Why Watch a Movie That’s Going to Break My Heart?’ A Conversation With Director Dianne Dreyer
Plugged In reviews a lot of movies. My cohorts and I probably write about 200 reviews every year, covering just about every movie you’re likely to see in the local multiplex. And we just scratch the surface. More than 730 movies were released in 2017, most of them under-the-radar indie films or special-interest flicks. We […]
Venom Gobbles Up Second Win
It was a crowded weekend at the box office. Four newcomers rolled relatively wide this weekend, and several other films debuted in limited release. But no matter: The weekend was one for the old-timers. Not too old, mind you. Both top earners still have vestiges of that new-movie smell. Still, in the economics of modern […]
Culture Clips: Heroes, Heels and Hacks
It’s not easy to find heroes these days. So it was nice to see Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and apparently all-around good guy, break the National Football League’s all-time passing mark this Monday night. Even better, though? His post-game interview. When the ESPN interviewer Lisa Salters asked Brees what he told […]
Venom Bites The Box Office in a Big Way
Back in the day, being box office poison was a bad thing. But the folks at Sony Pictures were more than happy to inject the box office this weekend with a little Venom. Answering pent-up demand from fans who hadn’t seen a superhero flick in, oh, months, Spider-Man’s longtime nemesis-turned-antihero shrugged off scathing reviews and […]
Culture Clips: The Facebook Trauma Edition
Perhaps it’s not exactly news anymore when Facebook announces a data breach. The ubiquitous social network has been as leaky as a perforated garden hose lately, so what’s another 50 million users? Still, it made the virtual front pages of a lot of virtual newspapers, and what might’ve gotten lost in the week’s Facebook headlines […]
Night School Pays Off at the Box Office
Making a successful movie is tough. It takes skill. It takes craft. It takes, often, a little bit of luck. But sometimes, you gotta have something extra: You gotta have Hart. Night School, starring funny people Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, roared to first place with an estimated $28 million in its weekend debut. ‘Course, […]
What Brought Down Bill Cosby? Social Media.
Bill Cosby, one-time comedian, actor, Jell-O salesman and “America’s Dad,” is spending another night in prison—his home for the next three to 10 years, according to the sentence passed down by Judge Steven T. O’Neill. “It is time for justice, Mr. Cosby,” O’Neill said. “This has all circled back to you. The time has come.” […]
The Clock Strikes No. 1
Intrepid Plugged In reviewer Bob Hoose said of The House With a Clock in Its Walls, “One can only hope that wise parents are scared away from this freaky flick … long before their kids are.” Nearly $27 million-worth of folks—parents, children and otherwise—ignored Mr. Hoose’s sage advice and went to see this not-so-kid-friendly fright […]
Culture Clips: Want to Help Keep Kids Mentally Healthy? Go to Church
I was never much of a church lover when I was a youngster. Such long sermons. So much standing and sitting and standing again. And, ugh, my parents talked to so many people afterward that we hardly ever got home in time to watch the early football game. But did all that church make me […]
Lots of Winners at the Emmys, But Families Were the Losers
Did you watch the Emmys? If so you’re one of a select few. Television’s annual awards gala posted a 7.4 rating—which might not mean much to you, but it’s apparently a 10% drop from the previous year and puts the viewership bar at an all-time low. Like, don’t-try-to-limbo-under-that-sucker low. Some will naturally point to the […]