Jessica Carpenter
The Watercooler Guide to Hello Tomorrow!
Apple’s new futuristic TV series combines nostalgia, sci-fi and Billy Crudup to ask big questions about the cost of all of the hype around tech, space, and “the future” can cost us all.
The Best Political Movies & Series for Every Mood
As we try and process the latest world events and the state of politics, our brains could benefit from a break from the news. For President’s Day weekend Best Political Movies For Presidents Day, we’ve curated a watchlist of scripted stories that bring the inspiration, comedic relief, romance, and carefully crafted resolutions missing from current
Sidney
A stirring documentary about iconic actor and activist Sidney Poitier’s life and its impact — on Hollywood, on Black history, and on American history.
Single? Swiping? Swooning? What to Watch on Valentine’s Day
Remember when we gave Valentine cards to every kid in the class, the teacher, our parents, and saved a handful of candy hearts that said “Hot Stuff” to stuff into our own mouths Watch on Valentines Day? Valentine’s Day used to be about more than just romantic love. To honor its origins in our childhoods
Laid Off? 10 Movies to Help You Cope
What to watch when you’ve been laid off? Here are the best movies about getting downsized and starting over.
Norah Jones’ Streaming Watchlist
After three long years, Grammy-winning star Norah Jones is going back on tour. She tells the Watercooler’s Steve Baltin what she’s been listening to and watching — and what she’s up to on her podcast.
12 Book Adaptations to Get Excited About
With each New Year comes a fresh lineup of literary adaptations, and 2023 will not disappoint audiences. Much-anticipated sequels (Dune, Shadow and Bone) finally arrive to satiate followers. Beloved classics (Wonka, The Color Purple) get new spins—and songs. Judy Blume adds another film adaptation to her career as an author, as does Bram Stoker. Whether
A Royal Drama to Fill the Meghan and Harry Void: Corsage
Harry and Meghan drama might be waning, but our fixation with all things royalty has not. An Oscar Shortlist for Best International Film, Corsage looks at the first royal celebrity with depth and imagination.
The Oscar Contenders for Best International Film
In recent years, Oscar Nominees Best International Film, the Motion Picture Academy has made a concerted effort to represent more diverse and international perspectives, and the expansion of its membership has put “subtitled films” on the radars of voters — and, in some cases, in contention for the biggest awards. The turning point came just
Rising Star: Our Interview with Dune & The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘s Babs Olusanmokun
He is best known for his recent breakout sci-fi roles – from the fierce fighter Doctor M’Benga in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to Jamis – the Freman and best friend to the protagonist Paul – in Dune Parts One and Two. But Babs Olusanmokun has been acting for two decades. A Nigerian-American who speaks
The Classic Film Education in Colin Farrell’s Sugar
The classic film education in Colin Ferrell’s Apple TV+ detective series “Sugar” has something to tell us. Our writer Felipe Patterson breaks them down and sheds light on their cultural significance.
The Sympathizer
Told through the perspective of a conflicted hero with contradicting loyalties, The Sympathizer is an ambitious examination of a spy who can’t help but sympathize — hence, the title of the series — with the enemy. It might make you rethink everything you were taught about the Vietnam War too.
A Career Reinvention Watchlist
As layoffs continue in the wake of a year of ominous headlines about the bots who are replacing us, a recent EY report found that over 70% of employees are reeling from AI anxiety. That actually sounds low. The idea of having to concoct a new livelihood – one that won’t be taken over by
What Franklin Can Teach Us About Diplomacy
As conflicts rage on across the world and the need for diplomacy rises, the new Apple TV+ series Franklin — about America’s first diplomat — offers lessons for our times, as a former speechwriter for the US Ambassador to the UN explains.
From Aristocrat to Waiter in a Grand Hotel: A Gentleman in Moscow
It’s 1920s Moscow, four years after the start of the Russian Revolution. The aristocracy has been put on trial, staring down their inevitable doom. Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat, is sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal for “social parasitism” — the crime of living off of the efforts of others. His fate is surely death,
The Big Door Prize
A fresh, lighthearted comedy that doubles as a philosophical sci-fi mystery, The Big Door Prize’s biggest question is that regardless of how much we have, are we ever truly satisfied? And that’s a poignant query in our consumer-driven, must-document-every-moment-on-social-media world.
You’re the Worst
Through the eyes of two cynics who seem doomed to be alone, You’re the Worst embraces the complexity of modern relationships and the many emotional layers they surface. It’s also an accurate and empathetic portrait of what it’s like to live with clinical depression.
The stars of Manhunt on the history we did not learn
It’s a story that none of us learned in history classes, and it unfolds as a taut, complex conspiracy thriller — one that raises all new questions. Set in 1865, Manhunt focuses on the aftermath of one of America’s most tragic events: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With all of the biopics, TV shows, and