Streaming fantasy shows are all over the place in terms of quality. While some, like Netflix’s The Witcher, have quickly lost popularity, others, such as Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, have been well-received. The Rings of Power has sparked a lot of debate, and HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series will need to prove to audiences that a new live-action version is worth making.
For a long time, it was simply assumed that celebrities would use their fame to speak out on issues they cared about. Award shows and media appearances often turned into platforms for expressing their beliefs and discussing important topics – it was just part of being a public figure.
Written by Oscar nominee Randall Wallace, Braveheart features Mel Gibson as William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who ignited a rebellion against the harsh English rule of his homeland. This uprising became known as the First War of Scottish Independence. Gibson not only starred in the film but also directed and produced it, making it his second directorial project.
Look, this actor absolutely blew me away this year. Everyone’s talking about his complex character in this new film, but it’s worth remembering he also played a similarly flawed, yet compelling, figure – this time as a criminal – in the fantastic series MobLand. Seeing him nail both roles in the same year really cemented his status as the master of the anti-hero. He just gets those morally gray characters, and delivers a performance you can’t look away from.
The film centers on a wealthy but deeply troubled American family who relocated to Spain six years ago, drawn by the mother’s love of Gaudi and the children’s appreciation for Balenciaga. Since the mother’s tragic death, the family has lived off her inheritance, with the children caring for their demanding, blind father. Jack seems to be the most adjusted, but his brothers and sister harbor complicated feelings for him – Robert is secretly infatuated, and Anna is intensely jealous of Jack’s fiancée, Martha. The family dynamics are far more disturbing than simple sibling rivalry, and Jack’s seemingly normal life is a facade. The story is narrated by Edward, who longs to escape to Greece and fixates on luxury goods. He admits to creating empty, pseudo-philosophical statements, like, “A banana falls down, no matter. A melon falls down, it’s over,” and “People are roses. Families are rosebushes. Rosebushes need pruning.” Revealing more about the plot would spoil the film’s many shocking twists.
Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, known for their films Goodnight Mommy and The Devil’s Bath, The Lodge is a chilling, atmospheric horror film that puts a unique spin on the classic “cabin in the woods” trope. While it features some familiar scares, this critically praised movie offers something different than typical horror fare.
In a recent interview with MovieWeb, director Trachtenberg revealed that the voice of Kwei’s Ship Computer was provided by the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer brothers. He shared with us:
The comic book series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy expands the official Star Trek story and shows that the classic uniforms from Star Trek: The Original Series are still being worn in the 31st century. In the sixth issue, written by Kenneth Lin & Kiley Rossetter and directed by Larry Teng, cadets from Starfleet Academy and War College find themselves stranded on the abandoned USS Miyazaki, facing off against dangerous, cannibalistic aliens known as the Furies.
Strip Law is a hilarious animated comedy created by Cullen Crawford. The show centers around Lincoln Gumb, a very proper lawyer, and Sheila Flambé, a quirky magician, who team up to solve the strangest cases Las Vegas has to offer. It boasts a talented voice cast including Adam Scott, Janelle James, Stephen Root, Shannon Gisela, and Keith David.
Dystopian stories often aim to teach us something about society, and some have turned out to be surprisingly accurate in their predictions. With all the challenges and uncertainty of the 2020s – from the COVID-19 pandemic to political unrest – many dark visions of the future now feel eerily realistic. As the world becomes more difficult, even well-made dystopian films can be unsettlingly close to our current reality.