Tag: pop culture

From the Vault: Video Killed the Rental Store

This post originally appeared at my old blog in 2016 and appears here in slightly sofferent form. Did you appreciate the video rental store while you had it? Probably not. Instead, you simply spent nearly every Friday and Saturday night wandering around inside its walls, looking for VHS treasures to rent. You'd browse intently, as … Continue reading From the Vault: Video Killed the Rental Store →

From Screen to Page: Catwoman Returns

I finally got around to reading the six-issue miniseries Batman ‘89. Originally published by DC Comics between August 2021–July 2022, the comic was written by Sam Hamm, beautifully illustrated by Joe Quinones, and sumptuously colored by Leonardo Ito. Hamm, you might remember, wrote Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), so it’s fitting that he continues the story … Continue reading From Screen to Page: Catwoman Returns →

From the Vault: Superman III (at 40)

A version of this Superman III post originally appeared at my old blog. It has been revised and expanded here for the film’s fortieth anniversary. Superman III crash landed in theaters forty years ago on June 17, 1983. While it recouped its budget at the box office, the film was a major letdown for critics … Continue reading From the Vault: Superman III (at 40) →

Lost and Found: Basic Instinct 2

In writing about Sharon Stone as crime novelist Catherine Tramell, a role she’s played twice, I was faced with two enticing choices. First, and most obvious, is to write about Stone’s electrifying, transcendent, and scandalous performance in her first Catherine Tramell film, Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct (1992). That film is basically the gold standard for … Continue reading Lost and Found: Basic Instinct 2 →

Calendar Girl: Julie London for June

With June’s track from Calendar Girl, “Memphis in June,” our monthly crush Julie London sings of shady verandas under Sunday blue skies, cousin Amanda’s rhubarb pie, and sweet oleander blowing perfume through the air. Using those sultry pipes, London paints a picturesque view of a lazy, beautiful early summer day and night in Memphis. Looking … Continue reading Calendar Girl: Julie London for June →