OCTOBER 31, 2023

'Pain Hustlers' with Emily Blunt and Chris Evans Tops Netflix, while Three Other Movies Were #1 on VOD Don't recognize "Pain" director David Yates? He's a franchise movie king, but remains mostly unknown.  By Tom Brueggemann

Death Becomes Her: Grace, Denial, and Why 'The Others' Lives on as One of Film's Best Ghost Stories Alejandro Amenábar's 2001 classic endures because of how directly it confronts the dark secret that holds the entire genre of ghost s … By David Ehrlich	John Carpenter's Favorite Movies: 10 Films the Horror Master Wants You to See "The Searchers," "Vertigo," and more great films recommended by the director of "The Thing" and "Halloween."  By Wilson Chapman

The 70 Best Shows on Netflix Over a decade after the platform started making its own shows, here's a collection of the best there is to see.  By Steve Greene and Alison Foreman	'Fellow Travelers' Recreates a Real-Life '50s Gay Bar - With a Little Added Cinematic Flair In the midst of the Lavender Panic on the Showtime limited series, The Cozy Corner offers a safe haven for queer patrons played by Matt Bome … By Mark Peikert

	Matthew Perry's Sarcasm Made Him a Star. His Sincerity Made Him a Giant. The actor, who died Saturday night, was a sitcom icon whose lasting impact is as much a credit to his earnest naturalism as his scorching wi … By Ben Travers
	'Five Nights at Freddy's' and Five Secrets to Its Success: Gen Z Breaks It Down for You Our Gen Z (and latter-day Millennial) reporters explain why the surprise hit was hiding in plain sight.  By Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
	'The Gilded Age' Season 2 Tests the Pleasant Appeal of Low-Stakes Soaps Class warfare fought along a ladder laid flat, Julian Fellowes' HBO drama somehow slackens its season-long social squabbles beyond their alr … By Ben Travers
	'Billions' Creators Break Down Dual Forces Driving the Series Finale: 'Their Souls Are in Peril' Brian Koppelman and David Levien speak to IndieWire about the motives, music, and moral uncertainty built into "Billions" final season.  By Ben Travers
	'Friends' Collaborators and Fans Pay Tribute to Matthew Perry: 'Nobody Did It Better' The sitcom legend's unexpected death at the age of 54 prompted a wave of tributes from celebrities who appreciated his work.  By Christian Zilko