Movies

Late-night TV also collided with internet culture when Jimmy Fallon and Malala Yousafzai recreated a popular TikTok dance trend on The Tonight Show. One commenter joked it felt like watching a real-life episode of 30 Rock or The Other Two. While the image of Jimmy Fallon and Malala Yousafzai performing a Nicki Minaj song does seem bizarre, it’s also strangely perfect. That’s the point of late-night shows – to offer delightfully odd pairings and entertainment that blurs the line between reality and dreams as you wind down for the night. It’s meant to be so surreal you question what’s real. Here’s a look at who else embraced the trend this week.

According to legal filings obtained by US Weekly, Blake Lively’s lawyers claim there’s strong proof of a retaliatory effort against her, as she alleges. However, those on the other side, connected to Jason Baldoni, are also making accusations.

Laurence Fishburne recently shared his interest in playing Professor X, and the internet went wild with the idea. Many, including myself, can easily imagine him leading the X-Men, and I’m eager to see his interpretation of the role. During a recent interview with him for TopMob about his work on The Witcher Season 4, I asked him about his comment and why he was so drawn to the character. Here’s what he told me:

Francis Ford Coppola is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers ever, and his first two Godfather films are his most famous successes. However, his entire career is filled with remarkable work. Films like Apocalypse Now and The Conversation demonstrate his skill as a storyteller and his technical expertise. He’s also explored different genres, with movies like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the 2011 horror film Twixt, continually evolving as a director. This long history of talent and varied interests culminated in one of the most unusual films of 2024.

Viewers who followed the Star Wars saga in release order witnessed Ben Solo’s journey toward redemption throughout the sequel trilogy. After sharing their initial reactions to the Kylo Ren movie online, some fans have taken their protest a step further. Collider reports that a group actually paid for a plane to fly over Disney headquarters, trailing a banner that read:

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) hinted strongly at the arrival of the villain Darkseid, who finally appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League as a possible future threat to the Justice League. However, those plans were abandoned when the DC Universe (DCU) was rebooted. Now, with the DCU starting fresh with both new and returning characters, many fans thought Darkseid might be the main villain in the first chapter, “Gods and Monsters.” But recent comments from James Gunn suggest that won’t be the case.

Tubi, the free streaming service with ads, started gaining attention when it added a large collection of classic Looney Tunes cartoons in August. They acquired 789 shorts, ranging from golden-age favorites like “The Great Piggy Bank Robbery” and “Long-Haired Hare” to cartoons from the early 1990s. According to Tubi’s head of acquisitions, Samuel Harowitz, the Looney Tunes collection has been incredibly successful, becoming one of the platform’s top ten most-watched series and appealing to viewers of all ages.

The movie generally sticks to familiar zombie movie tropes, featuring sad deaths and intense fights for survival. While the ending is mostly hopeful and touching, the very last scene suggests the characters’ safety isn’t guaranteed.

The 2017 film 47 Meters Down features Claire Holt and Mandy Moore (known from The Princess Diaries). The movie follows two sisters on vacation in Mexico who decide to go cage diving. Their adventure turns into a terrifying fight for survival when the cage breaks and sinks to the ocean floor, leaving them trapped underwater with dwindling oxygen and great white sharks circling nearby. They desperately search for a way to escape.

I have to admit, I came into this story a little late – I hadn’t listened to all the Murdaugh Murders Podcast episodes, watched the Netflix series, or followed all the Dateline, 48 Hours, and 20/20 coverage. But Death in the Family quickly filled me in. It turns out Alex Murdaugh came from a prominent South Carolina family with a dark past, building his fortune through settlements and some shady dealings. The series lays out everything – how he was ultimately convicted of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. What I really appreciated about this Hulu miniseries, from Erin Lee Carr and Michael D. Fuller, is that it doesn’t try to shock you with twists. It’s a straightforward, unsettling look at a man with no moral compass, and it’s all the more impactful for it.