Tom Breihan

3/6/22

What the hell were any of us thinking making the terrible <i>Batman Forever</i> a huge hit?

What the hell were any of us thinking making the terrible Batman Forever a huge hit?

Summer blockbusters were not in a great place in the mid-'90s

3/6/22

<i>The Dark Knight</i> changed things, forever

The Dark Knight changed things, forever

The Batman sequel moved with a crisp confidence that had been mostly missing from blockbuster cinema for a long time

3/5/22

<i>Batman Returns</i> is a relic of an age when disgusting monsters only ran for office in the movies

Batman Returns is a relic of an age when disgusting monsters only ran for office in the movies

To really enjoy Batman Returns, you have to give yourself over to its triumphant silliness

3/4/22

Christopher Nolan dragged Batman (and superhero cinema) into a more serious “<em></em>real”<em></em> world

Christopher Nolan dragged Batman (and superhero cinema) into a more serious “real” world

Finally, Batman got to be the real star of a Batman movie

3/3/22

Tim Burton played fast and loose with the Caped Crusader in his inventive blockbuster <i>Batman</i>

Tim Burton played fast and loose with the Caped Crusader in his inventive blockbuster Batman

It’s oddly thrilling to see a big-budget superhero movie that’s so clearly a single person’s vision

3/1/22

Batman & Robin is the silliest superhero blockbuster, but is it really the worst?

It is a bad movie, to be sure, but its awfulness is kind of fascinating

2/28/22

<i>Batman</i> changed how blockbusters look—and how Hollywood sold them

Batman changed how blockbusters look—and how Hollywood sold them

Batman wasn’t just the biggest movie of 1989—it was a cultural phenomenon

12/10/21

Zack Snyder's cut of <i>Justice League</i> was the preposterous superhero-movie event of 2021

Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League was the preposterous superhero-movie event of 2021

Marvel dominated the box office, but it was The Snyder Cut we all talked about

11/12/21

<i>F9</i> got audiences back to theaters by giving them all the absurdity they craved

F9 got audiences back to theaters by giving them all the absurdity they craved

After a year inside, who could resist the siren call of Fast & Furious on the big screen?

9/17/21

Is <i>Bad Boys For Life </i>the last blockbuster?

Is Bad Boys For Life the last blockbuster?

Thanks to COVID-19, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's big-screen reunion is the final relic of a time when large…

9/3/21

Disney’s lucrative remake plan culminated with a soulless, joyless “live action” <i>Lion King</i>

Disney’s lucrative remake plan culminated with a soulless, joyless “live action” Lion King

Jon Favreau used groundbreaking technology to strip all the life out of the animated classic

8/20/21

Marvel won big as its heroes lost everything in the downer epic <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i>

Marvel won big as its heroes lost everything in the downer epic Avengers: Infinity War

Will the biggest franchise in movie history ever top its two-part crossover smash?

8/6/21

<i>The Last Jedi</i> let the past die—and pissed off a galaxy of overprotective fans in the process

The Last Jedi let the past die—and pissed off a galaxy of overprotective fans in the process

Rian Johnson dared to make an anti-nostalgic Star Wars. The diehards were not pleased.

7/23/21

In <i>Rogue One</i>, Rebel spirit and corporate control collided to make Disney’s best <i>Star Wars</i>

In Rogue One, Rebel spirit and corporate control collided to make Disney’s best Star Wars

Disney is simply not into spending hundreds of millions to indulge a director’s whims when there’s Star Wars money…

6/25/21

<i>American Sniper</i> fought a culture war on the box office battlefield

American Sniper fought a culture war on the box office battlefield

Clint Eastwood's wartime biopic emerged victorious in a year of superhero blockbusters

6/11/21

Blockbusters don’t get much bleaker than the kids-killing-kids spectacle of<i> The Hunger Games</i>

Blockbusters don’t get much bleaker than the kids-killing-kids spectacle of The Hunger Games

Catching Fire taught the Harry Potter generation to distrust adults

5/28/21

Even the Dark Knight was no match for the box office might of <i>The Avengers</i>

Even the Dark Knight was no match for the box office might of The Avengers

In 2008, the year that the Marvel Cinematic Universe began, Batman ate Marvel’s lunch. Iron Man, the movie that…

5/14/21

The final <i>Harry Potter</i> closed a decade of hits—and of failed attempts at the next <i>Harry Potter</i>

The final Harry Potter closed a decade of hits—and of failed attempts at the next Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series was too big to fail, and yet it could’ve failed so easily, again and again. In Harry Potter,…

4/30/21

<i>Toy Story 3</i> went Ham(m) on all our hearts—and made a fortune doing it

Toy Story 3 went Ham(m) on all our hearts—and made a fortune doing it

I must’ve known that all the toys weren’t about to die. I had to know. This was a G-rated kids’ movie, the third…

4/16/21

Avatar, a strange dream that became the biggest movie of all time

It’s been more than a decade since a wholly original film was the biggest hit of its year. All our reigning…

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