House of Cards has been a runaway success for Netflix, its characters permeating American culture from the Oval Office to the Oscars. Star Kevin Spacey plays Frank Underwood: a heartless, sociopathic politician gunning for power in Washington, D.C. But how long can a character like that be interesting? And how does the “binge-watching” structure of the […]
The Excision of the Protagonist
Television has apexed once again. If the Emmys have proven anything over the past few years, it is that we live in what celebrated filmmaker Steven Soderbergh refers to as “a second golden age of television.” The networks — cable and streaming, more than broadcast — are investing more than ever in smart, original and […]
Revisiting Superman Returns
It was supposed to be a spectacular film. After a 19-year hiatus, Superman was making his triumphant return to the big screen for a new generation. Warner Brothers had given the project a 300-million-dollar budget, and Bryan Singer, riding a wave of adoration for his brilliant handling of X-Men 2, was directing. Not being a […]
