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Max Schindler

3107 Posts
10 Jul

Ian McKellen Single-Handedly Elevated Nerd Culture in the 2000s

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
“We are the future, Charles. Not them.” When Ian McKellen delivered this line in 2000’s X-Men, he did so as Erik Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto. By “we,” he meant mutants, people who develop incredible powers at puberty; by “them,” he meant the rest of humanity. But the phrase may very well also refer to a different change happening in the world, one way more successful than any of the plots that Magneto hatched with his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Along with 1998’s Blade, 2002’s Spider-Man, and 2005’s Batman Begins, X-Men helped pave the way for the era of superhero domination, best…
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09 Jul

The 20 Greatest Cop Shows of All Time

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Even in these days of endless entertainment options, it’s hard to turn on a TV and not see a cop. Police have been a mainstay of the medium since the now-lost series The Plainclothesman debuted in 1949, and especially when Dragnet made the jump from radio to television two years later. Yet, as omnipresent as they are on television, professional police are a relatively recent part of American life, only coming into being after the first departments were established in Boston and New York in 1838 and 1844, respectively. Yet, television helped normalize policing in the American consciousness, just as…
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09 Jul

Dune 3 Trailer Just Revealed the Most Important Character in the Franchise

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
This article contains spoilers for Dune: Part Three and several Frank Herbert books. It’s not really about Paul Atreides. Paul may be Lisan al-Gaib, he may be the Kwisatz Haderach, but Paul is not actually the main character of the Dune franchise. Instead, that honor goes to the character introduced in the latest trailer for Dune: Part Three, the character you knew as Duncan Idaho. The latest trailer shows the internal fractures in Paul’s (Timothée Chalamet) life as he continues the Fremen jihad launched after he dethroned Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) at the end of the previous movie.…
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09 Jul

Antony Starr Will Never Be Properly Recognized for His Greatness as Homelander

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Over the course of five seasons, Antony Starr brought The Boys’ central villain Homelander to life, quickly becoming the cornerstone of the Prime Video comic adaptation. His performance created an antagonist that was manipulative and terrifying, while also being unstable and weak-willed. Starr was so good at being the fictional face of American fascism, he unwittingly convinced real-life fascists his Homelander wasn’t actually that bad of a guy. Despite this career-defining performance, Starr was not given an Emmy nomination for his role in The Boys even once. And the reveal of this year’s Emmy nominations confirm he never will. With…
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09 Jul

7 Songs that Deserve a Narrative Adaptations

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Storytelling is an integral part of music, and many of the most genre-defining songs of each generation follow a plot structure of some kind. Rarely, however, do these songs get more than a music video.  That all changed this summer, though. With the release of Girls Like Girls, the Hayley Kiyoko- directed adaptation of her 2023 book and 2015 song of the same name, the pathway for music to go from soundtrack to center stage has never been clearer. Whether they become movies, books, or television shows, the following seven songs all deserve to be brought to the masses in…
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09 Jul

Evil Dead Burn Review – Grueling Horror, But Not in the Good Way

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
No one would ever accuse Sam Raimi’s original The Evil Dead of being a particularly deep movie, or a picture concerned with matters of taste. It was quite literally marketed as “the ultimate experience in grueling horror” nearly a half century ago and sought to deliver on that hype train. It was violent, grotesque, and so happily gonzo in its depravity that it became the case to study in UK censorship battles during the Video Nasties debacle of the 1980s. It was also, we should add, full of youthful ingenuity and an almost mirthful sense of play. Whether you knew…
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09 Jul

X-Men ’97 Teases a Hidden Connection Between Wolverine and Captain America

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 season 2 episode 4. Most of the X-Men ’97 episode “Rise of Apocalypse Part II” focuses on, well, Apocalypse and the X-Men sent back to Ancient Egypt to prevent his transformation from En Sabah Nur into the big blue supervillain we know and love. But in the Mighty Marvel manner, the episode ends with a post-credits scene, one that sets up a new storyline that has nothing to do with the characters in the rest of the episode. Wolverine, dressed in black, meets up with Captain America and Black Widow, who give him…
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08 Jul

Children of Blood and Bone Controversy Reveals the Perils of Adaptation

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
A major movie adaptation of a buzzy YA book series is set to arrive in theaters on January 15, 2027 but it will do so without the enthusiastic participation of its author.  Tomi Adeyemi published Children of Blood and Bone, the first book in her “Legacy of Orïsha” series, in March 2018 and it quickly became a canon #BookTok fantasy favorite. The novel follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she lives under a corrupt monarchy that kills her mother and destroys the presence of magic in Orïsha. Zélie works to restore magic back to her kingdom and rebel against the oppressive…
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08 Jul

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass Review: Good Wholesome Hollywood Filth

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Los Angeles lives at a weird intersection in the American psyche. Located somewhere near the second star to the right and straight on till Gomorrah, it’s a fantasy land that’s birthed more than a century of our greatest dreams, as well as most shameless thirst traps. It’s R-rated Oz full of sunshiny citadels, friendly folks of good cheer, and idols of relentless sex appeal. It is, in other words, ridiculous nonsense. So leave it to writers David Wain and Ken Marino, the maximalist absurdists who between them gave the world Childrens Hospital, They Came Together, and Wet Hot American Summer,…
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08 Jul

Avatar Aang Trailer Only Makes Paramount’s Theatrical Dodge Even More Frustrating

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
The Last Airbender has returned… just not in the way you wanted. For those who did not watch the full movie that recently leaked online, the trailer for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was fan’s first chance to catch up on Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko, several years after the end of the hit series Avatar: The Last Airbender (but before the sequel series, The Legend of Korra). The trailer looks gorgeous, filled with character moments and dazzling action. It sees the core characters, now young adults, finding Tagah, a frozen Airbender voiced by Dave Bautista. Tagah offers Aangs the…
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08 Jul

The Walking Dead’s Most Essential Negan Episodes

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
As The Walking Dead: Dead City continues its story with a third season on AMC, we’re bringing you a comprehensive guide to the most essential Negan Smith episodes. Looking back on Negan’s Walking Dead journey to date, the reformed villain has been the focus of some incredible franchise installments, from his introduction as the baseball bat-wielding leader of the Saviors to his current position at Maggie Greene’s side, as the pair navigate their ongoing survival in an apocalyptic New York and beyond. Over the years, Negan has earned his place as one of The Walking Dead’s most enduring and compelling…
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07 Jul

15 People Share the Absolute Scariest Movie They’ve Ever Seen

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Horror films often leave a stronger impression when they tap into atmosphere, tension, and psychological discomfort rather than relying solely on visual shocks. Over time, audiences develop personal thresholds for fear, shaped by the first movies that genuinely unsettled them. In discussions about the scariest films ever experienced, certain titles appear repeatedly across different generations and viewing contexts. These films tend to create lasting memories, influencing how viewers approach the genre afterward. Whether through pacing, imagery, sound design, or narrative intensity, they manage to stay in the mind long after the credits roll, often becoming reference points for fear itself.…
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07 Jul

Captain America’s Mankini Reignites Gaming’s Fan Service Debate

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Many of us find the idea of a summer beach trip exciting. Crystal blue waves to cool you off, soft sand between your toes, getting some sun on your skin—it’s all pretty standard holiday bliss.  Captain America, on the other hand, seems to have gotten a little too carried away with the summer spirit, arriving at the shoreline with a level of enthusiasm that has had Marvel Rivals players looking further below the shield.  To kick off the summer, NetEase Games released a batch of swimsuit skins, bringing beach-ready looks to Loki, White Fox, and Captain America. While the lineup…
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07 Jul

YouTube Horror Just Scored One of its Biggest Movie Adaptations Yet

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
Horror fans have been eating good recently. From breakout indie films to blockbuster revivals and a new wave of video games, the genre has been firing on all cylinders. Now, one of YouTube’s most influential horror series is making the leap to Hollywood, marking yet another mainstream milestone for horror.  According to Deadline, Steven Spielberg is producing a feature film adaptation of The Mandela Catalogue, with Amblin Entertainment, United Artists, and Amazon MGM Studios set to produce it “following a highly competitive 11-studio bidding war.” The series creator, Alex Kister, is set to direct the film based on a screenplay…
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07 Jul

Supergirl Proves That the DCU Needs to Be Bigger than James Gunn

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
This article contains spoilers for Supergirl. Even those of us who liked Supergirl can’t call the movie a coherent vision. In the same way that Supergirl herself was constantly depowered, Milly Alcock’s vulnerable and ferocious take on the Maid of Might was undercut time and again by clunky story choices, a bland aesthetic, and distracting needle drops, culminating with a rendition of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” by indie artists Kelty Greye and KidMotel. Those last two points highlight the feeling that director Craig Gillespie was doing his own cover, emulating the work of DCU co-head James Gunn. Turns out,…
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07 Jul

Hands on With Onimusha: Way of the Sword – What’s New in Capcom’s Next Big Swing

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
From Resident Evil Requiem to Pragmata, Capcom has been having a banner year of delivering top-tier games that have been well-received by fans and critics alike. Now Capcom is looking to extend this trend with its next major title of the year, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, out this September for all major modern gaming platforms and the first brand-new title in the franchise in 20 years. While attending Summer Game Fest 2026, we got to play a new build of Way of the Sword three months ahead of the game’s launch and speak to director Satoru Nihei and producer…
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06 Jul

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Heavy Is the Head

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This review contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3. You ever of have of those days? Well, Rhaenyra Targaryen – Queen on the Iron Throne, former Princess of Dragonstone, the Realm’s Gods Damned Delight – is having one of those days. Not even 24 hours since the taking of King’s Landing, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) discovers that King’s Landing is very annoying. Before getting lost at sea in heavy armor, master of coin Ser Tyland Lannister emptied the Red Keep’s treasury and now the crown has no money. King Aegon II remains missing in action but his…
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06 Jul

My Adventures With Superman’s Superboy Rewrite Introduces an Important Character

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
This article contains spoilers for My Adventures With Superman season 3 episode 4. The reign of the Supermen is upon us. By the end of “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” both Superboy and the Cyborg Superman had entered the world of My Adventures with Superman. With John Henry Irons a.k.a. Steel introduced in previous seasons, and the Cyborg Superman also borrowing elements from the Eradicator, all four characters introduced in the 1993 DC Comics crossover Reign of the Supermen are now accounted for, setting up an epic battle that will play out in the next episode. The Cyborg Superman isn’t…
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04 Jul

5 Shows About British People Being Miserable to Celebrate the Fourth of July

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
First of all, congratulations. You did it. Two-hundred and fifty years ago, you adopted the Declaration of Independence and ditched Great Britain. You put your foot down. And you were right to do it. We were toxic and we weren’t making you happy. I’d love to say we learned, healed, and grew from the experience, but honestly, we didn’t. In the interest of transparency, we were down bad for some time. Oh, we carried on bossing other countries around for a while, doing despicable things. We pottered around with our little inventions, like steam engines, the National Health Service, and…
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04 Jul

Why Star Trek’s Most Iconic Piece of Technology Isn’t Getting Invented Any Time Soon

Max SchindlerNew DVD release
The Star Trek franchise’s fingerprints are all over basically every piece of contemporary science fiction. From an idea as large as an intergalactic government system to a design as commonplace as a spaceship that doesn’t just look like a saucer, Star Trek’s innovation is the foundation for tropes and machinery across the genre. But the standout piece of technological advancement, the “Transporter,” has spread across works in the genre. The Transporter, a method of transportation that dematerializes its users and sends their molecules across the galaxy to another location, is easily Star Trek’s most recognizable invention. It utilizes quantum teleportation…
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