‘Leverage: Redemption’ is a Satisfying Second Act

Before the recession of 2020, the last worst Great Recession this country had ever experienced was the 2008 financial crisis. Amidst that backdrop — the exposure of reckless banking practices that introduced the world to the phrase “subprime mortgages” — a show...

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‘Fear Street: Part 1 – 1994’ Offers Up a Bloody Love Letter to 90s Slashers

While the 70s and 80s remain the golden era for slasher films, you’d be a fool to dismiss the output from the 90s. Franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th were on their way out, and more savvy fare like Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did...

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Everything We Knew About ‘Loki’ Was Wrong

Marvel Explained is our new ongoing series where we delve into the latest Marvel shows, movies, trailers, and news stories to divine the franchise’s future. In this entry, we explore Loki Episode 4 (“The Nexus Event”) and its end credits scene and unravel the...

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From Agitprop to Artistic Rebellion: A Brief History of Soviet Animation

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video essay on the history of the animation output of the Soviet Union. Animation created under Soviet rule is a little bit like porn:...

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The Ending of ‘Mad Men’ Explained

Ending Explained is a recurring series in which we explore the finales, secrets, and themes of interesting movies and shows, both new and old. This time, we consider two ways of looking at the ending of the TV series Mad Men. Yes, prepare for spoilers. Ending...

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The Secret Behind Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka

Acting is an art form, and behind every iconic character is an artist expressing themselves. Welcome to The Great Performances, a bi-weekly column exploring the art behind some of cinema’s best roles. In this entry, we examine Gene Wilder’s Golden Globe-nominated...

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‘Black Widow’ Kicks Off Marvel’s Phase Four with Action and Heart Aplenty

Movies get delayed for all manner of reasons, but few feel as overdue as Black Widow. Not only was its release held back more than a year because of the pandemic, but its actual production was delayed far longer. Talks began more than a decade ago about giving...

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How They Shot the No Parachute Skydiving Scene in ‘Point Break’

Welcome to How’d They Do That? — a monthly column that unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off. This entry explains how they shot the parachute-less skydiving scene in Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break. What’s better...

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‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ and the Question of Robotic Love

What does it mean to be human? You’re probably rolling your eyes at that ridiculously abstract and oversimplified question, which is asked way too often. And it’s not really worth entertaining with a response, anyway, because how can you possibly get to the heart...

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A Brief History of Mel Brooks, David Lynch and ‘The Elephant Man’

Brief History is a column that tells you all you need to know about your favorite — and not-so-favorite — pop culture topics. This entry tells the story of how Mel Brooks hired David Lynch to direct The Elephant Man.  His shirt was buttoned — always buttoned...

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‘F9: The Fast Saga’ Continues Running On and Inhaling Its Own Empty Fumes

The term “too big to fail” is typically reserved for corporations that reap enormous profits, pay their executives exorbitant bonuses, and then come running for a taxpayer-funded bailout when times get tough, but modern day Hollywood has claimed the term in their...

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