Back in the 1980s, America was in the middle of its so-called “war” on drugs. It didn’t work very well. Then-First Lady Nancy Reagan had a campaign called “Just Say No,” which was immediately turned into a joke at schools (it certainly did at mine). The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, shortened to D.A.R.E., suffered […]

The biggest series premiere of the year has been, for lack of a better term, dethroned. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” is no longer cable’s highest-rated premiere for a brand new series in 2022. Rather, that title has now been granted to a new king, a “Tulsa King” if you will. […]

Every good fan of “Seinfeld” knows that Jason Alexander’s character George is based closely on the show’s head writer and co-creator, Larry David. It wasn’t until several episodes into the series that Alexander would discover this fact for himself. As it turns out, the actor initially used Woody Allen as a guide for his character. […]

Aside from its revered place as one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has a complicated legacy. Not due to problematic themes or scandalous allegations, but instead like Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist” (or Steven Spielberg’s, depending on whom you ask), where the collaboration process between its premier storytellers has […]

Up until the recent announcement of DC Studios, the new film division at Warner Bros. Discovery to be headed up by auteur James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, it kind of seemed like the DC Universe was lacking direction. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a bit too streamlined, the DCU had the opposite […]

The art of acting requires performers to get in the headspace of their characters, and that can be draining when a person frequently plays characters going through trauma. Brian Tyree Henry has played his fair share of guys going through it, from Alfred (a.k.a. Paper Boi) on the FX series “Atlanta” to the empathetic superhuman Phastos in […]

Parker Finn’s “Smile” has made scary good money at the box office. Officially declared the biggest original horror movie of the year, it has crossed the $200 million mark and far surpassed its $17 million budget. After that kind of success, Finn is looking at a bright (and horrific) future in the industry. There’s already […]

During its six seasons on the air, “The Sopranos” became a regular part of Sunday nights in America. Before it made it onto small screens everywhere, the show was born from the Sunday night traditions of the series creator, David Chase. Many of his characters were based directly on his own family members and the […]

“Causeway” has been getting plenty of awards season attention, largely thanks to the fantastic performances by Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry. Directed by theater and TV director turned filmmaker Lila Neugebauer, the film tells the story of Lynsey (Lawrence), a soldier who has arrived back in her New Orleans home after suffering a traumatic brain […]

Based on the title alone, “Cocaine Bear” could be my most anticipated movie of 2023. The upcoming horror comedy is directed by Elizabeth Banks (another box checked) and, for such a hilarious premise, the cast is absolutely stellar. Having the late Ray Liotta involved, in addition to Keri Russell (“The Americans”), Alden Ehrenreich (“Solo: A […]