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Coleman Spilde

Coleman Spilde

The Daily Beast

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“Reminders of Him” makes the case for melodrama

The latest Colleen Hoover adaptation shows how mid-budget tearjerkers can still draw audiences

yesterday 0

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Coleman Spilde

The 2026 Oscars were (almost) optimistic

Host Conan O'Brien wanted the ceremony to indicate hope for the future. It only hit the mark half the time

16.03.2026 5

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“Undertone” embodies horror’s crucial less-is-more lesson

A24's latest chiller is a master class in getting under the skin — until it falls back on old tricks

15.03.2026 10

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The most powerful Oscar nominee you didn’t see

"All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" shows how Nan Goldin challenged the Sackler family with artistic protests

14.03.2026 10

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Why Oscars season in Trumpworld makes us so mad

From a "La La Land"–"Moonlight" fiasco to Chalamet’s opera drama, awards debates now mirror Trump-era culture wars

11.03.2026 4

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“Frankenstein” needed a woman’s touch

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s "The Bride!" is deeply flawed — and more exciting than any recent take on Mary Shelley's work

08.03.2026 5

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“All the President’s Men” was a warning

Nearly 50 years later, the film feels less like a triumphant ode to journalism than a warning about media decay

07.03.2026 6

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Film is — and always will be — political

With studios merging and slashers becoming controversy catalysts, cinema needs to be considered a political tool

06.03.2026 5

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In “Industry,” queerness is capital

The gripping HBO drama is gayer than ever, but don't expect its backstabbing characters to make a fuss about it

01.03.2026 10

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The women of “Pretty in Pink” deserved better

Forty years on, it's time to admit John Hughes' film is worse off for dulling Andie and Iona's shine

01.03.2026 10

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“Fargo” at 30: How “Minnesota nice” endures amid violence and unrest

Marge Gunderson’s quiet decency mirrors the ongoing resolve of Minnesotans who continue to choose community

07.02.2026 5

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“A Mighty Wind” is Catherine O’Hara’s emotional tightrope act

The actor's singular balance of absurdity and sincerity defined Christopher Guest's mockumentaries

05.02.2026 2

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Amanda Seyfried’s “Housemaid” performance is a cinema-saving miracle

A fearless, over-the-top performance shows why movies at the edge of camp and prestige still matter

31.01.2026 6

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15 years later, “Scary Island” still sets the standard for “Housewives” chaos

"Real Housewives of New York City" experts weigh in on the beginning (and end) of RHONY’s Golden Age

28.01.2026 6

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“The Rip” is a new low for Netflix’s mindless filmmaking

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's cop caper is a repetitive, over-explained slog perfect for zapped attention spans

25.01.2026 10

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Elle Fanning’s Oscar nomination still undersells her year

In "Sentimental Value" and "Predator: Badlands," Fanning showed off a singular, dynamic range few others could

25.01.2026 10

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How the viewers changed the Oscar race

Grassroots enthusiasm for performances like those by Amy Madigan and Wunmi Mosaku is shaping voters' picks

23.01.2026 5

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“A Private Life” is Jodie Foster’s moving French masterpiece

Foster's fluency reminds us how much we can learn — and how close we can become — with a second language

19.01.2026 10

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Robyn reframes motherhood and desire

"Sexistential" confronts the idea that new mothers must abandon pleasure and the dance floor

10.01.2026 10

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Will 2026 bring back the blockbuster?

Audiences are seeking lively shared experiences with their fellow moviegoers — and redefining success along the way

06.01.2026 8

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Three sequels worth watching in 2026—and three to avoid at all costs

From "The Devil Wears Prada" to "The Hunger Games," here are the films that'll avoid a chronic case of sequelitis

04.01.2026 20

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Do women love “Heated Rivalry” too much?

The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects

02.01.2026 30

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Movie stars want to direct. It’s not always a great idea

Kristen Stewart and Kate Winslet's debut features prove not every actor is cut out to step behind the camera

01.01.2026 10

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“The Testament of Ann Lee” shows us that utopia is possible

The bold pseudo-musical about the founder of the Shakers caps the year on a hopeful, brilliant note

27.12.2025 10

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What “Marty Supreme” loses in its quest to be the best

Timothée Chalamet and director Josh Safdie pursue greatness at all costs in their thrilling, meta new film

25.12.2025 6

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The timeless gift of Scrooge

From the Muppets to "A Diva's Christmas Carol," the holiday spirit grants us the ability to hope for a better world

24.12.2025 10

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The patron saint of 2025 is . . . Gwyneth Paltrow?

Paltrow laughed off biographers and adulterers before turning in one of her best roles. We can learn a thing or two

22.12.2025 8

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Not the last picture show: A small-town theater brings hope to the heartland

So it turns out you can go home again — and what I found in two North Dakota movie theaters was marvelous

18.12.2025 7

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“When Harry Met Sally” is Rob Reiner’s everlasting message of love

A classic scene written to reflect Reiner's love for his wife, Michele, embraces a brighter future

17.12.2025 7

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9 films that helped decode 2025’s absurd reality

Amid scandals, boycotts and political turmoil, these standout films helped us keep perspective

05.12.2025 50

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The new “Vanderpump Rules” is Bravo’s losing bet

The network opted for a total overhaul of the reality franchise at its peak. The result is a boozy head-scratcher

03.12.2025 10

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“Sentimental Value” is the Thanksgiving film for the fractured family

Joachim Trier's tender film explores the shame in being unable to communicate with those we're supposed to love

28.11.2025 6

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“Eternity” challenges cinema’s obsession with the afterlife

This potpourri of different afterlife movies quickly gets to the heart of why we fear death

27.11.2025 8

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“Wicked: For Good” sinks under its greed

The continuation of last year's inevitable smash aims for nothing but cash. It's franchise filmmaking's rock bottom

22.11.2025 10

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In “Christy,” Sydney Sweeney’s only fighting herself

Sweeney's boxing biopic is an Oscar vehicle quickly running out of gas, thanks to its star's lack of conviction

08.11.2025 6

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In “Die My Love,” Jennifer Lawrence rescues a film from itself

With some of her best work yet, Lawrence keeps this portrait of a woman undone from spiraling out of control

08.11.2025 8

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It’s a rough world out there. Kids deserve to know

Two new animated films, "Arco" and "Little Amélie," teach kids how to relish joy in a dark and scary world

05.11.2025 7

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“Bugonia” finds radical power in listening

In Yorgos Lanthimos' latest, Emma Stone is not an alien intent on destroying Earth — if only anyone would listen

31.10.2025 6

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Lily Allen’s “West End Girl” is a breakup album for a parasocial world

On her fifth album, Allen's the one taking ex David Harbour to task. Why's everyone else so keen to join in?

29.10.2025 6

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Netflix’s current Christmas slate has left us cold. What went wrong after its promising start?

The Netflix Christmas Universe has graduated from silly to insipid, and we won't stand for it one moment longer

29.10.2025 7

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“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” sees therapy how it is

Mary Bronstein breaks down her sophomore feature’s brutally realistic look at seeking treatment

24.10.2025 10

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Horror doesn’t need the Academy’s permission to matter

After "Silence of the Lambs," a horror film may never win best picture again — and it doesn't need to

23.10.2025 5

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“The Perfect Neighbor” crosses a line

The Netflix documentary about manipulating the legal system has its own tricky problems with exploitation

21.10.2025 7

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Ben Stiller’s love letter to the people who made him laugh the most

In "Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost," a son pays tribute to his parents' humor and lasting bond

18.10.2025 10

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Inside “After the Hunt,” the most provocative film of 2025

Screenwriter Nora Garrett talks viral interviews, negative press and creating a button-pushing, era-defining film

17.10.2025 8

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“The Family Stone” is Diane Keaton’s tender onscreen goodbye

In her 2005 holiday classic, Keaton embraced life's brevity for a complex portrait of maternal love

15.10.2025 8

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John Candy lived to make us feel better

In "John Candy: I Like Me," Candy's loved ones remember the unique compassion that made the comedian so beloved

12.10.2025 6

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“No Other Choice”: What not to do when you lose your job

In a time of record unemployment, Park Chan-wook's hysterical comedy is both a drag and a relief

07.10.2025 8

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“The Smashing Machine” is a futile fight for perfection

In Benny Safdie's film, Dwayne Johnson fights against a script too narrow for his mighty talent

04.10.2025 7

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In “Jay Kelly,” George Clooney is a movie star in crisis

In Noah Baumbach's new comedy, Clooney blurs fact and fiction to find what's real

02.10.2025 5

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