'Escaping Twin Flames Universe' shines a dark light on a site for those seeking soulmates
Is Twin Flames this year's Fyre Festival or NXIVM cult in terms of media coverage and dueling docuseries? It sure feels that way, with competing (or really, complementary) streaming projects kicking off with Amazon's "Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe," to be followed in November by Netflix's more economical "Escaping Twin Flames."
2023-10-06 21:49
'The Exorcist: Believer' brings back Ellen Burstyn in a mix of nostalgia and horror
A half-century after the original helped rewrite the rules of horror and launched a thousand imitators, "The Exorcist: Believer" tries picking up that mantle, with the lure of 90-year-old Ellen Burstyn reprising her role. The nostalgia factor elevates an otherwise slow-building film that maintains an eerie creepiness before fumbling through a slightly muddled climactic act.
2023-10-05 21:29
Cardi B really loves Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt
Cardi B. came for the spicy wings and ended up sharing some "Who knew?" news.
2023-09-30 02:59
'Gen V' spins off 'The Boys' into a dark mystery about superheroes in training
After three superbly savage seasons, "The Boys" has graduated to the spinoffs stage, first with the animated shorts "Diabolical" and now "Gen V," a supes-in-college series that's every bit as nasty -- in mostly good ways -- as the flagship series. Cleverly drafting off the anchor show, this coming-of-age superhero satire in some ways feels like what "The New Mutants" should have been.
2023-09-29 20:48
'The Creator' tries connecting a tale of humanity with a war-ravaged AI future
Given the rarity of big, bold sci-fi concepts without a "2" after the title, it's a bit of shame to return a tepid verdict on "The Creator," director/co-writer Gareth Edwards' attempt to build a stirring drama around a war-ravaged future pitting humankind against artificial intelligence. While the film traffics in thoughtful ideas as well as spectacle, it doesn't complete the vital emotional connections between its head and its heart.
2023-09-28 21:59
'Savior Complex' and 'Uncharitable' might change the way you think about charities
Two new documentaries challenge perceptions about how charitable endeavors can and should operate, and what's required for them to succeed in their stated missions.
2023-09-26 23:51
'Krapopolis' and 'The Irrational' give fall TV some newness, but not much freshness
The shortage of new scripted network series because of the writers strike makes "Krapopolis" and "The Irrational" stand out on the major networks, but only in terms of newness, not freshness. Indeed, a tired Fox animated sitcom and very familiar NBC crime procedural only provide a one-two reminder of what's not worth missing.
2023-09-25 07:24
'The Continental' brings 'The World of John Wick' to TV without enough firepower
When considering the simple pleasures of the "John Wick" movies, character development and dense back story would rate somewhere below the bottom of the list. The world of streaming, however, favors the long winded, a factor much in evidence in "The Continental: From the World of John Wick," a handsomely produced but unnecessary prequel Peacock miniseries with a Keanu Reeves-shaped donut hole.
2023-09-22 20:52
'Expend4bles' reloads the action franchise with Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham
After three movies in four years, "The Expendables" waited more than nine to unleash its latest adventure, likely a testament to the poorly received youth movement introduced in the third film. "Expend4ables" seeks to provide a badly spelled tonic to that misstep but works from such a flimsy, threadbare script, "The Disposables" would describe it better.
2023-09-22 20:29
'Dumb Money' brings a smart spin to its David-and-Goliath GameStop story
"Dumb Money" takes full advantage of its David-vs.-Goliath underpinnings to turn a tale of stocks and finance, a la "The Big Short" or "Too Big to Fail," into a crowd-pleasing underdog story. Paul Dano heads a sprawling cast as the guy leading the rebels with pitchforks on behalf of GameStop, resulting in a film that's smart and satisfying enough to earn every dollar it makes.
2023-09-22 20:18
Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian headline the latest horrors in 'American Horror Story: Delicate'
"Restraint" is a seldom-used word in connection with "American Horror Story," where the emphasis often tilts more toward gory images and sadism than genuine scares. Yet working from a novel with a different writer appears to have imposed some welcome discipline on the 12th edition of the FX series, "Delicate," which owes a tonal debt to "Rosemary's Baby."
2023-09-21 21:49
'The Super Models' takes a few too many detours in its walk down memory lane
Nostalgia only goes so far with "The Super Models," a four-part Apple TV+ docuseries as glossy as a high-end fashion magazine of yore, and often as slim as one from the Internet age. Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington Burns lead this strut down memory lane, punctuated by occasional highlights but ultimately more celebratory than revelatory.
2023-09-21 01:54