‘Spider-Man’ throws movie theaters a lifeline as they swing into the unknown

Indeed, initial box-office returns for the third “Spider-Man” movie have felt like a psychological balm for a movie industry cast into crisis mode about its future. At key moments, there were whoops, cheers and appreciative laughs — loud in places, more muted in others where the references surely played to a subsection of the audience. […]

Henry Orenstein, the Holocaust survivor who created ‘Transformers’ and a TV poker innovation, has died

“He had a great eye for things that could be different,” Susie Orenstein noted. “He went from toys, racing cars, poker, he was just interested in so many things,” she said. In addition, Henry and Susie Orenstein worked to feed thousands of people in Israel through the Orenstein Project, an organization providing assistance to children, […]

‘Nightmare Alley’ veers into a different lane for Guillermo del Toro and Bradley Cooper

Director/co-writer Guillermo del Toro veers out of his customary lane in “Nightmare Alley,” a gorgeous-looking but narratively flawed movie that at its best evokes the lurid thrillers of the 1940s while meandering too much in between. Cooper’s Stanton Carlisle should seemingly be younger, a bit of casting that requires a certain suspension of disbelief at […]

‘The Witcher’ cleans up its storylines in a still-uneven second season

The new season operates on parallel tracks, following the travels of the title character, Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia, along with Ciri , a princess who figures prominently in the fate of this fantasy world without fully understanding her destiny. “The Witcher” again presents a rich visual palette, in a world filled with magic and occupied […]

Bruce Springsteen sold his music catalog reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars

Through two separate agreements, the sale would include Springsteen’s work at Sony-owned Columbia Records as both a singer and songwriter, the statement said. “I am one artist who can truly say that when I signed with Columbia Records in 1972, I came to the right place,” Springsteen said in the statement from Sony. …Read the […]

It’s beginning to look a lot like holiday music season. Here’s why we love those songs

A lot of these songs have been popular for decades, but music scholars and industry experts note there isn’t just one formula behind their success. The music heard during the holiday season can encompass a wide range of genres, from choral and classical pieces that are more than a century old to radio-friendly contemporary pop […]