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Articles by Thomas Mentel
TV Archives
Stay up to date on all of the best TV shows. We have the latest entertainment news on series premieres; what to watch on Hulu, Netflix, and other streaming services; and which TV shows have been canceled or renewed. Plus, get behind-the-scenes details from the cast and crew, as well as exclusive interviews. And check out some popular fan theories and reactions. In addition, don’t miss our episode recaps and previews. Searching for what to watch? Learn about what’s trending today.
Secondary organic aerosol reduced by mixture of atmospheric vapours
Abstract Secondary organic aerosol contributes to the atmospheric particle burden with implications for air quality and climate. Biogenic volatile organic compounds such as terpenoids emitted from plants are important secondary organic aerosol precursors with isoprene dominating the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds globally. However, the particle mass from isoprene oxidation is generally modest compared to that of other terpenoids.
Is Sprint’s New Phone Plan a Compelling Option?
Sprint Corp. (NYSE:S) on Friday announced an early upgrade option to its lineup of services and plans, following in the footsteps of rival wireless carriers AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ). Sprint’s new plan will allow customers to upgrade their device every 12 months, rather than the standard two years under most plans, by letting customers pay for their phone in installments, Reuters reports.
7 Great Romantic Comedies You Can Watch on Netflix
If you’re looking to settle down at home and watch a great romantic comedy on Netflix, you might be surprised to find that the genre is somewhat lacking on the streaming platform. Furthermore, Netflix’s frequently strong genre classification system seems to falter a bit when it comes to romantic comedy, placing films in the category that would often appear more commonly in drama or pure romance.
10 of the Greatest Movies Never Made
A multitude of interesting films miss out on getting made every year for a variety of reasons, but there are some that stand out from the rest because the thought of “what if” is simply too fascinating to dismiss. But in many cases, the studios’ decision to pass on a project can’t be entirely criticized — some of the following projects are flat out bizarre and could just as easily be a financial disaster as a hit.
10 Movies With the Most Depressing Endings
Hollywood is best known for its happy endings, but that doesn’t mean that every movie concludes with the heroes riding off into the sunset. Some films manage to buck the trend, providing a downer ending that works for the stories they’re trying to tell. Here are 10 movies with the most depressing endings: The Mist is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name and revolves around a small town that becomes covered in a mist that holds otherworldly creatures.
The 10 Biggest Film Box Office Disasters of All Time
While any film that fails to meet box office expectations is often labeled a flop, even today’s big-budget failures can’t compare to some of the biggest financial disasters in the history of film when adjusted for inflation (all box office numbers courtesy of FilmSite.org). Here are the 10 biggest film box office disasters of all-time and how their losses measure up to modern standards of box office bombs.
8 Interesting Films Stuck in Development Hell
[Update, 5/4/16: New information added throughout article!] Whether or not you felt it was worth the wait, the recent release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was the end result of a long and seemingly impossible quest to get the two superheroes in the same film. And with plans for a Wonder Woman and Justice League movie in 2017, fans will soon be getting two more films that for many years seemed doomed to an eternity in development without ever seeing the light of day.
8 Best NBA 3-Point Shooters to Ever Step Foot on the Court
As the game of basketball has evolved (by pushing a player’s comfort level further and further beyond the arc), three-point specialists have become among the most feared players on the court because of their ability to quickly turn the tides in a close game or push one out of reach for good. But in the NBA, thanks to a certain inexplainable accuracy, there are just some individuals who strike fear into opposing players — and their fans — on a much more regular basis than others.
10 Best Horror Films of All Time
While the horror genre has seen a strong resurgence thanks to a new crop of filmmakers that have shunned the torture-horror genre for a return to its roots, there’s still no beating old-school — and there’s no doubt that the period from the 1960s to the early 1980s churned out an impressive amount of classic horror films that have stood the test of time.
7 Great Romantic Comedies You Can Watch on Netflix
If you’re looking to settle down at home and watch a great romantic comedy on Netflix, you might be surprised to find that the genre is somewhat lacking on the streaming platform. Furthermore, Netflix’s frequently strong genre classification system seems to falter a bit when it comes to romantic comedy, placing films in the category that would often appear more commonly in drama or pure romance.
The 8 Biggest Film Box Office Disasters of All Time
While any film that fails to meet box office expectations is often labeled a flop, even today’s big-budget failures can’t compare to some of the biggest financial disasters in the history of film when adjusted for inflation (numbers courtesy of FilmSite.org). Here are the eight biggest film box office disasters of all-time and how their losses measure up to modern standards of box office bombs.
8 Best NBA 3-Point Shooters to Ever Step Foot on the Court
Three-point specialists can be among the most feared players on a basketball court due to their ability to quickly turn the tides in a close game or push one out of reach for good. But there are some three-point specialists who strike fear into basketball players and fans alike with a deadly accuracy that makes it more surprising when a shot misses than when it goes in. In the past several seasons, that player has been the Golden State Warrior’s Stephen Curry.
7 Actors Who Became Unrecognizable for a Movie Role
There’s nothing more impressive than when an actor is able to completely alter their appearance for a role. For example, in order to play conman Irving Rosenfeld in David O. Russell’s American Hustle, Christian Bale packed on 42 pounds, shaved a portion of his head, and trained himself to walk with a slouch. But physical transformations such as this do not come easy.
7 Hollywood Actors Who Had to Make a Comeback
The saying goes that Hollywood loves a good comeback story, and there’s no greater comeback in recent memory than the ongoing renaissance of Matthew McConaughey (aka “The McConaissance”). Once considered the quintessential romantic lead — someone forever lampooned as the actor sure to take his shirt off in a film — McConaughey is now the owner of an Academy Award for Best Actor. But there wouldn’t be a platitude in Hollywood about comebacks if McConaughey was the only one.
7 Coen Brothers Movies Critics Loved: Have You Seen Them?
At this point, the idea of a Coen brothers film not receiving strong critical acclaim and a straight shot to the Academy Awards would be more of a surprise than anything. Considering the Coen brothers’ remarkable film streak and the recent release of Hail, Caesar!, it’s as good a time as any to take a step back and look at the directing pair’s career. With 17 films under their belt as directors, here are the seven films that critics most often agree on when it comes to critical acclaim.
7 Martin Scorsese Films That Made Him a Legend
At age 72 and with nearly 50 years under his belt as a feature film director and 23 narrative films to his name, Martin Scorsese is not only one of the most experienced filmmakers in the industry, he’s one of the most respected. While all of Scorsese’s movies are worth watching at least once, some of his films are undisputed classics. Here are Martin Scorsese’s seven best films in what has been a robust and consistent career as a director.
7 of the Most Disturbing Dystopian Films
From Divergent to the the Hunger Games series, it’s clear that dystopian entertainment — books, films, and television — continues to be a hot genre. Dystopian films may be the hot ticket in 2015, but the genre has a rich history both in literature and film. You may be asking: what exactly is a dystopia? The simple definition is that it is the opposite of a utopia.
The Best Stephen King Film Adaptations
Author Stephen King has had unbelievable success in having his work translated to the big screen. Although King has sometimes been criticized over the years for his sentimentality and a knack for convention, there’s no doubt his work has been remarkable in making the leap to a film world that has proven anything but straightforward. You only have to take a glance at the list of King adaptations to see just how successful and prolific the author’s work is on the silver screen.
The 16 Greatest Scenes From Batman Director Christopher Nolan
As the most powerful creative force currently working in Hollywood, director Christopher Nolan’s ability to make original films that connect both with audiences and critics have made him a beacon of hope in a movie landscape that continues to become more saturated with sequels and franchises every year. Earlier this month marked the tenth anniversary of the release of Batman Begins, the first installment in his critically acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy.
7 Craziest Film Productions of All Time
When it comes to film production, the classic adage of “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” — better known as Murphy’s Law — is often the most crucial way to approach the project. That is because while most art forms consist of only a few central creators, movie productions can include hundreds, if not thousands, of positions essential for a film to move forward before uncontrollable factors like weather are added to the equation.
The 10 Worst Movie Remakes of All Time
While we have previously highlighted 10 movie remakes that are much better than the original, the truth is that there are far more examples of inferior movie remakes than there are superior. Arguments about Hollywood’s lack of creativity aside, it’s simply hard to improve upon a film that already works. It’s also not easy to improve upon a film that doesn’t work, either.
7 Actors Who Always Play the Same Old Characters
For Hollywood actors, one of the greatest concerns can be the possibility of being typecast as a certain character. There have been many instances in which an actor becomes so well known for a particular role or certain characteristics that it becomes almost impossible to find work playing different parts. It’s the reason some actors take less money to show their chops in independent film or hold out for other roles, sometimes without positive results.
Auteurs: 7 Movie Directors Who Have Their Own Unique Style
In film criticism, auteur theory — the idea that a film reflects a director’s personal creative vision — has been a controversial subject since 1954, when French critic-turned-filmmaker François Truffaut first advocated that the director was a film’s primary author. For Truffaut and other critics who wrote for Paris-based Cahiers du Cinéma, a film was most reflective of its director, displaying the style and themes that would be unmistakable throughout that person’s body of work.
7 Things Critics Look for When Reviewing a Movie
The most important thing to remember when watching a film critically is that every single frame and moment has been specifically crafted to have an effect on the viewer. In theory, nothing is an accident — whether it’s the way in which an actor is saying a line, the method in which the shot is setup for that moment, or even the specific type of lamp that might be sitting in the background.
7 of the Greatest Movies Never Made
A multitude of interesting films miss out on getting made every year for a variety of reasons, but there are some that stand out from the rest because the thought of “what if” is simply too fascinating to dismiss. But in many cases, the studios’ decisions to pass on a project can’t be entirely criticized — some of the following projects are flat out bizarre and could just as easily be a financial disaster as a hit.
8 Top Grossing Football Movies of All Time
Football season is more than half over, so it’s almost time to start thinking about the playoffs. Or the draft, if you’re a fan of a team who hasn’t had a spectacular season so far.That sounds depressing, so why not pass the time by watching all of these films? Once you’re done, it’ll be about time to prepare yourself for the postseason.
Batman Movies That We Wish Had Been Made
While Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is a wonder to behold, the problem has always been Nolan’s insistence that there would be no crossover comic characters in his films. With Warner Bros.’ hiring of Ben Affleck as Batman, the character is now free to go where he wants.
12 Popular Shows That Will Not Return to TV in 2015
In the era of TV’s golden age, it means that it’s becoming even harder for a show to stay on the air, whether it’s been around for years or is an up-and-comer. Here are twelve popular shows that won’t be returning in 2015. CBS’ mega-hit How I Met Your Mother finally came to an end this year after nine seasons and 208 episodes.
NBA: Top 8 Players With the Most Career Assists
In basketball, an assist is given to a player for a pass that directly leads to a score by a field goal. Generally, point guards tend to earn the most assists of any position due to their primary role as a facilitator of the offense, but there are sometimes exceptions to the rule.
The 5 Directors of ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 5
Game of the Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss announced last year who would direct for the series’ fifth season, and what’s most surprising is the amount of series newcomers to a season that figures to be one of the biggest yet. However, just because the majority of the season five directors don’t have experience on Game of Thrones doesn’t mean they don’t have experience — sometimes extensive — elsewhere.
10 Amazing Locations From the Cult Classic ‘In Bruges’
The 2008 dark comedy In Bruges didn’t make much of an impact at the box office when it was released, but the film has acquired cult classic status in rapid fashion in the years since. Directed by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes, the film’s slick direction and fantastic script make the film truly worthy of its newly minted status as a classic.
10 Movie Remakes That Are Much Better Than the Originals
In the world of moviemaking, remakes are generally not held in high regard. Besides being easy targets for the usual criticisms about Hollywood’s lack of creativity, remakes are inevitably compared to the original films and in most cases are dismissed as inferior copies. Case in point would be director Spike Lee’s 2013 remake of director Chan-wook Park’s 2003 cult classic Oldboy.
10 Movies With The Most Sad and Depressing Endings
Hollywood is best known for its happy endings, but that doesn’t mean that every movie concludes with the heroes riding off into the sunset. Here are ten films that buck the trend, providing a downer ending that works for the stories they’re trying to tell. The Mist is based on the Stephen King novella of the same name and revolves around a small town that becomes covered in a mist that holds otherworldly creatures.
The 8 Best NBA 3-Point Shooters of All Time
Three-point specialists can be among the most feared players on a basketball court due to their ability to quickly turn the tides in a close game or push one out of reach for good. But there are some three-point specialists who strike fear into basketball players and fans alike with a deadly accuracy that makes it more surprising when a shot misses than when it goes in. In the past several seasons, that player has been the Golden State Warrior’s Stephen Curry.
Top 10 Movies and TV Shows for the ‘Star Wars’ Fan
It isn’t a simple task to recommend films or TV series to Star Wars fans for the simple reason that there truly isn’t anything like George Lucas’ epic space saga, now in the hands of JJ Abrams and Disney. But you can start by first looking at what influenced Lucas to make Star Wars and then trying to boil down what makes Star Wars tick. From a sub-genre perspective, sci-fi is generally split into two groups: hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi.
The 8 Biggest American Box Office Phenomenons
When looking at a list of the highest-grossing films of all time, you might notice that there’s a disproportional amount of films that come from the past two decades. In fact, when it comes to the ten top grossing films of all time worldwide, only one of those films — 1997′s Titanic – has a a release date before 2000. Of course, that doesn’t mean that all the biggest blockbusters have come from recent years.
5 Crazy Movies That Almost Got Made
It’s sometimes easy to point out a lack of creativity on Hollywood’s part when it comes to the movies that usually get produced — especially given the the current climate, in which studios are increasingly relying on huge tentpole films to pay off on massive financial gambles. But even if Hollywood plays it safe now more than ever, that doesn’t mean studios don’t pursue wacky ideas from time time, even if they don’t ultimately go anywhere.
‘Game of Thrones’ Actors With the Most Surprising Backgrounds
Most of the actors involved with HBO’s hugely popular Game of Thrones series hail from backgrounds you’d expect. Namely, years of acting training and rising in the ranks before hitting it big with what is now one of the best-known shows on television. But when you comb through the backgrounds of the cast, there are some actors whose pre-Game of Thrones work might surprise you. Here are the six Game of Thrones actors with the most interesting backgrounds.
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