For most of the last decade, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood was settled and grim: the mid-budget film was dying. The $30–80 million original story — not a sequel, not a franchise, not based on beloved IP — had been gradually squeezed out by a system that preferred either enormous tentpoles or cheap streaming content, […]
TV
The TV Reboot Cycle: When Does Nostalgia Become a Business Model?
There is a stat that explains everything about the current state of network television. According to Screen Rant, 65% of new network TV series get cancelled within their first season. A brand-new show, with unknown characters and an unproven premise, is more likely to disappear than survive. A reboot, by contrast, arrives with a built-in […]
AI in Hollywood: Who’s Winning, Who’s Losing, and What It Means for the Films You Watch
Two things happened in Hollywood this year that don’t quite fit together — and that tension is exactly the point. At SXSW in March, Steven Spielberg stood in front of an audience and said he has never used artificial intelligence in any of his films. The room erupted. Meanwhile, Netflix was weeks away from spending […]
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man—Does the Movie Deliver the Ending Tommy Shelby Deserved?
The prophecy is fulfilled. Six seasons, years of waiting, and more fan petitions than anyone cared to count, and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has finally landed on Netflix. Written by series creator Steven Knight and directed by Tom Harper, the film drops Tommy Shelby into 1940 Birmingham at the height of the Blitz. He’s […]
Scrubs Is Back, But Does It Still Work?
Fifteen years is a long time to be away from anything. Your favorite band, a childhood meal, a TV show that once felt like a close companion on a rough Tuesday night. When Scrubs ended its original run, it went out on a whimper rather than a bang. That unloved ninth season still haunts the […]