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, […]
Abominable Snows Under the Competition
I just returned from a week on the beach, where the sun always shined and not a day’s temperature dipped below 80 degrees. But at theaters across the country, it looked less chill and more … chilly? Granted, the Yeti at the heart of Abominable took a while to find the snowcapped Himalayas. But the […]
The Horror (of Kids in Horror Movies)
The original IT was rated R, and just five minutes in you could see why. As such, children were strongly advised against seeing the movie. But children had to star in it, too. Blame Stephen King for featuring seven 12-year-olds (and a few kids who were even younger) in his original 1986 novel. Or, perhaps, […]
America Re-Reads Chapter Two
Moviegoers just can’t get enough scares in September. IT: Chapter Two earned its second-straight box-office victory, devouring an estimated $40.7 million in North America en route to the win. That pushes its total domestic cume to about $153.8 million. Add in its overseas cash, and Chapter Two has collected $323.3 million worldwide. Clearly, this pic […]
IT Haunts No. 1 … Again
Make way for the king. Stephen King, that is. IT Chapter Two, the sequel to 2017’s record-setting IT (both of which were based on King’s 1986 novel), scared up a huge win this weekend, gobbling up an estimated $91 million in North America for a bury-your-head-in-the-covers first-place finish. That gives Chapter Two the second-biggest horror […]