Arts & Culture

The Stop the Presses series at the Alamo Drafthouse, which celebrates the media in movies with screenings of such classics as Sweet Smell of Success and concludes with the premiere of Anchorman 2, has inspired a lot of conversation about the relationship between journalists and the movies that portray them. While inspirational tales of dedicated investigators may go on to win awards and persuade young idealists to pursue a career in the news, movies about journalists who suck at their jobs are often much more entertaining. The worst newsmen in cinema are united by their blinkered narcissism, which bleeds into their work life in fascinating ways. Read on for a list of movies that herald wildly unprofessional behavior, and stay classy, Denver.

Tucked away in the wealth of holiday programming at the Alamo Drafthouse this week are two linked films with very different takes on the season. One, A Christmas Story, is an almost universally beloved seasonal classic, filled with nostalgia, warm fuzzies and just enough edge to keep it from getting…

The Stop the Presses event at the Alamo Drafthouse, a programming series that celebrates the news in cinema through screenings of classic tales of journalism like Sweet Smell of Success and All the President’s Men has inspired a lot of conversation about the relationship between journalists and the movies that portray them. With barely enough titles to qualify as a sub-genre, movies about the news often become indelible documents of the time and place that created them, going on to win Academy Awards and inspire future generation of filmmakers and reporters alike. However, many films about the news tend to gloss over the un-cinematic tedium of the work itself, which is understandable given how much of a journalist’s life is spent sitting at a keyboard. The qualities that make a movie character dramatically compelling are often totally at odds with the qualities that make a good journalist, so when a truly entertaining movie about an admirable journalist gets made, it deserves some attention. The following list celebrates movies about journalists –both real and fictional– who live up to the highest ideals of their profession.

In 2013, love came in many forms: girl on zombie, boy on smartphone, and James Franco on — count ’em — two hot bikini babes at the same time. Sure, romantic comedies are as extinct as Oprah Winfrey’s chances of winning Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, but audiences…