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The Spool is an irreverent, informative source for film and television coverage, focused on diverse, thoughtful opinions that seek out a greater understanding of the media we love.

Anniversaries

“The Patriot” at 20: Yankee Doodle Dreary

20 years later, Roland Emmerich's Revolutionary War drama skewers U.S. history and Mel Gibson's persona without trying to—or realizing it.

“The Great” rewrites history with tongue firmly in cheek

The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara gives the same farcical treatment to Catherine the Great, to largely wry results.

“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” is a flashy trip through economic history

Justin Pemberton adapts Thomas Piketty's book on economics into an accessible (if overly neat) primer on capitalism throughout history.

In “Mrs. America”, Women of the World Aren’t United

FX on Hulu explores the early days of the feminist movement with a history lesson packed with stunning performances.

“The Plot Against America” Is Alt-History and Chilling Reality

David Simon and Ed Burns' adaptation of the Philip Roth novel paints a harrowing picture of an alternate America that feels all too prescient.

Features

March’s Filmmaker of the Month: Spike Lee

For the month of March, we look back at the vibrant, confrontational, incisive work of one of American filmmaking's most iconic figures.

Doctor Who: “The Haunting of Villa Diodati” Gets Cyber-Spooky

A low-key historical ghost story turns into some lore-building terror for the Doctor. Okay, so the Oscars, a busy social schedule, and the lingering effects of Sundance flu meant I managed to skip last week’s Doctor Who, “Can You Hear Me?”, but suffice to say it was a strong, but scattershot hour that soared best ... Doctor Who: “The Haunting of Villa Diodati” Gets Cyber-Spooky

Interviews

Matt Morton on Using Old-School Tech to Score “Apollo 11”

Apollo 11 composer Matt Morton discusses how he used period-appropriate synthesizers to craft a tense score to mankind's first walk on the moon.

Watchmen Episode 7 Recap: “An Almost Religious Awe”

Memory and history collide in a startling episode that offers yet more interrogation of the show's source material.

Watchmen Episode 6 Recap: “This Extraordinary Being”

Six episodes in, the show does its deepest, most formally daring look at historical prejudice, policing and American mythology.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Gangs of New York” Bites Off More of the Big Apple Than It Can Chew

Martin Scorsese's 2002 historical drama is big, brassy and full of great performances, but its runtime and tone leave it unfocused.

Fantasia 2019

Fantasia 2019: “Shadow” is Zhang Yimou’s Monochrome Wuxia Epic

The director of House of Flying Daggers and Hero drains the color from a Shakespearean take of double identities to crisply symbolic effect.

“Halston” Captures American History Through a Designer’s Rise and Fall

America's first celebrity fashion designer gets the documentary treatment in an insightful treatment that still occasionally gets in its own way.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? Review: Melissa McCarthy Compels in Awards-Hungry Journalism Drama

While it’s patently hungry for awards, Melissa McCarthy’s biopic of infamous letter forger Lee Israel is compelling and darkly accessible, with some great supporting turns from Richard E Grant and Jane Curtin. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Oscar baiting: we know it when we see it, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? is ... Can You Ever Forgive Me? Review: Melissa McCarthy Compels in Awards-Hungry Journalism Drama

Film Review: Oscar Isaac Hunts Nazis in Compelling, if Spotty, Operation Finale

Despite two incredible lead performances from Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley, this dramatization of the Mossad extradition of Adolf Eichmann feels a bit too safe. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood In 1960, a group of Mossad and Shin Bet agents, let by Peter Malkin, traveled to Argentina on an undercover mission to capture ... Film Review: Oscar Isaac Hunts Nazis in Compelling, if Spotty, Operation Finale

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