If there was ever a writer who should be allowed to run amok on a movie, with no apparent oversight or control, that writer is not Aaron Sorkin. It pains me to say this, both because I’m a fan of his and because 2017 desperately needs some good movies at the end of the year,…
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the debut of Gossip Girl, which should make all of us feel old. Since this show was one of the formative ones of my adolescence (which probably explains a lot about me), I feel compelled to eulogize it in an excessively long look back. You’ve been warned. In the mid-2000s,…
(Note: Contains spoilers for the first three Bourne movies, but not this one.) One of the great pleasures of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum was the way it conclusively brought its protagonist’s journey full circle. When the credits rolled, that was it: the saga was complete, and everyone was satisfied. It almost didn’t matter whether or not Jason Bourne…
The Oscar nominations were announced today, and even though people trust the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only slightly more than Congress, this day always excites me. The full list can be found here. Now, ten thoughts on the nominations in what’s been a weird year for mainstream movies: 1) It’s understandable that Leonardo DiCaprio’s…
In the last year or so, a few prominent filmmakers have released movies that have unfortunately highlighted their creators’ weaknesses. This fall’s Steve Jobs was less a movie than An Aaron Sorkin Movie, more interested in spitting out rapid-fire dialogue than in creating three-dimensional characters or resonant situations. Last year’s Interstellar exacerbated Christopher Nolan’s problems with shoddy…
In almost every way. LeBron James’s career has been wildly successful. You don’t need me to tell you that. But for as much fulfillment as he’s provided, there’s one glaring deficiency–one that really has nothing to do with his play, or the success of his teams. But, for better or worse, it has everything to…
I’m not sure I can recall another mainstream, non-fantasy, non-scifi movie that has less interest in appearing real than ‘Steve Jobs.’ How much that bothers you will be a matter of personal preference. Even though there was another movie about former Apple CEO Steve Jobs a couple years ago, this has always been the most…
Ideas for shows and movies will never be completely used up. In fact, there’s a strong body of evidence suggesting that ideas barely matter. The latest piece of support for that thesis comes from the best show on TV right now. You’re the Worst, airing on a channel that sounds like a porn network, breaks no…
Beach House are, mostly, well-understood by now. We expect them to craft heavenly dream pop that’s less noisy than classic shoegaze but not as sparsely bleak as all-time mopers like Red House Painters. As they’ve proved before on songs like ‘Myth’ and ‘Lazuli,’ they represent another in a long and distinguished line of bands who…
There are many reasons to be excited about Trainwreck. It’s the latest Judd Apatow movie, written by and starring rising comic star Amy Schumer. It tackles the miserable process known as dating in the modern age. Brie Larson’s in it! So is LeBron James—and, against all odds, he’s a smashing success. Before we determine whether it…