Davis Guggenheim encapsulates a legendary man and his career. — I’m not the biggest Back to the Future fan out here. In fact, I’d argue that I’m not even one. As a kid, I watched the trilogy so many times (not necessarily because I loved them so much but because they were constantly on TV with nothing better to choose)…

Representation matters. — There’s a scene in Lee Sung Jin’s latest Netflix dramedy series Beef (probably one of the most watched by now), where its protagonist, Danny (Steven Yeun), bursts into tears in a Korean church. The church’s praise band is performing the song “O Come to the Altar,” and he tries to…

Taylor Sheridan’s female characters are fierce. — Odds are your first thought watching any Taylor Sheridan picture wouldn’t be something like, “Look at these strong, powerful women dominating every scene.” That’s not because Sheridan can’t craft compelling and charismatic female characters (think of Emily Blunt’s Kate in Sicario or Isabel May’s Elsa in 1883), it’s just that…

“No one’s not a dreamer, right?” — In Apple TV+’s new perky sci-fi dramedy, Hello Tomorrow!, Jack Billings (Billy Crudup) is selling hope. He’s a master at telling people what they want to hear. Take Michael Harney’s middle-aged man in the opening scene, for instance. He’s sitting at the bar in a diner late at night, beat…

Jean-Francois Richet’s latest feature is surprisingly uncompromising and bold. — Imagine starting out as an actor at 27 in a dime a dozen horrors and romcoms, being hot shit for a year or two, and then, in your 50s, making questionable B movies on repeat for middle-aged dads with beer bellies cheering you on. That’s Gerard Butler’s career in a…

It’s still a “no” from me. — I got off the Nicolas Winding Refn train at station Only God Forgives in 2013 because I wasn’t interested in the pseudo-intellectual circle jerk the Danish auteur tried to pass off as highbrow entertainment. As I sparingly followed his career afterward, I felt more and more assured about my decision…

One of the most memorable features of the year — The strongest bond between men is born on the frontline — that’s War Movies 101. There’s something pure and virtuous about the trust soldiers form while battling against an appointed enemy together. It’s the sole positive emotion war can produce. Everything else — glory, pride, honor, patriotism — is just…

A look back at Ted Kotcheff’s classic action film. — On this day 40 years ago, Ted Kotcheff’s action film First Blood premiered in theatres all over America. In a retrospective interview, Sylvester Stallone claimed when he first read the script, it was a mess. He liked the idea, but John Rambo, as a protagonist, had no heart. “I didn’t…

Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story — Anyone familiar with Ryan Murphy’s work knows that the television mogul is obsessed with deviants — real or fictional — and their often disturbing lives. If you watched at least a few episodes of his cult classic second series (Nip/Tuck) in the aughts, you’re aware that Murphy’s perversions, incestuous phantasmagories…