When I attended L.A. Comic Con this Halloween weekend, I was floored by the sheer presence that Japanese superhero media franchise Kamen Rider had. There was an official Kamen Rider booth selling figures and Rider Belts, not to mention stunt performers dressed as Kamen Rider MY-TH and Kamen Rider ZEZTZ.  A Kamen Rider panel flew directors and writers all the way out from Japan to discuss the franchise’s 55th anniversary. I was in a packed theater room for an English screening of Agito: Psychic War, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of Kamen Rider Agito; the entire length of said screening…

When Doctor Stephen Strange arrives in Kamar-Taj at the start of the 2016 movie Doctor Strange he thinks he knows everything. As in the Marvel comics by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee that inspired the film, Strange has come to find a cure for his shattered hands. But as an arrogant surgeon and a devoted rationalist, he cannot bring himself to believe in the magic practiced by the Ancient One. Only once the Ancient One opens his third eye and shows him the many worlds of the multiverse does Strange begin to understand. As we saw in the sequel, Doctor…

Last year, Star Wars fans were shocked by the revelation that Lucasfilm turned down The Hunt for Ben Solo, a story that would have followed The Artist Formerly Known as Kylo Ren as he dealt with his redemption in the wake of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Not only would Adam Driver have reprised his role as Ben Solo, but none other than Steven Soderbergh was tapped to direct, with Scott Z. Burns (World War Z) penning the script.  Ultimately, the project never went through as then-Disney heads Bob Iger and Alan Bergman spent a lengthy…

There are a lot of fan conventions out there, but they don’t all embrace the wonderfully weird side of pop culture the way Phantom Fest does. Only at this Houston-based gathering can you discover an unexpected international gem while simultaneously revisiting a beloved cult classic and celebrating alongside the performers and filmmakers who make genre entertainment so memorable. Such is the spirit behind Phantom Fest, which returns in January 2027 with an expanded lineup of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and everything in between. Running from January 14 to 17 at Houston’s historic River Oaks Theatre, the four-day showcase seeks to…

This article contains major Godzilla Minus Zero spoilers. Our spoiler-free review is here. Have a safe trip. Rarely has such a sweet, innocuous phrase carried such devastating power in a movie as when Akiko (Sae Nagatani) stands atop a lonely slide and cries it again and again. It’s a chant, a prayer for safe passage, but also an agonized outpouring of grief over the soon-to-be absence of her adopted parents Kôichi Shikishima (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ôishi (Minami Hamabe). In the scene, the loving, doting parents feel compelled to leave, for the good of Akiko they tell themselves, and certainly…

The new Ghost Rider movie has many hurdles to overcome. Not only is it slated to release in the same year as the upcoming X-Men reboot and the conclusion to Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther trilogy, but it’s also dealing with the fact that two other actors have previously held the Spirit of Vengeance title. Nicolas Cage delivered a delightfully unhinged performance as Johnny Blaze in 2007’s Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, while Gabriel Luna brought a version of Robbie Reyes to life in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. So how can star Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy make…

His name is Bond. James Bond. Whose name? We’re not sure about that part yet. Ever since Daniel Craig definitively left the part at the end of 2021’s No Time to Die, rumors have swirled around who would next wield the Walther PPK. They’ve only intensified since longtime rights-holders Eon Productions sold their interests to Amazon, who then promptly selected Dune director Denis Villeneuve to helm the next installment. Along the way, credible insiders have said everyone from Aaron Taylor-Johnson to Jack Lowden to Callum Turner are favorites, and yet no one has yet been cast. We could continue waiting…

DC fans received a spooky surprise last night when it was announced that a new movie focused on John Constantine is in the works. The Hellblazer’s live-action track record has been a roller coaster, with Keanu Reeves playing Constantine in a 2005 movie that is strangely defended as a cult classic (I’m sorry, but Constantine being British is just as important as Superman being raised in Smallville or Spider-Man losing his Uncle Ben) and Matt Ryan delivering a pitch-perfect take on the character in his short-lived series and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Thankfully, it looks like DC Studios is leaning…

When you watch a film, you’re not just in it to experience the ending. After all, you could just look up how it ends online, if that’s all that you cared about. The reality is that a movie is an experience where every part of the story is meant to be significant, that means not just the end, but the beginning and the middle as well. The selection we’ve brought for you today is made up of movies that nail that beginning and middle parts, only to fumble the endings. They’re still worthwhile experiences to go through, even if their…

Folk tales were the legends of old, giving rise to many mythological creatures that now plague popular media. Urban legends are a more modern take on that, having people explain the strange sounds of a city’s night time with ghosts, haunts, and other supernatural interpretations. Well, the internet has its own version of this, the Creepypasta, called as such due to how it is copy-pasted to be shared, instead of it being an oral tale. These are the most memorable Creepypasta stories; none of them were meant to be taken seriously, but they manage to unsettle nonetheless. IMDb Slender Man…

It was always the plan to bring Kyle MacLachlan back to The Lowdown in season 2. Series creator Sterlin Harjo just needed to find an entry point that made sense.  MacLachlan’s character, Donald Washberg, had a complete arc in season 1. Seeking to block Ethan Hawke’s Lee Raybon Jr. as he tried to make sense of the Washberg family’s secrets, the aspiring governor of Oklahoma proved a powerful impediment. The two became uneasy allies when Lee presented an opportunity for Donald to honor his late brother’s wishes, screw over some Nazis, and return a large piece of land to the…

Magic: The Gathering is hitting the big screen soon, and it’s now scored its first cast member in Maya Hawke. Not only does this casting lend the upcoming MTG movie some nerd cred thanks to Hawke’s previous role as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, but it also led to a tidbit of news that will make players of the popular trading card game very happy. The Deadline article reporting on Hawke’s casting also mentions that “the cast is expected to have an ensemble feel,” which would fit in perfectly with the world of MTG. For those who aren’t familiar with…

Whenever a new James Bond movie is announced, rumors spread like wildfire. Who’s going to don the super-spy’s tux? Who’s the new Bond girl? Who’s the villain? Now that visionary director Denis Villeneuve has boarded the next Bond adventure, those rumors are once again heating up – particularly when it comes to who’s taking up the 007 mantle after Daniel Craig.  While we wait for those rumors to shake out, however, let’s examine one less-heralded element of the James Bond mythos that Villeneuve should bring back to his incarnation: the gadgets. Besides his trusty Walther PPK, James Bond is often…

Even after getting roundly stomped at the box office by the Avengers and other heroes, the X-Men remain Marvel‘s most popular team, characters second only to Spider-Man in wide appeal. And with good reason. Under the guidance of writer Chris Claremont—along with fellow creators such as John Byrne, John Romita Jr., and Louise Simonson—expanded the X-Men from C-list nothings to bestsellers, thanks to their combination of rich drama, high-concept genre trappings, and superhero action. So important are the X-Men, in fact, that they’re bigger than the X-Men. Marvel has a host of mutant teams and organizations, all the better to…

It can happen that filmmakers create scenes that are unexpectedly satisfying to listen to, even when they have nothing to do with relaxation. Things like a character handling objects, a soft speech, or the tiny sounds of everyday activities can produce the same tingling sensation associated with ASMR videos. While these moments often go unnoticed because they’re part of a larger story, their sound design and attention to detail make them surprisingly soothing. This is why we’ve gathered certain scenes that have become favorites among viewers who appreciate the little sounds as much as the visuals. IMDb The Nightmare Before…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. In the MCU, the first superhero is effectively Iron Man. Sure, Nick Fury tells him he isn’t the first at the end of the 2008 movie, and we know that Captain Marvel, the Eternals, and others predate him. But for all intents and purposes, it starts with Tony Stark. In Marvel Comics, however, it starts with the Human Torch, a flaming android who appears on the cover of 1939’s Marvel Comics #1. Now the MCU has finally caught up, with the Human Torch officially debuting in the latest episode of…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. Thus far, VisionQuest has been a good show, but definitely a flawed one. Its strongest asset has been its compelling cast, actors who would be captivating on screen no matter what they’re doing. Even better, the sludgy CGI environments that plagued the first two episodes have been replaced with compelling and visually striking compositions, giving those actors interesting spaces to inhabit. But the central mystery of the Butcherbird Killer has not been captivating, making the whole thing play like an acting exercise, albeit with excellent performers. With the mystery set…

It’s no secret that anime is the one medium Hollywood has struggled to adapt to live action. While we love series like Bleach or Dragon Ball Z for their hyperkinetic action and unique stories, translating that energy to the 3D world often leads to disaster – the less said about Dragonball Evolution and the Scarlett Johansson-led Ghost in the Shell, the better. Now the tide might be turning, thanks to Destin Daniel Cretton’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Naruto. For starters, Naruto has a plot that’s fairly easy to grasp. Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki seeks to become the strongest ninja in the…

Among the many titles being displayed at Tokyo Game Show 2026, one of the most consistently popular the entire weekend came from Smilegate, a South Korean studio specializing in mobile and PC games. The most fun that I had with any of the mobile games unveiled by Smilegate at this year’s show was Dead Account: Two Blue Flames, a top-down roguelite actioner with strong deck-building and character collection gameplay mechanics. After playing an extended preview of the game, I interviewed the creative team over email following the show. “This was the first time we’d opened the game up to general…

Marvel Studios is pulling out all the stops for its upcoming X-Men reboot, including tapping Jake Schreier — who handed the MCU one of its best movies in Thunderbolts* — as director and wrangling an all-star cast that includes Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Adam Driver as a character that’s definitely Mister Sinister. However, recent casting news suggests Marvel is doing something that could set the X-Men reboot apart from the previous Fox-era movies. Deadline recently reported that Ben Wang (American Born Chinese, Karate Kid Legends) is in the running to play Bobby Drake a.k.a.…