Stephen Silver

Netflix’s ‘WWE: Unreal’ Represents the Final Death of Kayfabe  » LIVING LIFE FEARLESS Kayfabe, pro wrestling’s longstanding code of silence might finally have died a final death with WWE: Unreal, a new five-part docuseries.

For Living Life Fearless, I reviewed WWE Unreal, the Netflix show that killed off kayfabe once and for all livinglifefearless.co/2025/sports/...

Fin: A farewell to Hulu, and more thoughts on everything Disney just announced Plus, the Return of the Riverview (really), a less popular commemorative cup, "aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” and more in this week’s notes column.

In this week's notes column, I wrote about the upcoming end of Hulu, Disney's 50 other announcements, watching Wrestlemania on Disney+, the return of Philly's Riverview theater, unwanted Smurfs-themed movie cups, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and more stephensilver.substack.com/p/fin-a-fare...

"We're all throwing dildos at women athletes to promote our memecoin" really puts a fine point on not just how sexist, mean and stupid so much of right now is, but also the grim degree to which we're just inundated with Stuff a 15-Year-Old Dipshit Would Think is Cool. A confederacy of Beavises.

Buddy Bust The Pickup has an impressive cast (Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Andrew Dice Clay), but it simply isn't funny. || Stephen Silver

I reviewed the terrible film THE PICKUP, for Splice Today www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictu...

Inside Apple Retail: Discover Apple Ginza in Tokyo Apple Ginza's temporary location has been open for a long time, and at this point, may as well be permanent. Here's what it looked like April 2025 when AppleInsider visited, prior to the eventual reop...

On my recent trip to Tokyo, I visited the Ginza Apple Store in Tokyo, and wrote about it for @appleinsider.com appleinsider.com/articles/25/...

Exactly. Not to mention, "I know you guys were too stupid to vote for us last time, but maybe next time you won't be so stupid" is NOT an appealing message that anyone is going to be convinced by.

Yea, that guy got screwed over by the guy he voted for. But I don't see what's accomplished by pointing and laughing at that guy and others like him. The even worse version is laughing at natural disasters in red areas, because "they voted for this."

Yeah, I always found "that guy voted against his own self-interest!" to be one of the most condescending and useless ideas in politics. Voters decide what their "self-interest" is; you don't.

The Film Scribes Podcast: Film Scribes Podcast Episode 130 - Superheroes of Summer Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Film Scribes Podcast Episode 125!  In this installment, Philadelphia Film Critics Circle members Rich Heimlich (/comment), Ryan Silberstein (MovieJawn), Steve...

NEW PODCAST: On the new Film Scribes, @heimlich.bsky.social @stephensilver.bsky.social @tinseltine.bsky.social @filmbuffrich.bsky.social and @silberwhatever.com talk SUPERMAN and THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS filmscribes.libsyn.com/film-scribes...

I did, it was all right

Follow that bike: ’Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ turns 40 Tim Burton’s feature debut brought Paul Reubens’ iconic character from the theater to the whole country.

I wrote about 40 years of PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, and what we learned about it, and him, from the recent documentary stephensilver.substack.com/p/follow-tha...

South Park Goes After Trump Again — This One’s Gonna Make Him Seethe For the second episode in a row, South Park went back to mocking the Trump Administration.

I wrote for Political Tribune about South Park's latest episode, featuring Kristi Noem killing dogs and JD Vance as Tattoo from "Fantasy Island" polinews.org/south-park-g...

Trump just lost a third of the MAGA coalition bsky.app/profile/mrje...

This really feels like a defining post of our time

The other day I saw someone on the other site freak out because they realized ESPN might let a woman host RedZone

‘Weapons’ follows through on its challenging premise The follow-up by ‘Barbarian’ director Zach Cregger is creepy, shocking, inventive, and surprisingly funny.

I reviewed WEAPONS, which is much more batshit than I thought it would be stephensilver.substack.com/p/weapons-fo...

Eagles Star Running Back 'Shocked' To Hear His Name Linked To Trump's Sports Council After Turning It Down Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley has not, in fact, agreed to serve a presidential council.

I wrote for Political Tribune about Saquon Barkley and that White House misunderstanding polinews.org/eagles-star-...

The Much-Loved and Much-Hated Hulk Hogan  » LIVING LIFE FEARLESS Hulk Hogan died last week, leaving behind a massive legacy that extended far beyond wrestling and the WWE, for better and worse.

I wrote for Living Life Fearless about the legacy of the Hulkster livinglifefearless.co/2025/sports/...

‘Videoheaven’ is a three-hour tour of video stores, as seen in the movies Alex Ross Perry’s second first-rate documentary in as many months is a dynamite cinematic essay about the many sides of lost movie community.

I reviewed the documentary VIDEOHEAVEN stephensilver.substack.com/p/videoheave...

Melt Down Shot in 2020, the new War of the Worlds is half-assed and built around a dated pandemic gimmick. || Stephen Silver

I reviewed the horrifically bad new WAR OF THE WORLDS, for Splice Today www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictu...

After the end of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, will PBS’ documentary series survive? A hope for the continued survival of Independent Lens, POV, American Masters and more.

I wrote about the end of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and what it means for PBS documentaries stephensilver.substack.com/p/after-the-...

Fin: The Pedro Pascal female co-stars/anxiety meme is completely fake Also: Neal McDonough (still) won’t kiss women, a Naked Gun romance, what ever happened to MTV, and more in this week’s notes column.

In this week's notes column, I wrote about the Pedro Pascal Thing, the Neal McDonough thing, Pamela Anderson, Bruce Vilanch's book, and much more stephensilver.substack.com/p/fin-the-pe...

The BSR August 2025 repertory movie roundup Film screenings in the Philadelphia area happening in August. Stephen Silver rounds up.

Here's the August repertory film preview, for Broad Street Review: www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/the...

‘The Naked Gun’ relights the rapid-fire gag machine The reboot, with Liam Neeson stepping into Leslie Nielsen’s shoes, isn’t quite on the level of the old films, but it is still the funniest movie in memory.

I reviewed THE NAKED GUN stephensilver.substack.com/p/the-naked-...

‘Waterworld,’ the flop that wasn’t, turns 30 The 1995 adventure was one of many on-a-limb auteur projects conceived by Kevin Costner throughout his career.

I wrote about 30 years of WATERWORLD stephensilver.substack.com/p/waterworld...

Happy Unstuck in Time Happy Gilmore 2 is overstuffed and indulgent, but there's a worthwhile story at its heart. || Stephen Silver

I reviewed HAPPY GILMORE 2 for Splice Today www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictu...

Crime blotter: Dallas cop caught stealing from Apple Stores Apple sues a former Vision Pro engineer, a MacBook is stolen along with unreleased Beyonce music, and a left-behind iPhone helps solve a pawnshop burglary feature in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.

And for @appleinsider.com here's the latest #crimeblotter column appleinsider.com/articles/25/...

Trump Ignores Reporters While Golfing – As Loud Music Coincidentally Drowns Out Questions The president played some interesting music from his golf cart in Scotland.

I wrote for Political Tribune about Trump's drowning out reporters' Epstein questions with music from "Cats" polinews.org/trump-ignore...

Review: 2000 Meters to Andriivka From Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning director of "20 Days in Mariupol," comes a new feature documentary, "2000 Meters to Andriivka."

I wrote for National Security Journal about the outstanding new war documentary 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA nationalsecurityjournal.org/review-2000-...

Don't bring Robin Williams back from the dead with A.I. One of his former co-stars has a very terrible idea.

I wrote about the terrible idea of recreating Robin Williams with AI stephensilver.substack.com/p/dont-bring...