TV & Movie

Though beauty is subjective, some images, portraits and spaces are so exquisite that they become timeless, forever solidified in the imagination of popular culture. The perfect image brings in consumers. Since advertising began, models have always held a place in society. Yet, during the late ’80s and the ’90s, one group of models transcended fashion to become icons. In the …

Limited series have become the equivalent of trial marriages for cable networks and streamers. When they don’t catch fire — or run hot initially only to smolder by season’s end –  they complete their self-contained stories and disappear into the void. (It’s technically not a cancellation!) But when the audience falls in love with a limited series, networks are more …

For most people, choices made incur consequences. One of the most intriguing components of life is the realization that we all have a tab, and at one point or another, a bill will come due. The 1% who hold the majority of the wealth and influence globally typically don’t abide by these same rules. The upper echelons of society move …

Fantasy series have a way of growing limbs rapidly. Aggressive expansion is understandable for a series like Netflix’s “The Witcher,” because after all, what’s the use of creating a vast narrative universe if you don’t actually explore it? So it can be hard to tell whether a fantasy spinoff series is a worthwhile journey that deepens appreciation of the original, …

Amid a horrifying month in world news, it’s a relief to reenter the world of “The Gilded Age,” where problems are something to be gossiped about over lawn tennis in Newport. In Julian Fellowes’ opulent, HBO-funded take on 19th century New York, the recently concluded Civil War takes up a fraction of the real estate devoted to the Opera War, …

Maybe what the streaming space really needed was “The Goop Lab” for boys. That’s among the thoughts provoked by “Limitless With Chris Hemsworth,” a new documentary series on Disney+. Here, Hemsworth — like his Marvel-movie stablemate Gwyneth Paltrow — evinces an interest in wellness, and pursues off-the-beaten-path methods to ensure his prolonged health. The “Thor” star describes his trepidation, excitement, …

Engaging in a love affair with a movie star might fulfill your wildest fantasies if you happen to indulge in romantic daydreams about a glamorous life, but in the hilarious and heartfelt comedy “Starstruck,” Jessie (series writer/creator Rose Matafeo) has already been down that road. In the show’s first season, she finds herself in a string of meet-cutes with A-list …

The joy of Disney’s “National Treasure” franchise lies in its precise balance of reverence and irreverence. For all the choreographed mayhem, cheeky ahistoricity, and gross mishandling of antiquities, the beloved 2004 film and its 2007 sequel are fundamentally in awe of history, respectful of legacy, and devoted to family.  Despite its sturdy plot mechanics, broad audience appeal and evergreen themes, …

Jennifer Garner’s star turn came courtesy of “Alias,” the influential J.J. Abrams drama about Sydney Bristow, a grad student moonlighting as a sultry spy. Her agency? A sinister syndicate masquerading as a governmental skunkworks project, as Sydney and her colleagues toil unaware they’ve been working for the bad guys. The pilot opens on Sydney, battered and bloody after being captured …

Space travel used to be romantic, both in real life and pop culture. These days, space travel is kind of a bummer. In the real world, rocketship rides are now most associated with billionaires, for whom such trips represent one small step for objectivism and one giant leap for their egos. Meanwhile, on television, NASA is getting spanked by Russia …