In an upcoming episode of Max‘s Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That…, Kristin Davis‘ Charlotte pauses to take stock of her life in the wake of several personal setbacks. “What happened?” she asks with some dismay, before declaring, “I have got to get back to me.” …
Read More »'The Bear' Season 2 Is Electrifying and Avoids a Sophomore Slump
A very strange thing happened to me early in the second season premiere of FX‘s The Bear. An early scene features Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the restaurant dramedy’s colorful group of characters arguing over everything they will need to do and spend in …
Read More »They Took Their Daughter to the Hospital and Were Accused of Abuse
There are medical nightmares, and there are legal nightmares. The story at the heart of Take Care of Maya encompasses both. The new Netflix documentary, premiering June 19, presents a damning account of how a sort of hospital-run child abuse/CPS mill allegedly destroyed one family in slow motion, keeping a …
Read More »'Stan Lee': Disney Doc on the Marvel Legend Is a Lame Infomercial
In the span of four years, comic book writer/editor Stan Lee would create — or co-create; put an asterisk by this verb! — the Fantastic Four, the Amazing Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Uncanny X-Men, the Mighty Thor, the Astonishing Iron Man, and both a master of the mystic arts …
Read More »'Black Mirror' Season Six Takes Aim at Netflix But Feels Stuck in the Past
This post contains spoilers for the sixth season of Black Mirror, which is streaming now on Netflix. “Joan Is Awful,” the first episode of the new season of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi satire anthology series Black Mirror, stars Annie Murphy as the title character, a tech-company executive horrified to discover that …
Read More »'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Is Remarkably Captivating
We’ve been bingeing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in my house lately. In addition to the underrated spinoff’s individual merits, it’s striking to be reminded of the differences between the era where every successful show made 20-plus episodes a year, and this current one, where 10 episodes per season is …
Read More »'Elemental': Pixar's Steamiest Love Story Will Leave You Cold
Elemental — Pixar‘s 27th film, and the first to feature star-crossed lovers that literally become steamy when they kiss — forces you to answer a lot of questions right off the bat. Can a young man made entirely out of liquid ever find true romance with a fiery young woman? …
Read More »'The Full Monty' Boys Are Back, With Less Stripping But Lots of Charm
In the 1997 sleeper hit comedy The Full Monty, six unemployed men in a dying English steel town attempt to make some cash by putting on a show where they will dance and strip for the local women. In the new FX sequel series, Gaz (Robert Carlyle), Dave (Mark Addy), …
Read More »'Blue Jean' Is a Powerful Movie Sounding the Alarm on Anti-Gay Hate
“Not everything is political.” The person saying this, with a sightly exasperated air, is named Jean (Rosy McEwen). She’s a high school PE teacher, recently(ish) divorced, and still mostly closeted about her sexuality. This declaration of independence is being addressed to her off-on, and very much out, girlfriend Viv (Kerrie …
Read More »'Never Have I Ever' Grows Up and Goes Away in Moving Series Finale
There comes a time in our lives when high school, like all good things and bad nightmares, must come to an end. And in the series finale of Never Have I Ever, the intrepid brainiac Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is ready to end her time at Sherman Oaks High drama …
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