Star Wars: The Last Jedi Is a Near-Perfect Reinvention of the Franchise
Toward the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, one of our heroes stares out toward a vast, bleached-out vista that’s peppered with low-slung space-junk (I wouldn’t dare say which character it is, or even what planet we’re on; such info would rankle most Force-fans, and we all know a death mark’s not an easy…
Snoke Screens: Designing the User Interfaces In The Last Jedi
You'll find no touch screens in Star Wars: The Last Jedi—not even when you can watch it at home next month (March 13 for digital, two weeks later for physical). Same goes for mice and keyboards. They're all too familiar, too of-this-world, to appear in a galaxy so far, far away. What you’ll find instead…
5 Comics to Read Before You See Deadpool 2
He’s the breakout character of Deadpool 2, as well as the next step in Josh Brolin’s unlikely plan to play a comic book character in every cinematic universe. (Don’t forget that in addition to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War he also played Jonah Hex in the 2010 DC movie of the same name.) Yes, Cable…
Disney’s Acquisition of Fox Could Change Streaming Forever
Well, it’s finally happening. After weeks, if not years, of speculation, the Walt Disney Company announced this morning that it is acquiring nearly all of 21st Century Fox. The $52.4 billion (yes, with a b) acquisition is one of the largest in media history and brings Fox—which controls everything from The Simpsons to the X-Men,…
Progressive Democrats Fight For Access to the Party's Voter Data
In the early days of Anthony Clark’s campaign for Congress, the special education teacher and military veteran spent most of his free time knocking on doors in Illinois’ 7th Congressional district. Unlike most Democratic candidates who canvass in the age of data-driven everything, Clark didn't know whether the people in those houses leaned Clinton or…
5 Comics You Should Read Before Seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp
So, you’re getting psyched for this weekend's Ant-Man and the Wasp and you’ve found yourself a fan of the idea of a miniature woman with wings kick ass and take names. The next step is obvious: It's time to go read some Wasp comics, preferably with Ant-Man involved if at all possible. (Not that it’s…
Westworld Recap, Season 2 Episode 2: The Facade Is Crumbling
Fellow watchers of Westworld, we have cracked the facade. The second episode of Season 2 opens on Dolores' (Evan Rachel Wood) face. Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) asks if she knows where she is; she guesses she is in a dream. He corrects her: "No, you're in our world." The camera pulls back to reveal them seated…
We Need to Talk About That Westworld Season 2 Finale
You gotta hand it to HBO: Their shows know how to deliver explosive endings. No matter how uneven the season of television that came before it, the finales are always blue-fire-breathing game-changers. They may not always be narratively-warranted or cogent, but they are explosive. Which brings us to the end of Westworld Season 2. After…
How Ava DuVernay Became a Creator of Worlds
Late fall in the redwood forests of Northern California, it gets cold. Not wrap-yourself-in-furs cold—we’re still talking 51 degrees—but the kind of cold that demands layers, lest it sink into your bones. Nevertheless, in November 2016, when I visited her movie set near Eureka, director Ava DuVernay was coatless. Just a thermal with a cotton…
On Dirty Computer Janelle Monáe Breaks Out of Her Android Persona
Nearly a century ago, the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote one of his most abiding works, “We Wear the Mask.” Much of the poem’s heat springs from its opening stanza, which plays like a confession eager to break free. Of the disguise so many black Americans choose to wear, he writes: “It hides our cheeks…