Zombies don’t have to be fast. It’s a fun novelty sometimes, sure. But the essence of zombies as a horror subgenre is best expressed as a feeling of creeping dread, the idea that something horrible is coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Executed properly, the slowness can actually enhance the terror, […]
Like many people of my approximate age, my childhood was heavily touched and influenced by the work of Jim Henson. I adored the craziness of “The Muppet Show” which made it stand out from the comparatively bland other things being offered up as children’s entertainment at that time and found myself relating to a number
The personal essay film is a tricky genre, because when you get right down to it, who cares? Sure, there is a brotherhood of man and all that, but is it such that we’ll be interested enough in a brother’s struggles that we’re willing to sit with them for a while in a movie theater,
The film, which takes place over a single day, is told from the perspective of Celestina (Kiersey Clemons), the “young wife” of the title. Celestina is hosting a party that definitely isn’t a wedding (although it is) at her demanding “Maman’s” (Sheryl Lee Ralph) country retreat in a flooded marsh. And all her friends and
“Backspot” does for competitive cheerleading what “The Novice” did for rowing: It depicts the pursuit of athletic excellence to the point of obsession through a specifically queer lens. Both sports may look refined on the outside, but they require grueling effort and intense dedication. And for us as viewers, they offer an intimate glimpse into
When the Los Angeles Lakers got a prestige HBO mini-series in “Winning Time,” it seemed only a matter of time before that other team in the City of Angels got in on the action. Sadly, the most interesting recent story in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers happened mostly off the court. After years
For a few gossamer years in the 2010s, movie fans ate well perhaps a little too well. That was, of course, courtesy of a little red debit card called MoviePass, the product of an ambitious startup that promised nirvana for any red-blooded cinephile with too much time on their hands: Pay a monthly fee, then
Do you remember the viral ice bucket challenge in the summer of 2014? The challenge videos of people getting ice water dumped on their heads were viewed 10 billion times and raised over $100 million. Here’s a harder question: Do you remember what the money was for? Most people do not. But, like this movie,
It takes either a staggering lead performance or a great plot twist to truly prove that there’s something special to a new miniseries. Netflix’s “Eric” is thankfully one that has both of these aspects tethered to it, for better and sometimes for worse. The series begins with Vincent Anderson (Benedict Cumberbatch), a mad genius-like puppeteer,
“Hustlers,” rom-coms “Marry Me” and “Shotgun Wedding” (2022), the intimate action-thriller “The Mother” (2023), a self-funded project about her life journey titled “This is Me … Now” (2024) and a Superbowl halftime show appearance in 2020, among others. It’s almost as if Lopez boldly declares at every turn that she’s the whole package, while the
