Much has been made of the lack of true modern A-list stars in Hollywood. Tom Cruise seems to be the last real one (though I'm sure some of his contemporaries like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon might disagree with that assessment), but he is not a young man (and neither are the other two I mentioned). Can Hollywood survive an era where there are no real stars to drive crowds to the cineplex? It's an interesting determination. What besides supernova actors gets people to the movies?

Weight loss culture is a big thing these days. I feel like that's a permanent truism, really. When has weight loss NOT been one of the pre-eminent things on Americans' minds? It's a constant top New Year's Resolution every single winter, and celebrity culture has made thin "in" for ages now. But in the back half of the 2020's, it only seems to be rising in prominence. It's easier to achieve than ever, what with appetite suppressant injectables flooding the market and being in

Let me be honest with you about Motor City. It is exactly the kind of film I wanted to love. A dialogue free crime thriller set in 1977 Detroit, all needle drops and muscle cars and Alan Ritchson being enormous in slow motion. On paper this is everything. In practice it is a film that keeps reminding you of better films while failing to become one itself. The premise is pure pulp. Ritchson plays John Miller, an ex-con with a beautiful girlfriend and a very bad enemy in the fo