Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Going to a gym has many obvious benefits, but also some that are not obvious. For example, at my gym you can watch six television screens, each showing a different channel, at the same time. It’s something I can’t do at home. So there I was the other night, dividing my attention between news reports about Iran and my favorite … >>
It was the darkest movie I’d ever seen. A relentless killer stalked a young woman in Los Angeles. No matter what she did, she wasn’t safe. He was fully armed, he was unstoppable and he’d find her. He was the Terminator, in a movie filmed in 1984. My friends and I thought the film was good, but extremely violent — … >>
Going to the movies this weekend will take us back 40 years, and ahead 240 years, in the new, “reimagined” Star Trek film. In 1969, poor ratings caused the demise of the original television series. But the Star Trek franchise gained so much momentum over the years that it’s now unstoppable. Why is it so popular? One word: optimism. Unlike … >>
Holiday weekends like Easter are also Hollywood weekends in America. It’s when whole families drive to their local multiplex to see the latest movies. Before they go, many of them turn to their favorite oracle for advice. Roger Ebert has been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, when he was only 25. In 1975, he teamed up with … >>