Movies

Okay, so heading into the final season of Stranger Things, my head is already spinning trying to remember everything! Vecna laid out this terrifying plan for Hawkins – and especially for Nancy’s family – at the end of season four, and it’s just…a lot. Eleven’s gotta get her powers back up to fight him one last time, but now the military is breathing down her neck, and we’re still not sure if Max will ever wake up. Honestly, trying to keep track of things like the hive mind and who was in the Hellfire Club feels overwhelming. That’s why I put together a little refresher guide to everything that’s gone down in Hawkins over the last four seasons. Consider it homework, folks! We’ve got alternate dimension baddies to beat, and you need to know your Mind Flayers from your Demogorgons!

Welcome to Derry introduces a fresh group of children who encounter the terrifying, shape-shifting entity known as It. Simultaneously, the story follows a military team—led by Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) and Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo)—attempting to capture It and use its powers as a weapon.

Featuring Andie MacDowell as Del, Chyler Leigh as Kat, Sadie Laflamme-Snow as Alice, Spencer MacPherson as Jacob, and Jefferson Brown as Colton, along with Evan Williams as Elliot Augustine, The Way Home has captivated Hallmark Channel audiences since its debut in 2023. The show centers on the Landry family and Elliot, who shares a complicated relationship with Kat.

Square Enix recently announced that a new novel, Dear Destiny, is coming to the world of Final Fantasy 7. The novel is written by Kazushige Nojima, who originally wrote the story for FF7 and also penned previous FF7 novels like On the Way to a Smile, The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story, and Traces of Two Pasts. It’s set to be released in Japan on January 30, 2026.

Directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz is a classic film based on L. Frank Baum’s first book in the fantasy series. It features Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley. Widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, it was ranked as the best fantasy film by the American Film Institute in 2008.

In Joel Edgerton’s Train Dreams, Robert Grainier is a reserved man who prefers to stay out of trouble. He lives a quiet life with his family on a remote piece of land in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and works diligently as a logger, mostly keeping to himself and working peacefully alongside his colleagues. He avoids debt, stays sober, and generally avoids getting involved in anything that doesn’t concern him directly – he simply keeps to himself.

The discussion around the film The Brutalist focused on director Corbet’s use of AI. He used it to refine actor Adrien Brody’s Hungarian pronunciation for his role as architect László Tóth, and to help create drawings and depictions of Tóth’s buildings. Corbet feels the media coverage of this was inaccurate, pointing out that AI is already common in film editing software. Director Fastvold clarified they never altered Brody’s English accent or performance, but used AI to ensure his Hungarian sounded authentic. Their goal was to respectfully represent Hungarian people and avoid a poor imitation of their language. Despite the controversy, Brody went on to win the Best Actor Oscar and gave a remarkably long acceptance speech.

This wasn’t just a loyal and lively adaptation; it was arguably one of the most mature Spider-Man shows ever created, willing to explore themes rarely touched upon in children’s cartoons. Unlike other Spider-Man animated series that stuck to typical lighthearted formulas, this show didn’t shy away from darker and more complex storylines. Previous versions from the 60s and 80s often lacked substantial plots and relied on padding, while more recent series tended to tone down anything too intense.

When making past Star Wars films, directors often had to follow established storylines and rules to ensure consistency within each trilogy. Director Jon Levy discussed filming Starfighter and the overall experience of creating a Star Wars movie during an interview on The Business podcast with Kim Masters.

Teyana Taylor drew inspiration from Tupac Shakur’s complex and often debated persona for her role as Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson’s gripping new film, One Battle After Another. The movie begins with a close-up of Perfidia as she surveys an immigration detention center on the U.S.-Mexico border. Perfidia is a key figure in the French 75, a radical left-wing group whose daring raid on the facility—and the consequences that follow—make up the first half-hour of the film. While the rest of the group focuses on helping immigrants escape, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, a bomb expert nicknamed “Ghetto” Pat, creates a dramatic explosion to announce their revolution and, primarily, to get Perfidia’s attention. However, she’s distracted, keeping her gun trained on Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), the facility’s head officer. Lockjaw, with a voice reminiscent of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a troubling interest in Perfidia, is portrayed as both a darkly comedic figure and a chilling representation of state-sanctioned violence.