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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Books

Defector At The Movies

Music

Arts And Culture

Lauren Theisen

Barbara Stanwyck at a telegraph in 'Union Pacific'

Barbara Stanwyck Could Talk The Sun Into Rising In The West

Israel Daramola

Ryan Reynolds makes the smug face that is his only face.

Ryan Reynolds Is Cinema’s Antichrist

<div>Isle McElroy is the author of the novels The Atmospherians and People Collide, which was named a best book of 2023 by Vogue, NPR, Them, and the New York Times Critics.</div>
<div></div>

Isle McElroy

Emma Stone in a scene from Kinds of Kindness

‘Kinds Of Kindness’ Isn’t Supposed To Be Funny

Soraya Roberts

(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

‘Twisters’ Can’t Singlehandedly Drag Us Back To The ’90s

Overexplained Lists

1990s Blockbusters I Haven’t Seen, Ranked

David Roth

Actor Wings Hauser poses for a portrait in circa 1980. The Defector Wings Week logo is on his shirt.

Wings Week

Wings Hauser, American Weirdo

Barry Petchesky

British actor and singer Sting on the set of Dune, directed and written by David Lynch. (Photo by Nancy Moran/Sygma via Getty Images)

Sting’s Winged Briefs In ‘Dune’ Are Cinema’s Most Iconic Underpants

Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.

Nicholas Russell

‘Longlegs’ Can’t Quite Carry The Weight Of Expectations

Albert Burneko

George Clooney, as Michael Clayton, talks into a cell phone while walking down a city street at night.

This Is So Stupid

There Are Three Essential Lawyer Movies

John Turturro's character holds a tomato in Box of Moonlight

‘Box Of Moonlight’ Is A Gem From The ’90s Indie Boom

Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.

Owen Lewis

Tennis

In ‘Twelve Final Days,’ Roger Federer Still Has The Magic

Appalling Errors In Vulture’s Ranked List Of Muppets Movies, Ranked

Josh O'Connor feeds a churro to Mike Faist in a scene from Challengers

Who Wins The Match In ‘Challengers’?

Ruairí McCann

Still image from the movie The Canticle of the Stones.

‘Canticle Of The Stones’ Grapples With The Difficulty Of Artistic Representation Inside Occupied Palestine

Fran Hoepfner is a writer and teacher.

Fran Hoepfner

US actor Kevin Costner attends a press conference for the film "Horizon: An American Saga" during the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2024.

Mods Asleep

Why Do I Keep Rooting For Kevin Costner?

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Please Do Not Strive For Documentary Realism In A Movie (Spoiler Alert) Where A Huge Worm Bursts Out Of A Man’s Eye-Socket

Annie Howard is a journalist and historian based in Chicago. She is currently at work on her debut manuscript, The City Made Me Trans.

Annie Howard

‘I Saw The TV Glow’ Unfurls The Great Trans Unknown

Kelsey McKinney

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Anne Hatahway cries in her Subaru in a scene from The Idea of You

The Ideas Of ‘The Idea Of You,’ According To Us

Giri Nathan

‘Challengers’ Captures The Dirty Little Bits Of Tennis

Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor sitting on a bed in a scene from Challengers

You Can’t Not Surrender To The ‘Challengers’ Soundtrack

A photo from the set of The Kid Detective

‘The Kid Detective’ Is Too Good To Be Forgotten

Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

A promotional poster for the James Bond film "No Time To Die" starring Daniel Craig at a cineplex in Shanghai showing all six actors who have played the character James Bond.

It’s Not Who Plays The Next Bond, It’s How You Write Him

Still image of actress Katy O'Brian using gym equipment, taken from the movie Love Lies Bleeding.

In ‘Love Lies Bleeding,’ The Body Scores

Guy Ritchie speaks onstage during the Special NY Screening of "The Gentlemen" at the Alamo Drafthouse on January 11, 2020 in New York City.

Guy Ritchie Is The Least Appreciated Director In The World

Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.

Corey Atad

Actress, Vita Vargas, Carla Hernández, Sayaka Yokoyama, Myriam Behar in Claquetazo Braulio Lopez Producer of a Scene from the filming of the film (Nudus) by director Gibran Bazan on October 26, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico.