Matt Singer is the editor and critic of the website ScreenCrush.com. For five years, he was the on-air host of IFC News on the Independent Film Channel, hosting coverage of film festivals and red carpets around the world. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, he’s been a frequent contributor to the television shows CBS This Morning Saturday and Ebert Presents At the Movies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at The Village Voice, The Dissolve, and Indiewire. His first book, Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, is on sale now.
Matt Singer
The BBC Names the 100 Greatest American Films of All Time
What is the greatest American film of all time? According to BBC.com, who just released a brand new ranking of more than a century of great U.S. cinema, the old favorites are still the best; perennial pick for best film ever, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, came in first in a poll of “62 international film critics ... from the United Kingdom and continental Europe to South America, Australia, India, and the Middle East” and the United States as well.
Disney Bans Smoking in Youth-Rated Movies
If you’re a fan of Disney baddies like cigar-smoking Bill Sykes from Oliver & Company (and really, who isn’t a fan of Bill Sykes from Oliver & Company?), this news is relevant to your tobacco-stained interests: The Walt Disney Company has banned all depictions of smoking from all of its films from all of its child-oriented labels (including Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm) rated G through PG-13. Via a press release:
Watch Jon Stewart’s Powerful Response to the Charleston Shooting
We are going to miss Jon Stewart.
Christopher Lee, ‘Dracula’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor, Dead at 93
After a staggering career that spanned more than sixty years actor, Christopher Lee has died. He was 93 years old.
Clint Eastwood to Direct Movie About Heroic Pilot Chelsey ‘Sully’ Sullenberger
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 was struck by a flock of geese during takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. The plane’s captain, Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, successfully brought the plane down in the Hudson River.
‘Jaws’ Is Coming Back to Theaters For Its 40th Anniversary
On June 20, 1975 a movie about an angry fish opened in about 500 theaters around the country. It was called Jaws, it was directed a guy named Steven Spielberg, it was scary as hell, and it has become legendary. And it's back.
Watch Adam Sandler Say Goodbye to David Letterman With a Hilarious and Touching Song
T-minus one week and counting until the very last Late Show with David Letterman and the tributes are coming faster and faster, and sadder and sadder. I hope on the last installment of Stupid Pet Tricks one of the tricks is a shih tzu shedding a single tear for the end of this venerable late-night franchise, which comes to a close on May 20. It’s only fitting.
Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger Act Out All His Films in Six Minutes
Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t take himself too seriously.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Review: Joss Whedon Assembles an Inspiring Blockbuster
There’s a lot to like about Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the coolest thing about it is the way it reclaims the comic book part of the phrase “comic-book movie.” Rather than using these characters to do something “edgy” or “adult” or “important,” or sanding down their quirkier edges to appeal to as broad and mainstream an audience as possible, Age of Ultron doubles down on its source material’s geeky origins.
‘Terminator Genisys’ Trailer: The Franchise’s Old Continuity Gets Terminated
The last Terminator Genisys trailer was so convoluted and confusing that ScreenCrush editor Mike Sampson and I spent an entire piece trying to figure out the plot of the film. (We were not successful, either.) At the very least, the new Genisys spot makes things a bit clearer. Right off the bat they also reveal one significant plot twist: John Connor (Jason Clarke) has been mechanized by Skynet and the evil computers of the future, and sent back in time to kill his mother Sarah (Emilia Clarke). Also, I just realized that Sarah and John Connor are played in this film by two actors with the same last name. Which, whoa. And, of course, there’s also Arnold Schwarzenegger back as the T-800, but this time he’s an older model who’s Sarah Connor’s protector. How and why remains to be seen, but hey, that’s why you’ve got to buy a ticket. To figure out how a robot can age and learn to a be a good guy who smiles awkwardly. (Very awkwardly.)