Julia roberts

Friday

Amber Duke

Which campaign is more insulting to women?

Much has been made of the “gender gap” this election season as Vice President Kamala Harris outperforms former president Donald Trump with women, while Trump outperforms Kamala with men. Until now, both have leaned into their respective advantages, with Kamala doubling down on abortion messaging and Trump doing the so-called “bro podcast” tour. However, in recent weeks, both candidates have sought to diminish the gender gap on the other side. Harris started a “Hunters and Anglers for Harris-Walz” coalition, which ended with Walz awkwardly failing to load a shotgun, and made appeals to gamers, with Walz tying a game of Madden 0-0 and praising Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ability to “run a pick 6.

Monday

Charles Lipson

Washington Post imitates the Babylon Bee

If you want to see a devastating snapshot of the partisan reports that now pass for journalism, just juxtapose two articles in the Washington Post. Published a month apart, they report on the same event: the Hollywood fundraiser for President Joe Biden, hosted by George Clooney and Julia Roberts and featuring former president Barack Obama. The first article, published immediately after the event, stressed the glitz and glamour. The headline captured the tone, “Biden, Obama warn of Trump dangers in star-studded LA fundraiser.” It was all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, marred only by a few sentences about pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the event.

Thursday

Alexander Larman

Edward Zwick on his hits — and his misses

It is both disappointing and unsurprising that A-list filmmakers don’t use social media more often. Disappointing, because the opportunity to share candid insights into their craft would be of enormous interest to those who have watched, and often loved, their films; unsurprising, because the vast majority of these men and women wish to make more pictures in the future, and know that the chances of excommunication for excessive candor do not justify entertaining the curious and prurient with some well-chosen putdowns of actors, producers and other creatures of ego.

zwick

Friday

Art Tavana

The romcom’s ‘Ticket to Paradise’? Women 

Why did Bros bomb? The paltry $4.8 million opening weekend of the “first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an entirely LGBTQ principal cast” — quite the mouthful — was as predictable as its fawning critical response (88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). The film also cost $22 million to produce, not including its marketing budget, which somehow failed to publicize the fact that this is a rom-com from Judd Apatow. When the film’s lead, Billy Eichner, announced that Bros flopped because straight people “just didn’t show up,” he was right — but it wasn’t just straight men; it was women who seemed as excited for Bros as they were the next sweaty and dim Rambo movie. Also, who titled this film? What was the logic?

romcoms ticket to paradise