The Zombie Era just won't die — this weekend, Brad Pitt arrives on the big screen to mow down the reanimated hordes in World War Z, and AMC's The Walking Dead has been renewed through approximately 2084. So it seemed as good a time as any to take stock of our long-standing relationship with the undead in film and TV. Here are the Grantland staff's picks for best zombies.
Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice, some say with Ben Affleck playing an angel. To complement this weekend's release of Seth Rogen's stoner apocalypse comedy, This Is the End, as well as the rest of the summer movie season, the HOF is revisiting some of the best end-of-world scenarios from film and TV.
We've slowly begun the healing process after this week's traumatic episode of Game of Thrones, but some cinematic wounds are deeper than others. There's nothing like a nice, sadistic, unexpected film death to make you appreciate the ephemerality of life, especially in a world filled with psycho killers, empty elevator shafts, and brilliant sharks. Here are a collection of film and TV deaths that made us reach for the rewind button.
Things were a little touch-and-go there for a while, but after last year's Men in Black 3, followed by this weekend's postapocalyptic Daddy and Me adventure After Earth, and the slate of big-budget projects with numbers in the title on his IMDb page, it's safe to say that Will Smith, Action Hero, is officially back. Let's take this moment to celebrate the dramatic, comedic, musical, and philosophical career of one Willard Christopher Smith Jr.
We know we say this every week, but this time it's true: Summer movie season truly starts this weekend, with the opening of Fast & Furious 6, and we here at Grantland figured it was about time we honor the muscle-ripped, gravel-voiced heart of the franchise with his very own HOF.
The Office’s series finale airs tomorrow night, and while it has certainly had its highs and its lows, it cannot be denied that it left behind an unforgettable legacy of cubicle parkour, Jell-Oed corporate property, and yes, true love. Here are some of the Grantland staff's favorite highlights from its nine-season run.
You've read Molly Lambert's account of the friendship and rivalry between Hollywood's original bros. Now decide for yourself if you're on Team Leo or Team Tobey, as the Grantland staff recount some of the highlights of their respective careers.
This Friday sees the release of Iron Man 3, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the role that took him from (hugely rewarding) indie purgatory to all-out blockbuster movie star. But there are more than two chapters to the RDJ saga, and this week the Grantland staff looks back at some of the most memorable moments of his career.
We've got summer blockbusters on the brain this week on the Hollywood Prospectus, and so we thought it'd be a good time to run back some of the summer movies we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts, the films that epitomize everything a summer movie should be. There will be explosions, there will be bus jumps, there will be fridge-nukes. But mostly, there will be our enduring love of summer escapism in its purest form. (Also, three-breasted hookers.)
After an arguably false start with last year's Jack Reacher, Tom Cruise, Movie Star, makes a big, blockbustery return this weekend in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi effects-fest Oblivion. And not a moment too soon. This is an HOF that's been a long time coming. Join Grantland as we proudly present our favorite Tom Cruise moments of all time.
Baseball season has arrived, and with it comes baseball movie season — at least, it used to. This year, that by and large consists of 42, Brian Helgeland's Jackie Robinson biopic, which opens this weekend. But there was a time not so long ago when America's pastime was an essential staple of summer movie season. Today, the Grantland staff looks back on some of our favorites.
Mad Men returns for a sixth season this weekend on AMC, and even those of us who haven't seen a frame of the two-hour premiere are nonetheless ready to talk our heads off about what for years now has been a top contender for Best Show on Television. Join us as we relive some of our favorite moments from the past five seasons, in all their bourbon-pounding, chain-smoking, lawnmower-crashing, existential-crisis-having glory. (Obviously, a multitude of spoilers after the jump — you've been warned.)
Harmony Korine's Letterman legacy gave us the inspiration for this week's HOF: a look back on all the times the predictable rhythm of a talk show has been shaken up by its guests and taken to another level, for better or, oftentimes, for worse.
The U.S. of A. has been through a lot in the past century of cinema — from hostile aliens to zombies to the terrorist masterminds Gerard Butler must outsmart in this weekend's Olympus Has Fallen, it seems like everyone's out to get us. Join the Grantland staff as we reminisce about all we've weathered as a nation in film, TV, video games, and yes, a little long-form radio as well.
Something happened in the most recent episode of The Americans. Spoiler: Phillip wore a wig. Then something else happened. It was a shocking moment, one that not only signaled a raising of stakes in the series' story, but a raising of game by the creative forces behind it. In one scene, The Americans made the jump from being good to great. As we discussed on this week's Hollywood Prospectus podcast, this was an "Oh shit!" moment; it's when a show you're watching takes the leap — whether it's when a sitcom goes from being amusing to being must-see TV, or when a high school drama becomes a meditation on human frailty. These moments are really the reason we give shows a chance in the first place. They can happen in the pilot or in the third season, but when they happen, there is really nothing like it. So here are the Grantland staff's favorite "Oh shit!" scenes, from some of our favorite shows. —Chris Ryan
NOTE: THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR SOME OF THE MOST BELOVED SHOWS ON TELEVISION. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
