Andrew Raker - Author for 24/7 Wall St.
Lastest Stories by Andrew Raker
Even cinema’s foremost masterpieces generally represent a compromise between artistic vision and economic demand. In order to please audiences, directors are often asked to change endings or leave...
Published:
Between its ever-emerging slate of new content and its vast existing library, HBO Max continues to deliver some of the best in streaming entertainment. The month of April is no exception, and it...
Published:
Clint Eastwood has had a long and storied career, spanning almost 65 years. He has directed almost 40 films and had roles – from miniscule, uncredited ones to Oscar-nominated starring turns...
Published:
Animated TV shows became popular in the 1950s with “Felix the Cat” and “Crusader Rabbit.” The genre grew through the 1960s with Disney productions and the rise of major animation producer...
Published:
It’s hard enough making it big in the music business once, but doing it twice is something of a miracle. Nevertheless, numerous artists who first found stardom as members of groups have gone on to...
Published:
What would movies be without music? As far back as the silent era, accompanying musicians (often organists) or small orchestras were fundamental to the moviegoing experience. Today, major films...
Published:
There’s an argument to be made that Clint Eastwood’s career is the most tenable in Hollywood history. It began with a recurring role on the Western TV series “Rawhide,” which launched in...
Published:
As the lackluster box office performance of Steven Spielberg’s new “West Side Story” – released 60 years after the original film version – goes to show, quality entertainment...
Published:
You might see the word “sitcom” (situation comedy) and think only of live-action fare — until you remember that animation occupies a significant swath of this cultural landscape. The trend...
Published:
From 1934 to 1968, the majority of Hollywood films abided by the Hays Code, a system of self-censorship with scrupulous moral standards promulgated by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of...
Published:
Far less risk-averse than the standard Hollywood fare, history’s best foreign films offer a refreshing sense of artistic purity. To watch these enduring classics is to give up the need for rote...
Published:
The best TV shows, while entertaining, also function as historical references of their respective eras. Even examples such as “Mad Men” – which takes place decades in the past –...
Published:
Like a sequel no one asked for, 2021 was basically as unpleasant as the year that preceded it. On the bright side, at least the movies were better. Proving that the show must indeed go on, studios...
Published:
You might see the words ‘one-hit wonder’ and picture a short-lived career, whereby an artist lands on the charts and then all but disappears. The very term is negative in connotation, suggesting...
Published:
“I don’t know how many there are, like 77 Batmans. They think they should form their own union,” Michael Keaton joked in a recent interview. And he should know, being one among a small legion...
Published: