Barry Champlain, the main character of 1988’s “Talk Radio,” a talk radio DJ based in Dallas, waxes poetic about American corruption in little arias of outrage, and sometimes a caller who’s obviously suffering will bring out his humanity for a minute, but his default mode is scorched-earth combativeness. It would be misleading to call him … Read more
Donald Trump’s unexpected withdrawal from the upcoming 60 Minutes interview has sparked discussion, while Kamala Harris is set to move forward with her appearance. The decision, though initially unclear, has shifted attention toward Harris as the sole candidate in the election special. With the election approaching, Trump’s absence has left many speculating about its impact … Read more
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon: The Director’s Cut gets an epic trailer as the film, with 48 additional minutes, marches onto Apple TV+. Apple Original Films wants audiences to experience Ridley Scott’s Napoleon like never before with Napoleon: The Director’s Cut, now streaming on Apple TV+. The Director’s Cut includes 48 minutes of new, never-before-seen footage from … Read more
Can’t wait to watch the new Beverly Hill Cop? You can already stream the opening scene online. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F marks the first Beverly Hills Cop movie in 30 years, since the poorly received Beverly Hills Cop III. In between producers tried making a Beverly Hills Cop TV show that never made it to the air (it would have starred … Read more
What is the “perfect” length of a movie? According to a new poll of 2,000 Americans conducted by Talker Research, “the ideal average length” of a movie is just 92 minutes — just an hour and a half. It is not clear to me whether that number includes closing credits or not. Their report finds that “the … Read more
Like the other adaptations of “Dune,” this new one can’t do much with the exotic mix-and-match appropriation of Middle Eastern traditions, language and religious concepts except keep them, since the story wouldn’t be “Dune” without them. But it does seem to consciously lean into it a bit more in the second chapter, perhaps by way of provocation and complication, while … Read more
“Dune” is the culmination-to-date of Villeneuve’s “simple/gigantic” phase. The story of House Atreides is a tragedy that becomes an underdog revenge-and-reinvention story, while at the same time plugging into mid-century Western pop culture’s fascination with hallucinogenic drugs, altered states of consciousness, a substratum of Orientalism, and what’s now called a “white savior” narrative, in the … Read more
While it’s usually considered Steven Seagal’s best movie, in Under Siege, the pony-tailed star’s screen time was limited. Andrew Davis’ Under Siege is usually considered Steven Seagal’s best movie. However, at the time, most critics singled out Tommy Lee Jones’s performance as the baddie, Strannix, as a scene-stealer. According to Nick de Semlyen’s new book, … Read more
As perfect a film as has ever been made, the original 1976 “Rocky” has become part of the pop culture unconscious, holding its spot as tightly as “Casablanca” and “It's a Wonderful Life.” It’s also as much of a medium-realigning work as the blockbuster that came out one year later, the first “Star Wars” (eventually subtitled “A New Hope”), … Read more
Matthew Vaughn says the Argylle trailer only includes footage from first 28 minutes to avoid spoiling some “f**king mind-blowing cool shit.” There’s nothing worse than a trailer that spoils the movie it’s supposed to be promoting, but that won’t be a problem for Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle. The first full trailer for the upcoming spy adventure … Read more