This feature originally ran in November 2015 and is being republished in honor of the late Sir Sean Connery. Despite its relatively rigid formulas, the past 60 years have seen 007 innovate and change with the times — from the swinging ’60s sophistication of Sean Connery to the wacky, winking camp of Roger Moore in the ’70s; from Timothy Dalton’s harder edge in the ‘80s to the slick, techno-infused commercialism of Pierce Brosnan in the ’90s. Even Daniel Craig’s macho navel-gazing has brought us a more sensitive, introspective Bond for a 21st century audience. To that end, us agents here at Consequence of Sound decided to provide our own collective assessment of the Bond films from worst to best, along with our dissection of what makes each entry unique. So sit back with your vodka martini ...
Every October, television wears a costume. As the sun shifts and the leaves litter our neighborhood streets, living rooms across the world similarly take on a new glow. First, the ghoulish commercials arrive, then the networks roll out their creepy programming, and soon enough all you can see is orange, purple, and green across every station. Looking around, it doesn’t take a die-hard horror fan to relish this part of the year. After all, with Halloween comes an easy excuse to indulge in the sweet part of life. This could be a bite-sized Reese’s Pumpkin, a breezy walk through an autumn day, or simply seeing your favorite characters dropped into a completely perfunctory, spooky situation. By now, the Halloween Episode is a TV tradition. Hell, even the most serious shows find a way to carve ...
Supernatural could never end. Sure, the show ceases to exist without Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, but as long as they’re still alive and kickin’ it, the show goes on. Hell, the two stars could be 85 years old, sauntering around with nurses, and you could still find a way to make it work. That’s the power of this series, and also a testament to its seemingly infinite sandbox — the best in the business, come to think of it. None of this is hyperbole. For 15 years, the long-running CW series has run the gamut and back when it comes to world-building. We’ve seen Sam and Dean Winchester ascend to heaven, discover other worlds than these, join the Scooby gang, play themselves, attend Supernatural fan conventions, and flip through channels. At some point, the depths of hell become so common...
Gossip suggests that Adam Sandler fears that he’ll be found out any minute as a fake, or that people will stop wanting him around. On the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, the late-night host and former SNL colleague once highlighted that Sandler is the type of guy who will confide in colleagues that “they’re on to him” after even the most successful of films and highest of praise. “They” being the public, fans, anyone that’s seen a Sandler project. They will just up and quit on the comic icon. As a lifelong watcher of Sandler — from Opera Man to Uncut Gems — nothing could be further from the truth. We are on to him: He’s an outrageous talent. It’s without a shred of controversy that we can comfortably proclaim Sandler an all-star of unsung dexterity. On one hand, he’s a popular, moder...
Like the Winchesters, rock ‘n’ roll never dies on Supernatural. The titans of ’70s FM radio are the fuel — or grace, if we’re staying on brand — of the long-running CW series. Kansas, Skynyrd, Seger, and countless classic rock superstars have all scored Sam and Dean’s adventures for 15 seasons. Hell, their songs are often even the names of the episodes. No, classic rock is a part of the show’s DNA, and that DNA largely belongs to series creator Eric Kripke. As he explained way, way back in 2007, “All of my friends call me ‘Old Man Kripke’ because I don’t listen to a band past 1980. That’s why Dean’s music always wins out because I hate so much modern music that I can’t bear to listen to it in the editing room.” In other words, driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole, right? That...
Sufjan Stevens has come to be one of the quintessential voices in contemporary indie rock, but it’s not a title he earned overnight. The songwriter is known for being prolific, having written eight solo studio albums, several collaborative albums, original material for Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 film Call Me by Your Name, and even multiple Christmas albums. He writes, performs, and records most of the music himself, sometimes playing more than 10 instruments on a single record. He even once vowed to make an album for each of the 50 US states (though, we all know how that turned out). Throughout each of his records, he’s explored banjo-led folk, electro-pop, grandiose indie rock, glitchy experimentalism, and instrumental new-age music. Stevens is the epitome of a musical polymath. What’s impres...
Leonardo DiCaprio might have been the actor to say this, but the compliment goes something like, “If I’m watching TV, and Goodfellas is on, I’ll drop everything and watch it till the end of the movie.” Granted, why believe the quote if I can’t source it, but why believe anything that happened in Henry Hill’s accounts either? Point being, it’s not about the accuracy, it’s about the feelings that Goodfellas stirs up. Then again, you could say that about 95% of Martin Scorsese’s decades-long output. That’s why we love so much of Scorsese’s work, and that’s why we’re here today, foolishly trying our hand at a seeded list of his filmography. Perhaps it’s with pride, ego, and guilt that we even attempt to sort out the career of one of Earth’s mightiest film lovers, but try we will. A director of...
The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets tagged as a “cult” movie whenever it’s mentioned. After 45 years, though, it might be time to retire that adjective when talking about Richard O’Brien’s science-fiction rock ‘n’ roll parody turned ultimate midnight movie. While it may not be everyone’s cup of fishnets, when Fox broadcasts a remake in prime time and programs from The Simpsons to Sesame Street have dropped allusions to Brad (“Asshole!”) and Janet’s (“Slut!”) salacious sleepover at Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s castle, it’s safe to say that Rocky has officially gone mainstream. If you still haven’t popped your cherry (“Virgin!”), be sure to grab your fishnets, tighty-whities, or six-inch high heels, and celebrate 45 years of absolute pleasure by checking out these 10 times The Rocky Horror Picture Sh...
Blockbuster Month is celebrating the true titans of the genre. In the weeks ahead, you’ll read through a variety of features digging deep into the greatest hits of Hollywood, from popcorn classics to underrated gems. Today, we head to the theater early with Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman to revisit the greatest trailers in summer blockbuster history. Hype begins with the trailer. Sure, there’s the studio announcement, the lobby poster, even the intellectual property itself, but there’s nothing like first seeing those epic few minutes. If you’re lucky, you get some glimpses of the action, a sense of the film’s tone, maybe even pieces of a score, and a tagline that sends shivers up your spine. Yeah, that’s when the magic sets in. Today, we take the trailer for granted. We not only know ther...