FOLLOWING FILMS

When This Is Spinal Tap first premiered in 1984, few could have predicted that its deadpan take on rock and roll hubris would become one of the most quoted, beloved, and influential comedies in film history. Forty years later, Rob Reiner and the original trio, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, have returned to the amplifiers that once went “one louder.” The result, Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues, is a surprisingly tender, frequently hilarious love letter to aging artists, enduring friendship, and the absurd beauty of making noise together long after the world has stopped listening. It could have been a disaster. So many late-stage sequels stumble into the traps of nostalgia or self-parody. But Spinal Tap 2 largely sidesteps those pitfalls by doing something bold: it embraces its own age. This isn’t the swaggering, spandex-clad satire of 1984. This is a story about three men who once believed their music could shake arenas, and who now find meaning in shaking hands,...

A new trailer has dropped for Atropia, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker and journalist Hailey Benton Gates, and it’s every bit as provocative, surreal, and darkly funny as its premise suggests. Written and directed by Gates, and produced by Naima Abed, Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Lana Kim, and Jett Steiger, Atropia stars Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Zahra Alzubaidi, Tony Shawkat, Jane Levy, Tim Heidecker, Lola Kirke, and Chloë Sevigny. The film will hit theaters on Friday, December 12, with an expanded rollout planned for January 2026. Set in a fictional country fabricated by the U.S. military, Atropia takes place in one of several hyperreal “simulation towns” used to train American soldiers before deployment. These uncanny, made-to-look-real environments, complete with extras, props, and fake insurgents, are designed to immerse soldiers in the chaos of war without ever leaving U.S. soil. In Gates’ hands, that bizarre premise becomes the backdrop for a biting, genre-bend...

Bars across the United States descended into collective despair Monday after MTV announced it was finally ending its long-running clip show Ridiculousness, a cultural mainstay that had kept millions of televisions glowing above pool tables and sticky bar tops for over a decade. “I just… I don’t know what we’re supposed to do now,” said Denver bar owner Chris Mendez, staring blankly at a wall of muted flat screens once filled with Rob Dyrdek laughing at people falling off skateboards. “We tried putting on SportsCenter, but everyone just sat there quietly and started reflecting on their lives. It got weird fast.” For years, Ridiculousness served as America’s unifying background noise — the nation’s sonic wallpaper of “oofs,” “oh mans,” and laughter from people who may or may not have had concussions. Without it, bar owners fear patrons may be forced to talk to each other or, worse, think. “We turned on the news, and people started arguing. We switched to Shark Tank, and suddenly everyone...

Today’s episode is a really fun one — I got to sit down with Augie Duke to talk about her work on The Workout, but like all good conversations, we ended up going everywhere. We talk about the fear that creeps in when you become a parent, the joy and tragedy of video stores, pets, and a bunch of other beautifully random things along the way. Now, full disclosure — this one’s got some real-life texture to it. Augie’s Wi-Fi drops out here and there, so there are a few abrupt edits, and I had the office door open because, you know, life happens — the dogs are making noise, one of my kids and the love of my life walk by. It’s a bit chaotic… and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. So settle in, embrace the imperfections, and enjoy this conversation with Augie Duke. The Workout is now available on VOD.

Paramount Pictures has announced that Yellowstone: The Complete Series will be released on November 18, marking the first time the critically acclaimed drama will be available as a complete collection on both DVD and Blu-ray. The release arrives just ahead of the holiday season, making it the perfect gift for fans of the modern Western phenomenon. Created by Taylor Sheridan and starring Academy Award winner Kevin Costner, Yellowstone follows the Dutton family—owners of the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States—as they battle to protect their land and legacy from developers, political rivals, and internal conflicts. Over five riveting seasons, the series has captivated audiences with its sweeping cinematography, intense storytelling, and unforgettable characters, redefining the television Western for a new generation. Since its debut in 2018 on the Paramount Network, Yellowstone has become a cultural juggernaut, earning record-breaking ratings and sparking a massive franc...

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale brings the long-running saga of the Crawley family to its graceful conclusion. As the third film following the hit television series, it arrives with the heavy task of providing closure to one of Britain’s most beloved period dramas. It succeeds in delivering emotional satisfaction and nostalgic charm, even if it rarely ventures beyond familiar territory. From its opening moments, the film immediately immerses viewers in the refined world that has always defined Downton. The camera glides across the grounds, the music swells, and we return to the comforting rituals of a house where tradition still rules. The production design, costumes, and cinematography continue to be exceptional. Every frame feels carefully polished, a visual love letter to the elegance of 1930s England. There’s a tangible affection behind the filmmaking, as if everyone involved is saying farewell to a place that has come to feel real over the years. Julian Fellowes’s script continu...

David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive remains one of the most haunting and enigmatic films ever made. It operates like a riddle that refuses to be solved, luring the viewer into a world where time, memory, and identity dissolve into one another. What begins as a mysterious, almost whimsical Hollywood fairy tale gradually transforms into a psychological nightmare. By the end, it’s clear that what we’ve been watching is not a mystery to be unraveled but an emotional landscape, the mind of a woman caught between fantasy and despair. The film tells the story of two women, Betty Elms and Rita, whose lives intertwine after Rita survives a car crash and loses her memory. Betty, a bright and optimistic aspiring actress freshly arrived in Los Angeles, takes her in. Together, they embark on an investigation into Rita’s identity, which unfolds like a noir detective story bathed in dreamlike light. Everything about this world feels heightened: Betty’s charm, the coincidence of events, and the ease with w...

Some movies don’t just entertain, they sneak into your life and set up shop in your memories, becoming part of the folklore of your youth. Freaked (1993) is one of those films. Directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter (yes, that Alex Winter, the “Bill” half of Bill & Ted), it’s a carnival of grotesques, a live-action cartoon of corporate evil, celebrity rot, and mutant rebellion. It’s also one of the funniest, most spectacularly weird comedies ever buried by a studio. My connection to Freaked began the way so many cult-movie obsessions do, with a rented VHS tape. A friend spotted the bizarre cover art at Video Update, took a chance, and brought it to what we generously called a “party” (really just a few comedy nerds eating chips and watching weird movies). We put it on that night and were instantly hooked. From then on, Freaked became a fixture in our little circle. Whenever someone new joined the group, we’d run through the essential films on our mental list, and if they hadn’t see...

Today I’m joined by Director and Showrunner Nancy Schwartzman to discuss DEATH IN APARTMENT 603: WHAT HAPPENED TO ELLEN GREENBERG? The emotional and gripping docuseries investigates the mysterious death of Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old Philadelphia schoolteacher found dead in the apartment she shared with her fiancé on a snowy night in January 2011, just seven months before her upcoming wedding. Greenberg sustained 20 knife wounds and had 11 bruises on her body in various stages of healing. To the shock of many who knew her, detectives on the scene treated her death as a suicide; but when her autopsy results came back, her cause of death was ruled a homicide. Shortly thereafter, the manner of death was inexplicably reversed to suicide, and the city of Philadelphia shut the case without further investigation. Now, 14 years later, this three-part series exclusively follows Ellen’s parents, Sandee and Josh Greenberg, as they fight to reopen the investigation and learn the truth about the...