Columbus, OH

The Ragpicker , Joel Dane (Meerkat 978-1-94615-459-0, $17.95, 290pp, p) July 2024. If you believe the advertising campaigns from Meta and Apple (especially Apple’s slick ads for its Vision Pro), virtual and physical realities will harmoniously exist together. It’s a utopian attitude that conflicts with the often dystopian vision presented by the genre, where VR, with its immersive pods and body suits, is a means of escaping the harsh realities of a broken world. Recent fare from Grace Chan (Every Version of You) and Adam Roberts (The Real-Town Murder’s series), for example, reinforces this idea that people, in thrall to the fantasies generated by VR, have turned their backs on social and environmental issues like climate change and economic inequality. JoelDane’s disquieting new novel, The Ragpicker – the fourth he’s written under the “Joel Dane” pseudonym – takes it a step further, imagining a postapocalyptic Earth where an event called the “Bliss” wipes out the vast bulk of humanity addicted to their virtual worlds.

Ian Mond Reviews The Ragpicker by Joel Dane

Parade

From Don Winslow to Tana French (and Princess Di!), we’ve got them all.

The 29 Best Mystery, Thriller and True Crime Books of 2024…so Far

When it comes to Western films, there are defining masterpieces like 'The Searchers' and disastrous flops like 'The Ridiculous 6.'. Some Western films, like 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller,' are held back by minor flaws despite great critical and commercial recognition. 'City Slickers,' '3:10 to Yuma,' and 'The Shootist' are examples...

10 Western Movies That Are Almost Perfect

If you’re looking to get your FYP in bookish order, here are our favorite TikTok videos from the last week. Also make sure to catch up on the best 21st-century novels in 10 books, and read up on the best US cities for book lovers. As for me, I’ve...

The Best New Book Releases Out August 21, 2024

Los Angeles County, CA

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Herbie J Pilato

[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, the commentary and quotes in this article are from the author's interview with those mentioned.]. Elizabeth Montgomery was one of the most popular actors from the 1950s to her unfortunate passing from cancer in 1995. Before, during, and after her benchmark Emmy-nominated role as twitch-witch Samantha Stephens on TV's Bewitched (ABC, 1964-1972), Montgomery made over 200 additional appearances in other weekly shows, TV-movies, and feature films.

'Bewitched' Star Elizabeth Montgomery Received Death Threats for Protesting the Vietnam War

Woman's World

Welcome, book lovers! For this week, Woman’s World Book Club (WW Book Club) has a variety of fresh recommendations of just-released books from romance to fantasy and magical realism to spiritual nonfiction — and more. Pick up one of these new books, and get ready to relax as each story whisks you away! For the ...

Woman’s World Book Club Recommends the New Lucy Score and Jennifer L. Armentrout Books for August 20 to 26

Thrillers are exciting and excellent at building tension and suspense while subverting the audience's expectations. Psychological thrillers, however, are thrillers that excel at playing with the audience's psyche. Blood, gore, and special effects disturb people; but psychological thrillers dig deeper by disturbing the audience's expectations. This subgenre explores the psychological...

The 10 Most Disturbing Psychological Thrillers, Ranked

A prolific filmmaker who rather consistently made suspenseful, darkly funny, and inventive films, Alfred Hitchcock is about as famous as filmmakers get, and his influence/legacy is undeniable. Hitchcock’s body of work delivers when it comes to both quantity and quality, with the films contained within also being diverse. There were few – if any – genres Hitchcock didn’t touch during his directorial career.

The 10 Darkest Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked

5. The Quick and the Dead (1987) Wait, “The Quick and the Dead” is not underrated much anymore. Sam Raimi fans are celebrating it too often as they should but here we talk about another film with the same title, not the Raimi. It’s not as wild as Raimi’s film and doesn’t have much in common other than the title and the genre but still a very gripping tale of redemption. Sam Elliott has done a couple of Louis L’Amour adaptations on television. In the era when western was becoming a dying genre for the theatrical, these TV films were getting viewed and celebrated by many.

10 Great Western Movie Classics You Probably Haven’t Seen

Horror movies are so timeless and versatile because they can take place across a variety of settings and periods. It's not as limited as, say, science-fiction movies, which are commonly associated with the future, or fantasy movies, many of which take place in entirely different worlds. The only basic requirement for horror movies is that they be intentionally scary, or at least try to be, which means filmmakers can utilize pretty much any setting they want.

The 10 Best Historical Horror Movies, Ranked

The curator of Shudder, the streaming platform for all things horror, has revealed which 14 films he considers the “scariest”. Shudder is a subscription video-on-demand service made for fans of horror, featuring over 650 movies, more than 40 different series, and seven podcasts. As well as horror, the...

Shudder’s curator reveals the 14 “scariest” horror movies ever made

GoldDerby

Even after a decades-long career of lauded work, Oscar-winning filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is still willing to try new things. This year, the acclaimed writer-director will release his first film entirely in the English language with “The Room Next Door.” The highly anticipated Sony Pictures Classics release – a presumed Oscar contender in several categories sight unseen – will bow at the Venice Film Festival later this month before screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival. As revealed in a new trailer, “The Room Next Door” will arrive in select theaters on December 20.Oscars Playback: When...

‘The Room Next Door’ trailer: Pedro Almodovar’s first English-language film sets December release [Watch]

In 1978, an unproven filmmaker named John Carpenter cobbled together $300,000, a four-week filming schedule, and the up-and-coming daughter of an iconic scream queen. The film would gross $70 million, and become one of the most successful independent films of all time. Of course, that film was Halloween. Not only was it a wild success in the late 70s, but it birthed a decades-long franchise of horror films centered around the ultimate boogeyman, Michael Myers. The impact that Halloween had on horror, and in particular slasher films, would reverberate throughout cinema.

10 Slasher Movies That Owe Their Existence to John Carpenter’s 'Halloween'

The Dark and The Wicked crafts a chilling atmosphere that delves into familial relationships and supernatural elements seamlessly. Director Bryan Bertino's mastery over creating tension through pacing, movement, and sound is on full display in this slow-burn horror. Compelling performances from Marin Ireland and Michael Abbott Jr. elevate the film,...

This Criminally Overlooked Supernatural Horror Delivers an Unsettling, Slow Burn Haunting

Among several debuts this week, three titles rank prominently. Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Apprentice to the Villain (Entangled: Red Tower) ranks #1 or #2 on three lists. Harper L. Woods’ The Coven (Bramble) ranks #2 or #3 on two lists, and lower on a third. And James S.A. Corey’s The Mercy of Gods (Orbit), first volume in The Captive’s War, ranks on four lists, as high as #8 or #9 on three of them.

Weekly Bestsellers, 19 August 2024

Marie Claire US

From Old Hollywood classics to recent hit thrillers.

The 32 Best Film Noir Movies Ever

Buckle up, sci-fi enthusiasts! We're about to engage the hyperdrive and blast into the cosmos with our picks for the 10 best sci-fi movies with great acting. From interstellar odysseys to far-off worlds, and solemn ponderings of humanity’s relationship with the technology it has created, these films have not only dazzled us with cutting-edge special effects but also gifted cinephiles around the globe with performances that are truly stellar.

The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies With Great Acting, Ranked

One of the most beloved Hollywood stars in the history of television, in particular, was actress Frances Bavier, who died in 1989 at age 85. The likable actress became best known for her compassionate and nurturing role as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960-1968).

Beloved 'Andy Griffith Show' Actress Frances Bavier ("Aunt Bee"): A Look Back at Her Life and Career

Jim Sheridan is a six-time Academy Award nominated producer who has worked on films such as In the Name of the Father. Sheridan’s latest film venture sees him partner with up and coming Irish talent, John Farrelly. Having already won several awards for his work in short films, Farrelly’s feature debut, Sleep Experiment, earned him a Jury prize at the LA Horror Film Festival. His second feature finds him sticking within genre cinema as he tells a chilling tale of things that go bump in the night with An Taibhse.

Road to FrightFest: ‘An Taibhse’ director John Farrelly and lead actor Tom Kerrisk on the Irish language horror

Arguably, no indie movie studio has ever had a rise in popularity and mainstream relevance as meteoric as A24's. This NYC studio was founded in 2012, and since then, they have been picking up and distributing some of the freshest, most creative, most exciting films current audiences have access to. They have explored a wide array of genres, but there are a few that tend to be their favorites — one of the main ones being the thriller.

The 10 Best A24 Thriller Movies, Ranked

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Liz Bourke Reviews These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low

These Deathless Shores , P.H. Low (Orbit 978-0-31656-920-0, $19.99, 464pp, tp) July 2024. I’m not quite sure what I make of These Deathless Shores, the debut...

Liz Bourke Reviews These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low

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