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06 Jul

The Batman Movie That Divided Fans Becomes a Surprise Hit on Netflix

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Matt Reeves’ The Batman kicked off a new era of Dark Knight tales earlier this year, one in which a broody Robert Pattinson punishes criminals night after night while completely shedding the billionaire playboy persona that has long defined Bruce Wayne in pop culture. It’s definitely a different take than general audiences are used to seeing in theaters. But this year’s film marks the beginning of just the latest era of Batman movies for Warner Bros. Before The Batman, there was Zack Snyder’s DCEU take on the Caped Crusader. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck’s Bat branded…

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06 Jul

The Failure of Lightyear: Does Disney Have a Streaming Problem?

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It was a very happy Fourth of July holiday weekend for movie theater owners in the U.S. For the second week in a row, the top three highest grossing movies all crossed $20 million when the four-day window is accounted for. More impressive still, all of the weekend’s top five grossing pics are on the road to turning a hefty profit, with the second highest earner, Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, adding an astonishing $25.8 million to its gargantuan $564.3 million domestic total despite being in its sixth weekend. It’s giddy news for distributors and exhibitors who bet there was still…

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06 Jul

Battlestar Galactica: What’s Going On With the New Movie and TV Shared Universe?

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It’s been 13 years since the Galactica reached Earth. We watched in the 2009 finale “Daybreak” as Admiral Adama, President Roslin, Apollo, Starbuck, Gaius Baltar, and Caprica Six walked towards a bright and unwritten future in their new home. It was a cathartic (but predictably divisive) ending to a six-year TV journey that remains one of the best and most influential in science fiction history. There’s no question that Battlestar Galactica paved the way for other serious, gritty political sci-fi dramas like The Expanse and the recently released Foundation adaptation. But Battlestar Galactica‘s legacy is one thing. What about its…

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04 Jul

Stranger Things: Best Monster TV Shows & Movies to Watch Next

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Gloop. Guts. Gigantic gore creatures from alternate dimensions having tentacles axed off by plucky schoolkids who should by rights be doing homework/a paper route instead of saving the world, but honestly, who else is going to do it? Not the government, not the military and definitely not the shady experimental lab on the edge of town that’s the reason all the local rats now glow in the dark… That’s the kind of thing a show like Stranger Things offers, and now that season four is finished and Vecna is safely sealed up in psychic-proof Tupperware and buried under Mount Rushmore…

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02 Jul

How Star Trek: Nemesis Pulled off a Major Character Cameo

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One of the highlights of the current era of Star Trek is the return of Kate Mulgrew to the role of Admiral Kathryn Janeway, who fans first met as the captain of the USS Voyager in the series of the same name. During Voyager‘s original run from 1995 to 2001, Janeway led the stranded Intrepid-class starship through a hostile Delta Quadrant full of Borg, and when she finally got her crew back home safe, the captain was promoted to vice admiral by Starfleet. Longtime Star Trek fans may remember that Admiral Janeway’s promotion was first revealed on the big screen,…

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02 Jul

How One Scene Changed the Politics of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

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By 1972, 20th Century Fox was no longer dithering over each movie in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Following the success of 1970’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes, which the studio had been prepared to write off as a disaster, and 1971’s Escape from the Planet of the Apes, they had begun thinking about more than the current movie at hand. Thus the ending of the latter film expressly set up a fourth entry in the series: baby Milo, the offspring of the intelligent apes from the future, Cornelius (Rodney McDowall) and Zira (Kim Hunter), manages to survive…

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01 Jul

Why Elvis Should Have Listened to B.B. King

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“You don’t do the business, the business will do you,” B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) tells the rising Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. He says this after a late-night jam session which includes Little Richard (Alton Mason), and while the blues guitarist is admiring the shiny new ride owned by the white rock and roll sensation. King advises Elvis to start his own label. In reality, B.B. King did just that in 1956. At the time, he was coming off his best year, according to King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King, by…

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01 Jul

Sony Has a Marvel Hero Problem

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This article contains Marvel spoilers Sony’s recent string of releases and their upcoming debuts have definitely left some fans scratching their heads. With Sony entering a deal with Marvel Studios, Spider-Man’s fate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to unfold with great success. Yet, that leaves Sony in a strange position. With so many properties to choose from, but the webhead himself seemingly off the table, a new destination has to be set.  It seems that Sony might have a superhero problem, one that they are desperately trying to solve through some surprising decisions. There are various clues as to…

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01 Jul

Best Movies Coming to Netflix in July 2022

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As we head into the seventh month of 2022, it’s beginning to feel like the most familiar of holidays for those reading this in the U.S. The barbecue pits are grilling, the pools are filled with those swimming, and air conditioners are being turned up to full blast. Yep, the Fourth of July is almost here. For some—perhaps many—that feels less celebratory this year than in Julys past. But whether you’ve got the patriotic fever or not, there’s plenty to do this July, and well beyond the holiday. Netflix, for one, has assembled a surprisingly robust list of old favorites…

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01 Jul

HBO Max New Releases: July 2022

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With its list of new releases for July 2022, HBO Max is stepping up its TV game. Not that any entity associated with “It’s Not TV, It’s HBO” would ever not bring the televised goods, but the small screen is of particular consequence this month. The middle of July is jam-packed with TV goodies like docuseries The Anarchists (July 10), rescued animated project Tuca & Bertie season 3 (July 11), and the latest Nathan Fielder creation The Rehearsal (July 15). The real heavy hitter arrives later on though. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premieres on July 28 and will introduce…

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01 Jul

Amazon Prime Video New Releases: July 2022

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Two is the magic number when it comes to Prime Video’s list of new releases for July 2022. While Amazon’s streamer is bringing many library titles to the mix this month, it has two original TV shows and two original movies of note. Prime Video kicks off the month with The Terminal List on July 1. Though everything about that name screams “MOVIE” to me for some reason, the Chris Pratt-starring action property is actually a series. Pratt will portray James Reece, a Navy SEAL who returns home after his team is ambushed on a covert mission only to discover…

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01 Jul

Disney+ New Releases July 2022

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Sometimes even the most rich and powerful of streaming services need a little break. Such is the case with Disney+’s list of new releases for July 2022. As the stewards of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and hundreds of other beloved franchises and characters, Disney is never exactly hurting for content. And that’s good for them as streaming service Disney+ won’t be bringing much new material to the table in July 2022. The only major release of note this month is the finale for delightful Marvel series Ms. Marvel on July 13. The story of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) discovering her…

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01 Jul

Hulu New Releases: July 2022

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We don’t know if it’s appropriate to call it a Hot Hulu Summer, but the superior Disney-owned streaming service is certainly coming on strong with its new releases for July 2022. Hulu has a diverse array of original content and library offerings for those looking to escape the oppressive summer heat this month. It starts out on the movie side of things with the Joey King-starring The Princess on July 1. From there, Hulu is releasing original films like The Bob’s Burgers Movie on July 12, documentary feature Aftershock on July 19, and the intriguing Zoey Deutch project Not Okay…

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30 Jun

James Bond Franchise Confirms Release Plans for Next 007 Movie

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It seems like only yesterday that we last said farewell to Mr. Bond. But almost as soon as No Time to Die hit theaters, closing the Daniel Craig era of the 007 franchise, fans were ready to start speculating about the future. Now that Craig is done, who’s going to replace him as MI6’s most elite secret agent? And how will this new James Bond be different from what we’ve seen before? Well, we haven’t any answers to either of those questions yet. As far as we know, Bond’s still dead, blown to smithereens, and we don’t know how producers…

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30 Jun

The Matrix Revisits One of Its Biggest Mysteries in Haunting Images

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This article contains spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections. It’s been six months since the release of The Matrix Resurrections, the unexpected fourth entry in the cyberpunk saga that brings back Neo and Trinity for one last battle against the Machines. Since it bowed in December, diehard fans have continued to debate the film’s merits. Is it too beholden to nostalgia or is it too apathetic about the franchise’s storied past? Is it too meta or not self-aware enough? Does it earn its cathartic happy ending or is the third act too fan fiction-y? Your opinion of whether you think the…

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30 Jun

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings’ Early Drafts Killed Off a Beloved Character (& Other Mad Stuff)

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Warning: spoilers for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings throughout  All authors go through a process of drafting and redrafting, and this can involve making quite drastic changes to their stories. Usually all we get as readers are occasional tidbits in interviews (Arthur Weasley was to be killed off in The Order of the Phoenix!) but in the case of JRR Tolkien’s works, we have much, much more information. Tolkien’s son Christopher gathered and published enormous amounts of his father’s unpublished work, including a lot of drafts and notes Tolkien made in the course of his writing. And…

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30 Jun

Bridgerton Fans Need to Watch Mr. Malcolm’s List

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The upcoming theatrical release of Mr. Malcolm’s List may appear at first glance to be a “ripoff” of Bridgerton, but the similarities in aesthetics and concept are far outweighed by their greater differences. The new movie, for one, drastically decreases romantic heat while increasing the pressure on bachelors with big egos. This article hopefully will sway Bridgerton fans to go to the theater. Mr. Malcolm’s List of course shares some genre DNA with Bridgerton, and those elements will be the most appealing to the latter’s fans. Suzanne Allain first published Mr. Malcolm as a Regency era romance novel and she…

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30 Jun

Con Air Director Wants to Bring Nicolas Cage Back for Sequel in Space

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There was a time when a sequel set in space represented the creative nadir of any film franchise. Movies like Ice Age: Collision Course, Airplane II: The Sequel, and the James Bond outing Moonraker proved one small step for man was also one giant leap for far too many fans. But then in 2021, something happened. Fast & Furious boldly went where no Corona-drinking, backyard barbecue-loving, street racer had gone before. After years of jokes, F9 saw director Justin Lin do the unthinkable and send Dom Toretto’s “family” into space. This time, however, there was no significant blowback on the…

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28 Jun

Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 Goes Back to NYC Instead of Trying Something New

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I did not hate Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It feels weird having to write that qualification down for a movie that received mixed-to-positive reviews (it’s at 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as of press time), a glowing “A” CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, and which had a healthy, extended run at the November box office last year. Yet given the cacophony of disdain for the movie in the echo chambers of social media, it feels necessary to contextualize a movie like Afterlife before addressing news of its sequel. Because, yes, Sony Pictures is unsurprisingly moving forward with a direct follow-up of Jason…

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28 Jun

Barbie Movie Set Photos Stun With Inline Skates from Real ’90s Doll

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“C’mon, c’mon let’s skate some more!” So goes the catchy jingle in a 1996 TV commercial for Inline Skating Barbie. How little did the target demo realize then that about 25 years later, we would all get to see Barbie do it for real. Yet here we are in the future where at least Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken are having some fun! That joyous fact is revealed by the latest batch of set photos from the set of Greta Gerwig’s delightfully surreal-looking Barbie movie. The film, which marks the first time the iconic Mattel toy…

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