On this week’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) argue over whether or not “kink” is the right word to use when discussing a movie about a teenage mermaid. Then they discuss just went wrong with Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Make sure to swing by for the bonus episode, in which we critique Disney’s addiction to the dollars generated by these monstrosities as creativity-killing coporate endpoints. And if you enjoyed the episode, share it with a friend!






What Went Wrong with 'The Little Mermaid'?

Here’s the elevator pitch: It’s “Left, Right, and Center” meets “Siskel and Ebert.” Three friends from different ideological perspectives discuss the movies and controversies (or nontroversies!) swirling around them.
Bulwark+ members enjoy weekly bonus episodes here (https://atma.thebulwark.com/) .

TV & Film

News

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Apple’s disastrous new iPad ad. But did people overreact to the image of creative tools being turned into a wafer-thin iPad? And then they reviewed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, a movie with lots of ideas, though one that also doesn’t dive into them deeply enough. Make sure to swing by Friday for our bonus episode, a tribute to Roger Corman and the world he helped spawn. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!

'Apes' Together, Strong?

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed whether or not steamy movie scenes are back (per the New York Times) or on their way to extinction (per the Economist). Then they reviewed The Fall Guy, an imperfect movie that’s still a perfectly good time to watch. Make sure to swing by Bulwark+ on Friday for our bonus episode on the rise of mid-TV. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

The Perfectly Pleasant 'Fall Guy'

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) asked if Jerry Seinfeld was right about the state of comedy. (You can read his full interview with David Remnick here.) Then they review Challengers, an erotically charged relationship movie set in the world of professional tennis. Make sure to swing by Friday for a bonus episode on the cinematic soundscapes of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

'Challengers' Ignites Audience Desires

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discussed whether or not the stars of The Blair Witch Project should get back-residuals for services already rendered. (You can read the full story here.) Then they discussed Civil War, Alex Garland’s travelogue through a war-torn America. Is it a treatise on war, politics, or journalism? All of these? None of these? Most importantly: does it work as a tense war drama? (Since we mentioned it in this episode, make sure to check out our old, pre-Bulwark episode on Garland’s great FX show Devs.) Swing by Friday for a bonus episode in which Peter unfairly attacks Sonny about Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies, very nasty stuff. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!

The Chilling, Frustrating 'Civil War'

Very special episode this week, as Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) discuss Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 film, Arrival, live from the Alamo Drafthouse in Washington, D.C. This was a very fun episode to tape and I hope everyone who showed up had a good time; we certainly had a great time meeting everyone. No bonus episode this week, as Alyssa is out of the country; we’ll be back next Tuesday with our episode on Civil War. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend!

What Went Wrong with 'The Little Mermaid'?

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