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The Unpopular Opinion: ‘Prometheus’ is One of the Boldest Science Fiction...
(Welcome to The Unpopular Opinion, a series where a writer goes to the defense of a much-maligned film or sets their sights on a movie seemingly beloved by all. In this edition: a defense of Ridley...
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‘Starship Troopers,’ the Unlikely Cult Franchise: Would You Like to Know More?
Depending on how cute you get with your math, there are no less than four separate universes focused upon Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. First, of course, came the original novel itself, then...
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How a ‘Star Wars’ Card Game Helped Keep Fandom Alive in the ’90s
My first published piece of film criticism came on May 20, 1999, two weeks shy of my fifteenth birthday. The night before, a group of my friends had spent the entire day camped out in front of the...
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Jet Skis and Shootouts: The Waterlogged Action Cinema of the ’90s
If you asked me to describe my memory of ‘90s action movies in a single image, it would be this: our hero, wading through thigh-deep water, firing an endless barrage of bullets at whatever bad guy or...
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‘Jaws’ Board Game Review: A Perfect Blend of Movie-Specific Theming and...
(Welcome to Cardboard Cinema, a feature that explores the intersection between movies and tabletop gaming. This column is sponsored by Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy in Austin, Texas.) In 1975,...
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Bluegrass, Low Budgets, and Professional Wrestling: How the Indie Sensation...
For years, moviegoers and fans of wrestling have found themselves the unlikeliest of bedfellows. In wrestling, cinema lovers can share their love of detail character work and precise stunts with a...
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‘Angel Has Fallen’ Director Ric Roman Waugh on How He Made the Third Film His...
It isn’t often that movies blow things up – metaphorically, of course – the third time around, especially when the first two installments are a hit with their intended audience. In 2013, Gerard Butler...
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‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ Director Ruben Fleischer and Star Jesse Eisenberg on...
It’s been ten years since Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland was the breakout surprise of October 2009 and, believe it or not, the sequel is finally here. Those who followed the rumors in the intervening...
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“A Bloody Bore and Embarrassment of the First Magnitude”: What Critics Said...
(Welcome to The Film Historiography, a series that explores the initial reactions to important, iconic, and memorable films.) “Writing about Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, which is now playing at the...
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How ‘Uncut Gems’ and Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ Function as...
On the early afternoon of November 28, 2019, Josh and Benny Safdie celebrated Thanksgiving by sharing scenes of intense family dysfunction. Over the course of the afternoon, the Safdies’ official...
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‘Gretel & Hansel’ Director Osgood Perkins on Crafting Sympathetic Horror...
It isn’t often you get to tell someone they’ve made the best horror film of the past two decades, but that is exactly how my interview with Osgood Perkins begins. With each passing year, The...
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‘Gamemaster’ Director Charles Mruz on Documenting the Complexities of the...
I may not remember precisely when I rediscovered board games, but I do remember the moment I knew I was hooked. In January of 2016, a friend invited me to join his much-anticipated playthrough of...
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The Inside Story of How HBO Max Became Home to Streaming’s Greatest Genre Shows
If there was a silver lining to a year’s worth of shelter-in-place orders, it was the opportunity to spend some quality time with our collective watchlists. And in a year where streaming platforms...
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