Making the Case for 'Rocky Balboa'

As someone who hasn't been the biggest fan of the Creed films, I decided to revisit the movie that preceded them. For Decider, I stick up for 2006's Rocky Balboa. Hope you enjoy.

'The Stepford Wives,' Reconsidered

The Stepford Wives is a movie that gets referenced a lot, most recently in comparison to the so-so Don't Worry Darling. But it feels more like an idea than a film in our culture -- an amorphous thing whose themes everybody knows, even if they haven't actually seen the film. I wrote about this strange phenomenon for Decider.

The 'Lord of the Rings' Movie That's Been Forgotten

It was 1978. Tolkien wasn't yet the subject of big-budget Hollywood movies. And, yet, Ralph Bakshi decided he wanted to make an animated version of The Lord of the Rings. For Decider, I look back at the film in light of the new Amazon series. Hope you enjoy.

Remembering Roberto Benigni's 'Pinocchio' 20 Years Later

Robert Zemeckis got terrible reviews for his new Pinocchio, deservedly so, which inspired me to revisit another disastrous Pinocchio. That would be the one Roberto Benigni made as his follow-up to Life Is Beautiful. For Decider, I wrote about how it all went so wrong.

The Tom Hanks We Don't See Anymore

Amazon will be releasing a TV version of A League of Their Own on Friday. For Decider, I revisited the original movie, which features a Tom Hanks performance that is so unlike what we've seen from him in the last several decades. Truth is, the film was something of a demarcation point between his early, goofier career and the serious, Oscar-winning one that was about to begin. You can read my piece here.

In Praise of 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is'

Now that Elvis is available for rental/purchase, I wanted to take a moment to spotlight an older, better film about the King. That would be Elvis: That's the Way It Is, the 1970 documentary about his Las Vegas residency, which is actually featured in Elvis. My thoughts are over at Decider.

In Praise of 'Shutter Island'

My thanks to Decider, who asked me to contribute to their Scorsese Week. Today, I wrote about my undying love for Shutter Island ... and why the movie has been misjudged in the spoiler-alert era. (Hint: Guessing the twist isn't the point.) Hope you enjoy.