In the third episode of Netflix’s “House of Cards,” Congressman Frank Underwood (D-SC) learns that voters in his hometown are rebelling against him. A 17-year-old girl has died in a car crash while driving past a distracting peach-shaped water tower. The town blames Underwood’s failure to remove the peach for the accident, and the...
Nine male convicts squeeze into state-issued chairs and encounter great works of literature. One female English professor steers an erratic discussion, befriending a ragtag band of prisoners. This is the “Maximum Security Book Club.” In her new novel, Mikita Brottman assesses her time at Maryland’s Jessup Correctional Institution book by book, recalling the conversations and...
2016 has been a rough year. So bad, in fact, that the idea of blowing up the government and starting over will resonate with quite a few spectators of American politics. “Drain the swamp” or “burn it all to the ground” seem like good catchphrases to many, many voters. The first few minutes of...
The bloodcurdling anthology series “American Horror Story” is finally back on its feet. After a few years of backsliding in viewership, the show has returned to its original horror roots in its sixth season, opting for serious scares over shock value. In 2011, the “American Horror Story’s”debut shattered conventional television norms. Its subject matter...
On Sept. 8, 1960, Alfred Hitchcock shocked the world with “Psycho,” one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of horror. It was the first film ever to use fake blood, and its scare-factor was rooted in a boldly crafted atmosphere. Since “Psycho,” the horror genre has evolved. From the first “Halloween” movie to “The...