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Note: This article discusses sexual misconduct and abuse.

As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.

It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.

Our latest roundup of new books related to the world of cinema is full of indelible imagery––the pale face of Lost Highway’s Mystery Man, John Ford’s craggy visage, and, of course, the Neverland sets from Hook.

Lost Highway: The Fist of Love by Scott Ryan (Tucker DS Press)

Last year, Scott Ryan covered David Lynch’s Twin Peaks prequel in Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared. (We featured it here.) In 2023, Ryan studies what he calls “the lowest-grossing, most forgotten film of [Lynch’s] career.” Ryan’s Lost Highway: The Fist of Love is every bit as enthralling and insightful as Your Laura Disappeared. The author zeroes in on the elements of Lost Highway that turned off most (but not all) audiences in 1997 but are titillating new (and revisiting) viewers today. Ryan should know; he was one of those who looked away in the nineties: “The first time I saw it,...

To commemorate the 100th birthday of screen legend Doris Day, Turner Classic Movies (North America) will celebrate by showing a selection of her films and some extremely rare TV specials on April 3.

Here is TCM's promotional information, written by Raquel Stecher:

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With her dreamy voice, natural self-confidence and charisma, Doris Day lit up the screen in the 39 films she made during her three decade run in Hollywood. She sang in glossy Warner Bros. musicals, starred opposite Rock Hudson in a trio of sex comedies and showcased her acting chops in a variety of serious dramas. Day demonstrated that she had the talent and versatility to make a success out of any project she was assigned. The sheer magnitude of her fame and success that she achieved throughout the 1950s and 1960s is unmatched. At one time in her career she was the...