Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
It was a close race that looked deadlocked Sunday, but Monday morning brought good news for Hidden Figures: The film won the box office this weekend and is officially the no. 1 movie in the country. The story of the under-appreciated black women mathematicians who helped get the United States’ first men into space beat the absolute…
Believe it or not, we’ve somehow made it to the end of December—and it’s time to take those last vacation days, wrap up all those last-minute presents, and head home to friends and family. It’s all going down today: For the first time in nearly 40 years, Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah will…
Please note that this post contains ALL OF THE SPOILERS. In fact, I’m so conscientious of spoiling Rogue One that I’m gonna put a shitload of Greek copy between here and the actual beginning of the post. [All work and no force chokes make Vader a dull boy. All work and no force chokes make…
It’s difficult to picture anyone arguing that Disney’s animated adventure musical Moana is in any way inferior to fellow cartoons like DreamWorks’ Trolls, a movie based on a once-popular line of toy trolls, or Illumination Entertainment’s Sing, a movie based on the frequently popular idea of singing. But 20 years ago, actual cartoons with contemporary…
The trailer for Logan came out a few days ago, and while most X-Men movies compete over the trophy for “Most Chunks Of Metal Tossed,” this one seems to be about a sad, lonely mutant trying to find a purpose in a shitty lonely world while some metal is tossed. It stars Hugh Jackman, who…
Rogue One is a great addition to the Star Wars universe because it takes a glaringly stupid plot mechanism—the exhaust port vulnerability in the Death Star—and attributes it to an architect’s sabotage. One of the dumbest things about the Star Wars franchise then becomes something sad, poignant, and believable. But Rogue One also raises…
Casey Affleck accepting the award for best actor for “Manchester by the Sea” at the Critics’ Choice Awards in December. Credit Chris Pizzello/Invision, via Associated Press LOS ANGELES — This was supposed to be the awards season when Hollywood, having been scorched by consecutive #OscarsSoWhite years, avoided tumult over race. Not so. In heated conversations…
The central, overarching conflict of the first six Star Wars movies is that a democratic republic devolves into an authoritarian dictatorship. A key part of that political coup is Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader. The way the story is told implies that the fall of the Republic and…
Don’t stop your dog from barking at them. Don’t take their money. If you’re making coffee for them, make it wrong. Last week, Donald Trump was elected president by the United States. But he wasn’t elected by New Yorkers. In his hometown, Trump has for years been regarded as a clown—a tabloid regular, a Howard…
Is Collateral Beauty the worst movie of the year? Those were the whispers I heard before I headed into a screening this week, on the Christmasy Upper West Side of Manhattan. (Though, being just a few blocks north of the Trump International Hotel & Tower makes it hard to feel Christmasy, or really anything but…