Entertainment
2025 Emmy predictions: best actor, limited series/TV movie
As expected, Colin Farrell waddles apart for his nigh-unrecognizable turn as the reimagined Bat-nemesis in “The Penguin.” Farrell has collected many honors for the role, including the SAG Award, and is in front in Round 1 of the BuzzMeter — though not uncatchably so.
“Colin Farrell is just as strong as co-star [Cristin] Milioti in this corresponding category,” says Trey Mangum, “but I do think he has a bit more competition here because Bryan Tyree Henry could very easily be on his heels, the way he elevates ‘Dope Thief.’”
Kristen Baldwin echoes the sentiments of several panelists in elevating Henry above his show: “Though ‘Dope Thief’ was uneven, Brian Tyree Henry’s performance as a small-time crook who ends up on the bad side of a very dangerous cartel was consistently fantastic.”
Tracy Brown agrees Henry is “overdue for some Emmys love,” but says, “Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna make up one of my favorite creative power couples, so it was great to see them reunited in ‘La Máquina.’”
“Doesn’t it feel like Colin Farrell already won the Emmy for his entertaining turn in ‘The Penguin’?” asks Glenn Whipp. “Maybe it’s time to start the Stephen Graham (‘Adolescence’) bandwagon.” Lorraine Ali is already on it: “Stephen Graham’s haunting performance as the father of a teen who’s accused of murder should be at the front of the pack.”
For Graham, who co-created and co-wrote “Adolescence,” an Emmy nom would be the first of his 35-year career (he has shared SAG honors, for instance, for his work in “Boardwalk Empire”).
Matt Roush sums it up, with Farrell favored but many others in play: “Buried under prosthetics yet commanding the screen, Colin Farrell as ‘The Penguin’ looks like the performance to beat … [but] let’s not forget that upstart, Robert De Niro.”
More predictions: Limited / TV movie actress | Limited series
1. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
2. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
3. Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
4. Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
5. Aaron Pierre, “Rebel Ridge”
6. Gael García Bernal, “La Máquina”
7. (tie) Robert De Niro, “Zero Day”
7. (tie) Josh Andrés Rivera, “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez”
Los Angeles Times
Lorraine Ali
1. (tie) Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
1. (tie) Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
1. (tie) Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
4. Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
5. Robert De Niro, “Zero Day”
“Stephen Graham’s haunting performance as the father of a teen who’s accused of murder should be at the front of the pack. ‘Dope Thief’ may not be this year’s strongest limited series, but Brian Tyree Henry is stellar as a mild-mannered thief who makes a living ripping off dope dealers.”
Entertainment Weekly
Kristen Baldwin
1. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
2. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
3. Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
4. Gael García Bernal, “La Máquina”
5. Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
“Though ‘Dope Thief’ was uneven, Brian Tyree Henry’s performance as a small-time crook who ends up on the bad side of a very dangerous cartel was consistently fantastic.”
Los Angeles Times
Tracy Brown
1. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
2. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
3. Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
4. Gael García Bernal, “La Máquina”
5. Jimmy O. Yang, “Interior Chinatown”
“Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna make up one of my favorite creative power couples, so it was great to see them reunited in ‘La Máquina,’ where the former plays an aging boxer who is feeling the repercussions of his chosen profession. And the always-fantastic Bryan Tyree Henry is overdue for some Emmys love.”
Shadow and Act
Trey Mangum
1. Aaron Pierre, “Rebel Ridge”
2. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
3. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
4. Josh Andrés Rivera, “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez”
5. Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”
“Colin Farrell is just as strong as co–star [Cristin] Milioti in this corresponding category, but I do think he has a bit more competition here because Bryan Tyree Henry could very easily be on his heels, the way he elevates ‘Dope Thief.’”
TV Guide
Matt Roush
1. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
2. Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
3. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
4. Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
5. Robert De Niro, “Zero Day”
“Buried under prosthetics yet commanding the screen, Colin Farrell as ‘The Penguin’ looks like the performance to beat. Stephen Graham as the grieving dad in ‘Adolescence’ and Brian Tyree Henry’s desperate ‘Dope Thief’ are also worthy. And let’s not forget that upstart Robert De Niro.”
Los Angeles Times
Glenn Whipp
1. Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
2. Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
3. Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
4. Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
5. Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror”
“Doesn’t it feel like Colin Farrell already won the Emmy for his entertaining turn in ‘The Penguin’? No? That was the Golden Globes. And the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Maybe it’s time to start the Stephen Graham (‘Adolescence’) bandwagon.”
Movie Reviews
Movie Review – Desert Warrior (2026)
Desert Warrior, 2026.
Directed by Rupert Wyatt.
Starring Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley, Ghassan Massoud, Sharlto Copley, Sami Bouajila, Lamis Ammar, Géza Röhrig, Numan Acar, Nabil Elouahabi, Hakeem Jomah, Ramsey Faragallah, Saïd Boumazoughe, and Soheil Bostani.
SYNOPSIS:
An honorable and mysterious rogue, known as Hanzala, makes himself an enemy of the Emperor Kisra after he helps a fugitive king and princess in the desert.
With aspirations of being a historical epic harkening back to the sword and sandal blockbusters of yesteryear, Rupert Wyatt’s seventeenth-century Arabia tale is about as generic and epically dull as one would expect from a film plainly titled Desert Warrior. Yes, there appear to be real locations here, and there are some admittedly sweeping shots of various tribes storming into battle on horseback and camels, but it’s all in service of a mess that is both miscast and questionable as the work of a filmmaking team of mostly white creatives.
The story of Emperor Kisraa (Ben Kingsley, a distracting presence even with only one or two scenes) rounding up women from other tribes to be his concubines, which inevitably became the catalyst for a revolution led by Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart), uniting all the divided clans and strategizing battle plans for flanking and poisoning, is undeniably ripe for cinematic treatment. The problem is that what’s here from Rupert Wyatt (and screenwriters Erica Beeney, Gary Ross, and David Self) is less than nothing in the primary creative process; no one seems to have a connection to Arabic heritage or culture, but they have made a flat-out boring film that is often narratively incoherent.
Following the death of her father and escaping the clutches of oppression, the honorable Princess Hind joins forces with a troubled, nameless bandit played by Anthony Mackie (he totally belongs here…), who seems to be here solely to give the movie some star power boost without running the risk of white savior accusations. Whatever the case may be, it’s jarring, but not quite as disorienting as how little screen time he has despite being billed as the lead and how little characterization he has. It is, however, equally disorienting as some of the other names that show up along the way.
As for the other factions, Princess Hind talks to them one by one, giving the film an adventure feel that fails to capitalize on using beautiful scenery in striking or visually poignant ways at almost every turn; the leaders of these tribes also often have no character. There also isn’t much of an understanding of why these tribes are at odds with one another. This movie is filled with dialogue that consistently and shockingly amounts to vague nothingness. Nevertheless, each tribe doesn’t take much convincing to begin with, meaning that not only is the film repetitive, but it’s also lifeless when characters are in conversation.
That Desert Warrior does occasionally spring to life, and a bloated 2+ running time is a small miracle. This is typically accomplished through the occasional fight scene between factions that also serves to demonstrate Princess Hind coming into her own as a warrior. When the tribes are united in a massive-scale battle, and that plan is unfolding step by step, one certainly sees why someone would want to tell this story and pull it off with such spectacle. However, this film is as dry as the desert itself.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/playlist
Entertainment
Eddie Murphy’s son and Martin Lawrence’s daughter welcome first child: ‘That baby gonna be funny!’
Eddie Murphy is celebrating not just his lifetime achievement award, but also the arrival of his third granddaughter, perhaps the funniest baby alive.
Murphy’s son Eric and Martin Lawrence’s daughter Jasmin have welcomed their first child together, baby Ari Skye.
On Saturday, Murphy was honored with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala in Hollywood and told reporters that he had recently celebrated back-to-back milestones.
“I just had my first grandson two months ago, and I had my third granddaughter two weeks ago. And I turned 65 a month ago,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” ahead of the gala. “It’s raining blessings on me.”
The ceremony celebrated his storied career across comedy and film, and featured tributes from fellow funnyman Dave Chappelle and “Shrek” co-star Mike Myers. The special will premiere May 31 on Netflix.
The “Dr. Dolittle” star also gushed about his new grandbaby to E! News, and told the outlet that being honored for his work was “a wonderful thing” but that his legacy wasn’t his work.
“My legacy to me is my children,” he said.
Asked whether he or Lawrence offered their kids any parenting advice as they prepared to welcome Ari Skye, Murphy said he’s more of a lead-by-example kind of dad.
“You don’t give advice like that,” he told the outlet. “Your kids don’t go by your advice. Your kids go by the example you set. They watch you. Stuff you be saying, they don’t even pay that no mind. They watch and see what you do.”
In March, Jasmin and Eric posted photos from their lavish baby shower on social media. The shindig included a three-tiered pink cake, pink cocktails garnished with meringue that looked like clouds and balloons galore. “The most beautiful and special celebration for our baby girl,” the couple captioned the post. “Thank you to our parents and everyone that made this day so magical! Ari Skye Murphy, you are SO loved already!!”
Excitement around Ari Skye’s arrival had been brewing in the media long before the couple even announced they were expecting. Murphy joked about a potential grandbaby when Jasmin and Eric were dating back in 2024, during an interview with Gayle King.
“They’re both beautiful,” he said. “They look amazing together. And it’s funny — everybody’s like, ‘That baby gonna be funny!’ Like our gene pool is just going to make this funny baby.”
Murphy agreed, saying: “If they ever get married and have a child, I’m expecting the child to be funny.”
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