Best McZant Podcasts (2024)

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Ep 72 - The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 52:37

4M ago52:37

52:37

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a 2023 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. Based on the 2020 novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, it serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012), and is the fifth installment in The Hunger …

1
Ep 71 - Arrival 51:52

6M ago51:52

51:52

Arrival is a 2016 American science fiction drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted by Eric Heisserer, who conceived the project as a spec script based on the 1998 short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. The film stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a linguist enlisted by the United States Army to discover how to communicate with ext…

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Ep 70 - Lion 1:05:41

1y ago1:05:41

1:05:41

Lion is a 2016 Australian biographical drama film directed by Garth Davis (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Luke Davies based on the 2013 non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. The film stars Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, and Nicole Kidman, as well as Abhishek Bharate, Divian Ladwa, Priyanka B…

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Ep 69 - Where the Crawdads Sing 1:17:49

1y ago1:17:49

1:17:49

Where the Crawdads Sing is a 2022 American mystery and drama film based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Delia Owens. It was directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay by Lucy Alibar, and was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Daisy Edgar-Jones leads the cast featuring Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Ster…

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Ep 68 - Breaking Dawn Part 1 & 2 1:09:33

1+ y ago1:09:33

1:09:33

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (or simply Breaking Dawn – Part 2) is a 2012 American romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2008 novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The sequel to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011), it is the fifth installment in The Twilight Sa…

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Ep 67 - Eclipse 1:01:49

1+ y ago1:01:49

1:01:49

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, commonly referred to as Eclipse, is a 2010 American romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2007 novel of the same name and the 2010 companion novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. It is the third installment of The Twilight Saga film series, following 2008's Twilight and 2009's New Moon. Summit Entertai…

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Ep 66 - New Moon 55:46

1+ y ago55:46

55:46

The Twilight Saga: New Moon, commonly referred to as New Moon, is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2006 novel New Moon. It is the second film in The Twilight Saga film series and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight. …

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Ep 65 - Twilight 54:52

1+ y ago54:52

54:52

Twilight is a 2008 American romantic fantasy film based on Stephenie Meyer's 2005 novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series. This film focuses on the development of the relationship between Bella Swan (a teenage girl) and Edward…

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Ep 64 - Divergent 56:38

1+ y ago56:38

56:38

Divergent is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shahbazian, and Douglas Wick, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Shailen…

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Ep 63 - Snowpiercer (2013) 56:20

2y ago56:20

56:20

Snowpiercer is a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction action film based on the French graphic climate fiction novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by Bong and Kelly Masterson. A South Korean-Czech co-production, the film marks Bong's English-language deb…

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Ep 62 - Practical Magic (1998) 1:00:58

2y ago1:00:58

1:00:58

Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy romantic comedy film based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. The film was directed by Griffin Dunne and stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Quinn, and Goran Višnjić.By The McZants

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Ep 61 - Tipping the Velvet 1:07:45

2y ago1:07:45

1:07:45

Tipping the Velvet is a 2002 BBC television drama serial based on the best-selling 1998 debut novel of the same name by Sarah Waters. It originally screened in three episodes on BBC Two and was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Sally Head Productions. It stars Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes, and Jodhi May.…

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Ep 60 - Dune (2021) 55:48

2y ago55:48

55:48

Dune (titled onscreen as Dune: Part One) is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, primarily covering the first half of the book. Set in the far future, the film follows Paul Atreides as…

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Ep 59 - Maid (2021 Netflix miniseries) 1:06:14

2y ago1:06:14

1:06:14

Maid is an American drama limited series created for Netflix by Molly Smith Metzler. The series is inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive. Its story focuses on a young mother who escapes an abusive relationship, subsequently struggling to provide for her daughter by getting a job cleaning houses…

1
Ep 58 - Maid (2021 Netflix miniseries) 58:04

2+ y ago58:04

58:04

Maid is an American drama limited series created for Netflix by Molly Smith Metzler. The series is inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive. Its story focuses on a young mother who escapes an abusive relationship, subsequently struggling to provide for her daughter by getting a job cleaning houses…

1
Ep 57 - Maid (2021 Netflix miniseries) 57:28

2+ y ago57:28

57:28

Maid is an American drama limited series created for Netflix by Molly Smith Metzler. The series is inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive. Its story focuses on a young mother who escapes an abusive relationship, subsequently struggling to provide for her daughter by getting a job cleaning houses…

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Ep 56 - Maid (2021 Netflix miniseries) 1:08:12

2+ y ago1:08:12

1:08:12

Maid is an American drama streaming television limited series inspired by Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, created by Molly Smith Metzler, that premiered on Netflix on October 1, 2021. Alex Russell, a domestic abused single mom, leaves her abuser with her two-year-old daughter to a shelter and gets a…

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Ep 55 - The Lottery 24:57

2+ y ago24:57

24:57

"The Lottery" is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 25, 1948, issue of The New Yorker. The story describes a fictional small town which observes an annual rite known as "the lottery", in which a member of the community is selected by chance. The shocking consequence of being selected in the lottery is revealed onl…

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Ep 54 - Roadside Picnic/ Stalker (1979) 1:37:39

2+ y ago1:37:39

1:37:39

Chapter One Takes Random Acts of Cinema on a picnic. Stalker (Russian: Сталкер, is a 1979 Soviet science fiction art drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky with a screenplay written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, loosely based on their 1972 novel Roadside Picnic. The film combines elements of science fiction with dramatic philosophical and psycho…

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Ep 53 - Children Of Men 56:33

2+ y ago56:33

56:33

Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction action-thriller film[4][5][6][7] co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel The Children of Men, was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredited contributions. The film takes place in 2027, when two decades of human infertility have left socie…

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Ep 52 - Dune (1984) live episode with Brendon Bennetts and Ciarán Searle! 1:29:54

2+ y ago1:29:54

1:29:54

Dune is a 1984 American epic science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch and based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan (in his film debut) as young nobleman Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco…

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Season 2 - The review episode 1:29:29

2+ y ago1:29:29

1:29:29

Maddy and Briana take a trip down memory lane to discuss all the beautiful books they have read this past season.By The McZants

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Ep 51 - Frankenstein (1818) - Novel to Stage review 59:56

2+ y ago59:56

59:56

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on…

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Ep 50 - In the Time of the Butterflies 59:21

2+ y ago59:21

59:21

In the Time of the Butterflies is a 2001 feature film, produced for the Showtime television network, directed by Mariano Barroso and based on Julia Álvarez's book of the same name. The story is a fictionalized account for the lives of the Mirabal sisters, Dominican revolutionary activists, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and were as…

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Ep 49 - Half of a Yellow Sun 1:13:49

2+ y ago1:13:49

1:13:49

Half of a Yellow Sun is a 2013 Anglo-Nigerian drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and based on the novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The film is historical fiction that follows two sisters who are caught up in the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandiwe Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph…

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Ep 48 - The Whale Rider 50:03

3y ago50:03

50:03

Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand-German family drama film written and directed by Niki Caro. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera, the film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a twelve-year-old Māori girl whose ambition is to become the chief of the tribe. Her grandfather Koro Apirana believes that this is a rol…

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Ep 47 - Once (2007) - Film to Stage review 41:40

3y ago41:40

41:40

Once is a 2007 Irish romantic musical drama film written and directed by John Carney. The film stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as two struggling musicians in Dublin, Ireland. Hansard and Irglová had previously performed music as the Swell Season, and composed and performed the film's original songs. Once spent years in development with the I…

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Ep 46 - Hidden Figures (2016) 1:17:44

3y ago1:17:44

1:17:44

Hidden Figures is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Melfi and Allison Schroeder. It is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about African American female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Spac…

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Ep 45 - Sense and Sensibility (1995) 56:45

3y ago56:45

56:45

Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 period drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel of the same name. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and stars as Elinor Dashwood, while Kate Winslet plays Elinor's younger sister Marianne. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as the…

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Ep 44 - The Color Purple (1985) 1:02:41

3y ago1:02:41

1:02:41

The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name.By The McZants

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Ep 43 - Rebecca (2020) 59:48

3y ago59:48

59:48

Rebecca is a 2020 British romantic thriller film directed by Ben Wheatley from a screenplay by Jane Goldman, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse. The film is based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. The film stars Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Keeley Hawes, Ann Dowd, and Sam Riley. Rebecca was released in selec…

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Ep 42 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 58:09

3y ago58:09

58:09

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a 2018 historical romantic-drama film directed by Mike Newell and written by Don Roos and Tom Bezucha. The screenplay is based on the 2008 novel of the same name, written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The film stars Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Glen Powell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Katheri…

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Ep 41 - Cousins (2021) 1:09:15

3y ago1:09:15

1:09:15

3 Māori cousins. Mata, introverted, watchful, a seer of spirits, the child of a Māori mother and an abusive Pākehā (white) father. Makareta, raised to be the princess of her tribe, spoilt and educated in both worlds. Missy, cheeky, insecure and often overlooked, the heartbeat of her family. Stolen from her whānau, placed in an orphanage and watched…

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Ep 40 - Carol (2015) live show with Ray Shipley! 1:06:44

3y ago1:06:44

1:06:44

Carol is a 2015 romantic drama period film directed by Todd Haynes. The screenplay by Phyllis Nagy is based on the 1952 romance novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (republished as Carol in 1990). The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, and Kyle Chandler. Set in New York City during the early 1950s, Carol tell…

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Ep 39 - Disobedience 58:08

3y ago58:08

58:08

Disobedience is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio and written by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman. The film stars Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola. Set in North London, it tells the story of a woman who returns to the strict Orthodox Jewish community for…

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Ep 38 - Dragon Rider (2021) 56:33

3y ago56:33

56:33

Dragon Rider (German: Drachenreiter) is a 2020 German animated fantasy film based on the novel of the same name by Cornelia Funke. The film was to be released in theatres on August 6, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film release was finally postponed to October 1, 2020. Firedrake is a young silver dragon, who has had enough of cons…

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Ep 37 - How Stella Got Her Groove Back 56:31

3y ago56:31

56:31

How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, adapted from Terry McMillan's best-selling 1996 novel of the same title. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs (in his film debut), Whoopi Goldberg, and Regina King. The original music score was composed by Michel Colombier. Race-bait…

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Ep 36 - The Dry (2021) 1:02:42

3+ y ago1:02:42

1:02:42

Links for support - https://nzfvc.org.nz/links https://rpe.co.nz/find-your-local-support-service/ Trigger Warning - this episode discusses sensitive topics such as domestic violence and rape. The Dry is the 2016 debut novel by Australian author Jane Harper. The book has won numerous international awards and has sold more than 1 million copies world…

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Ep 35 - The Witches (2020) 47:18

3+ y ago47:18

47:18

Roald Dahl's The Witches is a 2020 Mexican-American dark fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis, Kenya Barris, and Guillermo del Toro. It is based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl and is the second feature-length adaptation of the novel, after the 1990 film of the same name directed by Nicolas Roeg. …

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Ep 34 - Juliet, Naked 57:49

3+ y ago57:49

57:49

Juliet, Naked is a novel by the British author Nick Hornby published in 2009. It tells the story of Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of obsessed music fan Duncan, and the object of his obsession, singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe. The plot revolves around the release of Juliet, Naked, the first new Tucker Crowe release in over two decades. Juliet,…

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Ep 33 - The One and Only Ivan (2020) 54:59

3+ y ago54:59

54:59

The One and Only Ivan is a children's novel written by K. A. Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Castelao. The book is about a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lived in a cage at a mall. The novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla. In 2013, it was named the winner of the Newbery Medal. It has won several other …

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Ep 32 - The Joy Luck Club (1993) 55:27

3+ y ago55:27

55:27

The Joy Luck Club is a 1989 novel written by Amy Tan. It was also eventually turned into a short story. It focuses on four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco who start a club known as The Joy Luck Club, playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods. The book is structured somewhat like a mahjon…

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Ep 31 - The Secret Garden (2020) 39:07

3+ y ago39:07

39:07

The Secret Garden is a 2020 British fantasy drama film based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the fourth film adaptation of the novel. Directed by Marc Munden and produced by David Heyman, it stars Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth, and Julie Walters. Set in 1947 England, the plot follows a young orphan who is sent to live w…

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Ep 30 - The Miseducation of Cameron Post 1:11:24

3+ y ago1:11:24

1:11:24

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 drama film directed by Desiree Akhavan and written by Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele, based on the 2012 novel by Emily M. Danforth. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, Marin Ireland, Owen Campbell, Kerry Butler, Quinn Shephard, Emily Skeggs, Melanie Ehrlich, and Je…

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Ep 29 - Can You Ever Forgive Me (2018) 1:04:30

3+ y ago1:04:30

1:04:30

Can You Ever Forgive Me is a 2018 American biographical film directed by Marielle Heller and with a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, based on the 2008 confessional memoir of the same name by Lee Israel. Melissa McCarthy stars as Israel, and the story follows her attempts to revitalize her failing writing career by forging letters fr…

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Ep 28 - The Patience Stone (2012) 56:56

3+ y ago56:56

56:56

The Patience Stone (Persian: سنگ صبور‎) is a 2012 French-Afghan war drama film directed by Atiq Rahimi, based on his 2008 novel of the same title. Written by Jean-Claude Carrière and the director, the film stars Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan, Massi Mrowat, and Hassina Burgan. The film was selected as the Afghan entry for the Best Foreign Lang…

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Ep 27 - Tracks (2013) 1:06:56

3+ y ago1:06:56

1:06:56

In 1977, Robyn Davidson set off from Alice Springs for the Indian Ocean on the west coast of Australia, with a dog and four camels, Dookie (a large male), Bub (a smaller male), Zeleika (a wild female), and Goliath (Zeleika's offspring). She had no intention of writing about the journey, but eventually agreed to write an article for the magazine Nat…

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Ep 26 - Crazy Rich Asians 1:06:54

3+ y ago1:06:54

1:06:54

Crazy Rich Asians is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by Jon M. Chu, from a screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the 2013 novel of the same title by Kevin Kwan. The film stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Yeoh.By The McZants

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Ep 25 - Artemis Fowl (2020) 53:22

3+ y ago53:22

53:22

Artemis Fowl (known in certain territories as Artemis Fowl: The Secret World) is a 2020 American science fantasy adventure film based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Irish author Eoin Colfer. It is directed by Kenneth Branagh, from a screenplay co-written by Conor McPherson and Hamish McColl. The film stars Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Josh G…

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Ep 24 - The Hate U Give 1:03:14

3+ y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

The Hate U Give is a 2018 American film directed by George Tillman Jr. with a screenplay by Audrey Wells, based on the 2017 young adult novel of the same name by Angie Thomas. The film stars Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Common, and Anthony Mackie, and follows the fallout after a high school student witnesses a police shoo…

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