The State of Scary TV
‘The Returned’ and ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ join ‘The Walking Dead’ in offering high-quality horror.
April 12, 2013
Songs of the Week: The National Battle Middle-Aged “Demons,” the Return of Paramore, and a Bonus Coachella Playlist
Queens of the Stone Age, “My God Is the Sun” Queens of the Stone Age’s forthcoming … Like Clockwork is my favorite album of 2013. Now, I haven’t actually heard … Like Clockwork yet, other than the first single, “My God Is the Sun,” released this week. But I’m confident that “My God Is the […]
Read moreVideo on Demand Report: Someone Besides Ben Affleck Put Ben Affleck in a Movie
The Headliner To the Wonder After going the better part of a decade without making a film after the Best Picture Oscar nominee The Thin Red Line, Terrence Malick is on a tear, following up 2011’s Tree of Life with To the Wonder (available on demand the same day as its theatrical release), less than […]
Read moreThe Simpsons Breaks Out a Breaking Bad Couch Gag
On this coming Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons, the couch gag will pay homage to the “Crystal Blue Persuasion” montage from September’s midseason finale of Breaking Bad. Wait. September? Really? It’s been that long since we’ve had any new Breaking Bad? This has to be a mistake. Only network monsters would cut a final season […]
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Grantland Reality Fantasy League: Sorry, Ready for Love. You Suck.
You have to trust your body. Your body will tell you what to do, what to think, how to feel … you just have to listen to it. If you dent a parked car and don’t leave a note, your body will punish you with guilt. If you stand close to the edge of a […]
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Now Playing: Seven Movies to See or Skip
Sometimes movies slip through the cracks and, for better or worse, I catch up with them. Here’s a handful, all directed by a range of men, from an Italian visionary to some dude named Robert Redford. The Place Beyond the Pines, directed by Derek Cianfrance A slow-burning drama told in three connected movements, all featuring […]
Read moreApril 11, 2013
B.S. Report: 42 with Wesley Morris
Bill Simmons talks to Grantland film critic Wesley Morris about the upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic 42 and discusses why some movie biographies work and why others don’t. Listen to the podcast here: ESPN.com Podcenter. Subscribe to the Grantland Network on iTunes, and check out our podcasts page.
Read moreAfternoon Links: What Obama Knew About Jay-Z’s Trip to Cuba and When He Knew It
First, a couple of Florida reps flamed Jay-Z and “the diva Beyoncé” for their trip to Cuba. Then Hova responded with “Open Letter” (“Politicians never did shit for me except lie to me, distort history, wanna give me jail time and a fine … Obama said, ‘Chill, you gonna get me impeached. You don’t need […]
Read moreGirls in Hoodies Podcast: Mad Men, Coachella, and Tween Star Second Acts
After our Ryan Seacrest–on-a-budget “premiere” of Miley Cyrus’s new Snoop Lion–assisted single, “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks,” last week, the Girls in Hoodies decided to conduct a general survey of how the tween stars of the aughts are holding up these days. We’re feeling pretty good about the future of the former Miss Montana (and no longer […]
Read moreRembert Explains the ’90s: Bush, ‘Glycerine’
Welcome to our new series, Rembert Explains the ’90s. Unlike the source material for our previous, ’80s-themed series, these videos have been seen countless times, with the result being an unparalleled, almost embarrassing level of expertise. Rembert will write down his thoughts as he’s watching the video, then we’ll post those thoughts here. This week’s […]
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Q&A: Oblivion and To the Wonder’s Olga Kurylenko on Tom Cruise’s Foot Speed, Dancing for Terrence Malick, and Stealing Ben Affleck’s Shirt
Pretty much the one thing I remember from Quantum of Solace (which is, let’s be honest, by far the most forgettable Daniel Craig Bond film) is Ukrainian model/actress Olga Kurylenko striding across the desert in a designer ball gown. Seeing as roughly 80 percent of Bond girls are as interchangeable as men’s magazine covers, I […]
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Fuzz, Face Tattoos, and Toothpicks: Rating Ryan Gosling’s Most Ryan Gosling–y Onscreen Affectations
“Face tattoos are the coolest. And this one’s gonna be a dagger. And it’s gonna be dripping blood.”
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It Was a Bad Day. I Had to Eulogize My KDAY.
When I moved with my family from Brooklyn to Los Angeles a year ago, it wasn’t just so I could drive around listening to KDAY. At least on its own, that would have been an irresponsible reason to move. The move was about a lot of things — work, living space, climate, family, festering bad […]
Read morePsy’s New Single Has Leaked, Let’s Form an Opinion
I have made no secret of the fact that I am rooting for Psy, against my better judgement. Of course, pop stars cannot live on record-breaking billion-plus YouTube hits alone, and the “Gangnam Style” backlash has come and gone with nary a note of new material from Oppa. The wait for a new single has […]
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5 Questions on American Idol: Is Candice Glover the Greatest Idol of All Time?
Whatever doesn’t deafen you makes you stronger: Grantland’s Jay Caspian Kang, Mark Lisanti, and Emily Yoshida have returned, bowed but not broken, to tackle another season of American Idol. This week: More positivity! And more Mariah! One Candice’s “Lovesong”: One of the greatest Idol performances of all time, or do people have short memories and […]
Read moreSurvivor: Caramoan, Episode 9: Malcolm As You Are
Hey, guys. Nice tribal last night. We really saw some great text (use of the word “operatives” more than once, a “payback’s a bitch” bomb,) subtext (ominous warnings to play any idols floating around,) and a lightning-fast yoink right before the buzzer. That’s how you do it. Before all of that, however, there were monkeys. […]
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The Americans Season 1, Episode 10: ‘Only You’
The last decade of great television dramas has primarily been about pushing willing audiences past hoary storytelling signifiers like “good” and “bad.” Over the past several years, we’ve cheered for serial adulterers and empathized with homicidal gangsters. TV has become a museum of masterpieces, nearly all of them painted in varying shades of gray. The […]
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Star Ranks the Most Hated People in Hollywood, and Other Absurdities From This Week’s Tabloids
Star Hollywood’s Most Hated 20. Chris Brown: For “beating his girlfriend Rihanna.” (Duh.) “Even though Rihanna has taken him back, many music industry insiders don’t trust him, perhaps because he claims to be the real victim.” 19. Jesse James: “People began to turn on the reality star with reports of his cheating on Sandra Bullock, […]
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