
THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939)
As my Independent Study in World Cinema continues, I dive deep into Jean Renoir's tragicomic critique of French society on the eve of the Second World War.
As my Independent Study in World Cinema continues, I dive deep into Jean Renoir's tragicomic critique of French society on the eve of the Second World War.
We're finishing our "Christmas-Adjacent" marathon with Daryl Duke's unjustly forgotten crime thriller.
New clothes, new pianos, new ventures, new relationships, new governments: On a relatively quiet episode, everyone in DEADWOOD is grappling with the possibility of change.
In this week's blog/newsletter, I share a few thoughts on the white supremacist attack on Washington D.C., as well as a few links to the thoughts of much smarter people than I.
In which—brazenly, and despite a poor track record at this sort of thing—I announce what I'm planning to review, and other changes coming in the new year.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is back, to face the ultimate test of her musical-hating convictions.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is contemplating murder, as we sit down for Alfred Hitchcock's taut exercise in sustained suspense.
This week, Nakea and I are making much ado about nothing, as we revisit one of the most influential comedies of the 1980s.
It was the biggest, most ambitious, most diverse, and best decade in television history. And these were my 50 favorite shows.
If I were a rich man, The Unenthusiastic Critic would probably be less resentful about having to watch a Broadway musical on her Christmas vacation.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is contemplating divorce—not for the first time—as we sit down for her first viewing of Robert Benton's Christmas-tangential classic on its 40th anniversary.
In a surprising penultimate episode, Watchmen reminds us that every love story is a thermodynamic miracle.
A serious comedy about loneliness, infidelity, predatory men, workplace harassment, and attempted suicide? Sounds like the perfect Christmas movie for The Unenthusiastic Critic.
Past, present, and future collide as Watchmen sets up for the endgame and heads into the blue.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is making first contact with Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic, and asking the question: Is it about a space-age prophet, or just an intergalactic deadbeat dad?
In one of the best episodes of TV in many years, Watchmen brilliantly explores black anger, the insidious conspiracy of pop culture, and the poisonous nature of nostalgia.
A contemplative episode of Watchmen locates the roots of white supremacy in the fears and fragility of the white American male.
This week we're discussing "Magical Negroes," and The Unenthusiastic Critic is eyeballin' Taylor Hackford's 1982 romantic military melodrama.
The arrival of the mysterious Lady Trieu starts to bring Watchmen's endgame into focus.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is celebrating #Noirvember with Bogie & Bacall in Howard Hawks' adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic detective story.
Wanna hear a good joke? The great Jean Smart, playing a familiar face, descends on the world of Watchmen like a brick to the head.
In honor of the great John Witherspoon's passing, we're f–ing up the rotation this week, as Nakea introduces Michael to a '90s comedy classic.
Nothing is what it seems in the second episode of Watchmen, as we begin to question who everyone really is, and what their role is in the larger play.
Sleep all day, party all night, never get old, never die. It's good to be the Unenthusiastic Critic.
In a textually dense, stunning debut episode, HBO's WATCHMEN announces its ambitious agenda of tackling the narratives of white supremacy in America.
The Unenthusiastic Critic is bugging out, as our Halloween Movie Marathon continues with Dario Argento's weirdest movie.
Our horror marathon continues with Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece of grief, marital disintegration, and impending doom. (In other words, it's business as usual for The Unenthusiastic Critic.)
It's quiet in here—a little TOO quiet—as The Unenthusiastic Critic continues her 2019 Horror Movie Marathon with John Krasinski's muffled monster movie.
It's alive! The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2019 Halloween Movie Marathon gets underway with a classic creature double-feature from the golden age of the Universal movie monsters.