Roxana Hadadi Author Archive
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Roxana Hadadi is a TV critic who also writes about film and pop culture, with the closed captions on and motion smoothing off.

  1. the roomy award
    ‘There Are Always Lessons’ When Making Abbott ElementaryThe writers of the hit sitcom shed light on their Roomy Award-winning process.
  2. endings
    You Want Closure? What We Do in the Shadows Will Give You Closure.The series finale deploys an array of endings that highlights the folly of seeking a closing beat for immortal creatures.
  3. best of 2024
    The 12 Best TV Performances of 2024These actors found fresh depths in returning characters or introduced us to new ones with confidence and style.
  4. vulture investigates
    Where is HomeBilly Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris in season 1, episode 5 of Landman
    Is Landman Funny?Taylor Sheridan’s latest may not have actual jokes, but it does have a perpetually cranky Billy Bob Thornton, and that might be enough.
  5. close read
    Say Nothing Says Too MuchAnd shows too little.
  6. movie review
    You’ve Seen This One BeforeThe Colleen Hoover adaptation It Ends With Us plays like an overfamiliar Lifetime movie with a lot more gloss and only slightly more grit.
  7. tv review
    Black Doves Is Everything You Could Want From a Spy ThrillerYou thought Dune: Part Two had the best knife fight of the year? Incorrect.
  8. tv review
    Skeleton Crew Plays With Its Jedi ObsessionWhat if being a fan of the Star Wars galaxy was actually desperately uncool?
  9. best of 2024
    The Best TV Shows of 2024We’re past Peak TV, but these series prove we’re still reaching new creative heights.
  10. spoilers
    Anatomy of a Great British Baking Show FlameoutAt what point should we start considering that the Hollywood Handshake is cursed?
  11. movie review
    The Seed of the Sacred Fig Is Furious, and It Wants You to Be, TooThe boldness of Iranian girls and women is the inspiration and essence of Mohammad Rasoulof’s new film.
  12. endings
    From’s Body Count Keeps RisingSeason three’s finale disabuses us of the notion that any player is essential enough to keep on the board.
  13. performance review
    Denzel Washington Should Always Have a Little ShawlOnly one element of Gladiator II is serving the pomposity and archness the movie needs: Denzel Washington and his many, many lavish fits.
  14. thumb down
    Gladiator II Should’ve Let Paul Mescal KissThe “dream of Rome,†yeah, whatever. The dream of Lucius and Ravi, though!
  15. the vulture transcript
    How The Penguin Became the Sofia Falcone ShowCristin Milioti thought through every motivation, music cue, and mullet option to craft the most sympathetic psychopath on TV.
  16. tv review
    Stuck in Prequel QuicksandDune: Prophecy’s derivativeness is both its greatest flaw and its most defining characteristic.
  17. chat room
    We Asked Anora’s Yura Borisov About That Final Scene Inside the CarAnora’s breakout heartthrob Yura Borisov approached the ending like “every second is a new second†for Igor and Ani.
  18. your sandworm syllabus
    5 Things to Remember About Dune Before Dune: ProphecySpice sex. It’s a thing!
  19. endings
    The Diplomat Is Testing the Limits of My Feminism AgainSeason two ends in a catfight cliffhanger and a Margaret Thatcher namedrop. Bleak.
  20. finales
    The Penguin Always Had to End Like ThisNo villain origin story is complete without one final, excruciating heel turn.
  21. chat room
    How Kayvan Novak’s Dad Helped Shape Nandor’s Big WWDITS Episode“It’s worth fighting for a good koobideh.â€
  22. eliminations
    Thanks for the Tears, Paul and PrueA heartbreaking Great British Baking Show decision underlines what an all-timer this season is.
  23. tropes
    4 (More) Things I Never Want to See on TV Again, Courtesy of The DiplomatKate still doesn’t know how to use a hair tie.
  24. close read
    For the Love of Pop CultureOnly Murders in the Building returned to the ties that bind in season four.
  25. vulture lists
    21 Scary Horror Shows to Watch Before HalloweenNow is the perfect time to watch these series with the lights off.
  26. finale thoughts
    The Old Man and the New ParwanaHow Alia Shawkat brought her character to a place where she’s “standing in her power in the deepest way.â€
  27. nightmare fuel
    Uzumaki’s Body Horror Isn’t Even the Scariest Thing About ItIt is pretty damn scary, though.
  28. chat room
    The Penguin’s Shohreh Aghdashloo Couldn’t Let Nadia Stay Quiet“I couldn’t help myself. I thought, She would have to say something here.â€
  29. role call
    Holt McCallany Answers Every Question We Have About Fight ClubOn working with the man he calls “Meat†(last name Loaf), the catharsis of terrorizing a priest, and his decades-old beef with Rosie O’Donnell.
  30. finale thoughts
    La Máquina Runs on Its Final SacrificeFor their first TV show, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna challenged themselves to write “an anti-fable where losing was winning your freedom.â€
  31. making myths
    A Hard-to-Find Cult Classic Is Finally Streaming — and Coming Back to Blu-RayTarsem Singh’s 2006 epic The Fall is now back in theaters, and the director says a physical re-release is on the way, too.
  32. single tear
    Coldplay’s Most Earnest Lyrics, RankedFrom the rabidly heartfelt to the disgustingly sincere.
  33. behind the scenes
    My Favorite TeethTen behind-the-scenes creators on how some of film and TV’s scariest, silliest, and most iconic chompers came to be.
  34. big spoon vs little spoon
    Culinary Class Wars Revolutionizes the Cooking ShowThe K-reality series smashes conventions of the genre and pokes holes in the distinction between fine dining and street food.
  35. close read
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2
    Not My Tom BombadilThe Rings of Power’s version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most inscrutable character is a failure of imagination.
  36. mountain time
    No One Told The Summit Contestants That They Have to, Uh, SummitWhat exactly was in the casting call for this show?
  37. precious gems
    Let’s Appraise the Rings of PowerAre the most important accessories to ever exist in Middle-earth … ugly? Or is it good that Durin’s looks like a Ring Pop?
  38. lingering questions
    IND3_B4D87
    Where Does Industry Go From Here?The series has blown up its narrative center, leaving some major question marks hanging over next season.
  39. chat room
    Navid Negahban Thinks Hamzad Was ‘Too Advanced’ for The Old Man’s Afghanistan“He was dreaming of something bigger and better for his people, and that’s sometimes scary for lots of people.â€
  40. chat room
    Industry’s Trevor White on the Tragedy of Bill Adler“He’s not bad, he’s just grown up that way. He’s a victim of the very system that he is championed from.â€
  41. tv review
    Who Needs the Batman?As The Penguin’s representatives of Gotham’s underworld, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti can do bad all by themselves.
  42. destination unknown
    8 Relationships That’ll Get You Hooked on FromWelcome to nightmare town, population: eldritch abominations, bickering marrieds, and a lot of ghosts.
  43. suspect your elders
    Industry’s Worst Parents, RankedNaming your daughter Boadicea? Unforgivable.
  44. emmys 2024
    The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2024 EmmysHigh: ShÅgun dominance! Low: Emmys spon-con? Whoa: Hacks upset???
  45. endings
    Rebel Ridge’s Unexpectedly Non-Violent Ending, Explained By Jeremy SaulnierFilmmaker Jeremy Saulnier on crafting Terry Richmond’s “mission of morality.â€
  46. endings
    The Empty Perspective of Civil War’s Final ShotIt’s the closest Alex Garland’s “anti-war†film comes to a distinct political statement.
  47. strange frequencies
    The Old Man’s Secret CodeThe sneakily unconventional series returns bearing all the idiosyncratic qualities that keep it from becoming another predictable spy thriller.
  48. a long talk
    ‘Can I Write a Script Without Killing Everybody in It?’Jeremy Saulnier on pulling his new movie, Rebel Ridge, back from the brink after his lead actor left and challenging himself to a very specific goal.
  49. our goth queen
    20 Essential Winona Ryder Roles, RankedThere’s so much more to the Gen-X icon than her ability to deadpan and how great she looks in choppy bangs.
  50. kill laugh love
    The Perfect Couple Is My New Favorite (Unintentional?) ComedyNetflix’s murder-mystery miniseries operates on its own bizarro wavelength.
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