Working through the bottom of the AFI Top 100 movies — Do the Right Thing, Pulp Fiction, The French Connection, Goodfellas, and more.
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Category: Movies
Zola, Spring Breakers for the 2020s, heads to Netflix
Zola arrives on Netflix July 10th, and its Spring Breakers-style road trip has an unlikely forebear: reality show also-ran Riff Raff of From G’s to Gents fame.
Pop Thruster Afterburner: the AFI top 100 movies watch project begins
Watching all of AFI’s top 100 movies begins from the bottom of the list, with Ben-Hur, Toy Story, and Blade Runner.
The Social Reckoning teaser trailer teases a powerhouse Jeremy Strong performance as Zuck
Jeremy Strong’s transformation into Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning teaser trailer is scarily good – I’m all in on that alone.
The (not at all) definitive ranking of best Coen brothers’ flicks
The Coen Brothers’ best films, plus a reckoning with why some of their most beloved movies just don’t connect.
Pop Thruster’s best 10 movies ever
Pop Thruster’s best 10 movies ever: no AFI committee, no consensus picks — just a lifetime of steeping in flicks.
The Long Walk Movie: Bleak, Smart, Uncomfortably Close to Home
A look at The Long Walk movie versus Stephen King’s novel, and why this bleak, smart adaptation feels disturbingly close to home.
Which Al Pacino is Peak Al Pacino?
Which Al Pacino performance is peak Pacino? From The Godfather to Dog Day Afternoon and beyond, a tour through his greatest eras.
Warfare: modern war as messy endurance test
How Warfare reframes modern combat as messy, raw, and wildly realistic.
When Matt Damon breaks bad
Matt Damon is one of Hollywood’s most likable stars — which makes his bad and morally gray roles even more fascinating.
The Rip is a good movie (that knows it’s a movie)
The Rip is a good, pulpy crime thriller that knows it’s a movie — not a limited series, not prestige TV, just a tight two-hour ride.
My Battle With One Battle After Another
I wanted to love One Battle After Another. Instead, it forced me to confront my discomfort with political violence and what I want out of art.
Pop Thruster’s 50 most rewatchable movies of the 21st Century
50 movies from this century we return to again and again.
Carlito’s Way is a Mount Rushmore New York City movie
Carlito’s Way earns Mount Rushmore NYC status: Pacino at his most grounded, Penn unhinged, and De Palma delivering a stunning, muscular final half hour.
Woody Allen, Talented Creeper, now hangs with Putin’s pal
Woody Allen appears at a Putin ally’s Moscow festival. His “Talented Creeper” legacy, from Soon-Yi to politics, keeps looking worse on the whole.
Quentin Tarantino names his QT masterpiece, which means I get to name mine(s)
Quentin Tarantino named Inglourious Basterds his masterpiece. Here’s mine — plus hot takes on every QT flick, from Res Dogs to Once Upon a Time.