Marvel is rebranding its TV shows to show fans that they don't necessarily have to watch everything in order to understand what's going on. “The hope is that, like the comics, you can just pop in anywhere and have a satisfying experience. We’re trying to dispel the idea that you need to do any kind of setup work to watch anything else,” says Brad Winderbaum, Marvel's head of streaming, TV and animation. Here's more detail from Variety. What's your take on the MCU these days?
When we saw that @IndieWire had chatted with Gary Oldman, we thought that meant "Slow Horses" was on its way back to Apple. Alas, we have to wait until the fall for that, but in the meantime, enjoy this interview, in which he talks about his favorite "Succession," line, why he loves playing the slovenly Jackson Lamb, and his love of reality TV. “I wanted to be on ‘Project Runway,'” Oldman told Ben Travers. “I wanted to be a judge.”
A 15-episode weekly medical procedural starring Noah Wyle! Live-event coverage, appointment TV and mega sports deals! Bundled content and stacks of commercials! Is it 1997, or is new television starting to look remarkably like old television? Variety's Michael Schneider looks at how streamers are dusting off some of the old broadcast playbook for a new era.
"Doctor Who" returned at the weekend with a double bill — "Space Babies" and "The Devil’s Chord." Here's a Rolling Stone U.K. interview from last year with the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, in which he talks about his approach to the character and how he identifies with them. "As a child, Gatwa and his family fled Rwanda, escaping the genocide against the Tutsi minority. They settled in Scotland," writes journalist Alison Rumfitt. “This person survived a genocide. This person fits in everywhere and nowhere. I am the Doctor. The Doctor is me. I decided that I had to get this role,” Gatwa told her. How do you feel about the new series so far?
Very sad news for movie lovers: the legendary Roger Corman has died at age 98. Here's a tribute to him from Variety. Tell us what you loved about Corman in the comments.
Amazon Prime Video subscribers are about to see even more ads. In January, viewers who didn't pay an additional $3 a month started to see commercials. Now, Amazon has announced that it's adding what it describes as shoppable carousel ads, interactive pause ads and interactive brand trivia ads. Here's more from Ars Technica. We want to know, have you, or will you ditch streaming services as they start to add commercials?
Stunt doubles are highly skilled and trained professionals who are often at risk through their work, but part of their job is staying away from fame. “Anonymity has always been the contract that we’ve agreed to, and it’s partly for the audience’s benefit,” says David Leitch, director of "The Fall Guy," who was Brad Pitt's stunt double for a decade. The Hollywood Reporter talked to him and Ben Jenkin, Logan Holladay and Chris O’Hara, three of the stunt performers from "The Fall Guy" about how they created the movie's action sequences, and the fight to get industry recognition for their profession. Tell us in the comments what you think the greatest stunt in movie history is.
A new genre of cookbooks is providing recipes for all your favorite TV and movie meals, from the hobbits' lembas bread and the pies of Azeroth to Monica's onion galette from "Friends." Some of the biggest of these books sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Esquire's Callum Bains talked to recipe developers about the challenges of re-creating fictional food, and why they think people are interested in eating it. “It’s just a whole other way to cosplay,” says Elena Craig, who’s written cookbooks for the worlds of "Harry Potter," "Deadpool," and "Hocus Pocus." We want to know, what do you think is the most delicious TV show or movie? For the purposes of this poll, we're conflating series/franchises and individual movies and TV shows. Tell us in the comments if we've missed a really obvious one!
According to a survey of 1,000 U.S. streaming users, nearly one in four respondents say Netflix has gotten worse over the past year. That same group said it was still the overall favorite streamer. Its subscriber numbers are growing too — by the end of March 2024 it had 270 million around the world. Here's more from @IndieWire. What's your opinion on Netflix? Tell us in the comments which streaming service offers the most bang for your buck.
Entertainment Weekly has selected its top 10 TV shows of 2023, which include "Reservation Dogs," "I'm a Virgo" and "Succession." The magazine has also chosen three duds, one of which is "rehashed IP," (reboots of "Fatal Attraction," "Frasier" and the like). Here's the full list. Which is your favorite? Tell us in the comments if you think there are any egregious omissions.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement — again — to make his 12th feature, "The Boy and the Heron." Toshio Suzuki, his Studio Ghibli co-founder, talked to IndieWire about what the movie represents. "Miyazaki is Mahito [the 12-year-old protagonist], [Isao] Takahata [the late Ghibli co-founder] is the great uncle, and the gray heron is me.”
I’m Listening to Exquisite Soul on #TuneIn Radio. Great #music however why must the DJ’s talk during the music? It’s super annoying. Borderline triggering!!!
New music just added to our daily playlist includes the latest by saxophonist, #MindiAbair. Also, #WalterBeasley teams up with #Najee on a classic. Listen at smoothjazzandmore.com, or download the #TuneIn radio app with your #Roku streaming device.
Jon Stewart's Apple TV+ show, "The Problem with Jon Stewart," has reportedly been canceled due to "disagreements over some of the topics and guests," sources told The New York Times and Variety. @arstechnica speculates on what might be the deeper reasons behind the shift, including Apple's business interests in China and focus on AI.
Consequence admits that its endeavor to rank Martin Scorsese's entire filmography is a foolish one, but the team has given it a go. Which of the director's 26 feature films do you think came out on top? And just for fun, share in the comments which you think is Scorsese's worst film, and his most underrated one.
This has been a hotly discussed subject for film buffs for decades — not least, among the characters of "Ted Lasso," who brought "The Color of Money" and "Mean Streets" into the debate.
Update: Consequence decided that "Taxi Driver" is Martin Scorsese's finest film. "It’s so intimate," says writer Michael Roffman. "Scorsese is so zeroed in on the mania that his connection to Bickle is achingly palpable in every shot and frame. The same goes for the city; it’s his most honest love letter." "Goodfellas" came in at No. 2, "The Last Temptation of Christ" at 3 and "The Age of Innocence" at 4.
Martin Scorsese and the team behind "Killers of the Flower Moon" worked closely with members of the Osage Nation tribe during the movie's production. The Hollywood Reporter talked to some of them about their complicated feelings about the movie, which focuses on the real-life 1920s murders of Osage members after oil was found on their Oklahoma land.
Screenwriter Richard Curtis says he regrets the way his movies, which include "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Love Actually" and "Notting Hill," portrayed women and people of color. In "Love Actually" the character of Natalie is criticized for her "tree-trunk thighs," while "Notting Hill" had an all-white cast despite being set in a highly diverse part of London. Today has more details about the remarks.
It's 30 years since "The Nightmare Before Christmas" arrived in cinemas. Fatherly's Nathan Rabin discusses its slow-burn success, what it says about Tim Burton's complicated relationship with Disney, and whether it's a Halloween or Christmas movie.
Exactly 100 years ago today, cartoonist Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Quartz breaks down its U.S. top-grossing movies of all time (adjusted for inflation) in this slideshow. Which do you think topped the list?
"A large percentage of movies aren't good," says @RollingStone's Andy Green. "The one thing all awful movies have in common is that somewhere along the line, somebody made at least one critically bad decision." Here, he's breaking down the worst choices in movie history, including Michael Bay's decision to tell the story of Pearl Harbor, Gus Van Sant's "Psycho," and Burt Reynolds' remarkable talent for turning down hit movies.
The first two episodes of the new "Frasier" arrived on Paramount on Oct. 12 to mixed reviews — IndieWire says it's "decent by revival standards, but suffers by comparison." The magazine's team takes a look at the show's heyday in this @Flipboard Storyboard, from why the apartment is one of the all-time greatest sitcom sets, to the gay sensibility of the show. Will you be watching, and if you've already seen it, what do you think?