Movies

Even after being banned from filmmaking for 20 years, Jafar Panahi continued to make films in Iran, secretly getting them out of the country. He was arrested in 2022 and imprisoned for seven months, eventually being released after protesting with a hunger strike. This week, he received a one-year prison sentence from an Iranian court – while he was not present – for allegedly spreading propaganda against the government.

Seeing the title and knowing it’s a Christmas horror film, you might expect the story to involve creepy elves or other sinister helpers of Santa. While that’s partially right, the actual plot is even stranger than you’d think.

As a huge Halo fan, I recently read an article about Marcus Lehto – one of the original creators at Bungie and the guy who designed Master Chief! Apparently, it was a real struggle to finally settle on Master Chief’s look. The article said he talked about this at a university lecture. With the new remake, Campaign Evolved, on the way, it’s fascinating to learn more about how the original game’s art style came together and how much work went into creating such an iconic character.

Peacock is developing a new hourlong series based on the classic game Clue. The show will be written and executive produced by Dana Fox (known for Wicked: For Good) and directed and executive produced by Nicholas Stoller (Platonic, You’re Cordially Invited).

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #17 (LGY#983)

Okay, let’s be honest, everyone loves debating the greatest TV couples. But I’m taking a different approach here. Forget the slow burn and longing glances – I’m interested in the couples who were so hot and heavy, they actually got kicked out of restaurants! We’re talking about sitcom pairings who couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and whose public displays of affection went a little too far. So, while other shows drag out the ‘will they, won’t they’ tension, these couples skipped right to the action…and sometimes paid the price for it!

In the 2025 Christmas movie, Felicity Jones stars as Channing, the oldest daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, Claire. Channing brings her entire family to her parents’ house for the holidays. They end up staying in what seems to be her old bedroom, but there’s a catch: it only has one twin bed, and she and her husband, played by Jason Schwartzman, are expected to share it throughout their visit.

Scarlett Johansson is joining the cast of Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2, the sequel to The Batman, which is currently scheduled for release in 2027. Robert Pattinson will return as Bruce Wayne. While details are scarce, some believe Johansson might play a romantic interest for Bruce Wayne who could also be a villain, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

It’s strangely fitting – and yet unexpected – how perfectly Godard’s first film captures his style. After sixty-five years, Breathless is firmly established as one of the most important and influential works of the 20th century. Though it hasn’t received quite as much formal recognition as Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (it never ranked among the top ten in Sight & Sound’s prestigious “Greatest Films of All Time” poll, which initially propelled Kane to fame), Breathless is likely the second most significant debut film ever made. It’s a landmark achievement, no matter how you view it. Bernardo Bertolucci famously compared Godard to Christ, suggesting that cinema was fundamentally changed by his work – meaning that everything before Breathless is different from everything after it.

In a clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Variety, Joel Edgerton responded to James Cameron’s comments at the Gotham Awards. Edgerton explained that Cameron seemed to overlook the fact that many filmmakers rely on funding and distribution from streaming services to get their projects made. His reply was measured, well-considered, and realistic.