I'm not cranky!
I'm not cranky!
On the one hand, I'm shocked Activision would say no to a Steven Spielberg-directed Call of Duty movie. On the other, though ... I kinda get it? Plus, Alyssa, Peter, and I talk HIGHEST 2 LOWEST. Spoiler: we love the soundtrack. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-deligh...
You want everyone lining up around the block an hour before like it’s the New Bev.
(That said, you'll enjoy this week's BGTH. I just got done taping it.)
24 episodes of TV for a one-hour podcast is too heavy a lift.
By popular demand, we did IDIOCRACY on the movie club show this week. It got real dark real quick! www.thebulwark.com/p/idiocracy-...
This was a very fun one (she's a good guest!) for a slightly dry (but hopefully interesting!) topic and I hope to get her back on the show so we can do a full hour on Highlander: The Series, which was a seminal television show for me.
I have to get her back on to do a full hour on Highlander: The Series.
I talked to Rep. Laura Friedman this week about the potential of a national film tax credit to compete with those offered in Canada, Great Britain, and elsewhere. Given production jobs being lost in red and blue states, it's a potentially bipartisan issue. www.thebulwark.com/p/does-ameri...
"Go all the way you fuckin prude"
This is Blueskyism. (Censoring a still from a movie of two people kissing, one of whom is in a bra.)
ok
I saw it! Talked about it here, though I didn't end up writing a proper review because it released during a vacation week: www.thebulwark.com/p/weapons-20...
I agree 100% with @sonnybunch.bsky.social's (almost entirely positive) assessment of the movie Honey, Don't!: "funny, clever, well-acted, and genuinely subverts the expectations of audiences"
THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is pretty good if you're into that sort of thing—the whole mechanically programmed jump scare *thing*—but that's not really my thing? Effective, just, not for me. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-conjur...
On Across the Movie Aisle this week, Alyssa, Peter, and I discussed line-inequality at the Disney Parks (I have mixed, slightly hypocritical feelings!) and reviewed CAUGHT STEALING (which I liked more than they did). www.thebulwark.com/p/disneys-ec...
For like 30 minutes on Friday I was convinced we were going to be overtaken by events.
So all week, @jvl.bsky.social, @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social, and I had planned on doing a podcast/video about THE DEATH OF STALIN. We taped it Friday morning and then things got ... weird ... Friday night. I thought we might have to spike this. Fortunately we did not! www.youtube.com/watch?v=sElH...
(DOLLS was more self consciously goofy; this is a more straightforward noir. Not without its issues, as I wrote, but definitely more straightforward.)
Horror is interesting because there’s a core that shows up for everything theatrically but it’s not big enough to make streaming services into horror. It’s the last pure theatrical play.
Yeah I’m kind of on an island with this one but I dug it! Though, fair warning, I also liked DOLLS.
I think the superhero movie boom is finally over. These movies will still be made; some will be good, some will make a lot of money. But studios and theaters have to stop counting on them in any real way. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-end-of...
I got Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse fame on the pod this week to discuss the evolution of theatrical and his new fine-dining-and-a-movie concept, Metro Private Cinema, opening in NYC soonish. Sounds like an amazingly fun idea, I want to check it out. www.thebulwark.com/p/how-an-ala...
CAUGHT STEALING is being marketed like a Guy Ritchie crime caper, and it is that (kind of) in the sense that it's an ensemble full of crazy characters. But it's very much a Darren Aronofsky film about compulsion and addiction. I liked it! www.thebulwark.com/p/caught-ste...
Walmart actually has a decent supply of discs, usually, but it's definitely harder and harder to find actual stores with actual movies.
Kind of a mixed response to "Alien: Earth"—Peter and I are fans; Alyssa, not so much—on ATMA this week. Takes all sorts to do a movie podcast! (Also discussed KPOP DEMON HUNTERS' theatrical run and what Netflix might take away from it.) www.thebulwark.com/p/the-lost-b...
If the western is the story America tells about itself, "Americana" depicts a moment in which we hunger for connection, sometimes from the wrong people and wrong places. @sonnybunch.bsky.social reviews: www.thebulwark.com/p/americana-...
my concern with this graphic is that I thought it *might* be a PS4 controller and this is a piece about PS5s, but apparently things are even worse than I imagined
the piece is literally about PlayStation price hikes
"JVL hit on the little things—you know, food, energy, stuff that like—earlier in the week. But let’s get to what matters. Yesterday, Sony announced that PlayStations would cost $50 more per system." New from @sonnybunch.bsky.social: www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
PlayStations are about to get more expensive and the reason why will shock you! (lt will not shock you.) www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
Toby Huss is currently in the biggest movie in America, WEAPONS, as well as AMERICANA and the hit "King of the Hill" sequel series. I talked with him about those, some other movies/shows, and his fantastic photography book, "American Sugargristle." www.thebulwark.com/p/the-wild-c...
Lionsgate is burying the new Sydney Sweeney movie, AMERICANA, and that’s understandable (tough movie to market: complicated structure, unusual tone, and, ugh, for adults) but unfortunate. It’s an amusing and interesting flick with some great performances. www.thebulwark.com/p/americana-...
@avecruth.bsky.social: "Given our current political climate, you'd think that, like, *here's our history, and we're proud of it...*" JVL: So did Cracker Barrel go woke? Hannah, @jvl.bsky.social, and @sonnybunch.bsky.social, talk the Cracker Barrel logo backlash:
I don’t care about the Cracker Barrel logo or, frankly, the Cracker Barrel itself. (Garbage restaurant, IHOP crushes it.) Trying to spin this as a woke/non-woke thing is asinine. But the redesign of the restaurants themselves is a complete abomination. youtu.be/3TSFPPvNmiA?...
NOBODY 2 is one of those movies that feels perfect on paper and just didn't work on the screen. The rare movie that could have maybe been 10 minutes longer? Still, had fun discussing it (and film subsidies!) with Peter and Alyssa. www.thebulwark.com/p/nobody-2-i...
This was a terrific episode, which gives some love to my favorite Ron Howard movie, Rush.
WEAPONS, with its multitude of possible meanings and readings, feels like the antidote to something I’ve come to think of as “Op-Ed Horror.” www.thebulwark.com/p/the-rise-a...
I had such a fun time talking to Bilge Ebiri about Ron Howard, arguably the most underrated major director of our time. He just makes good movies! We also discussed his piece on the history of frame rates for Mubi Notebook, a deceptively fascinating topic! www.thebulwark.com/p/ron-howard...
I’m not sure HIGHEST 2 LOWEST entirely works as a remake of HIGH AND LOW but I do think it’s a really interesting rumination on New York, artistic legacy in a corporate setting, and social media as a form of currency. Good movie! www.thebulwark.com/p/highest-2-...
I'm probably not going to write a proper review of WEAPONS (which is great!) so I was happy to discuss with Alyssa and Peter just how its atomized view of community responses to tragedy resonates so deeply. (Also: South Park talk!) www.thebulwark.com/p/weapons-20...
"I’ll simply recommend you see 'Cloud,' which is in theaters now, because it’s of a piece with a series of recent films about the odd little communities the internet has caused to form." ICYMI @sonnybunch.bsky.social: www.thebulwark.com/p/how-movies...
The internet encouraged both isolation and alienation from general society alongside the cultivation of weird, random connections that would allow those with petty resentments to stew in their grievance." New from @sonnybunch.bsky.social:
CLOUD joins RED ROOMS and EDDINGTON in the recent pantheon of Internet Movies That Help Explain Our Moment. www.thebulwark.com/p/how-movies...
(But it is very funny that the Google folks have to pretend they did it all to justify the cost/investment in AI.)
I mean, I'm not really THAT pleased to know that they had random animators adding nonsense to a 80-some-year-old film to help it fill a screen instead of solely using AI. The whole thing is quite silly!
Confession: The "Sickos, Yes" part of me really wants to see THE WIZARD OF OZ at The Sphere. I tried to explain why to Alyssa and Peter. Also, we reviewed THE NAKED GUN, a movie so funny it made Alyssa lose it in the middle of the show. www.thebulwark.com/p/why-oz-is-...
"The new 'Naked Gun' does many things correctly. But the thing it does most correctly is ape that joke density." They did it, and it worked. ICYMI @sonnybunch.bsky.social reviews "The Naked Gun": www.thebulwark.com/p/the-naked-...
Thank you!
This is a good read from @sonnybunch.bsky.social with a bonus of most of his review of Naked Gun, which I’d see for Anderson, and also Neeson doing comedy.
Ann Hornaday, the only staff film critic at The Washington Post, has taken a buyout. An incredible talent, and an incredible loss for the paper. They needed the likes of her much more than she needs The Post. I hope someone fills her position, although who knows what that means now.
THE NAKED GUN is an example of an increasingly rare phenomenon: the big studio theatrical comedy. I talked to David Poland about the business reasons behind the genre's decline—and why it might experience a resurgence. www.thebulwark.com/p/can-the-na...
In case you’re trying to figure out what to watch tonight … if you’re a fan of the classic ZAZ comedies like AIRPLANE! and TOP SECRET crossed with the Lonely Island guys, I think you’ll love this. It’s silly! But funny.
One of the best of the last few years for sure. Excited for WEAPONS!
"The new 'Naked Gun' does many things correctly. But the thing it does most correctly is ape that joke density." They did it, and it worked. @sonnybunch.bsky.social reviews "The Naked Gun": www.thebulwark.com/p/the-naked-...
The trailer didn’t look at anything; it doesn’t have eyes.
Good news: comedy is legal again! The new NAKED GUN is a lot of fun. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-naked-...
My newest piece for @thebulwark.com came out today! My review of Poker Face, Season 2, which I LOVED. Hope you enjoy both! www.thebulwark.com/p/no-lyin-to...
Yeah, I mean: I can think of worse movies to see twice! But I can also think of much better movies, lol.
In cons and nons this week, Alyssa, Peter, and I discussed the decline of the traditional review, and then we reviewed the new FANTASTIC FOUR. It's pretty okay! Mostly! www.thebulwark.com/p/the-perfec...
there are so many different revenue streams!
(If you're anti-Trump, which I am, this is probably for the best since South Park is actually, you know, funny and thanks to its long history of bipartisan shot-taking has more credibility with the potentially persuadable than Colbert.)
The Late Show was canceled and South Park thrives because in the age of streaming, The Late Show isn't valuable and South Park is. I really do think it's just that simple. www.thebulwark.com/p/why-south-...
"Is this brand of debate spectacle lucrative? Maybe! Is it bad for society? Undoubtedly." Julia Alexander joins @sonnybunch.bsky.social to talk Jubilee: www.thebulwark.com/p/the-societ...
Had a great time picking the brilliant Julia Alexander's brain about society-deforming spectacle of Jubilee's "20 morons and/or bigots versus 1 expert!" debate format. These are really bad for society! www.thebulwark.com/p/the-societ...
This week's "South Park" went nuclear on Trump in a way the show has never really done before. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are *pissed off* because they can't stand bullies trying to control who gets to speak and how. www.thebulwark.com/p/wow-south-...
Candace Owens may regret insinuating for the last several years that Emmanuel Macron's wife used to be a man. @sonnybunch.bsky.social and @sonnybunch.bsky.social talk about the Macron lawsuit:
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS is perfectly fine. Sometimes even charming! However, there's a spikier, more interesting movie right below the surface about techno-futurist authoritarianism that Marvel hints at without ever really exploring. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-fantas...
This week on ATMA, Alyssa, Peter, and I debated whether or not the cancellation of Colbert was a function of business or politics. Then we reviewed EDDINGTON, a movie that returned us all to the wondrous year of 2020, when we all went nuts. www.thebulwark.com/p/canceling-...
brb getting my Machiavelli out (the answer to @jvl.bsky.social's question is yes, btw, in a rare L for Betteridge)
I’m not gonna lie: this line and this line read made me laugh and laugh. It made me laugh and laugh in the 90s and then again 30 years later. Norm Macdonald was the best of us. The new Vinegar Syndrome DIRTY WORK release is amazing.
I’ve seen people mock it as mushy centrism, but that’s wrong; it’s just opposed to neoliberalism and the fetishization of identity politics in addition to mocking the conspiratorial right. Probably closer to Chapo-style leftism than anything.
"The little box is an accelerant, one that connects people all over the country: It makes problems in your town problems in my town, it builds bridges between disparate communities of nutjobs." ICYMI @sonnybunch.bsky.social reviews "Eddington": www.thebulwark.com/p/eddington-...
This is one of the things we discuss, how millennial and Gen X parents have passed their love of anime down, so now you have these multigenerational fandoms.
Anime is taking over the world! I talked to Mitchel Berger at Crunchyroll about a big new survey they put together showing the attachment Gen Z/Gen Alpha has to the medium, as well as their (insanely successful) efforts in streaming and theaters. www.thebulwark.com/p/why-anime-...
Scrolling through the Letterboxd reviews for EDDINGTON and a lot of the one-star responses boil down to this meme.
Coming soon to Criterion - release date October 28! www.criterion.com/films/35272-...
You would enjoy this movie!
EDDINGTON reminds me a bit of BODIES BODIES BODIES in that it's generally sympathetic to progressive ideals but it takes an absolutely *brutal* scalpel to the absurdities baked into identity politics. www.thebulwark.com/p/eddington-...
“Have you ever seen DAZED AND CONFUSED, Jeffrey?” “Why yes, Donald, I have.” “Some enigmas never age, amirite?” “Alright alright alright!” www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
EDDINGTON is set in 2020, so Covid, BLM protests, etc, are all part of the film. But it's not really *about* those things. Rather, it's about the overwhelming nature of our media intake, about the little boxes in our pockets personalizing every problem. www.thebulwark.com/p/eddington-...
Important public service announcement from Peter, Alyssa, and I: Don't send money to celebrities who DM you! It's an AI-powered scam! (Also we reviewed SUPERMAN, a great movie about assimilation.) www.thebulwark.com/p/the-scourg...
If you’re not up for the new superhero movie, allow me to recommend SOVEREIGN. It’s an adult drama about fathers, sons, and Sovereign Citizens starting Nick Offerman as a sort of curdled Ron Swanson: anti-government, nuts, and violent. On VOD now, rent it! www.thebulwark.com/p/sovereign-...
It’s not complicated!
It’s fine, it’s not the typical Gunn-style pop-heavy soundtrack.
Yeah it’s basically George W. Superman. (Complimentary.)
Saw Superman and the pre-release conservative anti-woke complaints really are very dumb! The movie very much has a message about American politics that is at home in the George W Bush Republican Party (complimentary) No wonder the neocons love it!
lol it will be incredible if Bongino resigns from the FBI over the Epstein stuff to maintain his posting cred. A landmark in online.
It's so weird that Superman, of all characters, has turned into a culture war flashpoint, with people arguing to the death over what its RT score means. The lesson, as always, is that RT scores don't matter, you just need me. www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-dec...
"One wonders as well how the Malaysians will take him. It would be sort of like if we sent Johnny Bravo to your country." @sonnybunch.bsky.social and @sonnybunch.bsky.social talk Trump's appointment of Twitter idiot Nick Adams as an ambassador:
I talked to writer-director Christian Swegal about his new movie, SOVEREIGN, in which Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay play a tragic father-son duo of Sovereign Citizens. It's a good movie, I hope you check it out. www.thebulwark.com/p/sovereign-...
Insightful ep highlighting discovery challenges faced especially by small+medium sized creators in algorithm-dominated envt-almost makes @sonnybunch.bsky.social Alyssa Rosenberg Peter Suderman long for return of gap headlines-you won’t believe what happens next… @thebulwark.com t.co/fzb1sr54Md
Watch: @willsommer.bsky.social and @sonnybunch.bsky.social talk about the absolutely unreal and terrifying meltdown of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok. Once mocked for being too “woke,” now it's spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories and calling itself “Mecha Hitler”:
It's a very strange movie! But I think if you're on Gunn's wavelength generally, you'll like it.
SUPERMAN is unrelentingly goofy. Like, at one point, it tries to get serious/philosophical about immigration, and the result is, somehow, *the goofiest thing in a movie that features Krypto the Super Dog.* I didn't hate it! www.thebulwark.com/p/superman-r...
On Across the Movie Aisle this week, Alyssa, Peter, and I discussed Paramount's bad Trump deal before reviewing JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (no colon). www.thebulwark.com/p/paramounts...
Academic Dean @dandrezner.bsky.social joins @sonnybunch.bsky.social on a @thebulwark.com podcast episode, describing how zombie fiction became a useful tool for teaching international relations theory. www.thebulwark.com/p/how-a-zomb...
My goal is to do these as straight-faced as possible. Sometimes I fail. But it’s always incredibly fun to try. youtu.be/lQZpWEu8PWk?...
DUNKIRK was the Nolan I was most surprised didn’t make it tbh. INCEPTION over that is a shock!
Hahaha