On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch, Alyssa Rosenberg, and Peter Suderman ask why The Wizard of Oz is being mutilated via the alchemy of AI to be shown on the enormous 16K-resolution screen at The Sphere … and why Sonny is, honestly, kind of into it. (You can watch the CBS Sunday Morning segment on Oz at The Sphere here.) Then they review The Naked Gun, a movie so funny it brought this episode to a screeching standstill when Alyssa couldn’t keep it together while trying to recount one of the jokes. Funny movie! You should go see it! No bonus episode this week, but we’ll be back Monday with a brand new one.
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The Perfectly Fine 'Four'
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the New York Times’s decision to move away from traditional reviews for certain cultural products. (You can read the Richard Brody piece discussed here.) Then they reviewed The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a perfectly fine movie that strenuously avoids really digging into any of the ideas the film hints at. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Thursday for a bonus episode on one of the worst movie lists ever made. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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Canceling 'The Late Show': Business or Politics?
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the cancellation of The Late Show. Is this move being motivated by politics or the declining economic prospects of linear TV more broadly? Then they reviewed Eddington, Ari Aster’s gonzo look at life in 2020, the year of Covid and The Doomscroll. Make sure to swing by Thursday for a bonus episode on Christopher Nolan’s gutsy strategy for The Odyssey. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
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The Scourge of Celebrity AI Scams
Apologies: an editing snafu led to last week’s episode being reedited and uploaded in the initial version of this post.
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) ask why Keanu Reeves, of all people, is the most-impersonated celebrity by scammers and how AI is being used to take money from lonely elderly people. (For more, read Rebecca Keegan’s great piece in the Hollywood Reporter on this terrifying, saddening subject.) Then they review Superman, an oddly Dubya-coded superhero movie. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Thursday for a bonus episode about Superman’s place in the cinematic canon. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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Paramount's Bad Trump Deal
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed the bad precedents set by media outlets being bullied by Donald Trump into backing down from defending the free press. Then they review Jurassic World Rebirth, a dino adventure more interested in the ethics of big pharma than big dino. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for a special bonus episode. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
Here’s the elevator pitch: It’s “Left, Right, and Center” meets “Siskel and Ebert.” Three friends from different ideological perspectives discuss the movies and controversies (or nontroversies!) swirling around them.
Bulwark+ members enjoy weekly bonus episodes: https://atma.thebulwark.com/
Ireland