Midway Wins Weekend Battle Over Doctor Sleep
For Doctor Sleep, Nov. 11 will be a day that lives in infamy. As part of an all-out freshman assault on theaters this weekend, Warner Bros.’ sequel to The Shining was all set to plant its flag on the top of box-office hill. Prognosticators expected the flick to earn in the range of $25-30 million, […]
Terminator is Back. Barely.
Terminator: Dark Fate was as good as its name this weekend. Despite four new movies and a couple of strong holdovers, the latest chapter in this venerable franchise was thought to have little competition for the top spot: It was almost fated to be the weekend’s highest-grossing flick. And sure enough, it was. But the […]
Teens and Tweens Can’t Get Enough Ninja Videos (and Anything Else on YouTube)
Movies? TV? Those things are soooo 2015 for today’s youth. YouTube is where it’s at. That’s what Common Sense Media found in its fresh-off-the-presses 2019 “Media use by Tweens and Teens” census. While tweens and teens aren’t increasing their screen time consumption at the rapid pace we’ve seen over the last decade or two, how […]
Is This Joker’s Last Laugh?
Maybe it’s only appropriate for a character that’s been around since 1940: Warner Bros.’ Joker just won’t go away. The supervillain origin story laughed all the way to the bank—again—reclaiming the weekend’s No. 1 spot in our box-office countdown after slipping to No. 2 last weekend. Granted, it didn’t exactly break the bank this time […]
Maleficent Manages the Win
It was a dandy weekend for the bad guys. Well, not bad bad guys, necessarily. Many of these black hats hide hearts of gold. Take the star of this weekend’s box-office champion, Maleficent. The old Sleeping Beauty villain turned an ethical corner with 2014’s Maleficent, wherein she turned nice and the movie itself turned a […]
Culture Clips: The Black Hole
Last week, Culture Clips noted that Epic Games was being sued because its wildly popular online game, Fortnite, was allegedly as addictive as cocaine. You’d think that Epic might have a vested interest in saying, “Nah, you’re overreacting.” Instead, the game maker seemed to set out to prove just how right that little ol’ lawsuit […]
Joker Makes Another Killing (at the Box Office)
Throughout his long history, the Joker has never been particularly fond of a certain Dynamic Duo. But the Ace of Knaves could get used to this sort of doublet. Warner Bros.’ Joker did a classic double take this weekend—absconding with a second-straight box-office victory and raking in an estimated $55 million stateside. That pushes its […]
We’re Always Connected, Thanks to Social Media. Why Do We Feel So Alone?
Netflix’s The Politician isn’t a show I’d recommend. But it does offer some interesting thoughts on what it means to grow up in the social media age. At one point, main character Payton frets that he doesn’t have the ability to feel, in the same way that everyone else does. His mother says it’s only […]
Despite Controversy, Joker Has Last Laugh
Lots of folks were worried about Joker. Some theaters hired extra security. Others banned patrons from wearing costumes. And some wondered whether the movie, given its graphic depictions of violence in the context of social rage, should’ve been made at all. No matter: Warner Bros.’ gritty origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime laughed […]
In a Relationship? Not Until You’ve Posted an Usie.
How do you cement a romantic relationship? With a ring? A dinner with the folks? A switch in your relationship status on Facebook? All those methods are oh-so archaic, my friends. The latest way to tell the world that you’ve got a sweetie is the usie. The usie is, according to the Los Angeles Times, […]