Movies

Leonard Nimoy is best known for playing Spock in all of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek series. He was the only actor from the original pilot to continue with The Original Series, and Spock quickly became the most popular character. Later, Jonathan Frakes played the action hero William Riker. Both Nimoy and Frakes found themselves with downtime on set, which inspired them to explore directing. Their experience on Star Trek led to some of the franchise’s most acclaimed movies and episodes. This sparked a tradition of Star Trek actors learning the ropes behind the camera, with many, like Robert Duncan McNeil and Roxann Dawson, becoming successful directors. Nimoy and Frakes pioneered this practice, driven by a desire to challenge themselves and grow beyond their established roles.

Restaurant Wars was a surprisingly smooth episode. It was refreshingly simple, with the only real challenge – handling takeout orders – not significantly impacting the results. The episode opened with news that Jennifer had to withdraw from the competition due to a hospital stay, and Justin chose to be with her. Sieger returned to take her place, joining Oscar, Brandon, and Jonathan’s team, who decided on a Latin-Southern fusion concept called Terra Reina. Sieger would be the executive chef and handle order expediting, while Brandon and Jonathan would cook, and Oscar would manage the front of house. The other team, opting for a broader Southern theme and naming themselves Carolina Queen, featured immunity-winning Anthony as executive chef, with Laurence and Sherry on cooking duty and Duyen handling front of house. During menu planning, Sieger volunteered to create both an appetizer and a dessert on top of his executive chef responsibilities, and Oscar planned an entree that Brandon would prepare. Brandon also took on a dessert, while Jonathan covered both an appetizer and an entree. On the Carolina Queen side, Anthony focused on an entree, Duyen on an appetizer, Sherry on both an appetizer and dessert, and Laurence on an entree and dessert. The division of labor on Carolina Queen, with each cook handling two dishes, felt more typical of past Restaurant Wars episodes, so it will be interesting to see how that approach plays out.

This week, Ben has been consistently frustrated with Daisy’s attempts to maintain a high level of service on the yacht. Despite a past mistake – serving soap to guests on a previous charter – he doesn’t seem as concerned about the kitchen’s performance as she is. The whole crew seems off, likely due to lingering effects from having two days off. Jason, always an early riser, found the main salon in complete disarray one morning. To make matters worse, everyone was late for the 7 a.m. start time set by the captain. Jason, who rarely loses his temper, was visibly angry and firmly reminded the crew that he’s their boss, not a friend. He went around waking everyone up and gathered them for a stern lecture. No one dared to speak up, not even Mike, who immediately questioned the early start time.

He links his recent career comeback to a sense of nostalgia, having appeared in films like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Scream 7, and Daredevil: Born Again since 2023. Despite this success, he surprisingly doesn’t think people are genuinely excited to see him act. “I believe I’m working because people are feeling nostalgic, not because they actually like me,” he explained. It seems Lillard underestimates how much his fans are looking forward to his projects!

Ubisoft has proven they can successfully update their classic games, which makes fans even more eager for what’s coming next. The company has stated they plan to remake older titles to bring them up to modern standards, and recent leaks, as reported by The Phrasemaker, hint that the next remake will be a long-awaited update to a particularly outdated Assassin’s Creed game.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films are packed with talented actors, and have likely boosted their popularity. This strong casting is a key reason the movies have become such a mainstream success. The second film continued this trend, and the upcoming third installment promises to feature some of the best performers working today – regardless of their role in the story.

Verity comes to theaters October 2.

Shueisha, the publisher of One Piece, has been issuing copyright strikes on X (formerly Twitter) to popular accounts that share information about upcoming chapters. Accounts like PewPiece, Redon, and WorstGenHQ have been affected, with Shueisha even flagging and penalizing their profile pictures. Redon noted that the strikes targeted posts discussing chapters that were already available in Japan.

Science fiction often blends with other genres, leading to compelling movies that feel realistic despite being set in post-apocalyptic worlds, retro-futuristic landscapes, or involving supernatural elements. These films often deliver dark and captivating stories, featuring tough, relatable characters we find ourselves supporting. They represent some of the most frightening, disturbing, and impactful science fiction movies of late.

Last weekend on Netflix, viewers were hooked on several shows. Running Point season 2 quickly became the most popular title in the U.S., while Unchosen topped charts worldwide for several days after its debut. Fans also enjoyed Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a brand-new spin-off series of the hit show Stranger Things. Other popular choices in April included season 2 of Beef, boasting a particularly impressive cast, and the new comedy reality series, Funny AF with Kevin Hart.