Although some of the most popular shows on TV are dark and intense, a lighter and more upbeat show is often the best option. Television shows can be a huge comfort to people in difficult times. It serves as joyful escapism when people need it most, and shows with many episodes can be a great way to relax the mind. Recently, prestige TV has trended towards darkness and drama, but the most popular shows on streaming platforms are often the happiest ones. Beyond mere distractions, uplifting TV shows can make people feel better about tough situations. Although everyone has their…
Author: Ben Protheroe
Tom Hardy has appeared in a variety of different genres, but he seems to return to crime movies more often than others. Hardy has a reputation as a performer who isn’t afraid to take big swings, whether it’s with a quirky accent choice or a splashy persona that draws attention to himself. This means that he is often a great choice to play a villain, a gangster or some other criminal. Tom Hardy’s best movies include actors like Mad Max: Fury Road and prestige dramas like The RevenantBut one of his main career trends is his love for the crime…
Movie studios analyze the market to figure out which movies they should bet big on, but sometimes the market throws up some surprises, and sure-fire hits turn into box office bombs. Movies with big casts, big franchise recognition and exciting ideas can still fall short of expectations. In the most extreme cases, this can have knock-on effects that force studios to scrap other movies or shut down altogether. Even huge franchises like Star Wars And the MCU isn’t immune to the odd box office bomb. These are often among the most expensive flops because they have such large budgets and…
Jamie Lee Curtis starred in critically-acclaimed movies from the start of her career, and she’s still making hits over 40 years later. Curtis made her screen debut in John Carpenter Halloween. Her role as Laurie Strode immediately established her as a young actor worth watching, and she returned to the franchise periodically throughout her career. She soon gained a reputation as an iconic actress of her generation. After her success in the horror franchise, Jamie Lee Curtis starred in comedy movies to diversify her repertoire. Starting with Trading placesCurtis showed that she is also one of the best comedy actors…
Sci-fi is often designed to appeal to all ages, but R-rated sci-fi movies have the freedom to show extremely dark and violent futures. An R-rating allows a sci-fi movie to become more violent and grisly, which means it can deliver its story to a mature audience without worry. This is particularly good for dystopian fiction, as some visions of the future leave no room for redemption and silver linings. The best dystopian sci-fi movies can show the bridge between the present and the bleak futures they depict. Often, these dark futures aren’t just designed as warnings about what might happen.…
The The sci-fi genre has consistently delivered some of the most interesting and revolutionary movies of the last decade, with great franchises and original ideas both making a splash. Sci-fi in the 21st century has benefited from the boundless potential of CGIAnd filmmakers now have more freedom than ever to tell the stories they want to tell without worrying too much about practicality. However, it takes a special kind of director to harness these magical visual effects in a way that feels both grounded and necessary. Over the past ten years, directors such as Denis Villeneuve, Alex Garland and Yorgos…
Great villains need to be just as compelling and relatable as the heroes, and there are some movie antagonists that are hard to disagree with. As George RR Martin once wrote: “No one is a villain in their own story.” It is important for villains to have motivations that are on par with those of the story’s protagonist. Otherwise, they will not push the hero in any way, and their stories are not so interesting. A lot of great movies blur the line between villains and heroes, either by creating interesting anti-heroes or by making the villains right all along.…
Genre labels aren’t perfect, and there are some truly terrifying movies that most people don’t count as horror. Movies with more prominent sci-fi, action or fantasy elements are often forced into a box, but this discounts how they can leave their audience feeling disturbed and scared. Any movie can have horror elements, no matter what genre people tend to classify it as. Often, movies that aren’t listed as horror can be particularly disturbing, simply because audiences are less wary of being scared. Crime movies or sci-fi movies in particular have the opportunity to develop deep stories that are laced with…
Great sci-fi movies need great villains, and there have been some villains in recent sci-fi movies that seem destined to go down in history. Many of the best modern sci-fi movies are elevated by their villains, and compelling performances are vital to that. If a sci-fi movie does things well, the villains can be just as compelling as the main characters, and they can become just as popular. Villains have to push the heroes in interesting ways, so many of the best recent villains are designed to counteract the qualities of other characters. This means that actors playing villains need…
Michael Keaton is an Oscar-nominated actor with decades of success in Hollywood, but some of his best movies still don’t get the audience they deserve. Since breaking through as a comic actor in the 1980s, Keaton has thrived in a variety of roles. His fame reached a new peak a few years later when he starred in Beetlejuice And Batman in back-to-back years. Although he was a bankable star for many years, he did a lot of underrated movies. Michael Keaton’s best movies showcase his talents as a comedic actor and a performer with serious dramatic chops. He can slip…