Movies

The action film Sisu: Road to Revenge gained popularity after its release, drawing comparisons to the John Wick series – and it’s actually a sequel to a similar movie. While it didn’t initially make a huge splash in theaters, it’s now found a large audience on a major streaming service. This success suggests a potential future for action movies, in a way that echoes the older practice of releasing films directly to home video.

As a huge comedy fan, I’m obsessed with this show called Last One Laughing. The concept is brilliantly simple: ten comedians are locked in a room with everything they need – props, food, even a stage – but the goal is to not laugh. Seriously, crack up twice and you’re eliminated. Last person standing without laughing wins! The host – Jimmy Carr in the UK version – throws in games and challenges to mess with them, and each comedian prepares a bit – it doesn’t even have to be traditional stand-up – hoping to make the others lose it first. But honestly, the best part is just watching them interact and trying to keep straight faces. It’s hilarious! Speaking of which, if anyone at Amazon is listening, I’ve put together a dream list of ten US comedians who I think would absolutely crush it on the first season of Last One Laughing: U.S. – hopefully that’s coming soon!

One exciting thing about the new Harry Potter trailer is that the show will actually show events that were only talked about in the books. For instance, the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, didn’t depict Harry being bullied by Dudley or getting a harsh haircut from Petunia, even though the book did mention these things happening. The book explained that Petunia once cut Harry’s hair extremely short because she was annoyed by it, and then punished him when it grew back quickly.

The film is now facing more controversy involving its director, Kristoffer Borgli. Borgli, who previously directed the 2023 Nicolas Cage film Dream Scenario, is receiving criticism for an essay he wrote that was published in a Norwegian financial newspaper, Dagens Naeringsliv. Scans of the article, which appears in the paper’s culture section, have spread online, particularly on Reddit. The essay details a relationship Borgli had with a teenage girl when he was 27 years old.

As a huge Marvel fan, I was thrilled to hear that Wonder Man is officially getting a second season on Disney+! It’s a big deal because it’s only the third Marvel Television series on Disney+ to get renewed after one season. Loki was the first back in 2021, and Daredevil: Born Again is next – they’ve even renewed that for a third season already! It’s great to see Marvel continuing to expand its stories on the streaming platform.

Many popular shows are now taking incredibly long breaks between seasons, frustrating fans. For example, viewers had to wait three years for the latest season of Stranger Things, and the results weren’t what they hoped for. Severance also had a three-year gap between seasons. Now, the new Harry Potter series won’t return until at least 2028, meaning kids who enjoyed the first season will likely be grown up by the time the expensive and questionable adaptation continues.

The show focuses on the forging of the Rings of Power, taking place thousands of years before the events in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. While many viewers are enjoying this new interpretation of Middle-earth, it’s also proven quite controversial. Some fans of Tolkien’s books are unhappy with changes made to the source material, and others have criticized the show’s decision to include a more diverse cast.

The shocking ending of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen shouldn’t be that surprising – the title itself is a pretty clear warning! The show expertly builds a sense of dread throughout, making it less about if something terrible would happen and more about who would survive. The finale delivers on that promise with a truly gruesome and high body count. After watching the entire series, though, it’s natural to be left wondering what the whole experience meant.

The show’s struggles are particularly noticeable in the first part of the finale, “Search and Rescue,” penned by creator Connor Hines and Elizabeth Beller. This section features John and Carolyn in marriage therapy, revisiting a familiar argument. The scene largely replays a fight from earlier in the season, which, as our reviewer Rafaela Bassili noted, felt overly dramatic. Carolyn is growing frustrated with how her marriage has thrust her into the public eye and forced her to accommodate John’s family. John, meanwhile, acts immaturely and blames Carolyn for not understanding what she was getting into. Despite the added pressure of their famous family name, the fight feels like a typical couple arguing about in-laws and a fading connection. Honestly, if I were there, I’d urge them to stop the unhealthy cycle and consider going their separate ways.

I just saw the latest manga sales numbers from outside of Japan, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag! The Jujutsu Kaisen spinoff, Mamahaha no Kokoroe, had a really nice boost – over 8,000 more copies sold for Volume 3, which is awesome! But honestly, everything else on the list pretty much stayed the same. It’s cool to see Mamahaha doing well, but I was hoping for a bit more movement overall.