Todd Purdum’s new book is a biography of Desi Arnaz, described in the subtitle as “The Man Who Invented Television.” Most people today associate him with the straight man for his then-wife, Lucille Ball, in the classic “I Love Lucy” sitcom, and the character he played, nightclub singer Ricky Ricardo. But Arnaz’s most enduring legacy
One of the oldest film festivals in the world, and the most prestigious such festival in Eastern and Central Europe, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has announced the official selection for its upcoming 59th edition, to be held July 4-12 in the Czech Republic. 34 titles have been announced within this year’s official
It’s a pretty light month at the powerhouse streamer of all streamers, Netflix. Maybe they didn’t want to distract from the final season of “Squid Game”? Maybe they know more people are out and about at the start of Summer? We’ll never know. And, to be fair, there are a few interesting drops this month,
“For relief you can trust, trust Tylenol. Hospitals do.” — From a 1981 TV commercial for Tylenol. In the second episode of the three-part Netflix true crime documentary series “Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,” James Lewis fiddles with a box of Extra Strength Tylenol some four decades after he became the prime suspect in the
The Durham Museum The former Union Station is now a museum filled with real train cars that you can walk through, an interactive model train display and exhibits about Omaha’s past. The grand Art Deco building is worth a visit all on its own. Union Pacific Railroad Museum
Some readers may be old enough to remember when every network was actively trying to find the next “Friends,” hiring often random collections of unknown young performers and throwing them into comic hijinks together. The result was a wave of awful television with a few standouts (long live “Happy Endings”) and a form that quickly
In past years, Cannes has often prided itself on not making overt political statements. But the wars waging in Gaza and Ukraine were felt powerfully throughout this edition—particularly given the tragic context of “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” made by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi and premiered in the independent ACID sidebar, which
Publisher and Editor Chaz Ebert and a team including Managing Editor Brian Tallerico, Scott Dummler, Robert Daniels, Isaac Feldberg, Ben Kenigsberg, Zachary Lee, Robert Long, and Jason Gorber report from Cannes with a series of video reports and daily reviews and dispatches. Full Reviews Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning by Brian Tallerico Eddington by
After my last dispatch’s uncommon thematic synergy, I’ve come back with two films that, on their face, couldn’t be any more different in style and tone. One is a far-reaching work from a Chinese filmmaker already known for his transportive, otherworldly style. The other is a deeply American filmmaker known for his biting sense of
For comedian Tim Robinson, doubling down is almost always an unforced error, the kind of bad instinct that can escalate one fleeting social faux-pas into something far more catastrophic. Across his absurd and hilarious sketch-comedy series “I Think You Should Leave,” the character type he excels at playing is that of an initially nice-enough guy—a