Michael Nirenberg

Dec 3, 2024 | villagevoice.com | Erin Maxwell |R.C. Baker |Peter Noel |Michael Nirenberg

There is nothing better than getting behind an underdog and watching a scrappy underachiever achieve the impossible. But what if that underdog is less than scrupulous? Perhaps a little devious? How about downright evil? Will audiences still root for the dark horse to win? The best television shows of 2024 were mostly character-driven pieces that seemed to focus on ambiguous figures who occupied morally gray areas.

Nov 28, 2024 | villagevoice.com | Michael Nirenberg |Michael Atkinson |R.C. Baker

John Waters once famously suggested that if you go home with someone and they don’t own any books, you shouldn’t fuck them. I’d go one step further: Shun the hook-up who owns no films on home video.

Nov 20, 2024 | villagevoice.com | Erin Maxwell |R.C. Baker |Peter Noel |Michael Nirenberg

The spice must flow, and so shall the world of Dune, as the landmark franchise expands its horizons with Dune: Prophecy, a prequel series that focuses on the ever-present religious order of the Bene Gesserit. With the series, HBO rolls out the next wave of prestige entertainment by continuing the epic known to contemporary audiences through Denis Villeneuve’s current run of Dune movies. Inspired by Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J.

Nov 5, 2024 | villagevoice.com | Kalyn Corrigan |R.C. Baker |Peter Noel |Michael Nirenberg

Editor’s note — this article contains spoilers for the new film Smile 2. Toward the end of Parker Finn’s Smile 2, the entity that’s been taunting mega-famous pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) finally reveals its true face. As she walks onstage for the very first concert of her brand new tour, her nervous eyes scan the room as sweaty hands raise a trembling microphone to shaky lips and the crowd screams with delight. The lights dim and the entity appears: another Skye Riley.

Oct 30, 2024 | villagevoice.com | Michael Atkinson |R.C. Baker |Karina Longworth |Michael Nirenberg

You might visualize the broke and grimy New York City of the 1970s through a prism of iconic films, such as The French Connection, Taxi Driver, or The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, which was released 50 years ago this month. If you haven’t seen it, Pelham is a tightly coiled, nervous-paced thriller about four subway hijackers who take hostages, demand a million-dollar ransom, and threaten to shoot one passenger per minute if kept waiting beyond an hour.