Marvel’s Wonder Man surprises as actor’s tale, rom-com
Marvel’s Wonder Man is a story about acting, and about how being different can isolate you from the world around you, and what it takes to let someone in.
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Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda are good Marvel Studios shows that deserved better from Disney
I’m an ’80s baby, raised on bad sitcoms and movies with heavy-handed messages (and great soundtracks). The idea of Blackness then was still shrouded in otherness: Most programs either sought seamless integration with some small Black aesthetic flairs, or played up those Black aesthetics for comedic impact. So many of those shows seemed to be…
CXF’s Sinister Six reviews Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps
After the dismal Captain America: Brave New World and the surprisingly endearing Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios has released one of its trickiest flicks yet based on the historically difficult-to-adapt Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn; and is written by Joshua Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and…
9 ComicsXF writers talk about James Gunn’s Superman, and whether Krypto is a good boy
Three hundred years ago, metahumans emerged on Earth, ushering in a new age of gods and monsters. Three years ago, a hero named Superman emerged as the most powerful metahuman to date. Three minutes ago, Superman lost for the first time. With that opening crawl, a new era of DC films begins with Superman, starring…
A frustrating finale for fans in Doctor Who’s ‘The Reality War’
Margot Waldman: When I started this series of reviews, I got something really pretty desperately wrong. I said that Russell T Davies had nothing to prove to me or to anyone else about Doctor Who. But I’ve realized that, no, he did. He had a big damn thing to prove because he had to prove…
10 things we loved in Star Wars: Andor Season 2 Episodes 10-12
It took us a bit to come to terms with our grief over the end of Andor, but here, at last, are 10 things we loved in Season 2 Episodes 10-12. Suiting Up The beginning of this three-episode arc and its conclusion both have parallel constructions, in that the arc opens with Luthen preparing to…
Giant spectral bone horse-dinosaurs in Doctor Who’s ‘Wish World’
Armaan Babu: It’s the end of the world as we don’t know it. The Rani has swept in, and wasted little time in making and unmaking reality, ready to tear the world apart just to find whoever she’s looking for. It’s a hell of an episode, and the most I’ve enjoyed the series in a…
Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch adds depth to a family’s grief but subtracts in other areas
There’s no question that Disney is going a little too hard on live-action remakes. The fatigue is to the point that Snow White bombed incredibly hard. But Lilo & Stitch was already in the can, ready for Memorial Day audiences. I’ll say first, the original animated film is one of my favorites. It’s the last…
Graham Norton forebodes in Doctor Who’s ‘The Interstellar Song Contest’
Armaan Babu: I skipped watching the Eurovision finale, but it appears that no matter where you hide, Eurovision will find you. This week, on Doctor Who, Eurovision plays out for over 3 trillion fans across the universe. Margot, are you one of those fans? Margot Waldman: So. Look. I have never watched Eurovision because Eurovision…
10 things we loved in Star Wars: Andor Season 2, Episodes 7-9
The penultimate arc of Andor delivers a trio of phenomenal episodes, as the second season gets its big set piece in the course of chronicling some key Star Wars moments. Here are 10 things we loved about “Messenger,” “Who Are You?” and “Welcome to the Rebellion.” 1. The Chosen One Andor isn’t a series (or…
When is a barbershop not a barbershop? When it’s Doctor Who’s ‘The Story and the Engine’
Armaan Babu: If any story is told for long enough, you’re going to come to a part of it that tells you how important stories are. Writers can’t help themselves, and in their defense, they’re not wrong. Stories matter, and stories have power. Where critics like us come in is that we recognize that while…
B- and C-list characters deliver a solid B+ MCU movie in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Schreier and stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, Russell Wyatt, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman. NOTE:…
10 things we loved in Andor Season 2, Episodes 4-6
All eyes are on Ghorman, home of majestic twill, spiders and the Space French, as Andor‘s second season reaches its halfway point. Check out 10 things we loved in “Ever Been to Ghorman?” “I Have Friends Everywhere” and “What a Festive Evening.” 1. ‘Sacre Bleu!’ Modeling the Ghorman rebels on the French Resistance (and, to…
It’s not Ruby Sunday’s ‘Lucky Day’ on Doctor Who
Margot Waldman: It’s a strange thing to have a “Doctor-lite” episode in a season as short as this one is – but then, we had one last year in “73 Yards,” another ripped-from-the-headlines political drama (I’m not the first reviewer to compare these two episodes, not by a long shot)! I thought “73 Yards” was…
Don’t turn your back on Doctor Who’s ‘The Well’
Margot Waldman: On their quest to get back home to May 2025, the Doctor and Belinda make a slight detour 500,000 years in the future – and into what I think has been the strongest episode of the season so far. What do you think, Armaan? Armaan Babu: I’m behind you 100%. Well, behind-adjacent, as…