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Younger readers may not be aware of this, but there was a time before the streaming wars when a movie could still be profitable without having a successful run at the box office. In fact, the direct-to-video market used to be so huge that it was worth producing smaller projects specifically for video and DVD, especially when a wide theatrical release might result in them losing money. Unfortunately, the reduced budgets often resulted in cheap cash-grabs when it came to franchises, with most movie sequels decreasing in quality the further they strayed from their cinema screen origins.

However, there were exceptions to this trend, as the lowered expectations also meant that creative risks could sometimes be taken with existing properties – with filmmakers being allowed to innovate instead of simply rehashing what came before. One example of these creative outliers is the Warlock series, as the third movie is actually a...

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2023 Grammys was hearing Bonnie Raitt’s name called as the winner of the prestigious Song of the Year award for “Just Like That.” While many were shocked at Raitt taking home the award over smash hits by artists like Adele, Harry Styles, and Lizzo, few would consider Raitt undeserving of the prize. This is especially true if you know how important Raitt has been to popular music for decades. But that wasn’t the only general field award she’s won. At the 32nd Grammy Awards, held in 1990, Raitt’s comeback record “Nick of Time” won her three trophies, including Album of the Year over legends like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Don Henley.

To understand Raitt’s 1990 wins, you need to understand her career leading up to “Nick of Time.” Raitt got her start in the early ’70s, earning praise as one of...

Wayne Shorter, the saxophonist and composer who was a major figure in the development of modern jazz, died Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 89.

His death was confirmed to The New York Times by his publicist Alisse Kingsley. No further information has yet been released.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, Shorter first came to acclaim in the 1950s and ’60s as the tenor saxophonist for the groundbreaking Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and, later, the massively influential Miles Davis Quintet. Among other recordings, he played on Davis’ hit album Bitches Brew in 1969.

A favorite of jazz enthusiasts nearly from the start of his career, Shorter broke through to wider public popularity both with Bitches Brew and, in 1971, his co-founding of Weather Report, the funk-jazz fusion group he co-founded with keyboardist Joe Zawinul and bassist Miroslav Vitous. The band, with various other members, stayed together until 1986, its commercial...

Wayne Shorter, the legendary, Grammy-winning saxophonist who — in addition to his own renowned albums and work with jazz supergroup Weather Report — collaborated with the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, and Joni Mitchell, has died at the age of 89.

The venerated musician died Thursday morning, March 2, in Los Angeles, Shorter’s rep confirmed to Rolling Stone. No cause of death was provided. His longtime label Blue Note said in a statement Thursday, “Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father, and grandfather Wayne Shorter has passed...