Shows / Def Rec
Def Rec
The definitive, slightly chaotic guide to the movies and shows you'll definitely recommend.
Author, designer, and eccentric critic Jon McBrine breaks down screen media with comic-book heart and sci-fi flare.
Episodes
Def RecBest Distant Prequel TV Series Ever?
Send feedback and recs of your own! Most prequels are pointless, and the distant ones are the worst of all — a prequel set decades or centuries before the main…
Def RecMake Heroes Happy Again
Send feedback and recs of your own! Can a hero be happy? Belated sequels keep bringing back our favorite heroes — just to put them through the wringer. On this…
Def RecWhat's the best "The Movie" ever made? F1 vs MST3K vs Hot Dog — which took the top spot?
Send feedback and recs of your own! What's better than an episode of your favorite TV series? A movie based on your favorite TV series — helpfully labeled "The…
Def RecWhat Is the Best "Series" Ever?
Send feedback and recs of your own! From The Odd Couple to Stargate, turning hit movies into TV shows is a grand Hollywood tradition — but most of them don't…
Def RecUnpassing the Torch
Send feedback and recs of your own! Some franchises pass the torch to a new hero and stick the landing. Others fumble it so badly the flame goes out. On this…
Def RecWhat Is the Best Belated Sequel Ever Made?
Send feedback and recs of your own! Some sequels arrive a decade late and still stick the landing. Others should have stayed in the vault. On this Def Rec…
Def RecWhy Do So Many Sequels Just Add an "S"?
Send feedback and recs of your own! “S” is more - When Hollywood runs out of sequel ideas, studios turn to the best letter ever - "S." Sci-fi author Jon…
Def RecThe Greatest “The” Movie Ever Made?
Send feedback and recs of your own! What is the ultimate secret weapon for Hollywood execs running out of ideas? It isn't bigger budgets or CGI explosions—it’s…
Def RecV3nom: Why Movie Sequels Need Numbers
Send feedback and recs of your own! Hollywood executives seem to think adding a "2" or a "3" to a title is uninspired—so instead, we got a musical Joker sequel…
Def RecShould You Watch Masters of the Universe?
Send feedback and recs of your own! Is 1987’s Masters of the Universe a classic or just a chore your dad forces you to watch? I'm breaking down why the…
Def RecWhat Is the Best Part 4 Ever Made?
Send feedback and recs of your own! Ever wondered what happens when a Hollywood studio sees a perfectly wrapped-up trilogy and says, "Wait, we can wring more…
Def RecMy Van Damme Summer
Send feedback and recs of your own! It's a summer retrospective where I reflect on raw-dogging the early cinematic oeuvre of the "Muscles from Brussels"…
Def RecWhat You Should Know About Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Send feedback and recs of your own! Def Rec: Non-Spoiler Review of the newest Spider-Man Movie Following up on a massive multiversal spectacle like No Way Home…
Def RecShould You Watch Evil Dead Burn?
Send feedback and recs of your own! Blaze into the latest installment of the Evil Dead franchise: Evil Dead Burn. Is it a worthy entry to the iconic horror…