From left, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, Rukiya Bernard, Christina Ricci and Melanie Lynskey arrive at the premiere of "Yellowjackets" on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at Hollywood Legion in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Another weekend, another chance to binge some content! Cheddar's Digital Team recommends DC's 'Peacemaker,' the quirky 'Letterkenny' Season 10, the hot Showtime drama 'Yellowjackets,' and the overlooked Soderbergh heist-flick 'No Sudden Move.'
Peacemaker - HBO Max
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
One of the many highlights of James Gunn's Suicide Squad movie was the delightfully earnest, sociopathic minor character codenamed Peacemaker played by former pro wrestler John Cena. He loves peace so much, he's willing to cause an extreme amount of violence to get it. Yeah, he's not subtle, but Cena's weirdly awkward take on the bloody D-list vigilante from DC Comics proved so enjoyable, HBO Max gave him his own series. Cena is also joined by a misfit group of government handlers and a trained pet bald eagle to round out the bizarre project. The series kicked off today with the first three episodes.
Letterkenny: Season 10 - Hulu
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
I have no idea how Season 10 of Letterkenny slid into Hulu over the holidays without my noticing, but now that it's here, I can't wait to begin! The sitcom stars the series' co-creator Jared Keeso as Wayne, a folksy farmer in Ontario, Canada, who has strong morals, foul-mouthed friends, and lots of time to kill. The sitcom started as a YouTube series and was turned into a full-fledged TV program in 2016. Pro tip: Turn on closed captioning so you don't miss any of the hysterical one-liners in the fast-talking, slang-filled scenes.
Yellowjackets - Showtime
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
Can you imagine having to eat some of your best friends in order to survive in the remote wilderness? Showtime's Yellowjackets explores the story of a wildly successful New Jersey high school girls soccer team who survived a plane crash in a thick Ontario forest. In the beginning, hopes and spirits are high that the team would be rescued but after several days, that hope dwindles, despair sets in, and they go into survival mode. Days turned into 19 staggering months in the wilderness, during which time chaos and cannibalism became the norm. Over the course of the series, the survivors, over 25 years later, begin to reveal the truth behind their survival story. The season finale airs Sunday, January 16.
No Sudden Move - HBO Max
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
I'm still in 2021 catch-up mode over here, so this week I finally saw one of the year's most unheralded movies. No Sudden Move, which was quietly released on HBO Max back in June, is the latest from Steven Soderbergh, the prolific director-cinematographer behind Ocean's 11 and its sequels. This is also sort of a heist film, but it's set in postwar Detroit and is centered around a plot to steal GM's plans for the catalytic converter (the device that reduces emissions in automobiles). It's a funky period piece with a stellar cast, including Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle, David Harbour, and Julia Fox. If you like a good caper, don't sleep on this one.
Looking for more to watch? Check out our recommendations from last week and the week before.
The six-month trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has come to an end with the former tech startup star found guilty of four out of 11 counts of fraud. Michael S. Weinstein, Esq, chair of the white collar criminal defense practice at Cole Schotz, and former Department of Justice trial attorney, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss what happens next for the former mogul. "Do I think it's going to be more than five or seven years? Probably yes. I think that's probably a fair range at this point," he said about her potential prison sentence.
We are just one day away from what has been called the most influential tech event in the world. CES 2022 will officially kick off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but the annual tech summit is being impacted by COVID-19, like so many other recent events. The Consumer Technology Association originally planned for a hybrid event to take place from January 5-8, with some in-person events and some virtual; however, a few big-name companies announced they will not be attending in-person, so the CTA decided to shorten the event by one day, with it now ending on Friday. Consumer electronics senior analyst Will Greenwald joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
