The Best Movie Scores of 2021

Join us as we count down the 15 best movie scores from 2021, which was a surprisingly good year for movie music.

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What’s New to Stream on Netflix for January 2022

A dark new series with episodes directed by Benson & Moorhead? Yes please.

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‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Could Fix a Plot Thread from ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

Boba Fett makes a play for Jabba’s throne and possibly stirs the attention of the galaxy’s nastiest criminal empire.

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The 15 Best TV Scenes of 2021

If you're still trying to process the fact that 2021 is coming to a close, you're not alone. Watch some great TV while you think about it, with our list of the year's best scenes.

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The 15 Best Horror Movies of 2021

Some of the year's best horror movies are bloody, others are funny, and a lucky few manage to deliver both.

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The Miraculous Survival of ‘La Grande Illusion’: Jean Renoir vs. The Nazis

If Joseph Goebbels declares your movie "Cinematic Public Enemy No. 1," then you're doing something right.

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Warren Ellis Only Needs 30 Seconds of Footage to Score Your Whole Movie

We chat with the composer about his latest project, 'The Velvet Queen,' and about how he and Nick Cave jam-session their scores into reality.

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Reading ‘Burn After Reading’ As A Shakespearean Tragedy

In which men are spurred by their more conniving counterparts played by Frances McDormand, and the similarities don't stop there.

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‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and How Rewarding Sad Christmas Movies Can Be

The best holiday movies take on the realistic struggles of our lives and turn them into heartwarming stories, including 'I'll Be Seeing You.'

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How John Williams Made ‘Home Alone’ Sound Like Christmas

There's a lot more to composing a banger Christmas soundtrack than sleigh bells.

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12 Movies to Watch After ‘Don’t Look Up’

In this edition of Movie DNA, we look at the movies that came before Adam McKay's satire, including silly disaster flicks and serious documentaries.

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The 15 Best Animated Movies of 2021

We rank the best animated movies of 2021, celebrating the usual suspects as well as some unsung gems. From Pixar to Neon, it was a wild one.

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How They Shot the “Bullet-Time” Effect in ‘The Matrix’

Turns out to "dodge this" you need roughly 120 cameras.

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What Makes ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ Such a Modern Christmas Classic

"I always wanted to die drunk in a nice, old house. I'm halfway there."

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Brandon Maggart Delivers a Killer Santa Character Study in ‘Christmas Evil’

In the pantheon of Killer Santa movies, the conversation begins and ends with Maggart’s quietly tragic performance in Lewis Jackson’s holiday horror classic.

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‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Reignites a Franchise with Action, Love, and Audacity

Fans of awesome things will want to walk through this door with Keanu Reeves, Jessica Henwick, and friends.

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The 15 Best Comic Books of 2021

We've entered a new golden age of comic books, where Dracula, Ed Gein, and a land shark named Jeff compete with the very best superhero stories.

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The 15 Best Action Movies of 2021

From blockbuster epics to an indie comedy from Japan, these are the best action films of the year.

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‘Sing 2’ is a Hollow, Meandering Sequel

We review the animated sequel, which runs away from any real meaning or emotional depth.

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Bizarre and Brilliant: The Absurd Optimism of ‘The Triplets of Belleville’

Why be wholesome or disturbing when you can be both?

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How David Newman Protected Leonard Bernstein with ‘West Side Story’

We chat with the composer about his role in the remake and why he was hired to stand guard over Leonard Bernstein's music.

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The Real Story Behind ‘A Journal for Jordan’

Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie as 1st Sergeant Charles Monroe King, a war hero who left behind a journal full of advice for his son.

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Why Would Anyone Make a ‘Star Wars’ Movie?

Five years after the release of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' we look at the mad mindset it takes for a modern director to tackle George Lucas' franchise.

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All That Glistens: The Many Purposes of Movie Sweat

Get all hot and bothered with this look at the meaningful potential of sweat in movies.

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The 15 Best Movie Trailers of 2021

Movie trailers are an art form unto themselves. And we're nothing if not connoisseurs of art at its finest.

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Cinematographer Dan Laustsen Explains the Murky Noir Aesthetic of ‘Nightmare Alley’

Also: why his partnership with Guillermo del Toro is a match made in film noir hell.

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What It Means for ‘Return of the Jedi’ to Be in the National Film Registry

The Library of Congress now recognizes all three parts of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy for their historical significance. But Lucasfilm has never offered them prints of the original theatrical versions.

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Meet the Grinch Who Stole Hawkeye’s Christmas (Not Mephisto)

And this big guy doesn't need the Multiverse as an excuse for his villainy. He's been lurking in the shadows for a while.

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And, Scene: The Ultimate Guide to Editing Transitions

There are a ton of ways to transition from one scene to the next. Here are nine of the most common.

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The Real Story Behind ‘Casablanca’

While the plot of this iconic movie is not based on a true story, the premise is backgrounded in real events of the time.

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Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ Has Atmosphere to Spare

Bradley Cooper steals hearts, fortunes, and the film itself.

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‘Station Eleven’ is an Expansive, Exceptional Adaptation

The National Book Award finalist about a devastating flu outbreak has gotten the HBO limited series treatment, and the end result is better than we could've imagined.

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The Old School Animation Technique that Makes ‘The Shining’ So Scary

"Mickey Mousing" doesn't sound like it should be terrifying, and yet here we are.

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Once Untimely, ‘The Mortal Storm’ Proves Timeless Years Later

While critics and audiences thought it was untimely in 1940, the themes it explores have proved to be timeless as years have passed.

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‘Licorice Pizza’ is a Rambling, Engaging, and Inconsistent Hang-Out in 70s LA

70s Los Angeles gets a rose-tinted hang-out film.

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‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and How to Survive Creative Burnout

"Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I'm trying to look inside myself and find out how I did it."

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The Unsettling Realities Behind Adam McKay’s ‘Don’t Look Up’

And a look at that asteroid heading for Earth right now (seriously).

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What’s New to Stream on Hulu for December 2021

Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out what’s new on Hulu for December 2021, including a childhood favorite, the return of some favorite comedy series, and more! Hulu Pick of the Month for December 2021 There are far newer […]

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H.P. Lovecraft, ‘Castle Freak,’ and the Pathology of a Preeminent Outsider

In a way....we're ALL castle freaks.

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The Evolution of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Over 75 Years

Many people know it began as a flop and became a classic, but there is much more to the story of Frank Capra's holiday staple.

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‘PEN15’ Forces Us to Grow Up with an Emotional Ending

The final episodes of Hulu's remarkable coming-of-age story ring painfully true for anyone who's ever been a teenager.

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How Misreading ‘Lolita’ Results in the 1990s Erotic Thriller Nymphet

Put on your hazmat suits everybody, this is some toxic stuff.

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The Real Story Behind ‘American Underdog’

The biopic stars Zachary Levy as NFL MVP Kurt Warner.

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Steven Spielberg’s Spectacular ‘West Side Story’ Fails in the Story Department

Some of the casting decisions make this version of the musical better than the 1961 original, and some of the casting decisions make it worse.

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Simu Liu Isn’t Wrong About Qui-Gon Jinn

The 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' star sees the Jedi for what they are. - fools.

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How Hans Zimmer’s Score Hints at the Interconnectedness of ‘Dune’

Let's talk about those bagpipes y'all.

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What’s New to Stream on Amazon Prime for December 2021

Nicole Kidman and Riz Ahmed each stars in a new Amazon Original movie this month.

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Why A Cheek Pinch is the Most Exciting Action in ‘Hawkeye’

Car chases, gunfire, and giant Pym-enhanced arrows are cool and all, but they got nothing on these villainous grabby fingers.

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Remember When the Flight of the Conchords Got “Mugged”?

HBO's short-lived musical series was at its best when the protagonists wandered naively into strange situations, like in this Season 1 episode.

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How They Shot the Carriage Drag Stunt in John Ford’s ‘Stagecoach’

Hay is for horses. Internal organs are for cowards.

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What’s New to Stream on Netflix for December 2021

'Cobra Kai'! Leonardo DiCaprio! 'The Witcher'! Jennifer Lawrence! Netflix is going out with a bang in the final month of 2021.

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Big Feels and Flat Affect: Why Wes Anderson Represses Emotion

Ever wondered why the director of 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' 'The Darjeeling Limited,' and 'The French Dispatch' flattens emotion? We've got a video essay for that.

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Dolph Lundgren Wants Action Without Superheroes

We chat with the director about his movie 'Castle Falls' and why his fight scenes can't afford spandex theatricality.

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All the Horror You Need to Stream in December 2021

Keep the spirits bright (and appeased) with this breakdown of all the horror films hitting (and ditching) streaming services this December.

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