The best comic book series deeply understand their characters, pairing that insight with amazing artwork to create unforgettable stories. These series stay with readers for years, and often become the standard for how everyone – both fans and the publisher – thinks the character should be portrayed.
While characters like Saruman and Sauron were incredibly inventive – demonstrated by creations like the Rings of Power – Tolkien made it clear who possessed the greatest knowledge of Middle-earth. That character was Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Interestingly, two characters within the book itself confirmed this in just three words each.
Unfortunately, this film doesn’t offer much that hasn’t already been done better in similar movies. It’s heavily influenced by the styles of filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, and Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, using unusual visuals and outdated fashion to try and convey deeper themes, but without much success. The electronic score by Oliver Coates is particularly jarring and unpleasant.
Quentin Tarantino readily offers solutions, and even suggested who could have played the Sunday brothers – Austin Butler, though Butler was only 15 years old at the time the movie came out. Tarantino praised Butler, but then surprisingly criticized Paul Dano, calling him a “weak” and “uninteresting” actor – even going so far as to label him the weakest in the Screen Actors Guild. If Paul Dano wants to challenge Tarantino to a video game competition, the opportunity is there.
While Parks and Rec doesn’t necessarily reinvent the sitcom wheel, it has a distinctly charming comedic style, particularly when compared to other popular shows. The series finds humor in the everyday lives and quirky mishaps of people in Pawnee, Indiana, using these moments to build both the overall story and individual episodes. The show aims for relatable and heartwarming laughs, often through running jokes and memorable moments – like Ben’s well-known obsession with calzones, which is seamlessly woven into the show’s fabric.
Those who enjoyed Fire & Blood will be pleased to know there’s much more story to come. The season 2 finale, featuring armies and dragons amassing throughout Westeros, isn’t a misleading setup – major events are on the horizon. We’ll see Rhaenyra face increasingly tough choices, and the show needs to be careful not to have her storyline mirror Daenerys’ path from Game of Thrones too closely.
If you’re like me and always thought of AI as something distant and futuristic… well, get ready, because the future is happening right now!
The creators of the show, Matt and Ross Duffer, shared that the number of viewers for Volume 1 has been amazing – far exceeding their expectations. They expressed how rewarding it’s been to see the show’s fanbase grow over the past ten years, not just survive, and thanked the actors and the thousands of artists who contributed to bringing the story to life. They are thrilled to release Volume 2 and promise there’s much more to come!
Though It: Welcome to Derry includes many knowing references to Stephen King’s work, the show doesn’t shy away from darkness. It’s consistently brutal and grim, starting with the shocking deaths of seemingly safe characters in the very first episode and continuing with the harsh fate of Marge in episode four. Each new installment reliably increases the show’s intensity.
The first part of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is now available on Netflix. The initial four episodes include the show’s most shocking death and conclude with a major reveal: Will Byers possesses special abilities. The sequence was particularly impactful, and I found it even more enjoyable after revisiting the first two seasons beforehand.