Explore lucha libre, Hollywood transformation stories, and more within the strange, compelling world of professional wrestling.
Author Archives: Nadine Smith
Nadine Smith is a writer, DJ, and co-host of the podcast Hotbox the Cinema. Her work has appeared in publications like the New York Times Magazine, Pitchfork, the Outline, Bandcamp Daily, Observer, and the Nashville Scene.
Posted inFilm
An In-depth Look at the Art-Pop Music Duo Sparks
Edgar Wright’s epic-length documentary The Sparks Brothers preaches to the choir, but the choir will love it.
Posted inFilm
Illuminating Professional Wrestling’s Most Unsavory Episodes
The docuseries Dark Side of the Ring is a much-needed corrective to the official story wrestling tells about itself.
Posted inFilm
The Killings That Raised Questions About Mormon History
Netflix’s Murder Among the Mormons tackles a strange case of archival fraud that led to a bombing campaign.
Posted inFilm
How New York Has Changed Over the Years, as Told By Pizza
With Untitled Pizza Movie, David Shapiro spotlights a slice of NYC life.
Posted inFilm
A Documentary Lays Out the Boy Scouts Sex Abuse Scandal
Church and the Fourth Estate investigates one of the tens of thousands of cases of alleged sexual abuse within the BSA, as well as Scouting’s links to the LDS Church.
Posted inFilm
How Disney Tricked the World Into Believing Lemmings Commit Mass Suicide
The 1958 nature documentary White Wilderness is one of several films the House of Mouse is less than proud of.
Posted inFilm
Bernie Sanders’s Little-known Time as a Filmmaker
During the ’70s and ’80s, Sanders produced educational materials about labor issues and history. In 1979, he directed a short documentary about his political hero, which is available on YouTube.
Posted inFilm
Wondrous Animations Made of Quilts, Glass, and Found Objects
Jodie Mack uses materials like no other animator. Now, many of her films are available to the public for the first time.
Posted inArt
The Many Strange Lives of Mister Rogers Online
A modern saint. A former Navy SEAL. A secret anti-Mormon activist. Why do so many rumors and memes swirl around the children’s television icon?
Posted inArt
Why Pimple Popping Videos Are So Strangely Satisfying
YouTube is full of videos of nasty skin conditions getting treated, many of which have over a million views. What’s behind our morbid fascination with such entertainment?
Posted inFilm
The Mutations We May Endure When Our Global Environment Becomes Uninhabitable
Joel Potrykus’s new film Relaxer is at once his smallest — following a single protagonist isolated in his apartment for the entire runtime — and his most visionary.