<![CDATA[The Gen Z Report: Film, Music, and Entertainment]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/s/filmentertainmenthttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySbe!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4c33525-9f16-4cd1-aab0-260fe548c1c4_400x400.jpegThe Gen Z Report: Film, Music, and Entertainmenthttps://www.thegenzreport.com/s/filmentertainmentSubstackMon, 25 May 2026 16:54:37 GMT<![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 49 w/ Peter Murphy]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-peter-murphy-250https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-peter-murphy-250Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:07:26 GMTThank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and !

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 48]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delightshttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delightsWed, 22 Apr 2026 19:44:30 GMTIt looks like I’ve once again gotten behind on publishing these live talks, but it’s been fun to get back in the rhythm of doing them. Here’s one from a couple of months ago I never put up. Thanks as always for your support!

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]]><![CDATA[‘Akeelah and the Bee’ Is a Tenderhearted Reminder of Why I Love Words]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/akeelah-and-the-bee-is-a-tenderheartedhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/akeelah-and-the-bee-is-a-tenderheartedWed, 18 Feb 2026 15:33:02 GMT

Image of Lawrence Fishburne demonstrating how words can be broken down
Credit: Lionsgate

There’s something special about the movies I watch on airplanes. Whether it’s the emotional states that come paired with adventures to new places, the stark lack of distractions at our disposal whilst claustrophobically crammed between strangers, or whether it’s merely the change in altitude that alters state of mind, my mid-flight film…

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]]><![CDATA[‘Death by Astonishment’ Tackles the Ineffable and Falls Forgivably Short]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/death-by-astonishment-tackles-thehttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/death-by-astonishment-tackles-theSat, 07 Feb 2026 23:36:06 GMT

St. Martin’s Press

There’s a passage in the foreword of Death by Astonishment that frames the book and the lofty mission behind it beautifully. It’s at once admirably brazen and honest to a fault. How it reads for you will likely dictate the value you’re able to derive from author Andrew Gallimore’s research.

When scientists come up with bold ideas and ma…

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]]><![CDATA[‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Is a Refreshingly Novel Reminder of Why I Love Westeros]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-ishttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-isThu, 29 Jan 2026 17:04:53 GMT

Peter Claffey riding his horse in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ / HBO
HBO

It took years of relentless peer pressure before I surrendered to the cultural juggernaut that was Game of Thrones. My long held resistance owed almost entirely to the subject matter of the show. While I’d seen glimmers of greatness in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien’s world never enthralled me in the same way as so many of my friends and elde…

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights w/ Josh Porter: The Travel Edition]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-josh-porter-thehttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-josh-porter-theFri, 23 Jan 2026 20:58:38 GMTThank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! Due to an inopportune power outage, there were some tech difficulties on my end this time. I ended up going to a nearby cafe only minutes before I was informed that our power had returned. Alas. I apologize in advance for the interruptions on my end!

Anyway, it was great to finally get Josh on the show while his travels in South America are on temporary hold. You can read about them here if you aren’t already!

This made for one of our least entertainment-focused episodes to date, but as I prepare for my own trip to South America, it was fun to switch gears and exchange some of our travel thoughts and experiences.

The Gen Z Report is a reader/listener/viewer-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA[‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Bucks One of Hollywood’s Most Frustrating Trends]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-buckshttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-bucksTue, 20 Jan 2026 22:38:22 GMT

Cast of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — Sony Pictures Releasing / Columbia Pictures
Sony Pictures Releasing / Columbia Pictures

Most fans of cinema live in quiet acceptance of the fact that, no matter how many sequels a movie gets, it will almost invariably be a cheap imitation of the original. No matter how much of a masterpiece the initial release, or no matter how fertile of a bedrock it lays, few and far between are those followups …

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]]><![CDATA[The Game That Shall Not Be Named]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-game-that-shall-not-be-namedhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-game-that-shall-not-be-namedWed, 14 Jan 2026 01:37:51 GMT

Epic Games

“What’s your favorite piece that you wrote in the last year?” Dean asked me as the lingering aromas of devoured holiday dishes wafted through the air of our mutual friend’s less-than-commodious dining room. He had a grin on his face that was equal parts expectant and supportive.

I mused over the question for a few seconds as ambient chatter bou…

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]]><![CDATA[‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Is Visually Stunning and Narratively Underwhelming]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/avatar-fire-and-ash-is-visually-stunninghttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/avatar-fire-and-ash-is-visually-stunningTue, 06 Jan 2026 22:35:52 GMT

20th Century Studios

For anyone who went into 2022’s Avatar: The Way of the Water for its plot, there’s a fair chance they walked out of theaters disappointed. But the 13 year pause between iterations was never meant just to buy James Cameron time to write the script for a sequel to his meteoric 2009 blockbuster. The primary reason for the lengthy interm…

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 46 w/ Brandon Ellrich]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-episode-46-w-brandonhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-episode-46-w-brandonWed, 31 Dec 2025 20:05:06 GMTThank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! This was another fun one. Brandon put a fair amount of homework into this one on his end by tracing holiday movies throughout the decade and how they’ve changed.

Happy new years everyone!

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 45 w/ Peter Murphy]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-peter-murphyhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-peter-murphyTue, 30 Dec 2025 20:23:39 GMTThank you , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! Walter and I should be back to doing regular new episodes in the new year. Hope the holidays are treating everyone well!

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]]><![CDATA[The Enduring Lessons of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-enduring-lessons-of-its-a-wonderfulhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-enduring-lessons-of-its-a-wonderfulWed, 24 Dec 2025 21:39:26 GMT

Credit: RKO/Liberty (now in Public Domain)

In fourth grade, my teacher realized that it was important for our class to see the movie It’s a Wonderful Life in order to properly usher in the holiday season. It was his first year ever educating, and he approached the job with the wide-eyed passion of a man achieving a lifelong dream.

Sometimes that enthusias…

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 44 w/ Natasha K]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-natasha-khttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-natasha-kFri, 19 Dec 2025 21:55:09 GMTThank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and holiday!

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]]><![CDATA[The Humility and Versatility of Rob Reiner]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-humility-and-versatility-of-robhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-humility-and-versatility-of-robThu, 18 Dec 2025 21:34:52 GMT
Rob Reiner in Spinal Tap / Embassy Pictures

There are many directors that can never be separated from their film catalogues. Whether it’s because they infuse so much of themselves into their movies that their stamps on them are impossible to ignore, because of the tonal and visual consistencies between their projects, or simply because of the directors’ …

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]]><![CDATA[Why Cinema Is My Favorite Form of Entertainment]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/why-cinema-is-my-favorite-form-ofhttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/why-cinema-is-my-favorite-form-ofTue, 16 Dec 2025 20:55:41 GMT
Image from ‘Sinners’ / Warner Bros. Pictures

In the world of cinema, it’s not uncommon for movies to end up on my backburner. I’ll encounter their previews, express interest in seeing them, quietly file the films onto mental lists, and proceed to spend the next ten years scrolling past the options each time they surface on my Netflix homepage.

“Oh yeah! I…

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]]><![CDATA[What Is ‘Fortnite’ and Why Does it Matter?]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/what-is-fortnite-and-why-does-ithttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/what-is-fortnite-and-why-does-itThu, 11 Dec 2025 21:31:07 GMT
Epic Games

It wasn’t long after Fortnite first launched in 2017 that I became aware of the game. Following a brief persuasion campaign from a few of my friends, I installed the budding battle royale title onto my PlayStation.

The download was free, so I reasoned I had nothing to lose, even if, like so many games, I never found the opportunity to play it. …

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 42 w/ Victor Cardenas]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-victor-cardenashttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-victor-cardenasFri, 05 Dec 2025 23:05:25 GMTThank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and !

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 43 w/ Frederic Poag]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-frederic-poaghttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-frederic-poagFri, 28 Nov 2025 19:51:04 GMTThank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! I don’t usually love to post episodes out of order, but figured our Thanksgiving one probably shouldn’t wait much longer. Hopefully I’ll be able to publish the last few that have been sitting around in my drafts within the next week or two. Anyway, it was a delight to have Frederic Poag on the show finally! It’s always fun getting away from politics and just talking about the shows and movies that have affected us over the years.

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]]><![CDATA[Escapist Delights Episode 41 w/ Dash MacIntyre]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-dash-macintyrehttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/escapist-delights-w-dash-macintyreFri, 21 Nov 2025 19:30:17 GMTThank you everyone for tuning into my live video with and ! I’ve been a little behind on posting some of the recordings of these live talks the past few weeks, as I don’t inundate readers with too much video content. Rest assured, I’ll post everything eventually.

Anyway, this was a fun talk as always!

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The Gen Z Report is a reader/listener/viewer-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA[The Greatest Reason To Write]]>https://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-greatest-reason-to-writehttps://www.thegenzreport.com/p/the-greatest-reason-to-writeTue, 11 Nov 2025 21:23:37 GMT
Photo by Kristina Paparo on Unsplash

I read a statistic recently about the number of United States residents who aspire to write a book at some point in their lives. Apparently, over 80% of the country shares in that dream. Almost everyone has a book hiding inside them somewhere. Or at least, back when the study was done in the early 2000s, the ambition …

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