Words Can Hurt Us. Especially the Bad Ones.
Sometimes when people ask what I do for a living, I tell them I count profanities in movies. That’s not entirely true, of course, but it is an important part of my job. But why is it important? In a culture that grows ever coarser and, linguistically, less creative, it’s a fair question. And today, […]
Culture Clips: We’re All Playing Games
As our coronavirus-addled country does its bunny hop toward some semblance of normalcy and takes stock of the economic wreckage, some industries would say that COVID-19 has been good for business. At the front of the line? Video games. According to Nielsen, 82% of folks worldwide have played games or watched video game content during […]
In a Realm With No Theaters, King of Staten Island Reigns Supreme
OK, so the headline was a bit of an exaggeration. A handful of theaters are open in North America—joined by a few more every week—and the movies that land there are now pushing their weekend earnings into six-figure territory. In fact, this weekend there was a bona fide box-office showdown at the top: The horror […]
An Interview With Dallas Jenkins, Creator of The Chosen
Faith-based entertainment has something of a spotty history. The best of intentions don’t always translate to the screen as well as we might like, and sometimes a Christian movie or show that can move a believer to tears might leave a secular viewer … unimpressed. Maybe that’s one reason why I was so impressed by […]
Culture Clips: Waiting a Little Longer for the Oscars
We’ve all gotten used to waves of cancellations and delays due to the coronavirus. Now, on the cusp of Father’s Day, it’s impacted the daddy of all awards extravaganzas. The board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it’ll delay the Oscars by two months, pushing the ceremony from […]
And the Cinematic Shuffling Continues
The coronavirus is still out there, of course. But for many of us, life is returning to some semblance of normalcy. Restaurants are opening again. Businesses are welcoming back workers. Even movie theaters are thinking about how they’re going to serve their returning movie-hungry patrons. But will those patrons have anything to watch? That remains […]
Culture Clips: Gone With the Wind Is Gone … for Now
George Floyd’s death continues to reverberate in every aspect of culture, it seems, and some of the biggest tremors have been felt in the world of entertainment. The latest to feel the shake: Gone With the Wind. HBO Max pulled this classic bit of American cinema from its platform, announcing that it’ll reappear once some […]
Wretched Aside, Family Films Rule Theater-Free Season
If you look at official box-office results, The Wretched is the uncontested coronavirus-season champion. The indie horror flick just passed the $1 million mark, theatrically speaking—an impressive achievement, given the lack of theaters actually open. Indeed, Box Office Mojo says it’s been the No. 1 movie in the land since the first week in May. […]
What Did People Watch This Weekend? It’s Complicated.
I’m feeling a little nostalgic for the good old days, otherwise known as this past February. It was so easy to see what movies were the most popular around: Studios would release their box-office estimates and, voila! We knew which movies were soaring, which were sinking and which were just treading water. Now, it’s not […]
In 1961, the FCC Chairman Called TV a ‘Vast Wasteland.’ Has It Gotten Better?
We all know who wound up on Gilligan’s Island: Gilligan (of course); the Skipper too; the millionaire and his wife; the movie star; the professor and Mary Anne. But did you know that the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission made an appearance in every episode, too? I didn’t either, until I read a fascinating […]