This fall is seeing a huge crop of comic-book TV shows, and one of the most promising is Constantine. The trench-coated antihero who copes with the unsavory side of magic is getting a more faithful portrayal. Except he won't smoke. And now we're hearing his sexuality will be toned down too. Does it matter? » 7/14/14 4:29pm 7/14/14 4:29pm

This weekend Maleficent made a boatload of cash, and that bums me out — because this wasn't the Maleficent I wanted. And it certainly wasn't the Maleficent we all deserved. Here's why I'm pissed at what Disney did to the biggest and baddest villain around. Warning, spoilers. » 6/03/14 11:18am 6/03/14 11:18am

It's no secret that female characters are portrayed in a different way than their male counterparts are in comic art. But in a medium where superhero costumes are already so silly, why do we care so much about how our lady heroes dress? » 5/08/14 8:54pm 5/08/14 8:54pm

This morning we all delighted in the casting announcement for Star Wars VII. And then the reality set in: There is only one new female character being added to what is arguably the world's most beloved mythic series. It's as if 51 percent of the population cried out in pain, and was suddenly silenced. » 4/29/14 2:30pm 4/29/14 2:30pm

We've waited 29 years for a live action Jem movie. But now every piece of news we hear about this project makes us want to rip out our pink hair and weep. The new Jem movie announced last month is now filming in three weeks! How is this possible? What is going on? Where are the women? » 4/04/14 2:39pm 4/04/14 2:39pm

Game of Thrones comes back to television in just a few weeks, and already we're feeling the imperative: All Men (And Women) Must Freak Out. But why is Game of Thrones such a huge cultural phenomenon, among all other fantasy series? It comes down to two huge cultural trends, that are rooted in our widespread anxieties… » 3/18/14 6:01pm 3/18/14 6:01pm

Cats have ruled the internet since its earliest days, just the way they already ruled musty bookstores and comic book shops. It's true that many people love cats, but there are a few basic reasons why these small, furry mammals are especially relevant to geek interests. » 3/12/14 9:27pm 3/12/14 9:27pm

Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and the rest of the Frozen cast took the stage for a private concert. And that means Disney is finally accepting that sometimes it's better to let the Broadway singers take central stage — instead of hiding them in the shadows and foregrounding terrible pop-recreations of their movie hits. » 2/10/14 5:41pm 2/10/14 5:41pm

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire made all the money this weekend, raking in a record-topping $161.1 million. But that's not all this YA sequel did for the movie franchise. Catching Fire actually goes about unchecking our long list of problems with the first Hunger Games film, resetting the franchise both for die-hard… » 11/25/13 1:30pm 11/25/13 1:30pm

Pretty much everybody loves The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins' masterful dystopian novel. But the two novels that follow are divisive: Some people love Catching Fire, others love Mockingjay. Very few people seem to love both. And for me, personally, Mockingjay is the superior novel. Here's why. » 11/18/13 8:18pm 11/18/13 8:18pm

Watching television with your friends can be a lovely bonding experience — unless someone acts like a jerk, and ruins it for everyone. Here's our helpful rundown of the worst types of obnoxious behavior to avoid when watching TV with your crew. » 11/12/13 4:37pm 11/12/13 4:37pm

They believe that certain groups of people are inherently smarter than others. They write books about how rape is a natural part of human evolution. And now, with another scandal rocking the world of evolutionary psychology, we can officially welcome a new breed of mad scientist into the spotlight: evopsych douchebags. » 7/12/13 4:44pm 7/12/13 4:44pm

Now that The Man of Steel has set a new record for June movie openings, Warner Bros. is rushing ahead with plans to create a DC Universe on screen. Which means one thing: we'll finally get a big-screen version of Wonder Woman, and she'll probably be created by Sucker Punch director Zack Snyder. That's a terrible idea. » 6/18/13 4:18pm 6/18/13 4:18pm

During the second to last episode of Battlestar Galactica, we learned that, before the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, Laura Roslin lost her father and her sisters in a car accident. How horrible, I remember thinking. This explains so much about her emotional armor, how slow she is to grow close to anyone. It also… » 6/16/13 10:01pm 6/16/13 10:01pm

Last week's Game of Thrones season finale ended with a scene full of racial imagery that seemed kind of messed up. But actually, argues comedian Aamer Rahman, Daenerys' whole storyline has been problematic from the very beginning. Here's why. » 6/13/13 3:26pm 6/13/13 3:26pm