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As unnecessary as spinoffs can get, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi might present itself as a series devoid of interest. I mean, the spinoff of two short films presented in the first and third seasons of Star Wars’ anime compendium Visions seems like one hell of a stretch to do an entire eight-episode series over. That said, The Ninth
Read MoreTwenty One Pilots is the most important band in my life alongside Linkin Park. I’ve been listening to them for way more than a decade. As a band, they’ve spent a lot of time building a world and an entire lore around their music. Their concerts have become extensions of that world. They are complete with recurring symbols, visual storytelling, audience
Read MoreThe first forty-five minutes or so of Jacob Chase’s Insidious: Out of the Further are excellent. In that section, there are two incredible setpieces that genuinely had me on the edge of my seat. One is a Backrooms-inspired liminal horror that sees its protagonist, Gemma (Amelia Eve), trapped in a never-ending, claustrophobic hallway with creepy-looking creatures that do little more than
Read MoreThe Samurai and the Prisoner shares a unique commonality with Rian Johnson‘s recent work. Like Knives Out, it shares themes with the overall story. The film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) sees the prolific filmmaker lean into the charm of a detective mystery like an Agatha Christie novel, only here it’s through the lens of a period war drama set
Read MoreAfter many years of false starts, constantly changing plans, and not-so-positive results in the form of a Green Lantern movie 15 years ago, DC’s Green Space Cops finally return to our screens. The Lanterns season 1 premiere is a much more confident approach that treats Hal Jordan and John Stewart as detectives first, superheroes second, and damaged people (each in their
Read MoreThe prison film has been done to death. It’s no surprise why. For those who have avoided brushes with the law to the extent of incarceration, there’s a certain morbid curiosity about the lives of those in lock-up. From Oz to The Shawshank Redemption and everything in between, stories from behind bars have been wrung dry for all their worth. Or
Read MoreAfter only eight weeks, House of the Dragon season 3 has officially ended. Sunday night’s brutal episode capped off a season that, at times, felt like being hit by a freight train. The weight of the crown was put on full display this season, providing the audience with a consistently riveting pace and devastating impact. The third season features shocking betrayals,
Read MoreIf there’s anything Hollywood has lost in its adaptation to an ever-changing industry, it’s the art and success of the theatrical comedy. It always comes across as a miracle from the heavens when one can get a theatrical release. Even when they do, so many are franchise-based, like this year’s Scary Movie. So when a stoner comedy like The Wrong Girls
Read MoreAlan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher continues to surprise viewers with his adventures as the world around him becomes more complicated with every season; the same is true for Reacher season 4. Whenever he walks into a town, a city, a diner, a police station, or even a subway, he almost immediately gets pulled into a new avalanche of action and violence. [Warning:
Read MoreThe romantasy genre has often eluded me. It has shot up in popularity over the years, but I haven’t managed to be hooked by the premise of any much so far. But this all changed when someone told me about Steelborn by Taylor J. LaRue. It’s filled with magic, thieves, pirates, and a giant squid, so of course, by the premise
Read MoreAfter years of focusing on the heritage of Altair, Ezio, and Connor, which Desmond had to bear on his shoulders, with Edward Kenway, the story went in a different direction in both Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Black Flag. Edward was never an Assassin, nor did he have any connections to the Order. His decision to join them and take up
Read MoreRick & Morty spinoff President Curtis shifts focus towards the White House and the impossible burden of ruling a country and a planet where alien invasions, interdimensional travels, ancient monsters, and reality-bending catastrophes have become almost another Monday. President Curtis certainly shares plenty of things in common with its predecessor. The same style of jokes, bizarre science-fiction events, chaotic absurdity, and
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