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Fran Hoepfner is a freelance writer and film critic who covers pop culture and the Internet. She is a senior editor at Bright Wall/Dark Room and publishes the weekly Substack Fran Magazine.

  1. that’s politics
    Gladiator II Is Kind of a ComedyWhat, like the fall of Rome isn’t a little silly?
  2. the pluck of the irish
    Six Degrees of Saoirse-ationIf you look at the Irish acting scene, you’ll see a close-knit web with Saoirse Ronan at the center.
  3. gossip girls
    That’s So ConclaveGossiping is no longer a sin. Now it’s ‘Conclave’ memes.
  4. no rest
    The Most Egregious Wicked Marketing StuntsAren’t you sick of this yet?
  5. scene report
    An Afternoon at the Timothée Chalamet Look-alike CompetitionAll the content creators, curls, jaw bronzer, police, and me.
  6. good gossip
    Meryl Streep and Martin Short Are Making This Way Too Much FunThe Only Murders stars keep us guessing, and we’re all better for it.
  7. remembrance
    The Boy and the BandOne Direction fans had been grieving the loss of a grounded, normal pop star for years before Liam Payne’s tragic death.
  8. nobody wants this
    Lonely Planet Is the Most Evil of This Year’s Age-Gap RomancesWhat if the only person who understood you was a guy in private equity who hates his girlfriend?
  9. party report
    Add Anora to the Pantheon of New York City Rom-ComsWe asked the cast about some of their favorite Big Apple romances.
  10. presley industrial complex
    From Here to the Great Unknown Is a Presley-Family Therapy SessionLisa Marie’s new memoir, co-authored by her daughter Riley Keough, lets the family grieve on its own terms.
  11. nyff 2024
    Two of This Year’s Best NYFF Films Are About Having the Worst Week of Your LifeIn Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April and Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest, one bad week can upend a whole world.
  12. close read
    Is Nobody Wants This Mildly Antisemitic?Yes, but that’s only a symptom of the show’s biggest issue.
  13. movie recap
    An Earnest Attempt to Explain Everything That Happens in MegalopolisIs it an allegory? Kind of. Is it a myth? No … Is it a future history with a brief subplot about deep fakes? That’s closer to the spirit of the film.
  14. live from new york
    Jon Batiste (Finalized)
    What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in Saturday Night?There are llamas, meltdowns, fistfights, and a lot of fake blood in this big-screen retelling of SNL’s first episode. How much really happened?
  15. party report
    The Grotesquerie Cast Has Nothing But Praise for Team Player Travis KelceEven though he didn’t teach them anything about football.
  16. instant classic
    Arrivederci, La Chimera at IFC CenterThe real song of the summer was the film’s 25-week theatrical run.
  17. a how-to guide
    There Are Ways to Be Normal on the Substance From The SubstanceSorry to Elisabeth Sparkle, but I’m built different.
  18. venice 2024
    The New Brad and AngelinaAt the Venice Film Festival, we could see who the two stars really are.
  19. career advice
    Katy Perry Can Fix ThisEmbrace a specific kind of cringe, return to Vegas, and more advice to get the singer back on (a hopefully gibberish-filled) track.
  20. stand-up
    Adam Sandler: Love You | Netflix NY Special Screening
    Adam Sandler and Josh Safdie Created the ‘Worst Venue Ever’ for Love You“It had a real vibe.”
  21. artifacts
    100 Pieces of Pop Culture That Defined ObamacoreYou know them when you see them — whether they were genius or, well, not.
  22. it never ends
    The Stans Won the Summer Box OfficeIf the It Ends With Us drama has taught us anything, it’s that CoHorts will buy movie tickets.
  23. mad woman
    What Is Men Have Called Her Crazy Really About?Anna Marie Tendler wants to tell her story — but the patriarchy keeps getting in the way.
  24. olympics 2024
    The Heroes of the Paris Olympics Are People Really Good at Just One ThingStephen Nedoroscik and Kim Yeji prove that having an especially niche skill can make you viral.
  25. are you happy to be in paris?
    All the American Celebrities at the Paris Olympics Ranked by How Random They AreKnicks superfan Spike Lee has made an appearance.
  26. trope tracker
    The New Rules for Romantic DramasFrom The Idea of You to It Ends With Us, weepy rom-drams are back with a vengeance — and with new archetypes.
  27. endings
    No Kiss at the End of Twisters?Show us the kiss. We know it was filmed!
  28. drip king
    Simon Russell Beale Deserves the FancamsThe legendary theater actor is commanding House of the Dragon stans’ attention and making a dour series more tolerable to watch.
  29. ‘im in it!!’
    A Real-Life Storm Chaser Answers All Our Questions About TwistersYouTuber Jordan Hall tells us all about driving into a tornado.
  30. goth talk
    We Need More Actors With Crazy VoicesOr at least more that sound like haunted toys.
  31. party report
    Emma D’Arcy Is Thrilled With Queen Rhaenyra’s New Trousers“You start to think about what one craves from clothes.”
  32. chat room
    Why Praetorian Jack’s Furiosa Romance ‘Worried’ Tom BurkeThe actor talks about his first big blockbuster and finding the tenderness in George Miller’s postapocalyptic wasteland.
  33. how to be a star in 2024
    21 Ways to Hack StardomAfter a dry period, a new crop of A-listers is rising in Hollywood — and doing it differently this time.
  34. summer of coop
    "IF" New York Premiere - Arrivals
    Bradley Cooper Has Never Been BetterThe actor is peddling gelato, attending the Eras Tour, and prepping for that Emmy.
  35. it’s a cry-off
    The Idea of You Is a Brutal Watch, ActuallyAnne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine live life on the edge (of tears) in this movie.
  36. pop music
    Help! There’s So Much Pop!This year’s song-of-summer bracket promises bops and bangers of all types, fit for many situations. Here, a guide to maximizing the current deluge.
  37. pulls stool closer
    The Horniest Food in Challengers, Ranked From Least to MostTalk about a snack-rich diet.
  38. song of the summer
    The Challengers Score Should Be Played at the ClubThe movie feels like when your friend tries to say something on a dance floor. Does it matter what they said? No, we’re just out here dancing.
  39. say ‘hunk’ again
    The Hunks Du Jour Need to Start Having Fun on Instagram AgainWe have the report cards and the curve isn’t looking so… hot.
  40. keeping up with the royals
    Wherever She Is, Kate Middleton Isn’t on Our SideThe princess is no folk hero, or lesbian, or secret IRA member.
  41. recap
    Here’s What You Missed Last Time on DuneAhead of Dune: Part Two’s release, let’s jog your memory of the big plot points in the first movie.
  42. including her son?
    A Brief Defense of Tenet’s Worst LineElizabeth Debicki uttering “including my son” gets at the root of Christopher Nolan’s whole ethos.
  43. dune: part haiku
    Josh Brolin Explains His Viral Poetry for Dune: Part Two“I love that there’s a poem that they exploited into the idea that I wanted to sleep with Timothée.”
  44. my sob will go on
    Have You Tried the Score Cry?It feels good to shed tears during a movie. It feels even better to bawl your brains out to a soundtrack.
  45. culture wars
    Gina Carano and Elon Musk Team Up Against Disney and LucasfilmThese two think they’re the scrappy underdogs in this free-speech fight.
  46. a good old chinwag
    Is Paul Giamatti the First-Ever Oscar Nominee With a Podcast?The Holdovers star has been chatting it up on a mic for nearly a year.
  47. oscars 2024
    A Joe Hisaishi Oscar Nomination Could Have Made HistoryAs the Academy Awards gets with the times, Best Original Score is still left in the dust.
  48. awards season
    The Couples of This Year’s Awards Season, RankedThe Oscar nominations gave us a reason to update our ranking of the smooching duos we may see this award season.
  49. elly conway
    Taylor Swift Did Not Write the Argylle Book, So Why Do Swifties Think She Did?Some of the evidence is actually compelling.
  50. taking another look at two
    What Is a Bradley Cooper Film?The answer is more complicated than “a love story starring Bradley Cooper.” Sort of.
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