Mary Beth Ross

Mary Beth Ross (1942-2022) was a published poet and documentary filmmaker who co-founder the Women's Writers Center, which drew dozens of the most influential writers of the 70s and 80s to teach and inspire the next generation.
Featured Image

Mrs. America

Mrs. America is a good place to start exploring where our current political and cultural divisions started widening. Anyone who lived through these years can vouch that there was a lot at stake.

Featured Image

The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7 offers plenty of precedents, reminding us of philosopher George Santayana’s warning that “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”

Featured Image

The Curse of Oak Island

Part history lesson, part treasure hunt, The Curse of Oak Island will inspire your inner Hardy Boys fan. For the audience, just sharing so many of the highs and lows of the team’s successes and disappointments has built a bond.

No items found
Featured Image

A Watercooler Guide to The Phoenician Scheme: Wes Anderson’s Oil-Baron Fever Dream

Wes Anderson films are easy to spot, but not always easy to describe. Watching them feels like stepping inside a handcrafted diorama of history: symmetrical, stylized, and slightly sentimental. From the wry narration and sharp color palettes to his signature whip pans and deadpan dialogue, Anderson crafts cinematic worlds where emotions are bottled then uncorked

Read More »
Featured Image

A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…

It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be

Read More »
Featured Image

Bring Her Back

A psychological horror film with standout performances, Bring Her Back isn’t just about summoning the dead, it’s about confronting the parts of ourselves we lose in the process. The Philippou brothers have crafted a film that dares to ask whether the true horror lies in what we’re willing to do in the name of love.

Featured Image

The Something for Everyone Show: Poker Face is Back

Can’t agree on what to watch together?  Consider putting on your Poker Face. Peacock’s acclaimed mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (best known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, most relevant here, the Glass Onion films) and starring Natasha Lyonne, is finally back for another season after two long years. That’s great news for

Read More »
Featured Image

It’s not HBO, it’s The Pitt: How streamers are embracing old TV network models  

“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Remember that old tagline? For nearly all of its history, broadcast television has been fighting against the perception that it’s subordinate to film as a storytelling medium. Television was just media for the masses, as opposed to the more erudite aficionados of cinema (who, by the way, poured into theaters

Read More »
Featured Image

Boyhood

Boyhood captures the importance of moments in time as people grow up and contests the idea that any singular moment is defining to your childhood. It’s a film filled with the full breadth of the emotions of childhood, conveying each one delicately to leave you reflecting on its many pensive conversations. 

Featured Image

Why Andor is Luring in Non-Star Wars Fans

An edgier Star Wars prequel with a timely story about rebellion, Andor skips some of the more familiar elements of the franchise — from lightsabers to Jedi to the Force — in favor of a more grounded story with parallels in both history and our current moment. While it sets up the legendary world of

Read More »
2
Featured Image

House of the Dragon: The Qs that need As

If you spent the first episode of House of the Dragon combing wikis for family trees, character guides, and Game of Thrones refreshers, you were surely left with some gaps and several questions.  To prep you for Episode 2, we’ve sifted out six questions that need answers before you dive any deeper: Who was the

Read More »
Featured Image

How to Jump Into House of the Dragon

“Madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born … the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.” It is that time again. The return of the labyrinthine world of Westeros, this time in Game

Read More »
Featured Image

Hidden Gems: TV Shows for Families to Watch Together

Last chance to bond with the kids before back to school? We’ve gathered picks for the best hidden gem TV series you can watch with every member of your family — as well as those tricky tweens and teens. They’re sure to get you talking.

Featured Image

Street Food: USA

If you’re looking for a vicarious vacation that will leave your mouth watering and your cultural curiosity enriched, Street Food: USA is worth the watch. The short series makes the case that cheap street eats are just as worthy as restaurant meals while bringing a new appreciation for a city and its communities.

Featured Image

A League of Their Own (2022)

A fun, heartfelt, and inclusive take on America’s favorite pastime, the new A League of Their Own series is also a history lesson that makes for a great cross-generational watch.

Featured Image

Prey

An action-packed gory callback to its original film, Predator, Prey brings a fresh point of view and historical setting to the story.  It builds slowly to develop character backstories but crescendos in an epic battle that will keep you glued to the screen — and rooting for the unlikely protagonist.

Featured Image

Nope

Nope is a uniquely crafted horror film that brings together a creative premise, striking visuals, and terrific performances.

Featured Image

Why You Should Watch Abducted in Plain Sight

With director Skye Borgman’s latest documentary, Girl in the Picture, now available on Netflix, we decided to revisit her most famous documentary, Abducted in Plain Sight.

Featured Image

The Rehearsal

A quirky and slightly unhinged comedy that is utterly erratic and surprisingly profound. Watch it with your friends who love cringe comedy.

Scroll to Top