Minority Mindset

James L. Brooks’s new film, releasing December 12th, stars Emma Mackey as Ella McCay, a fictional character who’s already captured the public’s imagination – much like other memorable film protagonists. Based on the trailers, Ella seems like a woman juggling a lot – a chaotic family and a run for governor, to be exact! The movie plays with the idea that piling on more complications – like a quirky aunt (Jamie Lee Curtis) and an unusual brother (Spike Fearn), along with Kumail Nanjiani – will create a richer story. Interestingly, all the promotional posters show Ella putting on her shoe, even though this simple act doesn’t actually happen in the film – she manages to put her shoes on just fine!

With the new season of Stranger Things not arriving until December, fans will have plenty of free time. While they could spend it with family and enjoying the holidays, many will likely miss the show and be looking for something to fill the void. Luckily, there’s a lesser-known sci-fi movie from 2011 that captures a similar feel to Stranger Things and might just satisfy that craving.

Critics, general viewers, and book fans are all responding well to the new Disney+ TV show, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Unlike the previous movies, this adaptation stays much closer to the original story, making it a more satisfying experience overall.

Renowned director James Cameron, known for films like Titanic and Aliens, recently discussed the growing use of generative AI with SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. In the podcast, Cameron expressed his worries about the technology, stating that it’s important to distinguish between traditional computer-assisted filmmaking and true generative AI. He explained that the film industry has long relied on computers and performance capture, but these shouldn’t be confused with the new possibilities – and potential problems – of AI that creates content on its own.

As a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I was thrilled to hear Toph Beifong was joining the live-action adaptation! She first showed up in Season 2 of the original animated series and immediately became a favorite. This character is a blind earthbender – meaning she can basically control stone, sand, metal, you name it – but it’s her personality that really makes her special. She’s got this incredible sass and a really quick wit. Honestly, she was so crucial to Aang’s story that it felt inevitable she’d be part of the live-action show, and I couldn’t be more excited.

On a recent episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s show, Dinner’s On Me, Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta in The Hunger Games, shared that he was raised working all the time. He thought landing the role in The Hunger Games would finally provide long-term security. But when the franchise ended unexpectedly, he realized he hadn’t developed the skills to cope with failure. He explained: