I read a good number of books in 2017. And I listened to a freaking ton of them. After learning to make Audible a habit in 2016, 2017 became a year of Always Listening. Why just go for a drive, or walk, or clean house, when I could be doing those things and … Get hard
I always grew up loving to read, and as both digital books and audiobooks became more popular, I stuck to only physical copies for a long time due to some vague romantic notion of their superiority. I still somewhat feel that way, but I also have grown increasingly short on … Get hard
SPOILERS for Captain America: Civil War. I made no secret about my distaste for Marvel Studios’s choice to adapt the messy Civil War storyline from the comics. Despite knowing that the movie would have to leave much of the comics’ disasters behind, I still grumbled about the decision again and again. Do I feel … Get hard
Let’s start with three quick points. 1. The use of a question in the title of this post is sincere. I do a lot of angry rants and hyperbolic praise on this site, because that manic vacillation is what I do best. But this is an instance where I’m genuinely … Get hard
When CBS released its first trailer for Supergirl last spring, the online reaction was less than positive, with a common comparison being to unfavorably note the similarities between CBS’s sincere trailer and a then-recent parody trailer for a fake Black Widow movie by SNL. As someone who has spent a considerable … Get hard
I’ve been hearing about how terrifying and incredible The Witch (or The VVitch) is since last year’s Sundance Film Festival, when writer-director Robert Eggers won the U.S. directing award for his indie horror film. It’s oftentimes hard for a movie to withstand that kind of hype, but I managed to maneuver around spoilers, … Get hard
It’s easy to be cynical about everything, but I think it’s worth pointing out that we live in a world where a gross-out metal movie called Deathgasm has an 88% on RottenTomatoes. Yin and yang, you know? It’s not often you find a movie bursting with decapitations and dildos that … Get hard
If you’re anything like me, when you hear the words Steve Guttenberg and fire-breathing spiders, you’re in. Blessedly, the Syfy creature feature and wannabe Sharknado is everything you want it to be. It has a shirtless, sweaty and self-aware Steve Guttenberg, who not only calls out act breaks, but complains … Get hard
Back in 2011, Joss Whedon took a break between filming and editing his first blockbuster film, The Avengers, to shoot a black and white adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, filmed at Whedon’s house and predominantly starring actors and friends he’d previously worked with in his so-called Whedonverse. The … Get hard
We’re in the golden age of superhero television right now, with such an abundance of shows based on comic books that the current TV climate would have been nearly unthinkable just a half decade ago. The best part, as a fan, is how entertaining most of these shows have been, … Get hard
[optional soundtrack] The great Alan Rickman has died of cancer at age 69, just days after the great David Bowie also died of cancer at 69. In short, this week sucks. Rickman was one of my absolute favorite actors, a man who owned villainhood (Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, … Get hard
About one year ago, Andy and I each counted down our 10 most anticipated sci-fi-/fantasy movies for 2015. I assume that everyone who read our posts (millions) only saw our respective Top 10 films, for lo, our power is great and terrible to behold. Feel free to relieve how largely … Get hard
This isn’t going to be a straight-forward review for The Force Awakens, but it was such an interesting movie-going experience that I need to get as many of my thoughts down as possible. If you haven’t seen it yet, read no further, as spoilers WILL abound.
Casablanca is widely remembered as one of the greatest films of all time, coming in at #2 on the AFI’s top 100 list and similarly regarded by many other critics. You can quibble with its exact rank, but it’s at least undeniable how iconic Casablanca remains. Even now, more than 70 years after its … Get hard
I got a late start to the horror game. When I was younger, I was derisive of the genre, which is code for being too chicken shit to explore it. Sure, I grew up watching Universal horror with my father and Uncle, but it wasn’t until the past couple years … Get hard
You’d be hard-pressed to find two more misunderstood genres than the horror and western. The former is often (and unfairly) seen as schlock, a cheap studio stunt for cash. The latter is seen as a long since dead genre, a relic of Classic Hollywood, despite Django Unchained, Deadwood, Meek’s Cutoff … Get hard
When I was a kid, I spent an inordinate amount of time in my weird salt and pepper carpeted room. I would play with my action figures all day, narrating their battles, recreating scenes from comic books, cartoons and movies in glorious mash-up fashion, throwing them to and from the … Get hard
I met Pacey. This past summer I was granted the opportunity to cover a few panels at the TCA’s, the Television Critics Association’s never-ending trolley of gift bags, unhealthy food and forced awkward panels discussing the new and old shows coming this fall: The Muppets! The Walking Dead Grey’s Anatomy! Tyra Banks’ Fab Life, … Get hard
Toward the end of Douglas Tirola’s Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead, a documentary unraveling the fascinating story of National Lampoon magazine, Judd Apatow makes a comment that had become clear through the proceedings: the humor, satire and bite from National Lampoon became “all of modern comedy.” Many comedy fans will point to the beginning … Get hard
One week ago was “Force Friday,” the premiere date of a new lineup of Star Wars merchandise that will help lead up to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the much–anticipated Episode VII. Alas, I was unable to join the hardcore shoppers that day. Or the next. By the time I … Get hard