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Latest by Joe Allen

Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

10 best moments from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings saga

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings saga is sprawling and long, but it has plenty of moments that have defined how we think of Tolkien's story.
A blue alien rides a flying dragon in Avatar 2.

Fall 2022 movie preview: Black Panther, Avatar, and The Rock return to rule the multiplex

The 2022 fall movie season will feature something for everyone, from superhero flicks like Black Panther 2 and Black Adam to prestige fare like The Fablemans.
Morfydd Clark in The Rings of Power.

Why Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can’t be a Game of Thrones rip-off

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may seem like a Game of Thrones rip-off to naïve viewers, but if its creative team is smart, it will be anything but.
Peter, Tony, Drax, Quill, and Mantis looking in the same direction in Avengers: Infinity War.

The 10 best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranked

From Avengers: Endgame to Black Panther, he best Marvel movies do something to stand out from the usual fare that comes out of the prolific studio.
ryan gosling five most badass roles the gray man

The Gray Man stinks! Why Netflix has never made a great action movie

Great films have definitely come out of Netflix, but with recent duds like Extraction and The Gray Man, has the streamer ever made a truly great action movie?
Brad Pitt takes a drink of water in Bullet Train.

Geezers with guns: why action heroes are older than ever

Stars of action movies, like Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Brad Pitt in Bullet Train, are older than they've ever been, and that may not be good news.
Marvel Runaways

The best Marvel shows not on Disney+

While Disney+ is the home of the MCU, there are some Marvel shows that have yet to find their way to the streamer. These are some of the best you should watch.
Daniel Kaluuya rides a horse in front of a house in a scene from Nope.

With Nope, Jordan Peele leaves his horror roots and goes full blockbuster

With Nope, Jordan Peele has created the first genuine blockbuster of his career.
best new shows and movies to stream get out alias grace

From Get Out to Nope, Jordan Peele proves he’s an actor’s director

In addition to his brilliance as a director, Jordan Peele is also highly adept at getting great performances out of his actors.
Andrew Garfield poses as Spider-Man at San Diego Comic Con.

Avengers Assemble! San Diego Comic-Con’s best moments ever

The best moments in San Diego's long history of Comic-Cons were both surprising and hugely anticipated.
san diego comic con dtfocus

San Diego Comic-Con 2022: What you need to know about every major panel

From Prime Video's revival of Lord of the Rings to the return of Marvel, these are the San Diego Comic-Con panels you need to pay attention to in 2022.

Nathan For You’s best business proposals

Nathan Fielder is back in the world of cringe comedy with The Rehearsal, so it's a perfect time to look back at the best business proposals on Nathan For You.
Dakota Johnson in Persuasion.

Dakota Johnson’s impressive talent isn’t a secret anymore

Dakota Johnson's chaotic and charismatic public persona has complimented her burgeoning career as a star in such movies as Cha Cha Real Smooth and Persuasion.
Helena Bonham Carter casts a spell as Bellatrix Lestrange in a Harry Potter movie.

The best adult performances in the Harry Potter franchise, ranked

Harry Potter has been around for two decades, and these are the best performances by adults from all 11 movies in the series.
Breaking Bad

The 10 best performances in the Breaking Bad universe

The actors working on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are some of the best in show business, and this list spotlights both series' 10 best performances.
A collage of Thor throughout his time in the MCU.

From Thor to Endgame: Every Chris Hemsworth Marvel performance, ranked

Chris Hemsworth has been in the MCU for more than a decade, and his performance as the Asgard god and mighty Avenger Thor has evolved over that time.
Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone.

5 great horror movies like The Black Phone

These horror movies will keep you thrilled long after you've finished The Black Phone.
Austin Butler as Elvis.

All shook up: The 5 best musical biopics like Elvis

These 5 musical biopics helped lay the groundwork for the biopic Elvis by honoring their subjects while also playing with the conventions of the genre.
Carl Frederickson looks at an empty chair where his wife, Ellie, once sat.

Be a wuss: Pixar movies make you cry, and that’s OK

Pixar movies are a little formulaic, and many of them like Coco, Soul, and Turning Red, are real tearjerkers. Why is that a bad thing?
Edna Mode, Woody, and

The best Pixar characters ever (so far)

These are the best characters in Pixar's history, from 1995's Toy Story all the way to the most recent releases like Luca and Turning Red.
Killing Eve on Hulu

Best shows in English that are set in other countries

These shows aren't set in America, but they are in English, which should make them easily accessible to American audiences.
The cast of Stranger Things 4.

The 10 most important moments in Stranger Things

The most important moments in 'Stranger Things' explain why the show has endured season after season.

Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad

Near the end of its six-season run, we can finally say it: Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad.
firestarter movie stephen king adaptation reboot

Stephen King’s best movies embrace low art

Novelist Stephen King embraces both high and low art, and his best adaptations take the same approach.
Alexander Skarsgård and Anya Taylor-Joy ride across Iceland in The Northmen.

The best movies set before 1500

The Northman is just the latest epic to be set centuries ago. These are the best movies set before 1500.
Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The 10 best AAPI MCU characters

Marvel doesn't have the most diverse track record, but these are the best AAPI MCU characters thus far.
Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.

The best Josh Brolin performances, ranked

Josh Brolin is a uniquely giving actor, and his best performances showcase his incredible versatility.
Andy and Red sit on the ground in The Shawshank Redemption.

The best Stephen King adaptations ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

These Stephen King adaptations are the best of the bunch, and critics on Rotten Tomatoes agree.
Doctor Strange holds his sides in pain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Sam Raimi’s best films, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

As Sam Raimi returns to directing with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, let's look back at the director's best movies according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Blended image of Jurassic World 3, Doctor Strange 2, & Top Gun 2.

Summer 2022 movie preview: Marvel, Tom Cruise, & Elvis return

The summer movie season includes two separate Marvel movies, but those aren't the only films worth checking out.
Viola Davis in The First Lady.

The best first ladies in TV and movies

The greatest first ladies in TV and film represent a wide variety of real and fictional presidential spouses worth considering.
Andrew Garfield in Under the Banner of Heaven.

Best crime dramas like Under the Banner of Heaven

Under the Banner of Heaven is just one of many true crime shows that have dominated TV in recent years.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Shining Girls’ Elisabeth Moss’ best TV roles

Elisabeth Moss has cemented herself as one of the best actors on TV, and these are her defining roles.
March of the Penguins

The best nature documentaries to watch on Earth Day

Here are the best documentaries to watch on Earth Day to celebrate the wonders of the natural world.