In the holiday movie blitz, one live wire unites two very different films: Christian Bale, who plays the lead in both Out of the Furnace and American Hustle.
On Media
Reviews of film, TV, and more
I was prepared to enjoy the theological heart of Catching Fire. But my moviegoing experience was bizarrely affected by all the ads.
Twelve Years a Slave pulls no punches. As a white southerner, I found myself objecting that it couldn't have been as bad as this all the time. But these horrors happened, and we have yet to face them squarely.
Orphan Black is so suspenseful and addictive, you may not realize that it's examining deep questions about the meaning of selfhood.
Don Jon is not about a porn addict saved by a good woman. It's about the unhealthy collision of two people who are ready only for broken relationships.
While Gravity doesn't pass the Bechdel test, it does feature a female lead in a story that isn't about romance or sex. But is it her story or Everyman's?
In case you haven't noticed, Duck Dynasty is ruling the world. And the popular reality show has a prayer in every episode.
Stories from inside
Orange Is the New Black is so refreshing, honest and funny that "prison drama" is hardly the right category.
My school-aged self was intrigued by the Purple Pie Man. Since then, kids' TV has spun off in two directions: more violence for boys, threatless universes for girls.
The Newsroom is a great show that presents a noble sentiment. But it occasionally rings false.
Fruitvale Station is a powerful, meditative exploration of one ordinary life that met an extraordinary and tragic end.
I wanted to hate Preachers' Daughters without reserve. But the reality of this reality show proves more complicated than the scripts.
Victims in collars
Lloyd Rediger's "clergy killer" premise is, in some senses, indisputable. Yet put so baldly, the kvetch seems odd.
Much ado in Santa Monica
Joss Whedon's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing is an enchanting modern take on the 16th-century romance and a nearly perfect movie.