From: The Simpsons
Pros: Your dad could win any game of “two truths and a lie” because he was once an astronaut, or a barbershop quartet heartthrob, or the creator of grunge music, or the inventor of Ron Howard’s favorite drink, the Lawnmower.
Cons: Be cautious, my dear, as the strange incidents continue to occur. Disregard any misleading information, as these unusual events are still happening.
Indeed, Tom Hanks reprises his role as Woody once more. In our previous encounter, Woody had parted ways with Bonnie, venturing out on his own, but he’s made his way back to reunite with his old companions for this movie. The reason behind his return, according to Screen Rant’s report from a Pixar preview event in June, is that Joan Cusack’s character, Jessie, has requested Woody’s help to deal with issues caused by the film’s contemporary antagonist. It’s important to mention that Woody might not hold as prominent a role in this film compared to previous ones. As Tim Allen mentioned to WIVB in April, the movie seems to focus more on Jessie, although he did confirm that both Buzz and Woody will find themselves back together again.
As a cinephile, I can’t help but be captivated by the story of Zsa-Zsa Korda, the billionaire arms dealer and industrial titan portrayed by Benicio del Toro in Wes Anderson’s newest film, The Phoenician Scheme. After surviving numerous assassination attempts and walking away from his sixth plane crash, it’s clear that Zsa-Zsa is a force of nature. His unyielding determination, which has been the driving force behind his empire, also makes him seemingly invincible. (“If something gets in your way, flatten it,” his father once said to him.)
Recently, Zsa-Zsa has been haunted by visions of the afterlife, reminding him that death is inevitable. In an attempt to leave a lasting legacy, he embarks on a mission to fund grand infrastructure projects across the Middle East. He seeks help from his estranged daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who is training to be a nun and could potentially inherit his empire.
As they travel together for negotiations, both Zsa-Zsa and Liesl learn from each other. However, their personal growth trajectories differ significantly. Liesl discovers that the life of a nun may not be for her, and she begins to embrace aspects of her father. On the other hand, Zsa-Zsa grapples with understanding the difference between right and wrong. It takes a divine intervention – being told by God himself that slave labor is immoral – for him to realize his mistake.
In the end, after battling his brother Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), who represents capitalism personified, Zsa-Zsa funds the infrastructure projects on his own, giving away his immense wealth and instead choosing to run a restaurant with Liesl. The film’s optimistic conclusion offers redemption for a man who has done much wrong, leaving some viewers questioning whether forgiveness should be extended to such an undeserving character.
Speaking with Roxana Hadadi, who recently spent time with Luna at Vidiots for a Vulture cover story, it’s clear that Luna is aiming to be among the nominees for ‘Andor’ this year in the Best Actor in a Drama category. However, the competition is fierce with performers such as Pedro Pascal, Adam Scott, and Noah Wyle all vying for a spot. The voting for nominations continues until June 23rd, so I reached out to Roxana to discuss our shared anticipation for ‘Andor’s prospects.
Speaking straight from the heart as a devoted cinephile, I’ll share this: The moment our story reaches its finale is when we, the visionaries, decide to pull the curtain. Here’s an intriguing glimpse into one of my favorite shows – Gaby is so captivated by Labubus that she persuades Dr. Rhoades to open those mysterious blind boxes with her.
In this lineup of diverse talents, will Top Chef host Kristen Kish rise to the top? Will Eric Nam and Candiace join forces on a new song? Could Dorinda oust Monét X Change as retaliation? The possibility that makes us most uneasy is the potential alliance between Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, who could potentially dominate if they team up. By the way, Mama Kelce, Taylor Swift’s quasi-mother-in-law, will also be there! In 2026, we predict that Team Funches will rule in The Traitors season four.
Discussing recent late-night appearances, Yakov Smirnoff was on “The Tonight Show” this week and he was hilarious! Despite his resemblance to Vice President Biden in terms of forehead size, the audience couldn’t get enough of his jokes about uniquely American occurrences. In the end, he expressed heartfelt gratitude towards the American people for their warm reception towards immigrants like himself. It’s quite timely, as it seems we’re all experiencing and reacting to these extraordinary events in real-time, aren’t we?
A significant factor might be that the 2010 film was computer-animated rather than hand-drawn, which may have contributed to its lack of the classic, nostalgic charm. However, this beloved movie, directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (the duo behind Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, incidentally), skillfully combined action and emotion, giving its characters a depth that made their fantastical challenges seem real. This allowed us to empathize with them, imagining ourselves in their positions – possibly one reason why the movie was such a success, and why many parents found themselves rewatching it frequently with their children over the years.
Among the three guests present, one is Alain Cariou (Grégoire Colin), a socialist scholar with ties to Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader, from their student activist days in Paris. Intrigued by the concept of the recently renamed “Democratic Kampuchea”, Cariou seeks to debunk what he perceives as biased, anti-communist news in Western media, which has been reporting on refugee accounts about prisons, torture, mass killings, famine, and sickness. (It is estimated that the Cambodian genocide would eventually take around 2 million lives.) He listens attentively as his companions praise their efforts to mold “a new person”, and he readily accepts their optimistic portrayals of life under Pol Pot’s version of communism, branded as Year Zero: a society where everyone appears content, having relinquished material possessions, personal freedom, individuality, education, and even eyeglasses.
Ryan Coogler, 137 minutes