Matt Singer is the editor and critic of the website ScreenCrush.com. For five years, he was the on-air host of IFC News on the Independent Film Channel, hosting coverage of film festivals and red carpets around the world. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle, he’s been a frequent contributor to the television shows CBS This Morning Saturday and Ebert Presents At the Movies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at The Village Voice, The Dissolve, and Indiewire. His first book, Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, is on sale now.
Matt Singer
New Netflix Instant Releases: July 2015
July is almost upon us and it’s going to be a good month for Netflix users, as the streaming service is adding a whole slew of new movies and TV shows, including a bunch of exclusives. Cult comedy fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of the return of Wet Hot American Summer as a new series featuring the original cast, and standup fans will get a brand-new special from Rush Hour star Chris Tucker. Plus, there’s a whole slew of recent hits from television and cinemas (The Guest!). Read on for your guide to the new Netflix Instant releases arriving in July.
Watch Jon Stewart’s Powerful Response to the Charleston Shooting
We are going to miss Jon Stewart.
Christopher Lee, ‘Dracula’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor, Dead at 93
After a staggering career that spanned more than sixty years actor, Christopher Lee has died. He was 93 years old. The BBC reports he passed away on Sunday “at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, after being hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure.” The legendary actor appeared in over 240 movies.
‘Amy’ Trailer: A New Documentary Goes Back to the Rise and Fall of Amy Winehouse
If you’ve been tracking the goings-on at the Cannes Film Festival this week, you know that one of the best reviewed films of the fest so far is Amy, a documentary on the life of the late singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. The film, which is directed by Senna filmmaker Asif Kapadia, has gotten near-universal praise. It’s currently at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with lots of other positive reviews out there that haven’t been added to the site yet (like a glowing rave from former ScreenCrush critic Jordan Hoffman at Vanity Fair).
Watch Adam Sandler Say Goodbye to David Letterman With a Hilarious and Touching Song
T-minus one week and counting until the very last Late Show with David Letterman and the tributes are coming faster and faster, and sadder and sadder. I hope on the last installment of Stupid Pet Tricks one of the tricks is a shih tzu shedding a single tear for the end of this venerable late-night franchise, which comes to a close on May 20. It’s only fitting.
Disney Officially Announces ‘Frozen 2’; Original Creative Team Set to Return
The news out of Disney’s shareholder meeting keeps on coming. This one isn’t much of a surprise: Disney is making Frozen 2. In a related story, the sky is blue and water is wet (until a princess with freezing powers comes along and turns it into ice).
Journey Through Oscar History With This Gallery of All 88 Best Picture Winners
This Sunday’s Oscars will be the 87th annual Academy Awards. In nearly a century of honoring Hollywood’s best, the Academy has sometimes has made some bold choices, and some dumb choices. This gallery has them all; the complete history of nine decades of Best Picture winners in pictures. Some are classics, still watched to this day. A few are almost totally forgotten to history. (Cavalcade, anyone?) But they all won. Even Crash, somehow.
Good Grief, Here’s Another ‘Peanuts Movie’ Trailer
Dig this, blockheads: The ‘Peanuts’ gang, originally created by cartoonist Charles Schulz, have appeared in so many incarnations in their 65-year history. They’ve been a comic strip, a series of much-beloved television specials, a Broadway musical, greeting card staples, and even the successful pitchmen for life insurance. Now, for the first time, they’re becoming a 3D feature film, with this year’s ‘The Peanuts Movie.’
May the Schwartz Be With This Hilarious ‘Spaceballs’/‘Force Awakens’ Parody Trailer
We never did get a ‘Spaceballs’ sequel, but now we have something almost as good: A ‘Spaceballs’ parody trailer of the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ teaser.