kids. Among them are Suzanne and Natalie from the Netherlands, who believed that they were only one of the few couples he was helping to become parents. There’s also Joyce and John, a couple who were unable to conceive because of an irreversible vasectomy that John endured during his first marriage.

In Australia, Sydney-based couple Laura and Kate learned about Meijer from a Facebook group. Single mom Vanessa felt grateful for Meijer, a sentiment also shared by Nicolette, a single mom and preschool teacher, who learned that one of her colleagues had also given birth to one of Meijer’s children. Eventually, she found more half-siblings in her community, according to Netflix.

In 2021, the New York Times interviewed a Dutch woman named Vanessa van Ewijk about her experience with Meijer. Before Ms. van Ewijk welcomed a daughter with his sperm, he lied and told her that their child was his eighth. She returned to him a few years later, and in 2017, he helped her conceive a baby boy under similar false pretenses.

But she received startling news about Meijer after connecting with another single mother on Facebook who also used him as her donor. The woman told Ms. van Ewijk that Meijer had fathered at least 102 children in the Netherlands through numerous fertility clinics.

Ms. van Ewijk confronted Mr. Meijer, who admitted that he had produced at least 175 children and said there might be more. “He said, ‘I’m just helping women make their biggest wish come true,’” Ms. van Ewijk recalled to the newspaper. “I said: ‘You’re not helping anymore! How do I tell my kids that they could possibly have 300 siblings?’”

How Did Jonathan Meijer Get Caught?

More than 150 parents of Meijer’s children connected online and contacted the Donorkind Foundation for help. The organization, which helps children of sperm donation trace their roots, received more than 30 calls in a single week from mothers concerned that their children had the same father, according to People .

Per Dutch medical guidelines, a donor can only father 25 children to avoid possible incest and psychological problems. However, going over that number is not considered a criminal offense, ABC News reported in 2023.

In 2017, Meijer was banned from donating from the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NVOG). Six years later, in April 2023, he lost a civil lawsuit from the Donorkind Foundation. A Dutch court ordered Meijer to stop donating sperm and subjected him to a 100,000 Euro fine for each future violation. According to Tudum , he was also required to “request that sperm banks destroy any of his semen available to new parents.”

How Many Children Does Jonathan Meijer Have?

The exact number of children that Jonathan Meijer has helped conceive is unknown. Eve Wiley, a fertility fraud activist, told Tudum that he could have 3,000 potential children.

“So with Jonathan and Cryos International, he’s going to Copenhagen once a month for four days for four years. That’s roughly 200 donations, and you can get about 15 straws of sperm per ejaculation. If every straw makes a baby, that could be 3,000 potential children,” she explained. “That is just one sperm bank. And we know that he was in at least 11 sperm banks.”

The Man With 1000 Kids producer Natalie Hill said that while the children will be affected — as well as the children’s children — the impacts will run much deeper. “But every cousin is affected. Everyone who becomes a partner of those children is then affected. Jonathan’s brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, everyone that is connected or becomes connected by making a new family will be affected by his actions.”

Where Is Jonathan Jacob Meijer Now?

Jonathan Jacob Meijer's YouTube page.

Jonathan Meijer continues to travel the world and posts YouTube videos of his trips. Most recently, he was in Zanzibar, a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. In May 2024, Meijer admitted to fathering 550 children, despite previously saying that number was “approximately 250” in 2021.

The serial donor claims he doesn’t know much about The Man With 1000 Kids because he didn’t participate in it. “It’s what they think about me and what others say about me. I was right in not participating for myself, personally, because they first wanted to call it The Fertility Fraudster . That’s not a title I can work with,” he said in a June 2024 video .

The documentary’s director Josh Allott told Tudum that he did meet with Jonathan to speak with him about being in the docuseries. “We approached him a number of times to be interviewed and gave him a right to reply at the end. He refused to comment on any of the allegations in the series.”

The Man With 1000 Kids is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

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More evaluation ordered for suspect charged in stabbings at Massachusetts movie theater, McDonald’s

A judge ordered the extended evaluation after Jared Ravizza, 26, of Chilmark, a town on Martha’s Vineyard, appeared in Plymouth District Court on Monday.

By Associated Press

Jared Ravizza had a history of conspiratorial thinking prior to stabbings

What happened to bruce feldman, suspect in stabbing rampage arraigned, linked to connecticut homicide.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts individual charged with assault with intent to murder after six people, including four girls at a movie theater, were stabbed and wounded in separate attacks, has been re-committed to Bridgewater State Hospital for further evaluation on criminal responsibility.

A lawyer representing Ravizza declined to comment.

Ravizza was arraigned in May in connection with the stabbings of two employees at a McDonald’s in Plymouth.

Ravizza has also been charged with eight counts of assault in connection with the stabbings of the four girls, ages 9 to 17, at the movie theater in Braintree on May 25.

Authorities said that attack occurred before Ravizza drove south to Plymouth, where the fast food workers were stabbed.

A dangerousness hearing has been continued to next week.

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Critic’s Pick

‘MaXXXine’ Review: Fame Monster

Mia Goth returns to Ti West’s horrorverse as an actress fleeing a mysterious stalker and a traumatic past.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

A psychosexual thriller imagined in blood red and cocaine white, “MaXXXine,” the third installment in Ti West’s nostalgia-soaked slasher saga, is part grungy homage to 1980s Hollywood and part sleazy feminist manifesto. Darker, moodier and altogether nastier than its predecessors — “X” (2022) and, later that same year, “Pearl” — this hyperconfident feature is also funny, occasionally wistful and deeply empathetic toward its damaged, driven heroine.

That would be Maxine Minx (Mia Goth), the sole survivor of the dirty-movie cast massacred in “X.” Now a successful porn star, Maxine, eager to break into mainstream movies, has relocated to a Hollywood of spectacular seediness. It is 1985 and, as in real life, a killer known as the Night Stalker is terrorizing the city, the so-called Moral Majority is hyperventilating on the sidelines and rock musicians are fighting accusations of satanic intent. In one pungent shot of Maxine’s boot grinding her cigarette stub into the silent film sex symbol Theda Bara’s star on the Walk of Fame, West underscores the transience of the celebrity status that Maxine so desperately seeks.

“I will not accept a life I do not deserve,” she declares, repeating the mantra taught by her father, a preacher seen in speckled, black-and-white flashback. Securing a role on a low-grade horror sequel brings her under the wing of its industry-toughened director (a perfect Elizabeth Debicki). Yet Maxine is constantly distracted: Her friends are dying, and two homicide detectives (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) want to question her; a Louisiana gumshoe (Kevin Bacon, a skeevy vision in crumpled suits and gold-capped incisors) keeps randomly accosting her; and a mysterious, black-gloved stalker haunts the film’s shadows. No wonder Maxine is plagued by panicked recollections of her traumatic past.

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