‘Dead Souls’ Review: Alex Cox Betrays His Talent — Again — in His Latest Arid Didactic Western Doodle

· 8 min read

“Dead Souls” is the new movie directed by Alex Cox, which means that for the umpteenth time over the last four decades, the director of “Sid and Nancy” and “Repo Man” has made a movie that almost no one will see or care about. Cox crowdfunded the film with a Kickstarter campaign, and it’s yet another of his arid didactic put-on Westerns. This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers. “Dead Souls,” which is loosely based on the 1843 Nikolai Gogol novel of the same title, has kicked around at film festivals, and it premiered tonight at the Roxy Cinema, an off-the-beaten-track theater in New York. Is it a good movie? No, not really. But it’s one that inspires me to imagine — as every Alex Cox movie does — the glory of what might have been.  

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Venezuela says 131 political prisoners freed amid post-Maduro talks

· 3 min read

As detainees granted ‘alternative’ to imprisonment, US welcomes release as a crucial step for Venezuela’s reconciliation process.

Venezuela says it has freed 131 people considered political prisoners, in a sign of progress for national reconciliation following the United States’ removal of former President Nicolas Maduro.

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The Simpsons Creator Matt Groening Says Hit & Run 'Is Coming Back in Some Form' Before Showrunner Suggests Otherwise

· 3 min read

Michael Cripe Avatar

Updated

: Aug 15, 2026 1:42am UTC

The Simpsons: Hit & Run "is coming back in some form," according to series creator Matt Groening.

Yes, at least as far as the mind behind Springfield and the Simpson family is concerned, Vivendi Games and Radical Entertainment's classic 2000s video game spinoff will finally soon let players get behind the wheel again. He shared his comments during a The Simpsons panel at Disney fan event D23 2026, but it sounds like, maybe, he should have pumped the brakes when it came to any announcements for The Simpsons: Hit & Run.

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Emmy Predictions: ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Hacks’ and ‘Beef’ Head Into Final Voting With History on Their Side (and Against Them)

· 32 min read

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change in response to buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

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