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The sad clown is a famous motif based in reality. Many comedians have cited developing a sharp sense of humor as a coping mechanism at a young age, and others have acknowledged struggles with mental health that were a sharp dichotomy to their laughter–filled public personas. Ultimately, the imperfect private lives of comedians have been fodder for the representation of a cruel irony in film for years.
Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of 'The Mandalorian,' and some minimal spoilers for the Season 2 Premiere.
If Rian Johnson’s 2019 film Knives Out proved anything, it was that the murder mystery is a genre that isn’t going away anytime soon. The film drew a stacked cast, large audiences, and critically acclaim. To the surprise of mystery fans, Knives Out was more successful than Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express from 2017. Its cast was similarly impressive and its viewership was high, yet it wasn’t as well received. Die–hard fans of Christie’s work and its many adaptations found it unimpressive in comparison to the 1974 film starring Albert Finney, and it generally wasn’t considered the dramatic success that many had expected.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions to stay indoors and completely reimagine their daily operations. The entertainment industry in particular has been flipped on its head, with nearly all live performances and large venues being shut down, including movie theaters. The coronavirus has halted some of the most highly–anticipated film releases—like Wonder Woman: 1984 (2020) and Dune (2021), just to name a few. With no timetable for the return of American movie theaters, some companies are opting to release their films directly to Video on Demand (VOD) or streaming services as opposed to a classic theatrical release. Disney did this with their live–action reboot of Mulan, and other studios are following suit.
We live amid lot of uncertainty. After all, we're in the middle of a contentious election and an ongoing pandemic. Media is our comfort food, so if you find yourself needing to unplug, here's what 34th Street has been watching.
It’s the third week of the Bachelorette, and the guys are finally catching on to what we’ve known since the very beginning: Clare’s obsessed with Dale.
Horror movies like Scream and The Exorcist have been Halloween essentials since their releases. Don’t get me wrong—these two were my introduction to scary movies, and will always remain cult classics. However, the adrenaline rushes and spookiness only last the duration of the movie itself. If you’re looking for something more clever to get under your skin and make you question your own sanity, look no further than these twistedly terrifying psychological thrillers. Be forewarned: these films will leave a lasting impression.
People buzzed after Netflix's Emily in Paris release a couple of weeks ago. As the pandemic halted the production and release of shows everywhere, content seems to be consumed almost immediately once it’s out. Only days after the release, people texted me to ask if I saw the new show—even my mom. But I wasn’t surprised; I’m a sucker for romantic comedies, and Emily in Paris promised to be just that.
Spooktober is reaching its end—but what's waiting for us at the other side is also pretty scary. After all, a looming election, a heated political climate, and an ongoing pandemic is a lot to take in. So here's what we indulged in this month for a reprieve from the outside world.
“The United Federation of Planets” is an organization within the Star Trek franchise that bound together over 150 planets and their species by the year 2373. Its title is rightfully filled with grandeur—throughout the various television series within the franchise, the Federation is shown to lead with diplomacy, morality, and in the nature of the preservation of life throughout the galaxy.
Ask any filmbro what his favorite horror movie is, and he is bound to say The Shining. After countless months of being labelled as “uncultured” for refusing to indulge in this cult classic, I finally cracked under the pressure and decided to see if The Shining really warranted all of this praise. After three long hours of my life that I unfortunately will never get back, I was unimpressed.
Over the years, the DC Extended Universe has had a rather interesting history. DC Films and Warner Bros. have produced a series of underwhelming releases such as Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Suicide Squad (2016). However, after the overwhelming success of Joker (2019) on both critical and commercial fronts, DC looks like it’s heading in a better direction, employing A–List Hollywood directors to elevate the quality of their films. At their virtual DC FanDome event, DC revealed a series of upcoming films that got fans excited. The most notable of these films? The highly anticipated The Batman (2022), directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson.
I’ve always been a fan of British detective shows—the superior, more intellectual counterpart to the myriad of American crime shows. British detective drama is the only genre that satisfies my family’s disparate tastes in entertainment because it includes deep emotional currents, fantastic dramatic actors, suspenseful mysteries, and evocative storytelling. Instead of skipping from serial killer to serial killer every week, it ruminates in the grief of the tragedies it portrays.
The Exterminating Angel is not your grandfather’s horror movie. It’s actually your artsy, Mexican, great–grandfather’s horror movie. It’s also one of the most unsettling yet thought–provoking films I’ve ever seen.
With spooky season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to indulge in some great horror movies. While the coronavirus pandemic has turned Hollywood on its head for the majority of the year, there are still some solid releases to watch this Halloween. One of these is Blumhouse Productions' The Invisible Man (2020), the recent reboot of The Invisible Man (1933). The original film, based on HG Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name is a classic horror movie produced in the Golden Age of Hollywood, exposing audiences to effects they had never seen before.
The outrage over Cuties, the debut film by Maïmouna Doucouré, speaks volumes of the sheer lack of conversation about young women’s sexuality. The film, originally called Mignonnnes, is meant to be an empowering film that indicts both the entertainment and social media of the sexualization of young girls. Instead, the film has become a perpetrator of the crime it sought it diminish. It has become a target for social conservatives fueled by conspiracies of child sex trafficking.
Glee is a time capsule. After premiering over eleven years ago, Ryan Murphy’s break into the teen mainstream carries a bundle of throwbacks. Screencaps of the show reveal prehistoric iPhones, a hefty amount of skater skirts, and a deadpan style of humor that paved the way for shows like Riverdale. Set in a small–town Ohio high school, Glee follows a competitive show choir team of misfits to nationals and beyond, illuminating what it’s like to try to make it in the arts against stacked odds. Though its spontaneous musical numbers are what initially set it apart from the pack of teen dramedies popular in the early 2000s, Glee is better known for being socially progressive. By the time the show hit its hundredth episode in 2014, Vulture estimated it tackled over 294 unique societal issues. These include, but are not limited to, internalized homophobia, teen pregnancy, transgender acceptance, eating disorders, and the complexities of a sexual relationship with the mother who adopted the child you gave up for adoption.
The Bachelorette’s back this week with a largely uneventful episode that focuses on Clare getting to know the contestants better. Don’t worry, she’s still very focused on Dale. But at least we get a better look at the other guys—before she eventually rejects them all.
At first, it's surprising that comedienne Amber Ruffin was hesitant to describe her new show as one. Upon further thought, however, variety shows have an antiquated reputation. The phrase “variety show” itself is not something one often hears these days. Many late–night talk show hosts have some “variety” over the course of their hour, with musical guests or appearances by stand–up comedians. But true variety shows, from the ones developed at the advent of television all the way through the wildly popular programs of the 1970s, swapped celebrity interviews for an hour of assorted entertainment. It's hard to imagine any show recapturing the magic of programs like The Carol Burnett Show, but The Amber Ruffin Show may prove us all wrong.
2020 has been undeniably hectic—novel challenges arrive each month, almost like we’re living through a real–life version of Jumanji. Yet, despite—or perhaps because of—all these problems, one thing is on everyone’s minds: the presidential election.
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