Reviews: Highest 2 Lowest, Beavis and Butthead, and The Walking Dead

From the music mogul boardrooms of power to the bunkers of an apocalypse and even the dimly lit room of two eternally adolescent slackers, TV and film this week prove one thing: survival comes in many forms. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reunite in Highest to Lowest. Another dynamic duo, Beavis and Butthead, return to remind us that sometimes stupidity is the only thing that endures. And the Walking Dead universe lurches forward into its next chapter. Let’s get into it.

Highest 2 Lowest

Recently, the Black Movie Hall of Fame unveiled its list of The 100 Best Black Movies Ever. Although there were many worthy contenders, the number one spot went to Malcolm X, starring Denzel Washington and directed by Spike Lee. That 1992 film remains the crown jewel of their collaborations, which up until 2006 included Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game and Inside Man.

After Inside Man, the Lee-Washington pairing went quiet—nearly 20 years without another project together. That changes this week. Streaming on Apple TV+ is Highest to Lowest, marking their first reunion in almost two decades.

When I asked Spike Lee about returning to Denzel after so long, he brushed off the idea of pressure. “Here’s the thing though, there’s no pressure. We love each other, we respect each other. We’re doing what we love,” Lee said. “I know, I know people say there’s pressure, but our relationship and how we work together—it’s fun. There’s no pressure when you’re having fun.”

The film reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low for modern-day New York. Washington plays David King, a music mogul and executive. In another era, one might have compared him to Russell Simmons or Sean “Puffy” Combs, but as the filmmaker pointed out, those names feel dated. Instead, think of someone like L.A. Reid: a larger-than-life power player still hustling to keep his edge in a streaming and AI-driven industry. King is on the verge of buying his label outright, ready to own his empire completely.

But just as he’s about to close the deal, a young felon—played by A$AP Rocky—kidnaps who he believes is King’s son. In reality, it’s the son of King’s driver, portrayed by the ever-reliable Jeffrey Wright. Still, a $17.5 million ransom is set, and King is left with an impossible moral decision: pay the money or look away.

Spike Lee told me that the film is anchored by morality. “The foundation of this film is about morals. Of course, the line from the film: all money ain’t good money. That’s what gives it weight. Denzel’s such a great actor that the audience automatically puts themselves in his shoes and asks, if it were me, would I pay $17.5 million for my friend’s kid?”

And then there’s the finale—a scene already buzzing among audiences. Washington and A$AP Rocky end up in an impromptu rap battle, both in the film and on set. “That was not in the script,” Lee revealed. “In the middle of the scene, Denzel just started dropping bars from Miles Davis, and A$AP went right with him. They started trading. It turned into the rap battle and that elevated the whole film.”

Highest to Lowest is streaming this Friday on Apple TV+. As someone whose personal Mount Rushmore of actors includes Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington, I can’t help but recommend one of the GOATs still working at the highest level. Rocky is terrific, Wright is his usual delight, but Denzel—Denzel is on another plane.

Streaming on Apple TV+.

Beavis and Butt-Head

Mike Judge is looking to have the 2025 to end all adult animation. South Park has come strong out of the gate with some of their more edgy political satire and humor than we have seen in the last decade-plus from the Comedy Central staple. Netflix has been dipping their toes in the pond with titles such as Long Story Short, the adult animated film Fixed, and the upcoming Haunted Hotel. But Mike Judge fans have several things to rejoice in this year.

Earlier last month, the revival of the long-awaited return of characters like Hank Hill, Bobby, and Boomhauer made their way to Hulu with King of the Hill. And now, another revival from the brain of Mike Judge, really the one that put him on the map, Beavis and Butthead.

Back in the 1990s, Beavis and Butthead had an episode that said they were dumb, crude, ugly, thoughtless and self-destructive fools—but for some reason, the boys made us laugh. And in its time, that was the most accurate of statements. Now, the duo is coming back to Comedy Central with ten brand new episodes, including a three-episode premiere on September 3.

This is not the first time Beavis and Butthead have had a revival. After the show initially ended in 1997, MTV brought the dumb duo back for an eighth season in 2011. Then, Paramount+ had the amusing but not enthralling Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe back in 2022.

While the political climate of yesteryear might have made one stop and ask, “Is this the right comedic time to bring back a show like Beavis and Butthead?” it seems as though established IP nostalgia with sophomoric humor has won the day in 2025. Mike Judge has a beautiful way of satirizing the worst of us and even finding redemptive moments for characters like Beavis and Butthead. They are crude, they are silly, they are stupid, half-baked, and not the most evolved IQ—but they are good for a chuckle. And given the way the world looks at times, a chuckle can go a very long way.

Beavis and Butthead is streaming on Comedy Central with episodes available on demand with Paramount+.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

If I were to ask you what the quintessential show of AMC is, a channel which originally showed classic movies, you might not think it housed three of the most important television shows of the last generation. But AMC helped launch the golden age of TV, with three series that changed the perception of television: Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead.

Breaking Bad saw Bryan Cranston metamorphosize from a chemistry teacher with cancer into a drug kingpin named Walter White. Mad Men launched Jon Hamm, who is still firing on all cylinders today with projects like Your Friend’s Neighbor, Landman, Top Gun: Maverick and the reboot Confess, Fletch. And then there was The Walking Dead.

The zombie saga premiered in October 2010 and ran for 11 seasons until its conclusion in 2022. Since then, there have been numerous spinoffs: Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, The Ones Who Live, plus more in development. The aftershow The Talking Dead—hosted by Chris Hardwick—was one of the first of its kind and helped birth an era of YouTube reactors and recap culture.

The Walking Dead has been one of the most profitable shows in TV history, helping AMC garner $500 million through merchandising and a $50 million streaming rights deal with Netflix in 2020.

Now, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon returns for Season 3 this Sunday, September 7 at 8 p.m. Central on AMC and AMC+. If you’re unfamiliar, the series picks up after the end of the original show, following Daryl Dixon as he mysteriously washes ashore in France with no memory of how he got there. He soon learns France is the origin of the zombie virus and the country is facing its own apocalyptic chaos.

This season will continue that journey, with Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) traveling through Spain. It has been described as grindhouse and spaghetti Western in style, promising dramatic Spanish landscapes that will surely provide breathtaking scenery.

The Walking Dead is streaming on AMC and AMC+ and Prime Video.