Sam Barsanti-Contributor

Sam Barsanti

Contributor

July, 2025
B.A. in Creative Writing, 10 years of pop-culture writing experience
Marvel, The Transformers, Anime
  • 186
    articles
  • 186
    Features

About Sam Barsanti

Sam Barsanti has written about pop-culture for 10 years, and his work has appeared at The A.V. Club, Primetimer, IGN, and Collider. He has also contributed to the popular daily Hustle newsletter, which covers tech and startup news.

He'll happily talk to anyone about comic book movies (he thinks the MCU peaked with Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and giant robots (he thinks some of the Transformers movies are good), and he canonically exists in The CW's "Arrowverse" series of superhero shows.

Sam is also a published poet and horror writer, and his fiction work has appeared on The No Sleep Podcast.
 

Favorite Media

Sam tends to like anything with a heightened bit of style, and he has said that his favorite movie is Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive (not because it's a badass action-thriller, but because it has smart things to say about badass action-thrillers). Also it's just really cool.

Beyond that, he thinks Daredevil is the best Marvel character and he collects Optimus Prime toys.

Industry Experience

10 years at The AV Club, plus freelancing at IGN, Primetimer, The Hustle, and Collider.

Latest

Robert Pattinson in front of a crowd in Mickey 17
Robert Pattinson's Electric Sci-Fi Adventure Is Officially an HBO Max Sleeper Hit

Audiences are coming around on one of Pattinson's weirdest performances.

Close-up of Whitney Peak in a yellow jacket, aiming a weapon at something off-camera in Thrash
'Jaws' Meets 'Twister' in the 86-Minute Disaster Thriller Taking Over the World

A bigger boat's not going to do it this time.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Tricky (center), 1997, ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Forget Star Wars and Watch Netflix's Greatest Action Sci-Fi

Bruce Willis should've done more wild sci-fi movies.

Henry Cavill in Night Hunter, crossing his arms and looking down
Henry Cavill’s Dark Crime Thriller Breaks Into the Global Streaming Top 10

No criminal is safe from this many famous people.

thieves-highway-aaron-eckhart-1
The 83-Minute Western Quietly Becoming Hulu's Biggest Hit

Aaron Eckhart stars in your dad's new favorite movie.

Adria Arjona in 6 Underground.
7 Years Later, Michael Bay's Divisive Action Thriller on Netflix Has Gotten Better With Time

How could you go wrong with Michael Bay and the Deadpool team?

Will Smith in Gemini Man.
Will Smith’s 117-Minute Sci-Fi Thriller Is a Streaming Smash Hit

All the movie needed was a rap duet during the end credits.

A scene from Terminator: Dark Fate.
42 Years Later, This Classic Sci-Fi Series Is Still Officially a Fan Favorite

People can tolerate a lot of time travel nonsense.

Richie Roberts, wearing sunglasses and sitting in a car in American Gangster
Russell Crowe's 157-Minute American Crime Movie Unleashes Beast Mode on Streaming

Crowe versus Washington for the fate of New York.

Sharlto Copley in Beast.
One of the Best Survival Thrillers of All Time Hits a New Streamer in Just 2 Days

Idris Elba vs. a lion, what more do you need?

Timothée Chalamet walking through the desert in Dune: Part Two
5 Years Later, Dune Is Officially the Anti-Star Wars

Who chooses the "chosen one"?

john-wayne-sean-thornton-the-quiet-man
74 Years Later, John Wayne's Forgotten Sleeper Hit Surges on Streaming

Trading in the cowboy hat for a flat cap.

Bryce Dallas Howard in Spider-Man 3.
HBO Max's Amazing 3-Part Action Movies Are Perfect From Start to Finish

The story of my life is not for the faint of heart.

Jeremy Renner as William Brandt with sunglasses at an English subway in 'Mission Impossible Rogue Nation'
One of the Best Action Franchises of All Time Has Arrived on Netflix & It Keeps Getting Better

Your mission, if you choose to accept it...

Apex-Feature
Forget 'Send Help,' Your Next Favorite Survival Thriller Hits Streaming This April

Everybody's looking to survive these days.

The Korean gangsters in Lucy.
12 Years Later, This Ruthless Sci-Fi Flop Has Aged Like Fine Wine

Scientific accuracy is overrated.

Still from 2025's Nuremberg - a soldier walks near cars
One of the Best War Thrillers of All Time Has Arrived on Netflix & It Keeps Getting Better

Do you plead guilty or not guilty?

Joanna Cassidy in Blade Runner.
44 Years Later, Ridley Scott's Near-Perfect Neo Noir Is More Relevant Now Than When It Came Out

It's a shame she won't live, but then again, who does?

Tom Hanks holding a child in Cloud Atlas
14 Years Later, Tom Hanks' Most Ambitious Sci-Fi Flop Keeps Getting Better With Age

It speaks the true-true.

Keanu Reeves as Evan holding a pan in Knock Knock
11 Years Later, Prime Video's Stellar Psychological Thriller With Keanu Reeves Has Only Gotten Better

Just don't ever let anyone into your house.

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