Movie Reviews and Previews Ethan Hawke in Tesla The problem with depicting genius in film is that we don’t understand genius. We don’t know where it comes from, why it varies in degree, or why it sometimes, inexplicably, leaves. Genius is a part of the human condition that we understand even less than love. Most films By Sarah • Aug 21, 2020 02:59 pm
Movie Reviews and Previews Kenneth Branagh is back with his ferret-face The first trailer for Death on the Nile, the sequel to Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express, dropped this week, so you know what that means…it’s the return of Kenneth Branagh’s ludicrous Hercule Poirot mustache! In Orient Express, Branagh’s first turn as Poirot, I By Sarah • Aug 21, 2020 01:30 pm
Douchebags Justice League is under investigation Last month, actor Ray Fisher, who portrayed Cyborg in Justice League, alleged that Joss Whedon’s treatment of cast and crew during reshoots of Justice League was “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable”. Now WarnerMedia has opened an investigation into the Whedon-led part of the production: https://twitter.com/ By Sarah • Aug 21, 2020 12:22 pm
Movie Reviews and Previews Batfleck’s back, alright! The news that Ben Affleck will, after retiring from the role, return as Batman in an upcoming DC movie is a huge surprise, BUT ALSO, it perfectly scans with the melody of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”. It’s not the most important detail to discuss about this news, but I By Sarah • Aug 21, 2020 10:00 am
Movie Reviews and Previews Olivia Wilde got a secret Marvel project Yesterday, news got out that Olivia Wilde has bagged a new directing gig, to develop and make an unnamed Marvel movie for Sony. That means this will be part of the Spider-verse, and speculation is that Wilde will be making a Spider-Woman movie. She seems to be encouraging By Sarah • Aug 20, 2020 12:00 pm
Movie Reviews and Previews Sofia Coppola’s Woody Allen movie Unfortunately, it’s not an expose, but Sofia Coppola’s new film, On the Rocks, is emitting steady Woody Allen vibes. On the Rocks finds Rashida Jones playing a self-doubting New Yorker sinking into relationship despair who goes on an odyssey through Manhattan accompanied by a quirky sidekick; in By Sarah • Aug 20, 2020 10:45 am
TV Updates Netflix killed Patriot Act just in time for the election Perhaps to avoid any potential election-season controversy, Netflix has cancelled Hasan Minhaj’s late-night-style talk show, Patriot Act after six “seasons” (really, three cycles over two years). Minhaj announced the cancellation on his Twitter: https://twitter.com/hasanminhaj/status/1295726954751168517 As Cody has previously noted, Netflix does By Sarah • Aug 19, 2020 02:58 pm
Drama The film industry’s Hamilton Here is a series of strange events for you: Ron Meyer, one of the longest-serving chiefs in the film industry, was summarily fired from NBCUniversal this week after revealing to his bosses that he had an extramarital affair and was now being extorted over this information. Meyer co-founded By Sarah • Aug 19, 2020 10:51 am
Drama The film industry’s Hamilton Here is a series of strange events for you: Ron Meyer, one of the longest-serving chiefs in the film industry, was summarily fired from NBCUniversal this week after revealing to his bosses that he had an extramarital affair and was now being extorted over this information. Meyer co-founded By Sarah • Aug 19, 2020 10:51 am
Movie Reviews and Previews Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Project Power Since bursting onto the scene ten years ago with Catfish, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have found a groove directing genre movies of a particular flavor, including a couple Paranormal Activity flicks and enjoyably dumb Nerve. Their latest movie is Project Power, a superhero movie that isn’t derived By Sarah • Aug 17, 2020 01:46 pm
TV Updates In Lovecraft Country, monsters are real (and are racists) Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country is the latest HBO primetime Sunday night drama, and in its opening episode it, much like Watchmen last year, declares itself a major work. Created by Green, and executive produced by Jordan Peele and JJ Abrams, Lovecraft Country is a hyper-detailed portrait of 1950s By Sarah • Aug 17, 2020 12:02 pm
Movie Reviews and Previews Robert Pattinson brings chaos to Tom Holland At this point, I will watch anything Robert Pattinson is in, just to see whatever bonkers performance he’s giving that day of the week. Over his decade-plus of fame, Pattinson has turned into one of the most reliably strange performers in film—some actors try VERY HARD to By Sarah • Aug 14, 2020 11:00 am
Movie Reviews and Previews Unpregnant trailer Here’s something that is not at all destined to provoke yet another asinine battle front in the American culture war: HBO Max is going to stream an abortion dramedy next month. Unpregnant stars Haley Lu Richardson (adorable, love her, watch Support the Girls) and Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira as By Sarah • Aug 13, 2020 11:42 am
TV Updates Sarah Cooper, quarantine queen Has anyone done better than Sarah Cooper in quarantine? Her TikTok videos mocking Trump became a viral sensation, this week she guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live, and now she is getting a variety special on Netflix. Cooper didn’t exactly spring out of nowhere – she is a comedian and the By Sarah • Aug 13, 2020 10:21 am
Movie Reviews and Previews Hamilton is the closest thing to a blockbuster hit streaming offers An incidental comment I make a lot when writing about streaming, especially Netflix, is that any reporting on “the numbers” must be taken with a grain of salt because there is no real transparency regarding how many people are actually watching streaming shows and movies. With traditional theatrical release, there By Sarah • Aug 12, 2020 12:09 pm
Movie Reviews and Previews She Dies Tomorrow is a quarantine fever dream Some films try to be defining, of the moment works, and some films stumble into cultural relevance due to happenstance and timing. In a normal year, She Dies Tomorrow would be a lyrical, interesting experiment from writer/director Amy Seimetz (Sun Don’t Shine), but in the year 2020, She By Sarah • Aug 12, 2020 10:35 am
