Tom Cruise And Star Wars Deleted Scenes: Let's Answer Electronic Mail Questions

You posted a story about Tom Cruise that you said "a famous actor" told you at a party. Any chance you can tell me who it was? – Alice Back in April I posted a story about Tom Cruise that I was told at a premiere party and it&

Jason Sudeikis Sent Me This Letter After My Dad Died, It Changed Everything

For those of us who have lost a parent, the Mother's Day, Father's Day gauntlet of holidays can be ... fraught. This week is, frankly, one of my least favorite of the year. And, I suspect, I'm not alone. And if you feel this way,

Harrison Ford and A Special Offer for YOU: Let’s Answer Some Electronic Mail Questions

I have lived in New York City for 22 years. This NBA Finals run by the New York Knicks is the most fun this place has been over those 22 years. New Yorkers get a bad rap because I think people are, generally, pretty nice here as long as you

Here's What It's Like To Meet Steven Spielberg

With Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day (a movie I like) hitting theaters this weekend, everyone is ranking their favorite Spielberg movies. I tried doing this in my head and I failed. I have seen every Steven Spielberg movie, with the least recent being 1941 – a movie I kinda want

With ‘Disclosure Day,’ Spielberg Makes His Pitch For Humanity

Disclosure Day isn't a sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It's definitely not a remake. But there are certainly echoes and parallels and inverted scenarios that do hearken back to Steven Spielberg's 1977 classic. It's a similar premise, but one

My Worst Interview Ever and Ben Solo: Let’s Answer Some Electronic Mail Questions

It's Friday, so let's answer some mailbag questions, including one that's been staring at me for a few weeks now but I've been putting off because reliving "worst interviews" isn't really pleasant. I've already written about

Here's My Story Of A Fake Kristen Wiig Movie Called 'AbracaDeborah' And Her Being Asked About It On National Television

A few years ago I, accidentally, created a new movie for Kristen Wiig. She wound up having to address this movie that doesn't exist on a late night television show. In fact, the above image is of Kristen Wiig the exact moment she's being asked, "

'Masters of the Universe' Is A Surprising Blast

So, while reading this, keep in mind that the new Masters of the Universe was, somehow, created in a lab specifically for me. I even said this to a publicist who asked for my opinion after the movie. Which is, I really can't attest how the population at

Does The Evacuation of Hoth In 'The Empire Strikes Back' Make Any Sense? A Way Too Thorough Investigation

This reader question comes from Academy Award nominated screenwriter Michael Weber, who has co-written (along with Scott Neustadter, who, as far as I know, has never heard of this newsletter) The Disaster Artist, (500) Days of Summer, and The Spectacular Now. (I did ask him if he wanted to

Here's My New Interview With Paul Rudd, One Of My Favorite People To Interview

I've interviewed Paul Rudd a few times over the years, most of which are no longer online, so I can't link to them. He's one of my favorite people to interview because (a) he's Paul Rudd and he's as pleasant

The Mandalorian's Mustache and Who Still Needs A Biopic: Let’s Answer Some Electronic Mail Questions

Well, another week. We did it. Or, perhaps, we did not do it. Who's to say? Though, I do want to take the time to thank everyone, again, who reads this newsletter. As I've said, I like doing it, but it is time consuming. I try

Here’s The Saga Of Jon Favreau And The Worst Comic Book Ever Made, Iron Man #210

Jon Favreau has a new movie out this weekend called The Mandalorian and Grogu. Unfortunately, I found it disappointing. I do not really know Jon Favreau and I have not interacted with him since hosting a 2014 Apple Store Q&A with him about Chef, which is a great

reviews

‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu’ Review: This Is The Wrong Way

“Do you know how hard it is to be your own man when your dad is Jabba the Hutt?” This is a line of dialogue in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, spoken by Jeremy Allen White as Rotta the Hutt. In the last few months, White has played both

For Bill Paxton's Birthday, Here's A Bill Paxton Story You Might Like

Sunday would have been Bill Paxton's 71st birthday. It has, somehow, been over nine years since he died and he's an actor I miss a lot. I have a Bill Paxton story I've never really told and, hopefully, paints a picture of the kind

I Recorded A Video of Bruce Springsteen Snubbing Chris Christie At A Springsteen Concert

First, yes, I'm aware a lot of people have stolen this video from me. But, what can you do? Anyway, here's the story. On Thursday night, I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the first time on this current tour, which was at

SNL

The 'SNL' Scene Shop Is Like Visiting The Warehouse At The End Of 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark'

It was a glorious sight to behold. I've never seen anything like it and, most likely, I never will again. There's almost no chance you will ever see it, so I am going to try my best to bring you there through words and photos. Honestly,

It’s Weird That A Martin Scorsese Movie Became A Popular Network Sitcom That Lasted Nine Seasons

Criterion announced, finally, Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore will be getting a release this July. I think it's one of Scorsese's most unique films and one of his best. I suspect the new Criterion release will get it more due

mailbag

'SNL' Hosts And Movie Theater Candy, Let’s Answer Electronic Mail Questions

The Hard Pass turned three months old this week. It's weird, I've actually been enjoying the experience of newsletter writing so much more than I thought I would, I'm kind of kicking myself for not starting earlier. On the other hand, things have a

SNL

The Time An 'SNL' Cast Member Said “F**k You” To Me And Very Much Meant It

I used to write a weekly feature about Saturday Night Live called SNL Scorecard. In 2010, I initially pitched Vulture this idea when Mark Graham, who did their SNL recaps at the time, left for (I think?) VH-1. For its final season, I was doing weekly Lost interviews for

Here's How I Wound Up Doing The Final Interview With The Director Of My Favorite Movie, 'The Empire Strikes Back'

Today is Star Wars Day, because it is May the fourth and "fourth" sounds a little bit like "force." It is also the day before Cinco de Mayo, a day celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla, in which a

I’m Pretty Sure I Hurt Jeff Bridges’ Feelings

Here's some life advice: never find yourself in a position where you have to tell Jeff Bridges, "no." Actually, that's not quite what happened, as I didn't exactly tell Jeff Bridges, "no," but it was more I wasn't

reviews

'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Is A Lot Like Another Movie That Came Out 20 Years Ago, 'The Devil Wears Prada'

The Devil Wears Prada was released in theaters 20 years ago and has, since, been played on a never ending loop on every cable television channel that exists. There's a good chance I've seen at least parts of The Devil Wears Prada more times than any

Who, Exactly, Is The Leader Of The Monkees? An Investigation

I first pondered this question on July 2, 2015 with a post that published at Uproxx right before 4th of July weekend. What that actually means is I was finally allowed to write about a TV show that had been off the air for almost 50 years (at that point)

Here's A Story l Was Told About Tom Cruise, Which Is My Favorite Tom Cruise Story

Last June, my girlfriend Kate and I were at a premiere party for a movie you probably don't know, but it was directed by and starred a famous person who has a lot of famous friends and they were all there. At one point, Kate pointed at a