This Was No Accident
Forty years after Jaws, why the very first blockbuster should be considered art—and how it helped one man to survive.
hollywood
A collection of 70 issues
Our Dino Love Will Never Die
Dinosaurs haven’t been super-popular for 65 million years—it only feels that way. Fans and experts explain our obsession with dead monsters.
Brush With Greatness
The TV trope where one character sees another character naked allows audiences to be pervy without taking responsibility. Only “The Simpsons” gets it right.
Hit Job
An unusual DEA raid on one of LA’s most reputable medical marijuana dispensaries reveals the bewildering conflict between state and federal drug laws.
Union Square Sports Bar
An adventure of food and drink in San Francisco naturally expands to include Ornette Coleman, Mexican wedding cookies, and a pet monkey admiring the ocean.
My Date With Don Draper
The TV series Mad Men is set to begin its final season. Finally we’ll know how many women—and how much Proust—it takes to make Don Draper happy.
The Accidental Actor
Stumbling onto a movie set in Los Angeles—and then staying there for as long as humanly possible—offers lessons in acting and reality.
Big Time
When viral stardom strikes, your entire future is suddenly within reach—would you capture it or just let it slip?
The Apocalypse Will Be Televised
When the world ends, CNN won’t be the only channel with a doomsday video ready for broadcast.
Groundhog Days
In Woodstock, Ill., where “Groundhog Day” was filmed, hundreds of fans gather every year, year after year, to celebrate their favorite movie.
Do You Believe in Ghosts?
Ignore the critics: Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” is not only a serious, complex comment on space policy, it’s a heartbreaking, philosophical look at the value of time.
The Pitch
Idea for a television show: a teenager has the power to turn fantasy into reality—but she doesn’t know it. It's “Amelia Bedelia” meets “Quantum Leap.”
Harry Potter and the Shades of Twilight
A generation of women read the “Harry Potter” series as teens, “Twilight” in college, and “Fifty Shades of Grey” in their twenties. What is the cumulative effect?
The Jungle Look
The rear ends of black women appear to be pop culture’s current favorite commodity. But Nicki Minaj’s new video is anything but so simple.
To Chilling Effect
Only the truly trained can accurately describe how despair sounds without a noise filter. A sound technician finishes his horror movie script.
King Lear With Sheep
London traffic, bladder control, and a runaway Cordelia challenge a mostly wool production of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
The Übersinner
Reddit's “Ask Me Anything” interviews—edited for the seven deadly sins—provide an Idolatry of Self so big, it produces Zen koans.
The Unofficial Roger Ebert Reader on Addiction
When Roger Ebert died, America was deprived of one of its finest critics. We also lost one of our best writers on addiction.
Tale of the Transcription Tape
Sometimes a love scene calls for [WHIMPERS], sometimes it needs [YELPS], but knowing which one to use makes all the difference. The secret life of a professional closed captioner.
That’s All Folks
Every generation gets the fictional doomsday it desires. What we learned during our dystopian, end-of-the-world summer vacation at the movies.
It’s the End of the World as We've Known It
Good old Earth was nearly destroyed, almost extinguished, and threatened with slaughter every hour in cinemas this summer. And yet, here we are. Our film critics pinpoint the collapse of the apocalypse genre.
Adjusting the Picture
Some of the best TV shows these days, whether we’re watching them on television sets or online, are being compared to novels—and even sonnets. A chat with some of the leading thinkers in TV writing to find out what comes next.
With Great Power
There’s a new Spider-Man movie in the works, but it’s not the one you're expecting. Thanks to the magic of crowd-funding, it could be the summer blockbuster nobody sees.
I Shall Be Heard
Andy Kaufman performed for more than just laughs—in fact, his goal often seemed to be something entirely different. A budding comic chases Andy’s ineffable comedy.
Here's the Thing About Silver Linings
The Oscars are consistently irrational, but we wanted more for David O. Russell's fantastic Silver Linings Playbook. Film critics David Haglund, Pasha Malla, and Michelle Orange discuss why the movie so divided critical opinion, and became such a hit with audiences.
A Supposedly Fun Thing I Will Probably Do Again
Yesterday morning, a plane landed at an airport. A man who was or was not a famous actor, and a writer who was or was not in love with him, stood on the verge of finally meeting. A Valentine's Day story for the romantic and/or foolish at heart.
The Petition Response Strikes Back
The White House recently turned down a petition to build a Death Star. More responses from the official rejection pile.
Attica Locke
Our man in Boston talks to screenwriter and novelist Attica Locke about writing in Hollywood, the origins of her second novel, and where exactly British prisoners locate the moral heart of The Wire.
The Master and Moviemaking
Once again, we convene our film scholars, plus critic Michelle Orange, to discuss a major movie: “The Master,” by Paul Thomas Anderson—a masterpiece of craftsmanship, or merely an exercise of cinema and violence with no story in the center?
Secret Horror
Yes, yes, “The Exorcist” and “Night of the Living Dead” are reliably traumatizing, but at this point they’re comfort food, and there’s plenty more to discover in the world of horror cinema.
Soldier’s Heart
A post-World War II documentary, banned by the military in 1946 but lately released online, is one of the earliest depictions of psychotherapy. But it says even more about contemporary Americans’ interest in the veterans they love to praise.
Coming to a Theater Near You
With blockbusters like “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Zombie Overkill,” and “Yahtzee: Alien Invasion,” it’s already a smash hit for summer movies. But film buffs know Summer 2013 will be even better—and we’re not just talking about Jerry Bruckheimer’s live-action “Hungry Hungry Hippo Apocalypse.”
Uncanny Kingdom
Our film scholars and Wes Anderson watchers, along with movie critic Michelle Orange, evaluate the filmmaker’s latest release, “Moonrise Kingdom,” where people get struck by lightning as a matter of course.
Apocalypse How
Big-budget films tell us earthquakes are bad, volcanic eruptions can be catastrophic, and meteorite strikes—barring the presence of Bruce Willis—may kill us all. Seeking expert advice on how scared we should be.
Burn All the Liars
An unfinished autobiography and a 1980s biopic turned Frances Farmer, one of the great golden-era stars, into a lobotomized zombie. The main trouble: Frances Farmer wasn’t lobotomized. An investigation to set one of Hollywood’s most convoluted stories straight.
What's On?
With more than 70 TV show premieres this fall, who has time to watch them all? Or even know what any of them are about? With no prior knowledge of the shows' premises, here are some guesses.
What Is a Career Move
Following his triumphant appearance on Jeopardy, IBM's Watson supercomputer strikes a deal to replace Charlie Sheen on CBS's hit comedy Two and a Half Men.
How to Make Celebrities Fall in Love With You
If you tell Johnny Depp he’s hideous looking, he’ll think you’re the first person he’s met who sees past his physical appearance—and other lessons.
Sexy Singing Vampires of the 1960s
Pop culture is fizzy. Mainstream TV is where the fizz goes flat. A preview of the networks' forthcoming dramas based on trendy Twitter feeds.
Being Nominated Is the Award
The allure of an awards show is not the thrill of victory, but rather the anticipation--and of course the potential for a handjob.
We Three Kings of HGH Are
For many sports fans, steroids ruined professional baseball. Luckily, Roger Clemens is pitching a cream-and-clear sitcom to cure their blues.
Misperception
Overly dramatic portrayals of drowning in movies and TV spread deadly disinformation. This and other tropes show that if you believe everything you see, it could kill you.
The Rough Cut
When you share your life with a reality TV editor, you learn that reality often winds up on the cutting-room floor.
A Nature Documentary: The Post-Screening Q&A
The film lays bare all the raw intensity of the subject matter, holding back nothing. But some may wonder: What’s the lion’s motivation?
I Cannot Accept This Award
Acceptance speeches are often great for moments of hubris and disaster. For anyone soon to win a prize, here's a template best avoided.
A Taste for Flesh
America has a problem with death; zombies have a problem with life. The difference, explained by more than 60 zombie movies.
My Brief Wondrous Life
On Sunday night, Hollywood’s finest will clasp the man of their dreams to their chests. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Oscar.
Mindfuck Movies
Some movies inform. Some movies entertain. And some pry open your skull and punch you in the brain.
Letter From Hollywood
Striking TV and film writers should be shutting down the industry, right? Not so fast. Hollywood has a plan for a new kind of synergy, and now that the writers are out of the way, it’s showtime.
The Talented Dr. Rosnick
At the New York State Psychiatric Institute, a darkened room of psychologists gaze upon Matt Damon—trying to decide when a bust is really a penis. Watching the analysis unfold.
Run for the Hills
The world MTV depicts is anything but real. But we don't watch to escape, we watch because we can't look away.
Longing for the Sad Bastards
When did our angst-driven movie men get all tangled up in their apron strings? A screen history of damaged males.
But I Play One on TV
Saving lives is hard enough—what medical professional has time for significant romantic moments in the supplies closet? A lifetime of TV role models.
Mel Gibson's Project Redlight
Given his recent legal troubles, Mel Gibson may want to put some of the upcoming projects from Icon Pictures, his film production company, on hold. Some of the movies we'll have to wait a bit longer to see.
Bret Easton Ellis
While the publishing world freaks out over false memoirs, who better to speak about truth in writing than an author with the same name as his protagonist?
If on a Winter's Night, Dave Coulier
For those who knew the wacky shirts were actually a comedian's armor. For those with an answering machine message that said "Hi dee ho!" For those who've ever been lost out there and all alone. Excerpts from the forthcoming Dave Coulier fan fiction anthology.
You Only Act Once: The Lesser Bonds
Many actors have attempted to wear the mantle of 007—and many have had their licenses to kill revoked, and not just because of suspicious accents. Here are the reasons why they lost the coveted role, with grievances aired by cast and crew.
A Different World
Season one of “The Cosby Show” if Cliff Huxtable habitually drugged and subsequently fondled select bit players.
Trailers for Everyday Life
Ever wonder why your life’s not more like Mel Gibson’s? Ever think maybe it’s because he gets better narration? Pasha Malla and Mike Baker bring us a batch of movie trailers scripted for real-life scenarios.
Die Softly
Action movies may seem old hat these days, but they had to start somewhere. We go back to the pre-Schwarzenegger years, when a movie audience thirsty for speed and thrills could only turn to “My Dinner With André.”
Dear Hollywood
Hollywood. Is it worth the trouble? A letter to the big “H” to ask why it’s been acting like this.
Crowning the Action
Mel Gibson's forthcoming movie, The Passion, has come under a great deal of fire, especially for something that nobody's even seen yet.
Freddy and Jason and Reese and Julia
Ahh, movie sequels: the perpetual bliss of knowing what happens next. But what if Hollywood runs out of old films for remakes, prequels, and crossovers? A plan that will save the movie industry.
Copyrights and Wrongs
Despite its grumblings (and litigation) to the contrary, the entertainment industry benefits from copyright expiration: Take, for instance, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Unloading on The Matrix Reloaded
The first Matrix was cool, but this new one needed a bit more work before they let it out of the gate. An open letter to the Wachowski brothers.
Josh’s Creepily Prescient Oscar Picks
It’s Oscar time again. But before you drop your paycheck in the office pool on who will snag Best Supporting Whatever, peruse these dead-on predictions for the winners.
An Extremely Incomplete Taxonomy of Cinematic New Yorks
New York has faced the apocalypse many times. Unfortunately, it's usually Bruce Willis who saves us. A report on the many versions of the five boroughs produced in film, and why Nora Ephron lives alone.
“Broadway: The Movie”
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we work over the inner workings of the movie industry, where art always prevails over profit.
This Is the [Best]...Article...of the Summer!
Ever been suspect of the reviews that accompany movie ad posters? You probably have good reason. A look at the true origins of those reviews.
Casual Fan Fiction
A story based on characters in the popular NBC drama The West Wing written by a guy who usually runs the vacuum between Ed and Law & Order.