Nick Mordowanec
Yellowstone
Yellowstone has secured its place in the cultural zeitgeist due to a strong cast, headed by Kevin Costner, and a true-to-life examination of how each character’s development impacts everyone around them.
Hamilton
Dazzling, rousing, and enlightening, Hamilton is a cultural phenomenon that’s as entertaining as it is inspiring. The Broadway show united politicians and won a Pulitzer, a Grammy, and record-breaking Tony nominations, and it’s now available for everyone to see thanks to streaming.
Eurovision Song Contest
A hilarious homage to the international song contest that launched ABBA, Celine Dion and many others, Eurovision doubles as a vicarious vacation adventure — one with outlandish performances, actual hits, and Will Ferrell.
Black-ish: “The Juneteenth Episode”
In 30 comedic minutes, this special “Juneteenth” episode manages to give insight into the end of slavery in the United States—the date it actually ended, how it was ended, and what happened after it did.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
At first glance a true crime story, the film is actually a look at how poverty, loneliness and imposter syndrome can seduce someone into creating a false reality.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Is it technically a silly stoner comedy from the early 2000s? Yes. But it’s also about the struggles of being young, what it means to “figure things out,” and how you should exit your comfort zone to embrace both youth and maturity.
Fruitvale Station
Based on a true story, the film is a poignant and powerful snapshot of a life interrupted, cut brutally short without warning.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
This series that goes behind the headlines to get to the raw truths about what happened to 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who ended up in Rikers for three years for allegedly stealing a backpack.
The North Pole
A metaphor for the effects of gentrification, complete with endangered native “species”—the human population.
Eddington is a pandemic parable. But what is it trying to say?
Set in May 2020 in a fictional New Mexico town, Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix’s new film Eddington draws some parallels to two of the biggest breakout shows of the past decade: The Last of Us and The Walking Dead. It’s a story about a virus that’s less about death and more about exposing the living.
A Watercooler Watch: Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything
Before social media and podcasts, there was one undeniable truth about news-making interviews: if a story mattered, Barbara Walters would be the one to tell it. Landing a one-on-one with her didn’t just mean publicity, it meant you had become part of a national conversation. But while the interview signified that you had made it,
A Need-to-Know Guide to The Buccaneers
Was life in the Gilded Age all that gilded? In the HBO Max series, penned by Downton Abbey’s creator Julian Fellowes, the focus is on the class divide between America’s old money aristocrats and new money industrialists, and the often exhausting rules of “society.” Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, which just returned for its second season,
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
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
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.
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
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