Matt Singer is the editor and critic of the website ScreenCrush.com. For five years, he was the on-air host of IFC News on the Independent Film Channel, hosting coverage of film festivals and red carpets around the world. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, he’s been a frequent contributor to the television shows CBS This Morning Saturday and Ebert Presents At the Movies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at The Village Voice, The Dissolve, and Indiewire. His first book, Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, is on sale now.
Matt Singer
Movies to Watch in October 2016: On Demand With ScreenCrush
Looking for something to watch this week? Overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices? Ready to give up and take a nice long walk outside on a crisp fall day?
Let’s Explain Why Sequels (And Prequels and Reboots) Obsessed With Explaining Stuff Are Bad
The following post contains SPOILERS for Blair Witch, Jason Bourne, Spectre, Ghostbusters, and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Oh my God, Phantom Menace spoilers! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
2016 Was the Worst Summer for Big Movies in 15 Years – But That’s Not the Whole Story
About two months ago, on a day when I was in no way questioning my career path and life choices, I asked a question: “Is 2016 the worst summer movie season ever?” In early July, it was probably a little premature to raise that issue, but with theaters were filled with dreck like Independence Day: Resurgence, The Legend of Tarzan, and Alice Through the Looking Glass, it was hard not to wonder. At that time, I looked at the Rotten Tomatoes ratings from hundreds of wide releases from the last decade, and found that while the overall scores from 2016 were basically in line with those from ones from each of the last five years, the scores for just the biggest movies, the ones like Tarzan or Independence Day with budgets in excess of $100 million, were way lower this year.
7 Classic Gene Wilder Performances Available to Watch Right Now
How to eulogize Gene Wilder? I keep sitting here trying to find words worthy of the man who gave us Willy Wonka and Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and the Waco Kid. None do him justice. The most fitting tribute to Wilder came from Wilder himself, in a classic song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: When traveling in the world of his creation, what we saw defied explanation...
Hulu Will End Its Free TV Streaming
For almost a decade, Hulu has been one of the biggest homes for online TV. The day after many shows premiered on television, you could watch them on Hulu. Hulu offered several different subscription models, either with our without commercials, but you could also watch a lot of their programming for free. But that is about to change.
Garry Marshall, Prolific TV and Filmmaker, Dies at 81
The entertainment world lost a giant yesterday, when Garry Marshall, creator of some of the most popular television shows in the medium’s history and a director of some of the most beloved movies of the last 30 years, died after what The New York Times called “a series of strokes.” He was 81 years old.
Netflix Introduces New Make Your Own Playlist Function
“Remember mixtapes?” the new video from Netflix asks. For the benefit of viewers under 30, it explains. “Ok, so they were like playlists, but on actual, physical tapes. (Which are like CDs but older.” Calling playlist writing “a fundamental life skill,” Netflix then introduces “Flixtape” a new function that enables customers to create and share their own Netflix playlists.
‘Finding Dory’ Tops ‘Civil War’ to Become the Highest Grossing Movie of 2016 So Far
Talking animals, man. The kids love ’em. They love ’em.
The 10 Best Movies of 2016 (So Far)
There are four seasons to a year, but only two seasons to a movie year: Summer, which now starts around late February, and Awards.
‘Finding Dory’ Review: Pixar’s Fishy Franchise Just Keeps Swimming
Like every other Pixar release, Finding Dory opens with a short film. This one is called “Piper”; it’s about a little bird learning to hunt for food among the scary ocean waves. It’s a terrific showcase for Pixar’s latest advancements in computer animation, which in recent years has taken on the qualities of great nature photography. The sunlight sparkles against the water, which ripples and flows with uncanny accuracy, and when the little bird kicks a pile of sand in a crab’s face you can practically count the individual grains.