Articles by Neil Turitz

Shang-Chi
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: The Problem With Marvel’s Phase Four Is That It Feels Aimless

July 20, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: The Problem With Marvel’s Phase Four Is That It Feels Aimless

In my time here at Below the Line, I think I’ve established the respect and affection I have for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I will repeat once more that the Infinity Saga is the single greatest storytelling achievement in cinematic history, and I don’t know what is second-best. 23 movies, totaling exactly 50 hours, with dozens of characters in varying storylines and arcs, all coming together in a brilliant climax […]

Avatar
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: Avatar Trilogy Director James Cameron and the Way of Obsession

July 13, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: Avatar Trilogy Director James Cameron and the Way of Obsession

Before I do anything else here, I want to state for the record that I think James Cameron is a genius. I think he is unquestionably one of the most innovative and important filmmakers in cinematic history, and his influence is clear to anyone who has paid attention to cinema over the last four decades. Also, while he might not be the world’s best writer, his understanding of storytelling, his […]

The Irishman
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: Randall Emmett’s Bad Behavior Has Caught Up With Him Now That Silence Is No Longer an Option

July 7, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: Randall Emmett’s Bad Behavior Has Caught Up With Him Now That Silence Is No Longer an Option

I know Bruce Willis a little. We have mutual friends and have been in the same place a bunch of times. I was sad to hear about his aphasia announcement and that he’s retiring from acting, not just because I’m a longtime fan of his work, but because he was always nice to me. His reputation in that regard wasn’t always the best, but my experience was purely positive. Willis’ […]

Hustle movie
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: Why the Academy Must Nominate Top Gun: Maverick for Best Picture If It Wants the Oscars to Remain Relevant

June 29, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: Why the Academy Must Nominate Top Gun: Maverick for Best Picture If It Wants the Oscars to Remain Relevant

I have to say, I’ve really, really loved being back in the movie theater these last few months. Just sitting in a dark room, staring up at the big screen, and watching movies the way they were meant to be seen — with no mask on my face (restrictions having been lifted) — has truly been wonderful. And now that I’ve seen everything worth seeing through the first six months […]

Lightyear
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: Lightyear Dared to Do Something Different and Pixar Paid the Price at the Box Office

June 20, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: Lightyear Dared to Do Something Different and Pixar Paid the Price at the Box Office

I think we were all surprised to see the box office results from this past weekend, wherein the lousy third installment of the second Jurassic trilogy beat out a very good Pixar movie that featured the voice of one of the most beloved stars on the planet. However, the fact that Jurassic World Dominion somehow outdrew Lightyear says much more about moviegoers these days than it does about the movies […]

Funny Secret
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: Why the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial (by TikTok) Could Only Appeal to Sadists

June 15, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: Why the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial (by TikTok) Could Only Appeal to Sadists

I’ve been doing this a long time. Not just working in Hollywood, both inside and outside of it, but also, Life. So one would think that I should be able to understand certain aspects of this business and the way certain parts of our society work. Then something like the Johnny Depp–Amber Heard trial happens, and I find myself totally flummoxed and unable to figure out much of anything. Seriously. I […]

Justice League
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: 7 Ways WB’s New Leaders Could Save the DC Extended Universe

June 8, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: 7 Ways WB’s New Leaders Could Save the DC Extended Universe

Last week, Toby Emmerich stepped down as the film chief of Warner Bros. and unlike Ray Fisher, I have always been an Emmerich fan. Sure, the whole Joss Whedon–Zack Snyder–Justice League mishegas might have gone down on his watch, but he did the best he could with a very bad situation — a situation that he was forced into by Snyder’s incompetence… more about that below — and his three decades at the […]

Leah Remini
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: On Separating the Actor — in This Case, Tom Cruise — From Their Work

June 1, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: On Separating the Actor — in This Case, Tom Cruise — From Their Work

Last week, I wrote about how much I loved Top Gun: Maverick, which I saw for the third time on Sunday. Partly because of that, this column is going to be about Tom Cruise, but not in the way you think. Stick with me here… Nearly five years ago, I had a bad take on a delicate situation. In the run-up to the 2018 Oscar nominations, I wrote a column […]

No Picture
Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: It’s a Bummer There Aren’t Enough Movies This Summer Due to Hollywood’s Lack of Counterprogramming

May 25, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: It’s a Bummer There Aren’t Enough Movies This Summer Due to Hollywood’s Lack of Counterprogramming

I’m seeing Top Gun: Maverick for a second and third time over the next few days because I loved the movie so much the first time, and while I’m excited to see it again (and again), I’m just as excited to go back to the theater at all, given how few opportunities there seem to be this summer. Last week, I wrote about the embarrassment of riches we’re enjoying (or being overwhelmed […]

Accidental Turitz

The Accidental Turitz: When It Comes to Peak TV, Too Much of a Good Thing Is Never Bad, Until It Is

May 18, 2022 Neil Turitz Comments Off on The Accidental Turitz: When It Comes to Peak TV, Too Much of a Good Thing Is Never Bad, Until It Is

I spend a lot of time in front of screens these days, and not just the one on which I write this weekly column. There is the external monitor hooked to the laptop, my phone, my TV, my iPad, and the movie theaters where I catch as many flicks as possible, perhaps to make up for the long stretch during the pandemic when that wasn’t possible. I mean, part of it […]