from John Wick and Atomic Blonde to deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & ShawDavid Leitch’s career trajectory has been toward greater jokiness, and that path reaches its highest point—or, more accurately, rock bottom—with bullet train, an adaptation of Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s 2010 novel that leans vigorously into R-rated murder-and-mayhem humor. More … Read more
Did you love the dazzling rom-com palm springs? Similarly, are you obsessed with Cristin Milioti’s endless charm in projects like How I Met Your Mother and Made For Love? Were you a big fan of The Good Place? And, most importantly, booksmart hive, do you wish you owned one of those Jared wearing a Jared … Read more
“Isn’t it lucky that no one’s ever satisfied?” says Eric Tao, played by Ken Leung, to junior colleagues Harper Stern (Myha’la Herrold) and Rishi Ramdani (Sagar Radia) before bursting into laughter in Industry Season 2. This cynical yet gleeful observation might as well be the tagline for the HBO television series, which returns on Aug. … Read more
One of the many issues with the internet scammer movie Not Okayavailable to stream on Hulu today, occurs before it even starts. There’s a content warning that opens the film, seemingly with the intent of announcing itself as a satire, that lists the following: “flashing lights, themes of trauma and an unlikable female protagonist.” The … Read more
primal‘s first comprehensible word is not uttered until the closing frames of its Season 1 finale, and yet few animation efforts speak—or should I say, roar—louder than Genndy Tartakovsky’s prehistoric fantasy, whose stylish storytelling is so superb, and sneakily moving , that dialogue would only diminish its raw, purposeful power. Originally premiering in October 2019, … Read more
Netflix’s new rendition of persuasionwhich premiered Friday, has already been taking a lot of hits for its use of anachronistic language. Why? Plenty of other Jane Austen adaptations take the anachronistic route—see Clueless or fire island—and have been met with critical acclaim. But while this persuasion blends Regency-era gowns with 2020s-styled language (a la Sofia … Read more
There are people who are going to undoubtedly love the new film Where the Crawdads Sing, the gripping murder thriller that hit theaters this weekend. I was not one of them. Sure, the book it’s based on is incredibly popular. Sure, lead Daisy Edgar-Jones is spellbinding. Sure, the Reese Witherspoon of it all is irresistible. … Read more
Change is difficult for all the characters (living and undead) in What We Do in the Shadows, if not, thankfully, for the series itself, which remains as sharp and witty as ever in its fourth season (July 12). Even as it charts new ground, FX’s hit continues to be TV’s most absurdly entertaining half-hour comedy, … Read more
There’s a scene in Shrek where Princess Fiona, after waking from her serene slumber, battles an army of weapon-clad forest men looking to steal her away. This was not the princess archetype we’d come to expect in the early 2000s. Here was a beautiful woman who, although she was saved by an ogre, could fend … Read more
Whether in his popular stand-up or his celebrated FX series Louie, Louis CK’s comedy has always been confessional. Yet following the 2017 allegations of sexual misconduct that derailed his career, exposure has been the last thing anyone wants from CK—especially given that his final pre-cancellation work by him, the never-released feature I Love You, Daddy, … Read more