Stephen Silver

This is what happens in an intense USA-Canada title match when Vince McMahon isn't able to tell the timekeeper to ring the damn bell prematurely.

Fin: What the ‘Silence of the Lambs’ trans controversy does and doesn't mean Plus, getting political (and not) in Berlin, what’s not true in the Epstein Files, Lindsey Graham doesn’t know Iranian film, remembering Robert Duvall, and more in this week’s notes column.

This week’s notes column: No one wants to cancel THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, press conference chaos at Berlinale, misreading the Epstein files, Lindsey Graham’s sassy clapback to the Ayatollah, RIP Robert Duvall, and more. stephensilver.substack.com/p/fin-what-t...

JD Vance Grabs The Mic At ‘Board Of Peace’ Event—Attempts A Joke… And The Silence Is Brutal JD Vance bombed at the Board of Peace meeting Thursday.

I wrote for Political Tribune about JD Vance because the first person ever to bomb at the Board of Peace polinews.org/jd-vance-gra...

For Political Tribune, I wrote about Trump wanting to name an airport, possibly more than one, after himself polinews.org/is-donald-j-...

DiBiase, Hogan, and Andre the Giant: The Pro Wrestling Precedent for Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize » LIVING LIFE FEARLESS Last month Trump was given the Nobel Peace Prize and its a move that mirrors a wrestling storyline involving Ted DiBiase and Hulk Hogan.

I wrote for Living Life Fearless about Trump, the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuela, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Dave and Earl Hebner, and a WWE precedent livinglifefearless.co/2026/culture... @adambonin.bsky.social

Documentary selections from the 2026 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Reviewing five festival documentaries: 'We Met at Grossinger's,' 'Raoul Wallenberg: Missing Inaction,' 'Kichka: Telling Myself,' 'A Letter to David,' and 'Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford'

I reviewed five documentaries from the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: WE MET AT GROSSINGER'S, RAOUL WALLENBERG: MISSING INACTION, KICHKA: TELLING MYSELF, A LETTER TO DAVID, and SAPIRO V FORD: THE JEW WHO SUED HENRY FORD stephensilver.substack.com/p/documentar...

‘How to Make a Killing’ should have been so much better The cast and premise are strong, but the script could have used a lot more of an edge.

I reviewed HOW TO MAKE A KILLING stephensilver.substack.com/p/how-to-mak...

'The Killing of a Chinese Bookie' marks 50 years of atmosphere, violence and tuxedo ruffles John Cassavetes’ 1976 noir is a great L.A. movie, with Ben Gazzara in one of his best roles.

Call me Mr. Sophistication: I wrote about 50 years of THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE stephensilver.substack.com/p/the-killin...

Such a liar. He's such a gossip queen, there's no way he doesn't know about every single affair in his whole administration

Yeah, the media accounts have been very vague. I've heard different things from the Facebook mire so far.

Your 2028 Republican presidential debate preview

You're following this Abington principal case, too, I assume?

Ranking the 2026 Oscar-nominated short films How the 15 nominated shorts stack up this year.

I got shorts! I ranked the 15 Oscar-nominated shorts, upon my completion of the #oscarsdeathrace stephensilver.substack.com/p/ranking-th...

Um, how am i going to do my banking this morning?

Crime Doesn't Play Crime 101 is the most enjoyable movie of the new year so far. || Stephen Silver

I reviewed CRIME 101 for Splice Today www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictu...

'I'm Chevy Chase and You’re Not' Asks If We Can Separate the Asshole from the Artist » LIVING LIFE FEARLESS 'I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not' does a good job of laying out the entire story of the controversial figure, and letting you decide.

I wrote for Living Life Fearless about the Chevy Chase documentary livinglifefearless.co/2026/film-tv...

It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.

Fin: Suddenly, the whole world is watching ‘Industry’ Two new newsletters, talking to Marc Shaiman, remembering two departed legends, and more in this week’s notes column.

In this week’s notes column, I wrote about the rise of Industry, two new newsletters you should subscribe to, my interview with Marc Shaiman, and remembering James Van Der Beek and Bud Cort. stephensilver.substack.com/p/fin-sudden...

John Woo’s ‘Broken Arrow’ marks 30 years of eye-narrowing Christian Slater and John Travolta squared off in one of multiple nuclear-smuggling action movies from 1996.

I wrote about 30 years of John Woo's BROKEN ARROW, a film I've never quite been able to separate from Roger Ebert's review of it stephensilver.substack.com/p/john-woos-...

Ready Player None Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die can’t make the most of a handful of good ideas. || Stephen Silver

I reviewed GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN DON'T DIE for Splice Today www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictu...

Putting aside that the old House doesn't seat the new House, the buy-in for a conspiracy like this would have to be massive. It would take thousands of polling places giving up ballots, nearly every state-level official going along with it, and likely require tens of thousands of armed enforcers.

‘Wuthering Heights’ is a streamlined and very horny Brontë adaptation Emerald Fennell’s third film is a naughty and audacious literary adaptation, although not quite on the level of her first two films.

Substack was being screwy this morning, so here's my WUTHERING HEIGHTS review again: stephensilver.substack.com/p/wuthering-...

Sabrina Carpenter's New 'Muppet Show' Special is the Best Muppets Outing in Years » LIVING LIFE FEARLESS Seth Rogen and Sabrina Carpenter helped give the Muppets their deserved justice with the best offering since the 2011 movie.

For @livinglifefearless.bsky.social I reviewed the excellent new Muppets special, with Sabrina Carpenter now on Disney Plus livinglifefearless.co/2026/film-tv...

‘Wuthering Heights’ is a streamlined and very horny Brontë adaptation Emerald Fennell’s third film is a naughty and audacious literary adaptation, although not quite on the level of her first two films.

I reviewed WUTHERING HEIGHTS stephensilver.substack.com/p/wuthering-...

She's now the most successful credit card thief in sports

Boys to Fame and The Philly Special are two new must-watch… Two new documentaries featuring legendary sportswriter Ray Didinger and The Philly Special won’t have many surprises for Eagles fans, but they’re still…

For Broad Street Review, I reviewed two new documentaries, both featuring the @philadelphiaeagles.bsky.social NFL Films and Super Bowl LII: History Making Productions and Sam Katz's BOYS TO FAME and @espn.com's THE PHILLY SPECIAL: www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/boys...

February 2026 documentary review 10-pack: ‘Elway,’ ‘Viva Verdi!,’ ’33 Photos from the Ghetto,’ ’Miracle: The Boys of ’80,’ 'Vivien's Wild Ride,' 'Homegrown' and more Reviewing ten recent documentary features.

I reviewed ten documentaries, including ELWAY, VIVA VERDI!, 33 PHOTOS FROM THE GHETTO, MIRACLE: THE BOYS OF '80, HOMEGROWN and more stephensilver.substack.com/p/february-2...

From ‘Hairspray’ to ‘South Park,’ composer Marc Shaiman tells a showbiz story shaped by Jewish humor - Jewish Telegraphic Agency A Tony winner and seven-time Oscar nominee recounts collaborations with Bette Midler and Rob Reiner, and the musical liberties he took at his bar mitzvah.

For JTA, I talked to the great Marc Shaiman about his career, his new memoir, the South Park movie, and how much he really cares about finishing the EGOT jta.org/2026/02/09/c...

How did Super Bowl commercials get this bad? The premise of almost every Super Bowl commercial is now, “hey, remember that movie?”

I wrote about the Super Bowl, and really mostly the commercials, and how they got to be so bad stephensilver.substack.com/p/how-did-su...

Crime blotter: Teens arrested for stealing from Cambridge Apple Store Jeffrey Epstein's Apple Watch gift, an actor followed his stolen iPhone to China, and two iPhone thefts in one day in Texas, all in this week's Apple Crime Blotter

Here's the latest #crimeblotter for @appleinsider.com, featuring an Apple Store theft in the UK and Jeffrey Epstein gifting an expensive Apple Watch appleinsider.com/articles/26/...