A Art Tv Review

2026 is a monumental year for *Zillennials* everywhere—well, at least if you’re a Disney fan. If you haven’t realized it yet, it’s not just the anniversary of *Hannah Montana*, but also the anniversary of *High School Musical*! And all in the same year? Twenty years later, the nostalgia hits you like a brick the instant Miley Cyrus steps onto the scene with her blonde bangs and that shiny gold belt. Although Miley herself looks mature and elegant now, her Tennessee personality shines through instantly the moment she sets foot on the set—the very home of the Stewarts! But, almost immediately, you feel that something is missing.  That’s because most of the show’s main cast doesn’t appear in this anniversary special. Even so, I can’t complain, considering that Miley is the sole reason we had the opportunity to enjoy this special at all. Twenty years ago, when I was just a little girl myself, I had a poster of the pop star with the double life hanging on my pink and purple walls (quite...

 In a world where the ballet community has felt deeply offended by an Oscar-nominated actor—and where, instead of seeing artists celebrating other artists, we are bombarded with meme after meme—it seems we have yet to find any respite from the damage already inflicted. Somehow, days after this debacle, I find myself with the opportunity to witness the collision of these two worlds—cinema and ballet—in a thriller starring ballet dancers; a story about five dazzling young women who get entangled in a mess when they travel to Budapest to perform in the most prestigious ballet showcase.  From what I’ve heard, *Pretty Lethal* is the kind of movie I would devour in a matter of seconds; it is exactly the sort of film I would love to watch with my friends. However—*sigh*—this movie has turned out to be the most disappointing thing I’ve seen so far this year. Perhaps this is due to the high expectations I had built up, especially upon seeing these young women in the cast—performers I h...

Actor-turned-director Matthew Shear makes a promising feature debut with a vivid portrait of an unemployed actress and her nanny, both of whom feel as though they are drowning. It is no exaggeration to say that Amanda Peet delivers the performance of a lifetime in *Fantasy Life*. There should likely be no confusion between the actress and the character she brings to life—Dianne: a former screen star, now in her fifties, who stopped landing roles a decade ago when the scripts she was offered simply didn't measure up. Yet, there is a wisdom and weariness about her that suggest Peet has seen a great deal of the world; it is even somewhat unsettling to realize that a similar span of time has passed since she herself last appeared on the big screen.  Director: Matthew Shear Writer: Matthew Shear Stars: Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Bob Balaban Her luminous return in this comedic drama—directed by Matthew Shear and centering on two people at a crossroads in life—reminds us just how much he...

 Horrified by the country of his birth and overwhelmed by the weight of its sins, Nadav Lapid has crafted the most wrathful filmography in modern cinema, battling his own Israeliness as if it were an incurable virus infecting his work. The explosive *Synonyms* (2019) was a semi-autobiographical identity crisis about a man who flees to Paris, convinced he was born in the Middle East by mistake; for its part, *Ahed’s Knee* (2021) constituted an equally personal cry into the wind—this time rooted in the frustrated impotence of artistic resistance in the face of an exultantly genocidal ethno-state. While Lapid’s earlier features—*Policeman* and *The Kindergarten Teacher*—sought a glimmer of hope, these two films convulse with rage, though both are tinged by a sense of resignation that they fight tooth and nail to shake off. Consequently, I naturally assumed that his next feature—written in Europe prior to the events of October 7, 2023, and subsequently reworked with fury around them, o...

 This week’s episode of FX’s biographical romantic drama series, *Love Story*, is undoubtedly a mere filler episode preceding next week’s devastating finale—the very conclusion for which the series has been preparing us. While the previous episode ended with John’s decision to get involved in politics—at least to some extent—a move that could have negatively impacted his marriage to Carolyn, many other things go awry for the couple in the ensuing months.  Raising, above all, questions regarding the very necessity of producing such an extensive series in the first place, the eighth episode literally depicts John and Carolyn arguing at various moments and over various issues—all without ever stepping outside the confines of their apartment. Creator: Connor Hines Stars: Sarah Pidgeon, Paul Anthony Kelly, Grace Gummer The eighth episode of *Love Story* opens with a Carolyn Bessette still unable to overcome her depression; sitting in total solitude in the apartment she shares with ...

For Jackie (Laurie Metcalf), Dan (John Goodman), Harris (Emma Kenney), Darlene (Sara Gilbert), Becky (Lecy Goranson), and company, the seventh season of *The Conners* proves to be a bittersweet experience, with the family embarking on one final journey before the curtain falls—seemingly forever. However, despite the emotional nuances of this family farewell, it appears that viewers aren't quite as moved. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh season of *The Conners* has seen the family’s fortunes slide, resulting in a lackluster audience score of just 47%. This overall score for a series that was once deeply beloved pales in comparison to its first three seasons, each of which garnered solid ratings from critics. The 93% earned by the first season—certified as "Fresh"—along with the 86% of the second and the perfect 100% of the third, paint a very different picture than the reception received by the show's subsequent seasons. Nevertheless, the millions ...