Stephen Schaefer

Film critic and entertainment reporter Stephen Schaefer writes regularly for The Boston Herald with interviews, features, reviews and "Hollywood & Mine," a weekly BostonHerald.com/ entertainment/movies column. He frequently speaks with film clubs about upcoming releases and often covers film festivals in Berlin, Venice, New York and Toronto.

A Lemon Shark swims off Jupiter, Florida, on February 24, 2024. Florida is the place in the world with the most shark attacks in 2023. The news might make you rethink those well-deserved vacations on the state’s beaches; but experts have a message for you: these animals are not the sea monsters you imagine. Last year, 16 of 69 unprovoked shark attacks were reported in Florida, 23% of the overall number, according to a report released this month by the University of Florida. (Photo by Jesus OLARTE / AFP) (Photo by JESUS OLARTE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shark Week is back: ‘Bigger and Bloodier’

July 8, 2024 at 4:11 p.m.

There she and her teammates settle in the belly of a 29-foot whale decoy corpse — nicknamed Paul — for what the show calls, “The biggest feeding frenzy ever with...

This image released by Bleecker Street shows Anthony Hopkins in a scene from “One Life.” (Peter Mountain/Bleecker Street via AP)

‘One Life’ a true tale of Holocaust hero

March 15, 2024 at 2:13 p.m.

Nicholas Winton, a London stockbroker, visited Prague and decided he had to do something to help the stranded refugees who would otherwise be taken prisoner and sent to extermination camps.

JLo’s romance captured in “This is Me… Now A Love Story”

February 16, 2024 at 2:14 p.m.

Jennifer Lopez defied the odds and the naysayers to produce, co-write and star in “This is Me… Now, A Love Story,” her fantastical, very personal musical that streams Friday.

Snoop Dogg as Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings in director Charles Stone III’s “The Underdoggs”. (Jacob Kemp/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc./TNS)

Snoop Dogg swears by ‘Underdoggs’ message

January 26, 2024 at 11:28 a.m.

“Underdoggs” stars Snoop as JJ, a narcissistic, once-legendary football pro forced to do community service coaching a failing Pee Wee football team in his Long Beach, California, hometown.

Sara Bareilles in a scene from ‘Waitress the Musical.” (Photo Bleecker Street)

Sara Bareilles takes leap with ‘Waitress: The Musical’

December 5, 2023 at 12:32 p.m.

It’s been a decade-long journey for Bareilles who, as a Grammy winning singer, songwriter and pianist selling over 15 million singles, was approached to musicalize Adrienne Shelley’s 2007 hit movie...

‘JFK: One Day in America’ takes viewers back to ’63

November 9, 2023 at 1:29 p.m.

For anyone who might want to better understand what happened, “JFK: One Day” vividly recreates the events leading up to and the days after.

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” coming Oct. 6. (Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV+)

After blockbuster summer, here’s what Hollywood has for fall

August 28, 2023 at 12:30 p.m.

From musicals to sci-fi, romance, drama and horror, fall's got a rich film lineup.

Beverly Thomas interviews Chris Bartels, Manager of Frightmare Asylum, Field of Screams in Mountville, Pa. for an episode of the Amazon Prime series “Spooky Kisses Haunts.” Director Rich Perry is behind the camera. (Photo courtesy Rich Perry/Spooky Kisses Haunts)

It’s Halloween every day on Prime series about country’s scariest haunts

August 21, 2023 at 2:04 p.m.

"Spooky,” available on Amazon Prime, guides viewers to the history and locations of some of the country’s most venerable scare sites.

Netflix is airing ‘American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing’ in the runup to the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack. (Photo courtesy Netlfix)

‘American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing’ revisits dark days

April 13, 2023 at 8:47 a.m.

As the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing approaches, Netflix unveils on Wednesday Floyd Russ’s new 3-part documentary whose title says it all: “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing.”

The Asian-American actors in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” are up for Oscars – Best Actress, Michelle Yeoh, Supporting Actress Stephanie Hsu, and Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan. (Allyson Riggs/A24 Films via AP)

This year’s Oscar slate spotlights diversity & firsts

March 9, 2023 at 12:47 p.m.

Salute this year’s Oscars -- the 95th edition is televised live Sunday on ABC -- as a monument to a diverse group of new faces.

All Stories