Michael Burgin
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Movies Section, Paste Magazine. So drenched in pop culture it's pretty much too late to do much about it now.
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Articles by Michael Burgin
The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time
2 hours ago Trump Administration Orders IRS Workers Back To Office, Ignoring Union Contract Treasury employees are "furious" about a new return-to-office mandate that their union says clearly violates the collective bargaining agreement.
The 100 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time
As a genre, romantic comedies have had pretty sharply defined highs (the 1940s and 1980s) and lows (1990s-2000s) based on viewer appetite and studio competence, but thanks to this thing we call “the human condition,” hope-laden fables showing how two people can, indeed, find and cherish one another despite all obstacles will never stay out of fashion long—no matter how soulless and cynical the industry.
Ranking Every Spider-Man Universe Movie from Worst to Best
Not counting the 1977 TV movie—and it’s best for everyone that we not count that one—there have now been at least 10 different Spider-Man feature films, and a litany of ill-advised spinoffs that allude to the webcrawler and feature some of his comics co-stars, but have never been so lucky as to snag the character himself.
Dune: Part Two Completes a Nearly Flawless Adaptation of a Sci-Fi Classic
Ever since the pandemic hit in 2020, studios, movie theaters and Nicole Kidmans everywhere have spent a lot of time trying to convince us that the only real way to experience a movie is via the Big Screen.
Tedious Spy Romp Argylle Is Another Movie in a Garish Pattern
Argylle opens with a (much promoted) premise that many filmgoers will find intriguing, if not familiar: Something supposedly fictional an author is writing may, in fact, be true! In this case, could the spy hijinks involving the film’s titular character (Henry Cavill) and written about by author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) somehow actually be describing real organizations, people and threats? If yes, how exactly is that possible? If no, what’s wrong with Conway?
The 80 Best Movies of the 1980s
Welcome to Paste’s 80 Best Movies of the 1980s. This list takes into account what the critics and audiences of the time could not—the lasting ripple effects of iconic performances, influential direction and pop-culture sweet spots, as well as some simply overlooked gems. That said, a great performance or popular endearment isn’t necessarily enough. The films on this list must be good, solid examples of their respective genre (and in some cases, the template for said genre).
The 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time
Two things quickly become evident when putting together a list of the 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time. First, this is the Golden Age for such films, a decade where technology, long-unrequited fandom and surging popular awareness have all combined to thrill moviegoers and make Hollywood billions of dollars. Second, it’s still fair to say there are plenty of superhero films are not that good. There’s no real contradiction at play here.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the MCU Just Have a Lot Going on Right Now
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director James Gunn’s final bow before leaving to right a partially capsized DCEU, has a lot going on right now, man. Along with Gunn’s departure, there are plenty of other farewells—officially announced or implicit—from its cast, the requisite seeding of new faces, and the need to wrap up the most traditionally conceived trilogy on the sprawling slate of the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Shrinks Its Charm in Favor of Familiar, Messy MCU Mayhem
Appropriately for his power set, the MCU’s Ant-Man films work best when they go small. Let the Avengers fight off alien invasions and robot apocalypses, let Doctor Strange fend off extra-dimensional threats, and let the Guardians of the Galaxy, well, guard galaxies—Scott Lang just needs to steal things, break in (or out) of places and try, try, try to be a better dad.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Pays Fitting Tribute and Moves On
Though making a CGI-filled blockbuster requires the talent and resources of a medium-sized city, it’s not too reductive to say the critical and box office success of 2018’s Black Panther largely rested on three crucial ingredients: inspired casting, deft direction and vibrant design.
Thor: Love and Thunder Delivers Laughs and Spectacle ... and Reveals the Limits of Waititian Whimsy
Thor: Love and Thunder will remind you of a few things. For many fans of the MCU, Taika Waititi’s followup to Thor: Ragnarok will remind them of a simpler, pre-Endgame time when Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans roamed the Earth-199999. With Downey Jr.’s Iron Man all snapped out and Evans’ Captain America feeling his age, Hemsworth’s Thor is the last god standing of what proved a triple threat of casting alchemy for Marvel and the Mouse.
News of Note for the Internet-Minded (7/6/22) - Quantum Leaps, VR Tools and Cryptocurrency Tumult
From advancements in quantum teleportation to the possibility of intelligent digital twins and claims that Google’s AI is sentient, this week’s News of Note has sci-fi appeal, and more. Google offers more proof that traditional algorithms are no match for a quantum computer. (John Timmer, Ars Technica) Physicists at Delft University make a key advance in quantum teleportation, pushing quantum computing another step closer to reality.
The 100 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time
As a genre, the romantic comedy has had pretty sharply defined highs (the 1940s and 1980s) and lows (1990s-2000s) based on viewer appetite and studio competence, but thanks to this thing we call “the human condition,” hope-laden fables showing how two people can, indeed, find and cherish one another despite all obstacles will never stay out of fashion long—no matter how soulless and cynical the industry.
The 80 Best Movies of the 1980s
Welcome to Paste’s 80 Best Movies of the 1980s. This list takes into account what the critics and audiences of the time could not—the lasting ripple effects of iconic performances, influential direction and pop-culture sweet spots, as well as some simply overlooked gems. That said, a great performance or popular endearment isn’t necessarily enough. The films on this list must be good, solid examples of their respective genre (and in some cases, the template for said genre).
10 Great Gifts for Movie Lovers (2021)
An extended global pandemic may have wreaked havoc on studio release schedules, but movie fandom remains. In fact, lovers of cinema of all brow levels could really use a gift about now. Fortunately, there are no shortage of solutions for that particular problem. Here are 10 of them. 1.
Eternals Preserves the Legacy of Its Source Material by Being Mostly Forgettable
As the third entry in the pandemically hobbled, TV-enhanced Phase 4 of the MCU, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals is not a film that frustrates because it misses an obvious target, plunges down the wrong path or even mangles the source material. In fact, it doesn’t really frustrate at all. Instead, it just kinda … occupies time?
Black Widow Crashes About without Ever Hitting Its Mark
In many ways, Black Widow is a peculiar film, simultaneously relic and preface, an epilogue that occurs before the story ends, and, with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, an introduction of another piece of the post-Phase 4 MCU. And it was all these things before COVID-19 pushed back its release way, way back.
Alice in Zombieland: Every Resident Evil Movie, Ranked
With a new mutant strain of Resident Evil content on the way, there’s no better time to revisit the unlikely series of blockbusters spearheaded by filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson and actor Milla Jovovich. The duo have (literally) brighter days ahead as they most recently took on Monster Hunter to great box office success, but their time spent on Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise was definitive. Not just for their professional and personal lives, but for the state of videogame movies at large.
With Zack Snyder's Justice League, the Title Says It All
There has never been a film quite like Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Simultaneously new offering and dusted-off artifact, the film comes inextricably intertwined with either a recently minted nostalgia (2017!) or still fresh disdain (Grimdark!). Depending on one’s perspective, it’s a film either ensconced or entangled in multiple meta-narrative threads: directorial tragedy and misbehavior, pandemical obstacles and opportunities.
With Zack Snyder's Justice League, the Title Says It All
There has never been a film quite like Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Simultaneously new offering and dusted-off artifact, the film comes inextricably intertwined with either a recently minted nostalgia (2017!) or still fresh disdain (Grimdark!). Depending on one’s perspective, it’s a film either ensconced or entangled in multiple meta-narrative threads: directorial tragedy and misbehavior, pandemical obstacles and opportunities.
Wonder Woman 1984 Lifts the DCEU a Little Higher Thanks to Gadot and a Golden Lasso
Well, that’s one way to tackle superhero movie fatigue. Thanks to COVID-19, Wonder Woman 1984 lands as just the year’s fourth big screen release in the genre. And, no offense to Bloodshot and New Mutants, it’s functionally just the second after February’s Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
10 Great Gifts for Movie Lovers - 2020
When it comes to movies, like pretty much every single other thing, 2020 has certainly been … something. As COVID-19 has ground much of the movie industry to a halt, torpedoed the already leaky business models of major theater chains and made even the fattest of studio wallets appreciably lighter, there’s perhaps a—not silver, but perhaps zinc?—lining for any movie lovers feeling perpetually behind on their intake: there’s been ample time to catch up.
Tenet Scores a 10 on the Technical Even as It Waivers on Interpretation
Christopher Nolan makes puzzle boxes. They are complex. They are ornate. And just as with actual puzzle boxes, the success of his films lies somewhere at the nexus of determination, comprehension and faith for those who encounter it.
Just Because The Old Guard Does Not Cover New Ground Won't Mean You Won't Enjoy the Walk
In many ways, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Old Guard is cinematic comfort food, a stew of ingredients drawn from other cinematic dishes. There’s ample John Wickian murderbot action (with the corresponding, also ample, body count of faceless henchman). There’s a slice of those “immortal vampire blues” (minus fangs, a need for blood, sparkle, and whatnot). There’s also a good amount of “wounds-away” regen that’s been a special effects staple since Hugh Jackman Wolverined here and Wolverined there.
10 Great Gifts for Movie Lovers - 2019
Holiday gift-giving season is upon on and with it, the time to ask ourself, “What would make a good gift for my significant other/beloved friend/Secret Santa burden who loves movies?” Alternatively, you may just be looking for something for yourself, some much-needed self-care at the close of a year I think we’d all agree has been quite something. 1.
In Knives Out, Rian Johnson Again Plays with What He Loves
Knives Out is the type of movie that’s not so much a dying breed as one that just occurs uncommonly “in the wild.” Hollywoodseems to release a new take on the classic (i.e., Agatha Christie-imprinted) murder mystery “who dunnit”—where an eccentrically mannered detective attempts to figure out who amongst a roomful of suspects has committed murder most foul—every five-to-10 years.
Actor Appreciation Day: Karl Urban
For many, their first exposure to the intense, glower-made-manifest that is Karl Urban came in his role as Eomer in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This wasn’t Urban’s first time draped in fantasy-themed attire—the New Zealand native appeared as roughly an entire cast’s worth of characters in the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess shared universe.
Actor Appreciation Day: Karl Urban
For many, their first exposure to the intense, glower-made-manifest that is Karl Urban came in his role as Eomer in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This wasn’t Urban’s first time draped in fantasy-themed attire—the New Zealand native appeared as roughly an entire cast’s worth of characters in the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess shared universe.
Ranking Spider-Man Movies from Worst to Best
Share Tweet Submit Pin Not counting the 1977 TV movie—and it’s best for everyone that we not count that one—Spider-Man: Far from Home marks the eighth solo venture for everyone’s favorite spider-bite-irradiated teenager.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Share Tweet Submit Pin Coming on the heels of the hefty hunk o’ cinematic event that was Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home is, as one would expect, much lighter fare. That doesn’t stop this 23rd and final entry in the MCU’s initial Feige Phase barrage from serving as an effective coda for Endgame even as it presents what is, in many ways, a classic Spider-Manadventure.
From Strucker to Infinity: Ranking the Villains of the MCU
Share Tweet Submit Pin “Villain problem” aside, over the last decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced buckets of villains along with its bevy of heroes. It’s probably still fair to say their track record has been less consistent with the bad guys than with the good. This ranking bears that out—after the standouts, there’s a whole lot of middlin’ and a fair amount of meh.
Avengers: Endgame
Share Tweet Submit Pin Where does one begin? When it comes to Avengers: Endgame, that question is not so much an expression of wanton enthusiasm as a practical challenge in evaluating the destination toward which Kevin Feige and company have been steering story and viewer alike for the past 11 years and 21 films.
Penguins
In terms of pop cultural consciousness, Walt Disney is a dense nexus of multisourced nostalgia. Animation and moviemaking in general have long held center stage—the “recent” acquisitions of Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and now Fox properties have taken the company’s “touch points” to ridiculous, likely punishingly monopolistic extremes.
The 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time
Share Tweet Submit Pin 25. Wonder Woman (2017) Considering that the character of Wonder Womanwas the only one in Batman v. Superman that didn’t want to yank your eyeballs out of your head with a spork, it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that Wonder Woman is light-years better than anything else the newfangled DC cinematic universe has produced.
The 2018 Movies Gift Guide - Extended Cut
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but … there’s a ton of movie-related merchandise out there. That’s probably bad news for the state of our materialistic society, but it’s potentially good news for the gift giver stumped by what exactly to get a movies-loving loved one. We’ve covered some top-of-the-line gift ideas on our 10 Great Gifts for Movie Lovers list, but we recognize that 10 is a small number. You may be super popular, with tons of friend. You may have a gigantic family.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Movie-making is an intensely collaborative endeavor. That’s hardly an original insight, but it’s something too easily forgotten when one has shifted into “feed me!” mode as the trailers, concessions ads and Coca-Cola propaganda pieces preface the main attraction. With so many moving parts, and so many different people moving them, just finishing a film—be it jaw-droppingly bad, mind-blowingly good, or one of the countless in between—is an achievement.
10 Great Gifts for Movie Lovers -- 2018
With Black Friday upon us, let’s all take a moment to realize in a panic that we haven’t given much thought to what to get for any number of friends, relatives and co-workers. Fortunately, if this present-worthy person loves movies, there is no shortage of options. We’ll have an Extended Cut gift guide in the next few weeks, but before that, we’ve gathered 10 high-grade gifting options for you to show your love for others (or for yourself—no judgement).
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
With each successive film set in the Harry Potter universe, the presentation of the Wizarding World becomes more honed and more visually wondrous, as if the very moment of “wow!” can be distilled and purified into a concoction that will keep a viewer’s mouth permanently agape. David Yates’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald may represent the apex of this process, which eschews the mundane for the magical.
The 100 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time
Share Tweet Submit Pin As a genre, the romantic comedy has had pretty sharply defined highs (the 1940s and 1980s) and lows (1990s-2000s) based on viewer appetite and studio competence, but thanks to this thing we call “the human condition,” hope-laden fables showing how two people can, indeed, find and cherish one another despite all obstacles will never stay out of fashion long—no matter how soulless and cynical the industry.
ComicsGate Won’t Be Defeated by Well-Intentioned Tweets Alone
In the tradition of superhero comics, a recap page for readers who have missed out on the difficult-to-follow saga: Over the last few years, a group of outspoken bigots, trolls and opportunists have convened under the banner of “ComicsGate” or #ComicsGate, a name inspired by the GamerGate harassment campaigns that continue to plague the video game community. The stated “goal” of ComicsGate is to Make Comics Great Again by…harassing marginalized creators on YouTube and Twitter?
Christopher Robin
Sentimentality as thick and sticky-sweet as Winnie the Pooh’s beloved honey coats Christopher Robin, a paean to your inner child that’s so cloying it may tempt you to strangle yours. Occasionally affecting but mostly simplistic and perfunctory, this children’s film, which imagines what would happen if the titular boy grew up and had an uneasy reunion with his old pals at the Hundred Acre Wood, feels like a pretty uninspired way for Disney to recycle some of its intellectual property.
The Spy Who Dumped Me
If Paul Feig’s hilarious The Heat and Spy, which also blended hard-R hardcore action, fish-out-of-water slapstick, and improvisational juvenile comedy banter into explosive female-centric action/comedy, didn’t already exist, The Spy Who Dumped Me would get higher points for originality.
The Best Comic Book Covers of July 2018
Most months, it’s difficult to spot a trend that encompasses a good number of our favorites covers. Our tastes are broad, and the field of cover art is ever innovative in its attempts to draw in readers. During July, though, a particular theme dominated: fields of color. Mike Collins’ Apollo, Lee Garbett’s Bone Parish #1, Travis Charest’s Star Wars #50 and at least a half-dozen other July covers employ bold seas of single colors to make their central illustrations pop.
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Imagine a biopic about Beethoven that focuses almost entirely on how hard it was for him to lose his hearing and navigate day-to-day life as a deaf man.
The Equalizer 2
2014’s The Equalizer was a mostly unintentionally ridiculous action/vigilante fantasy about an ex super spy named Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) stripping his neighborhood of crime by murdering the fuck out of anyone he deemed to be a bad egg. His superpower was low expectations: Looking like a sullen, stoic, middle-aged schlub, he could execute his enemies before they could formulate a second thought.
What Exactly Was Wrong with Hotel Artemis?
I have a confession to make: I have no use for guns, but I freaking love shootout movies, and the more transparently absurd the better. It’s never difficult to figure out why a movie that’s merely a cheap rip-off of other successful movies is bad or had a tough time at the box office.
Looking Back with Anger: Mythologies of White Masculinity in Fireworks and Scorpio Rising
Kenneth Anger’s ghost haunts much of modern pop culture. Incongruous and sex-filled music videos, calendars with sweaty working class guys, a majority of queer cinema: a lover of the occult, of leather, of the codes of masculinity, writer/filmmaker/actor Anger’s work used a dreamscape to deconstruct masculinity outside of its social confines.
4K to the Future: The Early Death and Amazing Resurgence of Mission: Impossible
I was sure the Mission: Impossible series died in 2000, killed off after only two movies by John Woo’s terrible Mission: Impossible 2. A movie ostensibly about a team of super spies somehow became a one-man show, with Tom Cruise dominating the screen in a way he didn’t quite do in Brian De Palma’s twisty original, despite most of that team getting killed off in the first twenty minutes.
New on Netflix: All the Movies and TV Coming in August
August used to be the barren wasteland of new TV, but that was before on-demand television. Netflix is treating the middle of summer like sweeps week with plenty of new series debuts and the addition both original and acquired movies to its catalog. We’ll do our best to highlight the most promising offerings from Netflix, broken down between movies and TV shows.
Nancy Peña’s Madame Cat is the Purrfect Summer Read for Feline Fans
Last week, Paste brought you an exclusive first look at the next wave of titles from Humanoids’ Life Drawn imprint, which focuses on personal, political real-world narratives, not the sci-fi/fantasy epics for which the publisher is best known. Today, we’re scratching the surface of Life Drawn’s newest release, on shelves this week. Nancy Peña’s Madame Cat is an often hilarious commentary on the complicated nature of our feline friends.
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