Criticism Is Dead

This is a grab bag episode, a.k.a. one of our occasional watchlist dumps. We’ve been getting through plenty of TV and film, not all of which can make it into our main episodes, so this is where it’s going! 02:39 His Dark Materials s3 (HBO Max) 05:47 Emily in Paris s3 (Netflix) 07:59 The English (Amazon Prime Video) 11:26 Slow Horses s2 (Apple TV+) 14:18 Gossip Girl s2 (HBO Max) 18:06 Babylon (thea...

We discuss Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Triangle of Sadness, two films that beat us over the head with cynicism about money and power. 02:01 Glass Onion, streaming on Netflix, is neither outstanding nor terrible, but basically akin to a fine or even fun Scooby-Doo mystery. 20:06 Triangle of Sadness, available VOD, is blunt, vulgar, and chaotic — and very good. 37:33 Plus, culture notes ab...

It's our year-end special! To close out 2022, we each present our top 5 picks for film and TV, respectively, from this year. 01:45 Movies! 15:26 TV! (For honorable mentions, check out criticismisdead.substack.com .) Thank you so much for tuning in this year. See you in 2023!! ... Follow us on Twitter and Instagram . For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe...

We discuss Emily the Criminal and Decision to Leave, two films about crimes of passion. 02:05 Emily the Criminal, streaming on Netflix, is an impressive feature film debut that hits all the right notes, and then some. 18:27 Decision to Leave, streaming on Mubi, is stylish, unbridled, and utterly, unexpectedly romantic. 35:34 Plus, The White Lotus SEASON 2 FINALE!!! ... Follow us on Twitter and Ins...

We discuss Wednesday and The Big Brunch, two shows that highlight how nice it is to be a part of a community. 02:14 Wednesday, streaming on Netflix, is a surprisingly great mix of supernatural hijinks, murder mystery antics, and teen boarding school escapades. 16:24 The Big Brunch is HBO Max’s answer to The Great British Bake Off: a cooking competition series where good vibes are paramount. 29:47...

We discuss The White Lotus season 2 and The Menu, two works highlighting the relationship between those who serve and those who take from the silver platter. 02:39 The White Lotus’s second season, streaming on HBO Max, is even better than the first, poking with a sharper, slyer stick at sex, power, and gender dynamics. 23:01 The Menu, currently in theaters, sufficiently skewers foodie culture and...

We discuss The Banshees of Inisherin and See How They Run, two films that raise the question of the importance of art over lives lived. 03:28 The Banshees of Inisherin, playing in theaters, finds equal parts comedy, tragedy, and emotional resonance in the dissolution of a friendship. 24:49 See How They Run, streaming on HBO Max, is a tight parcel of a self-aware whodunit that’s carried by its cast...

We discuss Andor and Paterson, a series and a film that hone in on the details of ordinary people’s lives. 06:20 Andor, streaming on Disney+, is not just great Star Wars television — it’s great television, period. 22:46 In Paterson, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, characters and viewers alike find art and beauty in everyday circumstances. 35:53 Plus, culture notes about what comes after Twitter (...

We discuss Derry Girls and The Mole, two shows about groups of people trying to get what they want, episode after episode. 02:28 Derry Girls, streaming on Netflix in the U.S., strikes a sweet balance between teenage self-obsession and adulthood. 21:11 The Mole — Netflix’s revival of the early-aughts reality competition show — has some flaws, but is ultimately a fun ride for anyone who likes puzzle...

We discuss Tár and Los Espookys, a film and a series about what lies beneath the surface of a performance. 01:46 Tár, playing in theaters, is an ambitious, relentless, engrossing film about art — and the great and terrible artist. 26:48 Los Espookys, available on HBO, is a gem of a surreal, absurdist, magical realist comedy series. 39:31 Plus, culture notes about our favorite curmudgeon/New Yorker...

We discuss House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power, two IP-franchise fantasy shows striving to become part of TV history for their respective networks. 03:55 HBO’s House of the Dragon may be smaller in scale, but its soapiness and focus on two women makes for an intriguing, at times delightful, watch. 26:07 Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Power starts off slow, but it builds a world so lush,...

Grab bag episode! This is our first ~expanded~ version of our occasional watchlist dumps. We’ve been watching a lot of stuff, not all of which can make it into our main episodes, so why not put it all here? 03:19 Industry s2 on HBO Max 10:48 Selling the OC on Netflix 16:30 The Resort finale on Peacock 18:45 Black Bird on Apple TV+ 22:02 What We Do in the Shadows s4 on Hulu 24:12 Only Murders in th...

We discuss Rap Sh!t and Yi Yi, a series and a film about life’s choices and how they shape you as a person. 02:34 Rap Sh!t, streaming on HBO Max, is a solid sophomore series from Issa Rae that portrays the tireless hustle that go into pursuing one’s dream. 20:02 Yi Yi, available on Criterion, is a meditative, bittersweet, stunning work of cinema about the currents of life. 38:12 Plus, culture note...

We discuss The Sandman and The Resort, two shows that straddle the line between reality and fantasy. 02:20 The Sandman, streaming on Netflix, is dark yet whimsical, fantastical yet human. 26:07 The Resort, streaming on Peacock, is a colorful mystery romp with a heart of magical realism strangeness. 42:14 Plus, culture notes about the Lena Wilson/Amandla Stenberg thing lol. ... Follow us on Twitter...

On this extra-long episode, we discuss The Rehearsal and Love Island, two shows that put into question how reality is depicted onscreen. 04:15 The Rehearsal, streaming on HBO Max, is a docuseries of breathtaking scale and intricacy that toys with the genre’s inextricable question of manipulation. 32:57 The U.K.’s premier reality dating competition show Love Island, streaming on Hulu in the U.S., s...

We discuss Nope and Belle, two films that are better suited for the big screen. 01:47 Nope, currently playing in theaters, ensnares you in a spectacle that is so grand, so fun, it’s hard to resist. 19:56 Belle, streaming on HBO Max (unfortunately dubbed), is a visually impressive, tech-inflected take on Beauty and the Beast. 40:02 Plus, a week of chaos in the news for HBO Max. ... Follow us on Twi...

This week's episode of Criticism Is Dead is a mid-year special: our respective top 5 picks for TV from 2022 so far. 02:59 TV! We're joined by a special guest: Alison Herman, a writer for The Ringer, friend of the pod, and one of our favorite critics. Follow her on Twitter ( @aherman2006 ) and check out her work for The Ringer, including a recent interview with FBoy Island's Nikki Glaser . ... Foll...

We discuss Irma Vep and Persuasion, two adaptations whose necessity some have called into question. 02:23 Irma Vep, streaming on HBO Max, is a strange, fascinating creature, half intertextual wink and half showbiz dramedy. 19:01 Netflix’s adaptation of Persuasion may have kept Jane Austen’s plot intact, but little of the source material’s spirit remains. 37:29 Plus, culture notes breaking down the...

We discuss The Old Man and Loot, two shows about people who have to believe that what they’re doing is righteous. 01:54 The Old Man, streaming on FX on Hulu, is an expertly directed show for all the spy thriller fans out there. 22:27 Loot, streaming on Apple TV+, tries to have its cake and eat it too in its portrayal of a clueless-but-nice billionaire. 36:08 Plus, culture notes about how Minions:...

We discuss The Bear and American Girl, a TV series and a film about making the best of the family that you’ve got, for better or worse. 02:52 The Bear, streaming on Hulu, is one of those rare shows that nails the behind-the-scenes intensity and urgency of a restaurant on the verge of catastrophe. 27:11 American Girl, streaming on Netflix, is a melancholy, moving, deeply felt film for the diaspora...

We discuss Cha Cha Real Smooth and I Love That for You, a film and a TV show about adults still trying to figure out adulthood. 04:24 Cha Cha Real Smooth, streaming on Apple TV+, is an imperfect but endearing snapshot of what it’s like to be young, selfish, and unsure of where to go next in life. 21:59 I Love That for You, streaming on Showtime, polishes a conventional plot and archetypal characte...

We discuss Fire Island and The Essex Serpent , two seaside romps with old-fashioned sensibilities. 01:32 Hulu’s Fire Island may not reach new heights (or depths), but it’s perfectly sweet and funny in its take on Pride and Prejudice. 22:42 The Essex Serpent , streaming on Apple TV+, toes the line between gothic eeriness and conventional romance, to highly watchable effect. 40:22 Plus, we’re weepin...

We discuss Barry and The Northman , a TV series and a film about the perils of vengeance. 02:47 HBO’s Barry is a darkly funny exploration of the duality of comedy and violence. 21:43 The Northman , available in theaters and VOD, is primordial, strange, and fastidiously amoral in its bloody telling of a revenge story with a twist. 43:24 Plus, raise a glass to Ray Liotta. ... Follow us on Twitter an...

We discuss Conversations With Friends and The Staircase , two adaptations about secrets and pretense. 01:35 Hulu’s Conversations With Friends initially suffers from the difficult task of adapting its source material, but ultimately reaches satisfying heights. 20:34 The Staircase , streaming on HBO Max, builds upon a true crime and its accompanying documentary with the addition of one more layer of...

We discuss Outer Range and Slow Horses , two shows about families (one blood, one not) working through their flop eras. 02:08 Outer Range , streaming on Amazon Prime Video, puts a wonderfully dissonant, bizarre-o twist on the stoic contemporary Western. 19:28 Slow Horses , streaming on Apple TV+, is a satisfyingly competent, classically British, genuinely fun spy thriller series. 32:50 Plus, an un...