I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
Anti-Israel Celebrities Get Taste of Conservative Blacklist
Hello Reader,
Everybody remembers the Hollywood Blacklist, but few know about the new, not-so-improved version.
I've spoken to my fair share of conservative artists who hide their political views for fear of losing work. It's real. It's scary. And it's deeply un-American.
Just like the 1950s version.
Now, some pro-Palestinian actors are getting pinched for sharing their political views. How is it different this time around? And what if the stars in question say absolutely ghastly things? Should they be punished?
HiT gets to the heart of the matter in this sobering op-ed.
I recently wrote about what a wonderful year 1999 was for movies. Boy, was it stacked with great films. That made me itch to write a sequel, so I fired up the "wayback" machine and recalled 19 amazing movies from 1985. "Back to the Future." "Fletch." And some you might have missed.
Check out the list and let me know if I missed anything!
This week's HiT 'cast features a chat with Film Threat editor-in-chief Alan Ng. His ongoing D-Files expose is tearing the roof off of the Mouse House and all its dysfunctional glory.
Get all the shocking details!
This week's Oscar nominations enraged "Barbie" fans who expected the summer smash to win ALL the awards. One savvy insider examines the nominations and asks if the Academy's push for DEI is hastening its extinction. It's a powerful piece and one well worth a look.
Any "Office" fans out there?
I missed the show on its maiden voyage but caught up with it last year. Brilliant. Flat-out brilliant.
Gabe, the unctuous boss played by Zach Woods, came in mid-series and caused quite a stir. Now, Woods is back with a new series mocking NPR called "In the Know." (It debuts this weekend on Peacock) Here, he talks about the show's inspiration and more with "The Last Laugh Podcast."
New in theaters (yes, we're still in the January doldrums...)
New on Amazon Prime:
That's it for this week. Hope we get two epic NFL games this Sunday ... I'll be watching with my 12-year-old son (assuming he can tear himself away from Fortnite!)
Be good to yourselves ... and we'll talk next week!
Christian
Hollywood in Toto
I'm Christian Toto, an award-winning film critic, author and podcaster. My newsletter covers entertainment from a right-of-center perspective, with tips for making the most of your leisure time.
Hello Reader, Taylor Swift is the biggest star on planet Earth. Podcast king Joe Rogan defies our short-attention span age with his three-hour interviews. Two very different stars. Two distinct approaches to modern politics. Could their influence impact the coming Trump v. Biden rematch? Maybe. I explain why in an essay that speaks volumes about the state of our union (and it's not necessarily good!). President Joe Biden is clearly not well. Our 81-year-old Commander in Chief struggles to...
Hello Reader, It's Friday already? Holiday weeks always throw me for a loop! I've had a hate/hate relationship with "The View" for some time now. It's hopelessly dumb, which could be fun to watch in some cases, but it rarely is. Plus, I think the show's unhinged rhetoric genuinely damages the country. So why does Whoopi and co. get a pass when Aaron Rodgers got (rightly) vilified for his dopey attack on Jimmy Kimmel? This story explains it all, and it's a good primer for the 2024 election...
Hello Reader, The new year has just begun, but I'm betting 2024's most talked-about movie will drop in April. Director Alex Garland ("Ex Machina," "Men") offers the perfect story for our divided times, and that's not a compliment. "Civil War," out April 26, imagines a future America on the brink of collapse. Kirsten Dunst stars as a war-time journalist trying to stay alive in the melee. HiT contributor Matt Morava asks if it's morally right to release a movie like this during a contentious...