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Thomas West

Thomas J. West III earned a PhD in film and screen studies from Syracuse University in 2018. His writing on film and TV has appeared at Screen Rant, Screenology, FanFare, Primetimer, Cinemania, and in a number of scholarly journals and edited collections. He co-hosts the Queens of the B's podcast and writes a regular newsletter, Omnivorous, on Substack. He is also an active member of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

The best movies about prominent religious figures

The cinema has long been fascinated with the issue of religion, and it has been particularly interested in faith figures — the men and women who, in one way or another, have inspired the masses. Indeed, the very best of such films help shed light on how the moving image can be a mode of devotion. 

The 20 best shows about celebrity culture

American culture is obsessed with celebrity and fame: how to procure them, hold onto them, and avoid (or indulge in) their toxic effects. It’s thus not surprising that several television series have taken these phenomena as their subject.

The 20 best TV series about aging

From The Golden Girls to Grace and Frankie, these types of TV shows show that getting older doesn’t mean one has to fade into obsolescence. Indeed, the very best of such series show that age really is a state of mind and that life is ultimately what one chooses to make of it.

The 20 best TV bromances

The bromance has long been a key part of the television landscape. In sitcoms, dramas, and numerous other genres, these pairings have demonstrated that, whatever ideologies of toxic masculinity might suggest, it’s healthy and necessary for men to establish emotional intimacy with other men.

The 20 most charming game show hosts

The game show has occupied a key part of the television landscape from the very beginning. A lucky few game show hosts have established themselves as true charmers, earning themselves in the hearts of many viewers. 

20 great intercultural love stories in pop culture

Whether it’s an American woman falling in love with a British playboy or a president’s son falling in love with a British royal, watching the clash of cultures play out across a potent romance is always fun. 

The 25 best everywoman characters

Along with the everyman character, the everywoman has been a staple part of the television landscape for almost as long as the medium has been in existence. The everywoman character often becomes the nexus for what American society thinks about the role that women should play in both the home and in the world at large.

The 25 best LGBTQ+ thrillers

LGBTQ+-centered films tend to highlight a few key experiences, usually revolving around coming out, finding romance, or dealing with tragedies, such as the AIDS crisis. However, there have also been several outstanding LGBTQ+ thrillers.

The 20 most terrifying killers in non-horror movies

Though the horror genre is the Hollywood mode of filmmaking most associated with terrifying killers, such figures have also regularly appeared in many other types of movies. These individuals are, in many ways, the expression of some of humanity’s most pervasive and uncontrollable fears and desires.

20 films that made extra effort to be scientifically accurate

From the beginning, the film industry has been obsessed with science. Many films, even fictional ones, have drawn on scientific facts to ground fictional realities and grant them a greater verisimilitude.  

The 20 best everyman characters on TV

These fascinating figures have much to reveal about how American society and culture view masculinity and how they expect men to behave, particularly when it comes to their relationships with their wives, children, and the rest of their families. 

The 20 greatest films that based off of TV shows

There has long been a symbiotic relationship between film and TV, with each medium drawing on and influencing the other. The most successful and enjoyable examples of this phenomenon are reminders of how integrated the entertainment industry has become. 

Box office gross: The 20 funniest raunchy comedies

The raunchy comedy is one of the most enduring forms of the genre. It revels in the debauched and the grotesque, inviting the audience to leave behind the boring real world and surrender themselves to uncontrollable (and sometimes uncomfortable) humor.

The 20 most dastardly sitcom villains of all-time

Several great antagonists have emerged in sitcom history — many of whom threaten to steal the spotlight from the characters who are supposed to be the center of the audience’s sympathies and loyalties. These are the 20 best.

20 main characters who got sidelined in sequels

If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, it’s a sequel. While it is always a good idea to give secondary characters some time in the spotlight, it’s the rare film that can be truly successful if it makes the mistake of sidelining a main character too much. 

25 best dark fantasy movies and TV series

Whether in animation or live-action, these stories excavate some of the more sinister aspects of the human psyche and desire for stories. Furthermore, as the best that dark fantasy has to offer, these films demonstrate the extraordinary flexibility of the fantasy sensibility.

25 films that really mess with the viewer's mind

These kinds of films are designed to mess with the mind, whether through the effective use of a plot twist, the narrative, or sometimes just the inventive use of the visual field. As thought-provoking as they are disturbing, these are the kinds of films that prove the enduring power of cinema. 

25 forgotten films that deserve a rewatch

These films span multiple genres and time periods, from family comedies to epics, from the 1960s to the 2000s. In all cases, these films are worth rediscovering because they say something about the period that produced them and are enjoyable in their own right.

25 best movies about American history

More than anything else, the best movies about American history allow for a keener, more complex understanding of how those living in the present make sense of what has come before as they try to figure out where to go in the future.

25 greatest leaders in films

How does a leader rise above the fray? Fortunately, there are many examples of great leaders in the movies, men and women, both fictional and real, who show what it takes to inspire others.

25 movies you didn't know were inspired by Shakespearean plays

Shakespeare has found a home in drama, political thrillers, and, perhaps most surprisingly, teenage comedy. There is, seemingly, a Shakespeare for every cinematic taste that one can imagine.  

The 25 best pulpy movies

Whether film noir or space adventure, there’s something in the pulp sensibility for everyone.

The most iconic films and TV shows set in the Middle Ages

Though films and TV series about the Middle Ages do not always attract the same level of love and critical praise as those set in other periods of history, there are still a number of notable films and TV series which take the period as their setting. 

25 best movies and TV shows based on the Arthurian legend

Popular culture has long been fascinated with the legends and myths surrounding King Arthur. These films and TV series indicate the enduring power of the Arthurian legend in all of its beauty and tragedy. 

25 movies and shows about queens

Popular culture has long been obsessed with the lives and loves of royalty, and while kings have, of course, come in for their fair share of representations, it’s hard to argue that some of the most notable on-screen royals have been women.