Death Becomes Us
You might see a ghost or two tonight. It’s true. A handful of shorter spirits seem to wander the streets every Oct. 31, trying to scare up a Butterfinger or two. Some of these spooks go for more of a simple, classic look—a sheet draped over the body just so. Others want to make a […]
Movie Monday: Bad Grandpa
Both the laws of physics and economics dictated that Gravity’s run couldn’t last forever. But who would’ve figured that the cosmic drama would be pulled back to earth by a crass, fake octogenarian? Jacka‑‑ Presents: Bad Grandpa dottered to the top of the box office this weekend, using its walker to knock Gravity off that […]
I Was Once a Zombie Too
The Walking Dead, AMC’s runaw—er, shambling hit, drew a record 16.1 million viewers for its fourth season premiere a couple of weeks ago. Its ratings didn’t dip much for the second episode, and I’m sure our updated review of the show—which posted yesterday—will be, as always, one of our best-read television reviews of the season. […]
Appropriate for All Ages
A couple of weeks ago, intrepid reader/commenter Rocketshipper offered some thoughts on my “We All Break Bad” blog. His words were deeply challenging and, I think, likely reflect the thoughts and feelings of lots of Plugged In readers—and are worth a little more discussion. He wrote as follows: I’ve always been bothered/annoyed though with PluggedIn’s […]
Movie Monday: Gravity Keeps Defying
Blood-soaked, telekinetic adolescents just don’t move audiences like they used to. So was the message from this weekend’s box office derby—a race that saw Gravity defy itself for another week and float to the top of the pile with an estimated $31 million. It didn’t quite lap the field, but it came close: Captain Phillips, […]
Movie Monday: Gravity Pulls Down Another Win
It’s probably the most obvious, most elementary part of Newton’s law of universal gravitation: What comes up must come down. Unless, of course, you’re talking about Gravity itself. Gravity, the much-lauded space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, spent its second weekend in high orbit, vacuuming up an estimated $44.3 million to retain its […]
He Will Be Greatly Missed’
The Albuquerque Journal, the newspaper of record for New Mexico’s largest city, published an obituary Oct. 3—as they do probably every day. But this one was a bit different: The eulogized individual had, technically, never lived. White, Walter, aka “Heisenberg,” 52, of Albuquerque, died Sunday after a long battle with lung cancer, and a gunshot […]
Movie Monday: Gravity
Chalk it up to the odd physics of open space. How else can we explain how Gravity fell all the way up to first place? Well, maybe the movie itself might’ve had a little something to do with Gravity’s high-flying orbit to No. 1 this weekend. The space thriller hurtled to an estimated $55.6 million—a […]
We All Break Bad
Miley Cyrus isn’t a fan of Breaking Bad, AMC’s much-discussed Emmy winner that wrapped up this past weekend. For one, she thinks Walter White, the show’s cancer-riddled protagonist, coughs too much. But—irony alert—she also thinks the show teaches Americans the wrong sorts of lessons. “America is just so weird in what they think is right […]
Movie Monday: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
If there’s anything we’ve learned from the movie industry, it’s that you can’t ever have too many animated films predicated on dangerous foodstuffs. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 followed its predecessor’s example and rolled all the way to the top of the box office. The parmesan cheese on top of this lucrative mound […]