Entertainment

2025’s holiday season was packed with blockbusters such as Wicked and the sequel to Gladiator, leaving January a bit thin on premium video-on-demand offerings. However, if you prefer catching movies in theaters, there are several decent options available, and we’ll update our recommendations as more become accessible, sometimes even hours before they go live. You can find these films on platforms like Apple TV, Amazon, and Fandango at Home for rental, typically around $19.99. (Please note that release dates may change.)

Paul Schrader didn’t watch a film until he turned 17 years old, and the Disney movie “The Absent-Minded Professor ” at a Grand Rapids, Michigan theater was his first sneaked escape from his strict Calvinist household. He wasn’t particularly moved by it. However, it was only when he delved into 1960s European cinema during college that he developed a passion for filmmaking. As Schrader explained to Nicolas Cage in “Interview” magazine, “We often love the movies we fell in love with when we first discovered cinema. For me, that was serious cinema.

Warning: This discussion contains spoilers for the first episode of Severance season two, titled “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” which debuted on Apple TV+ on January 17th.

Let me remind you about what happened last time: Gary, Daisy, Keith, and Chase hit the clubs with some guests. Glenn made it clear that if they exceeded the two-drink limit, they’d lose their share of the tip. Well, Gary drank ten, Keith and Daisy four, and Chase only one. So logically, Chase should be the only one to get a tip. However, this week Glenn admits he didn’t expect to have to enforce that rule. As a result, the captain reconsiders the penalty for Gary, Keith, and Daisy. He argues they were still good hosts, so it seems fairer to dock them each 500 euros instead of withholding their tips entirely. Glenn asks: “What do you think about that?” And me, shouting at the TV: “Glenn, I totally disagree with you!

This year, unlike previous ones where the Best Picture winner seemed inevitable, the race is wide open and unpredictable. I believe there are five or possibly six films that could win the top prize. Although the precursors have provided some clarity, several key categories still seem uncertain. If anyone can decipher the Supporting Actress category, they should take charge of international diplomacy! However, remember, these are the Oscars, not a device that adds up guild results, so we should anticipate some unexpected outcomes. Here’s my prediction for which films will be nominated in the eight major categories when the Oscar nominations are announced on Thursday.

In response to being referred to as “Mr. Leigh” during an interview, the 82-year-old filmmaker Mike Leigh, who is battling myositis, a rare autoimmune disease affecting his muscles, explains that he relies on a cane for support and assistance in standing up but manages to move around fairly well. His works include acclaimed films like “High Hopes,” “Secrets and Lies,” “Topsy-Turvy,” “Career Girls,” and “Mr. Turner.

Instead of saying “However, the callback was as close as he was going to get to Pandora,” you could rephrase it as “Unfortunately, the callback brought him closest to Pandora.”

In the second sentence, instead of “Gad claimed that when production digitized him to see how he’d look as a Na’vi, he looked too much like another blue creature who lived in a magical forest,” you could say “Gad asserted that once they digitally transformed him for the role of a Na’vi, he resembled another inhabitant of the mystical forest who was also blue.”

Lastly, instead of “He shared, “I apparently did not get [the role] because, while James Cameron was said to be thrilled with my audition, when I was turned into a digital Avatar I supposedly looked like a tall, overweight Smurf,”” you could rephrase it as “He mentioned that he likely didn’t land the part due to the fact that, even though James Cameron allegedly found his audition impressive, when they converted him into a digital Avatar, they claimed he looked like an oversized and portly Smurf.”

Lastly, instead of “Blue just wasn’t his color,” you could say “Simply put, blue was not the right hue for him.

Instead of relying solely on human effort by “working harder” (AH), Janscó pointed out the benefits of using AI. He noted that Hungarian, being one of the most challenging languages to pronounce, required additional help even for Brody, who has a Hungarian mother. Janscó and his team trained the AI to speak Hungarian flawlessly, aiming to ensure that the AI’s pronunciation was indistinguishable from native speakers’. In comparison to manual adjustments made by human sound engineers in ProTools, Janscó suggested that using AI helped expedite the process significantly due to the large amount of Hungarian dialogue they had to work with.

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit, there’s a certain charm in movies that keep things concise, wrapping up in under 90 minutes. However, the allure of extended cinematic journeys, those movies that run beyond the three-hour mark, is undeniable – especially when you find yourself confined at home for extended periods. Some of these lengthy films magnify the traditional three-act structure into grand epics, while others use their extended runtime to veer off into unanticipated directions. While I wouldn’t recommend watching them back-to-back, savoring each one on its own merit is an experience worth adjusting your schedule for.

Without a doubt, the main conflict revolves around the question that has become a constant tabloid topic: Mia Thornton’s relationship status – is she with Inc or Gordon? Furthermore, there is concern about her children’s whereabouts and well-being. Many wonder why she continues to subject them to this public drama.

However, despite the extensive coverage this storyline has received, the answers appear surprisingly straightforward: Mia is in a troubled marriage and seeks to exact revenge on her ex for ratings; her children should not be used as mere entertainment fodder, yet she seems oblivious to the potential repercussions of the ongoing paternity dispute. For all the commotion this story causes, the resolution appears as clear-cut as Karen’s DUI conviction.