Minority Mindset

Historian Roel Konijnendijk, appearing on Insider’s ‘How Real Is It?’ series, praised the accuracy of the gladiator battles in the upcoming film Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. He was particularly impressed with the attention to detail, noting that ships used in a naval battle scene were based on authentic ancient Roman designs. Konijnendijk added that the filmmakers cleverly combined elements from different historical periods, showing they had thoroughly researched what these ships would have looked like.

Marvel just released a new 50-second trailer for its upcoming series, Wonder Man, which will be available on Disney+ starting January 27th. The show follows Simon Williams, an actor trying to make it big in Hollywood. He desperately wants to star in a remake of “Wonder Man” and will do anything – even pretend to have an agent – to land the part. With a little help from Ben Kingsley’s character, Trevor Slattery (famous for playing a false Mandarin), Simon seems to be getting closer to his goal. However, he’s keeping a major secret: he actually has real superpowers, and the new trailer shows them starting to emerge in dramatic fashion.

As a TV critic, I’m telling you, this year is shaping up to be HUGE. We’re getting fresh seasons of shows everyone loves – I’m talking The Pitt, Ted Lasso, even Game of Thrones and For All Mankind. Plus, there’s a wave of new superhero content, some really promising adaptations of beloved books, and a ton of original stories to keep us glued to our screens. Honestly, that’s just scratching the surface of what’s coming!

There’s a real sense of nostalgia with the release of his latest big summer film. Disclosure Day represents Steven Spielberg’s return to science fiction and horror – the very genres that launched his career over 50 years ago. It’s a reminder of how much time has passed.

Even though BAFTA expanded its lists this year, there were still some surprising omissions and snubs. Notably missing from the shortlist was Wagner Moura, the Brazilian actor from The Secret Agent, who many believe will receive an Oscar nomination. As usual, British films like The Ballad of Wallis Island and I Swear were heavily represented, both making the longlist for Best Film. One Battle After Another continued to lead with 16 mentions, closely followed by Hamnet and Sinners with 14 each. Wicked: For Good also performed well, receiving eight mentions, though it didn’t make the Best Film list.