Our Flag Means Death Season 2 escapes the sophomore doldrums

taika waititi Archives - The Spool

The ongoing refrain of every TV critic, especially come end-of-year time: There’s too much TV. This year is no exception, with networks and streaming services alike competing for our attention with one big-budget, well-crafted set of eight-to-ten-hour stories after another. It’s the kind of model that doesn’t seem built to last, and 2022 might see ... The 25 Best TV Shows of 2022

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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.

Reviews

Reservation Dogs returns with a stellar second season

By: Ashley Lara

Reservation Dogs' sophomore run layers drama and comedy to excellent effect.

Reviews

Thor: Love and Thunder commits too hard to the joke

By: Clint Worthington

Taika Waititi buys too much into his own hype with his followup to Thor: Ragnarok, a scattered farce that grows tiring faster than a bolt of lightning.

Reviews

Lightyear takes one of Pixar’s iconic characters to infinity and beyond

By: Marshall Estes

The Toy Story spinoff balances humor, heart, action, and a little existential dread in a sci-fi adventure for all ages.

Berlinale

Berlinale 2021: “Night Raiders” warps Native issues into a weak YA thriller

By: Peter Sobczynski

Danis Goulet's sci-fi adventure intriguingly explores the systematic eradication of indigenous peoples through a Hunger Games lens, but falters when it leans too close to the conventions of that already-creaky genre.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Thor: Ragnarok” was a joyous punch in the face of colonialism

Taika Waititi's irreverent revamp of the Thor series, Thor: Ragnarok, manages to weave some much-needed criticism of imperialism among the gags.

Features

Every Episode of “The Mandalorian”, Ranked

From the first time we meet Baby Yoda to the final trek of the Razor Crest, we look back at the highs and lows of The Mandalorian's first season.

Features

The Top 25 TV Shows of 2019

From HBO (Chernobyl, Watchmen, Succession) to Netflix (Russian Doll, The Crown, Stranger Things) and beyond, we break down the best TV of the year.

Features

Martin Scorsese Is A Great Filmmaker, and Dead Wrong About Marvel

There's a lot more nuance to be found in the discourse surrounding Marvel movies and arthouse cinema.

The Mandalorian Recap: Star Wars Goes West With “Chapter One”

Disney+'s live-action Star Wars series shakes off its fan-film cobwebs and shows glimmers of space Western intrigue.

CIFF 2019

CIFF: Thomasin McKenzie on Nazis, Toxicity, and “Jojo Rabbit”

The star of "Leave No Trace" and "Jojo Rabbit" sits down to talk about her career, her latest role, and finding humanity in inhumane times.

CIFF 2019

CIFF Dispatch: “Jojo Rabbit”, “A Girl Missing”, “The Torch” and More

(This dispatch is part of our coverage of the 2019 Chicago International Film Festival.) Welp, CIFF keeps chugging along, and the weather just keeps getting colder. Still, there are plenty of cinematic offerings on display to keep you braving the cold, even as they offer some chilling portents for awards season moving forward. First up ... CIFF Dispatch: “Jojo Rabbit”, “A Girl Missing”, “The Torch” and More

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