Mike Nichols, EGOT-winning director of The Graduate, died yesterday at age 83. For an acclaimed and decorated filmmaker, Nichols kept a comparatively low profile in the entertainment world, but he leaves behind an impressive lineup of truly great films and television productions, including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Primary Colors, Working Girl, Angels in America, […]
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“I’ve got good news!” Twin Peaks will triumphantly return in 2016
We usually don’t like to comment on ultra-recent entertainment news, but we make exceptions for stories as big as the return of Twin Peaks. Co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost announced today that the cult classic, which enraptured and infuriated a generation that later tried to warn everyone about Lost, will return in 2016 for […]
Continue readingHave war films outlasted our actual wars? xkcd digs for an answer
Randall Munroe’s What If?, one of the most popular new books of the year, scientifically guesstimates the answers to absurd hypothetical questions. Usually these involve pushing the laws of physics to their breaking point, but once in a while, they just deal with situations of absurd, immeasurable scale. After spending a lazy afternoon browsing the […]
Continue readingA eulogy for the Saturday morning cartoon
Yesterday marked the largely unheralded end of a television tradition: the Saturday morning cartoon. For nearly fifty years, network channels devoted a significant portion of their Saturday programming to children’s animated programs, but with the end of The CW’s “Vortexx” block, no major broadcast networks is airing cartoons on Saturday anymore. After years of criticism […]
Continue readingRobin Williams: a funnyman and performer of unparalleled range
We couldn’t let this week pass without acknowledging the unfortunate and far too early death of comedian Robin Williams. We can only add to the immense outpouring of grief over Williams’s death. Many retrospectives have focused on his terrific stand-up comedy and his ability to make us laugh – rightly so – but he was […]
Continue readingRemembering Lauren Bacall, icon of classic Hollywood
Lauren Bacall, one of the last stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died yesterday at age 89. Bacall ranks among the greatest screen icons of the 30s and 40s, starring alongside legends including Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and – most famously – her husband Humphrey Bogart. She was an enduring […]
Continue readingBefore The Interview: films that drew international and political outrage
Among the more unusual recent film headlines, Kim Jong-un has threatened war over an upcoming film, The Interview, that depicts Seth Rogen and James Franco attempting to assassinate the North Korean leader. It’s not often that a mid-budgeted comedy sparks an international crisis and calls for violent retaliation. Come to think of it, has this […]
Continue readingRIP Eli Wallach, supporting actor legend
Audiences might remember him best as Tuco (The Ugly) from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, but Eli Wallach was an actor of enormous range. Working on film and television well into his 90s, Wallach was the ultimate supporting actor, a man whose prolific appearances who brought life to every film in which he […]
Continue readingLet’s talk about X-Men, because you will probably see X-Men
X-Men: Days of Future Past will probably be the biggest movie of the summer. In fact, if you’re reading this, you’re likely considering seeing it. Putting the troublesome allegations about the director aside, Days of Future Past looks to be the best installment in the franchise, and critics largely agree. The all-star cast is by […]
Continue readingRolling Stone names its favorite sci-fi movies from this century
The past decade or so have been great for the science fiction in film. Even beyond superhero movies and blockbusters, genre fare has seen critical celebration. Movies like Blade Runner have been rehabilitated to classic status, and newcomers such as District 9 and Gravity see major award nominations. This is a great time for fans […]
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