Arriving on Disney+ on April 6 with the first two episodes (and six more to follow on a mostly weekly schedule) is ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’, the latest step in Dave Filoni’s animated adventures set in the galaxy far, far away.
While his recent promotion to joint chief of Lucasfilm means he won’t have quite as much time to play in the ‘Star Wars’ sandbox, Dave Filoni is still enjoying the chance to expand the reach of George Lucas’ creation, this time continuing the story of the former Darth Maul.
By layering in crime thriller genre tropes and adding more to Maul himself, Filoni has delivered another smaller-scale animated success.
Working with Matt Michnovetz to develop the series, Filoni blends the likes of ‘Heat’ with the ‘Star Wars’ milieu for a fun mix that gives Maul fans (yes, we know you’re out there) plenty to enjoy.
And beyond the lead, there are several compelling characters contained within superior scripts.
On the directorial front, supervising director Brad Rau brings a stylish noir touch to the show, while also keeping it of a piece with previous animated outings.
Sam Witwer continues to find interesting new directions to take his character, and has really owned the role. Aside from him, Wagner Moura is good value as hard-bitten police detective Brander Lawson, aided by sidekick droid Two-Boots, voiced by a game Richard Ayoade.
On the villainous side, Filoni continues his obsession with comedy droids, with this show’s MVP being Spybot (David W. Collins), a cackling delight.
Even if you only know Maul from ‘The Phantom Menace’, chances are you will find something to enjoy here –– the action is intense, the characters compelling and the show as a whole fits well into the ‘Star Wars’ universe while also feeling fresh.
‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ receives 75 out of 100.
What’s the plot of ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’?
Set after the events of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ this pulpy adventure finds Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.
(L to R) David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in ‘The X-Files’. Photo: 20th Century Fox Television.
‘The X-Files’, originally created by Chris Carter, aired on Fox from 1993-2001 before being revived at the network for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018. It starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who investigate cases that lean towards the paranormal and otherwise unusual.
Two movies were made based on the original show, but there’s no word yet on whether either Duchovny or Anderson will appear in any capacity. As for the new potential series’ logline? “Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.”
Deadwyler and Patel will be playing a new original characters –– we’re assuming at this point they’ll be the main agents.
Coogler is aboard to write and direct the pilot, but should the show go to series, ‘The Copenhagen Test’s Jennifer Yale will be overseeing it.
Coogler, an avowed fan of the supernatural, has spoken previously to Variety about his feelings for the show:
“Like my relationship with ‘Rocky’ with my dad, ‘The X-Files’ is one of those things with my mom. My mom means the world to me…so this is a big one for me. I want to do right by her and the fans. My mom has read some of the stuff I wrote for it. She’s fired up.”
(Left) Patrick Wilson directs and stars in ‘Insidious: The Red Door.’ (Right) Jason Ritter Promoting Netflix’s ‘Raising Dion’ Season 2.
Preview:
Jason Ritter and Patrick Wilson will appear in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3.
Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle and Spencer Lord are all becoming regulars.
Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced are among those returning.While the second season of post-apocalyptic video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’ proved to be a more divisive run of episodes, it certainly still saw big viewership for HBO.
And trivia note: this actually marks Ritter’s second turn on the show: he previously had an uncredited role of a Clicker (the nickname for those infected with the mutated cordyceps fungus) on two episodes of Season 1, appearing alongside his wife, Melanie Lynskey.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Adapting the hugely successful Naughty Dog video game title, ‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a fungal outbreak that mutates its victims.
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 2, set five years after the events of the first, brought even more dramatic events into the lives of our heroes. And while Season 3 has yet to offer an official plotline, it’ll reportedly show several of the second season’s events from the perspective of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 be on screens?
HBO has yet to announce a date for the new season, though 2027 seems likely given the time needed to shoot and put the episodes through post-production.
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Crime thrillers that blend action and crime are nothing new, but few offer the sci-fi twist that BenDavid Grabinski’s new movie can boast.
It sometimes comes off as a throwback 1990s thriller comedy, full of pop culture references (a ‘Gilmore Girls’ discussion might be the funniest) and needle drops from the era and beyond.
Written and directed by Grabinski, this has a script that moves at a fair clip, throwing a variety of different characters at us, who all provide various levels of entertainment value. Sometimes it all feels a little Tarantino-lite, but it has its own appeal.
Cinematographer Larry Fong helps give this one some visual panache, and if it occasionally leans too hard on certain styles, the movie certainly delivers in a way that fans of directors such as Edgar Wright will appreciate.
It’s the casting that really helps this one –– Vaughn delivers his trademark witty attitude (with an extra version of his character for good measure thanks to the movie’s time travel twist). Marsden is appealing nervy and if González doesn’t always get as much to do, her Alice is still a solid character.
Around them, there is a deep bench of comedy acting talent, including Stephen Root, Ben Schwartz and Jimmy Tatro, who all steal scenes.
Two gangsters and the woman they love try to survive the most dangerous night of their lives. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s one wild ingredient added to the mix: a time machine.
Who is in the cast of ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’?
It’s time to return to Arrakis: Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled the first teaser trailer for ‘Dune: Part Three,’ director Denis Villeneuve’s concluding chapter in the epic cinematic trilogy adapted from the landmark sci-fi novels by Frank Herbert.
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As you can see from viewing the trailer, ‘Dune: Part Three’ – which is due out on Dec. 18, 2026 and is based on Herbert’s second novel, ‘Dune Messiah’ – is just as immense and immersive a film experience as 2021’s ‘Dune‘ and 2024’s ‘Dune: Part Two,‘ both of which were nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
Just in these two minutes, the screen practically explodes with vast vistas of armies battling in the desert, spaceships rocketing through the void, and Paul ‘Muad’Dib’ Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the leader of the Arrakis native people known as the Fremen and now emperor of the universe, facing not just the galactic war he has unleashed but the prospect of parenthood with the Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya).
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, director Denis Villeneuve, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Javier Bardem at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
In addition to Chalamet and Zendaya, cast members returning from the first two films include Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan), and Jason Momoa, who plays a somewhat different version of his deceased character, Duncan Idaho.
New cast members include Anya Taylor-Joy as Paul’s mysterious and powerful sister Alia, Isaach de Bankolè as Paul’s former personal fedaykin (commando) Farok, and Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a member of a secretive society known as the Tlielaxu who can mimic any other human’s identity and leads a conspiracy to assassinate Paul.
Moviefone was present as Denis Villeneuve, Zendaya, Pattinson, Bardem, and Taylor-Joy premiered the trailer for press at an event in Los Angeles, and here’s what we discovered from them about ‘Dune: Part Three.’
1) Director Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Dune: Part Three’ Is A Different Movie From The First Two.
Director Denis Villeneuve at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Just as the book ‘Dune Messiah’ is not in the same vein as the first novel, ‘Dune,’ Denis Villeneuve hints that ‘Dune: Part Three’ charts its own path.
Denis Villeneuve: It happens many years later. It’s a very different movie from the first ones. I said to myself, it’s a good idea to come back to this world not by nostalgia, but by urgency, and to go there with a critical eye and not to be self-indulgent. I said to my team that it will be a very different film – a ‘Dune’ movie, but with a different tone, with a different rhythm, with a different base. If the first movie was more a contemplation of a boy exploring a new world, and the second one was a war movie, this one is a thriller. It’s more action-packed and more dense, more muscular than the others, I would say. It takes place many years after the first films — a bit like the book, ‘Dune Messiah’ – and gives us a new view of what has happened to Paul Atreides. It’s 17 years, and we see Paul dealing with the consequences of having too much power, and him trying to figure out how to get out of this cycle of violence. Of course, he’s an emperor who can see the future, so he’s kind of invincible, and we also follow people trying to overthrow him. It’s a quite intense story.
2) Zendaya got a pre-recorded question from Florence Pugh played for her at the trailer debut event.
Zendaya at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Zendaya and Florence Pugh didn’t share the screen much in ‘Dune: Part Two,’ where Pugh’s Princess Irulan was introduced, but the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ star hints that they have more interaction in ‘Part Three.’
Zendaya: I love Florence Pugh. She’s so talented and so wonderful in this role. On the press tour the last time we were saying that we only got one scene together, and we were far away. So I was like, I hope we get more. I don’t want to tease anything, but she’s absolutely phenomenal and you guys will just have to see for yourself what happens, because it’s quite the journey. I’m so excited. I mean, these movies have meant so much to me over the years. I’ve literally been able to grow up in my entire 20s doing them, so they have such a special place in my heart, and all these people do as well. So I’m very excited and very grateful to be a part of it.
3) Javier Bardem Says His Character Stilgar Must Face Reality In ‘Dune: Part Three.’
Javier Bardem at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Javier Bardem’s Fremen fighter Stilgar becomes one of Paul’s most loyal soldiers and believers in the first two ‘Dune’ movies, championing him as the prophesized messiah of his people. But in ‘Dune: Part Three,’ the actor says, Stilgar finds himself in a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation.
Javier Bardem: Well, I think it takes him to a place where he sees different realities of what being empowered means after so long. He’s in this contradiction between his loyalty to the idea that he strongly believed and fought for back in the day, and also the result of the idea becoming something that he feels may not be the thing that he dreamed about. It sounds complicated, but it’s also a complicated book, and it’s a great analogy about the idea of power and the reality of having that power, and Stilgar is there in that contradiction.
4) Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia Is A Major Character In The Movie.
Anya Taylor-Joy at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Glimpsed briefly in ‘Dune: Part Two’ as both a yet-to-be-born baby and a young woman in a vision from the future, Alia Atreides – who has powerful psychic gifts of her own — becomes one of her older brother Paul’s most important allies in ‘Part Three.’
Anya Taylor-Joy: Alia has a very intense blessing/curse situation. She carries the weight and the wisdom of generations and generations in her head. She’s never in a singular conversation. It’s kind of everything everywhere, all at once. And the one thing that she really feels most strongly about is her love and devotion to her brother, because that is the only person who’s ever made her feel like she makes sense. He’s understood her from before she was even born, and she will do anything for him — to various degrees of insanity.
5) Robert Pattinson Thinks He Got The Job in ‘Dune’ Thanks To Zendaya.
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve at the ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer event. Photo: Jami Philbrick.
‘The Batman’ star Robert Pattinson is such a fan of the ‘Dune’ films that he asked Zendaya for advice on how to get involved. He ended up playing a shapeshifting, biologically mutated human called Scytale who is a central figure in a plot to overthrow Paul.
Robert Pattinson: It’s incredible. I absolutely adored these movies. I saw them multiple times in the theaters, and I think I was talking to [Zendaya] on the set of ‘The Drama’ and I was like, ‘How do I get in one of those “Dune” movies?’ And then I got a very unexpected call a few months later, and I kind of think [Zendaya] had something to do with it. But I just think they’re such a towering achievement and the cast is so incredible. I just think everybody wants to work with Denis. He’s a master. When do you see the scope and scale and ambition of these movies on set, you get why they feel like this on the screen. It’s an amazing experience.
Pattinson adds that his character, Scytale, was fascinating to play because his motivations and goals are ambiguous:
Robert Pattinson: He’s an unusual character in the book. I mean, you can’t really tell whose side he’s on, which is kind of what makes him quite interesting. I want to say he’s not a conventional bad guy as such. He might even be a good guy. Who knows? I will find out when I see the movie (laughs). It’s an extremely fun character to play, and the look for it is extraordinary.
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
What is the plot of ‘Dune: Part Three’?
Defeating his enemies on Arrakis and becoming emperor of all known space, superhuman Fremen messiah Paul Atreides grapples with the consequences of unleashing a bloody galactic jihad, even as mysterious and powerful forces conspire to destroy him.
Who is in the cast of ‘Dune: Part Three’?
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
Zendaya as Chani
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
Robert Pattinson as Scytale
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
Javier Bardem as Stilgar
Isaach de Bankolé as Farok
Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Leto II Atreides
Ida Brooke as Ghanima Atreides
‘Dune: Part Three’ opens on December 18th. Photo: Warner Bros.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Dune’ Franchise:
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Zendaya as Chani in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Jason Momoa as Hayt in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Robert Pattinson as Scytale in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Florence Pugh as Empress Irulan in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.A Scene from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
It’s been years since Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed a feature film (they’ve produced plenty in the meantime) and their last attempt at a space epic, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story,’ saw them replaced on the project by Ron Howard. Well, it’s clear that Lord and Miller have the vision for such an undertaking, because their return to the director’s chairs, ‘Project Hail Mary,’ is an often stunning, visually gorgeous sci-fi epic and perhaps the best film of its kind since Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar.’
Based on the novel by Andy Weir (‘The Martian’), ‘Project Hail Mary’ also offers up something else that’s been missing from a lot of sci-fi in these dystopian times: hope. While the movie falters here and there, it also suggests that sentient beings, human or otherwise, can find enough common ground to bring out the best in each other, even at the bleakest moments.
Former molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up disoriented on a massive space vessel light-years from Earth, with no memory of who he is, why he’s there, or where he’s going. The only other two crew members – including the captain — are dead, and as Grace’s memory gradually returns (via flashbacks), so do the details of his journey.
It turns out that a vast string of micro-organisms, stretching from the Sun to Venus and dubbed the Petrova line, consumes electromagnetic radiation and is essentially draining our star of its energy and dimming it. The same colony, dubbed by Grace as an ‘astrophage,’ has done this to other stars – with the exception of Tau Ceti, which has resisted the infection.
When Grace discovers that the energy of the astrophage can be harnessed to power faster-than-light travel, a massive global consortium constructs a starship and sends a crew – with Grace as a reluctant, last-minute substitute for the science officer, who’s killed in an accident — to discover how Tau Ceti has survived and hopefully save our sun and civilization.
Once Grace arrives at Tau Ceti, however, he’s met by an even larger alien spacecraft and its sole occupant, a rock-like being with whom he initially struggles to communicate. But as they develop a means to interact, Grace discovers that the creature – who he dubs Rocky – is there for the same reason as him, and the two of them join forces to discover what is protecting Tau Ceti and whether they can use it to save their own planets.
Scripted by Drew Goddard, who also adapted the 2015 film of ‘The Martian,’ ‘Project Hail Mary’ is in many ways a mashup of a number of other iconic sci-fi properties, including ‘Interstellar,’ ‘E.T.,’‘Contact,’‘Star Trek,’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ among others. But Lord, Miller, and Goddard make the film a unique celebration of science fiction itself – as well as science. As hard as the science can get, the film presents its premise with terrific clarity. Science and the way it can bring out the best in humanity (and other species) are important elements of the story.
It does sometimes feels like Goddard tried to get every page of the book onscreen – the movie’s 160-minute runtime might have been shortened by 20 minutes or so — and the tonal shifts as Grace navigates his initial terror and uncertainty, followed by his whimsical relationship with Rocky, sometimes undercuts the stakes. But the movie rallies for a thrilling, emotionally moving climax, buttressed by some truly amazing visuals. From top to bottom, the craftsmanship in this film is nothing less than exceptional. Charles Wood‘s production design, Greig Fraser’s eye-popping cinematography, the visual effects and creature creation all make the universe of ‘Project Hail Mary’ tactile, immersive, and believable. This is truly a movie to see on the biggest screen you can.
This is initially a Ryan Gosling solo joint – he’s onscreen alone, especially in the film’s first half, for long stretches of time. Ryland Grace is a man who runs away from responsibility in every aspect of his life – his career, his relationships – but eventually learns not just to run toward it, but embrace it, becoming a hero along the way. Gosling shows us perhaps his widest range to date, taking Grace through disorientation, fear, cowardice, grief, despair, and eventually hope and purpose, giving a performance that anchors the film and may be his best yet.
But ‘PHM’ is also a two-hander in its second half, as Grace and Rocky get to know each other, becoming collaborators and eventually friends. Rocky was played on set by James Ortiz, and it’s his voice we hear as the Eridanian as well – and Ortiz delivers, giving Rocky real personality where a more recognizable actor’s voice might have simply given him that thespian’s persona. It’s a nuanced performance that combines seamlessly with the digital and practical effects used to bring Rocky to life.
The rest of the cast is relatively small, but the always welcome Sandra Hüller is excellent and soulful as the leader of the project, while Ken Leung and Milana Vayntrub provide some effective moments as Grace’s doomed crewmates.
Final Thoughts
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Like ‘The Martian,’ ‘Project Hail Mary’ feels like it’s grounded in real science, and features a lone protagonist in a seemingly hopeless situation at the center of its narrative. But ‘Project Hail Mary’ expands on the themes in both of Weir’s stories, with Lord and Miller’s direction, Goddard’s screenplay, and the relationship between Grace and Rocky making this a deeply humanist experience amidst all the filmmaking razzle-dazzle.
This is a movie that says that an answer is possible, even in the darkest of times, and that collaboration and understanding, rather that mistrust and division, is the only way forward for any species. And all of that is couched in a science fiction story as exciting and awe-inspiring as any we’ve seen in recent years. Its relatively minor glitches aside, ‘Project Hail Mary’ may end up becoming a genre classic of its time.
‘Project Hail Mary’ receives a score of 85 out of 100.
‘Project Hail Mary’ opens in theaters on March 20th.
What is the plot of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship, light-years from home, with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction — but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
Sterling K. Brown plays Agent Xavier Collins in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Arriving on Hulu on February 23 with three episodes (with five more to follow once weekly) is the second season of ‘Paradise’, the thriller series from ‘This is Us’ creator Dan Fogelman that keeps audiences guessing.
Shailene Woodley plays Annie in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Talking about ‘Paradise’ is a dicey prospect for any reviewer, since it is predicated on a giant, twisty premise. But if you’re here reading a review of Season 2, we have to assume you’ve seen the first season (if not, go and watch it!) so I can talk about the fact that it revolves around an underground community that is designed to keep a limited population safe after an Earth-shattering environmental incident.
The first run of episodes was full of twists and turns, and the second keeps the pace up, even if much about the community has been revealed. But the best idea here was to send Brown’s Xavier Collins on a hunt for his wife, who has survived the cataclysmic events elsewhere, opening things up to new avenues.
Script and Direction
Krys Marshall plays Agent Nicole Robinson in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
Dan Fogelman, no stranger to both narrative rug pulls and tugging on the emotional heart strings, has here managed to keep the story of ‘Paradise’ moving even after the revelations of last year. The expanded plotline is worthwhile, even if it sometimes dilutes the overall effectiveness.
Filmmaking duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are the primary directors for the series, and working alongside a couple of others, they keep ‘Paradise’ looking good, with the visual palette of the post-apocalyptic outside world just as impactful as those inside the show’s usual community.
Cast and Performances
Julianne Nicholson plays Samantha Redmond in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
It’s no accident that Fogelman chose to work with Sterling K. Brown again after helping him break out with ‘This is Us.’ Here, Brown gets plenty of chances to showcase his considerable acting chops, bringing lots of layers to Secret Service officer Xavier Collins.
Julianne Nicholson remains superb as the calculating tech billionaire Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond who conceived of the bunker, while in-Paradise highlights include Krys Marshall as dedicated officer Robinson and Nicole Brydon Bloom as the psychopathic Jane.
Woodley, meanwhile, enjoys her own storyline as survivor Annie, who made it through the environmental chaos holed up in Graceland.
Final Thoughts
Sarah Shahi plays Dr. Gabriela Torabi in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
‘Paradise’s first season was a series of mystery box reveals, and while elements of that remain in the second, the focus is also on the emotional stakes for the characters, letting some accomplished actors revel in solidly written scripts.
‘Paradise’ Season 2 receives 71 out of 100.
Nicole Brydon Bloom plays Jane Driscoll in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
What’s the plot of ‘Paradise’ Season 2?
A shocking murder turns the serene community of Paradise on its head. Kicking off a high-stakes investigation that uncovered secrets that some hoped would stay hidden.
And in Season 2, the world expands yet further as both Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins and the story venture beyond Paradise’s borders.
Who stars in ‘Paradise’?
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins
James Marsden as President Cal Bradford
Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll
Julianne Nicholson as Samantha Redmond
Sarah Shahi as Dr. Gabriela Torabi
Shailene Woodley as Annie
Thomas Doherty as Link
Sterling K. Brown plays Agent Xavier Collins in ‘Paradise’ Season 2. Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo.
(L to R) Michael Peña, Sam Rockwell, and Zazie Beetz star in ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
Having not made a movie for nearly a decade, Gore Verbinski has certainly found the right project with which to burst back on the scene. You can’t exactly imagine that Sarah Connor would have responded quite so well had she been confronted by someone as manic and shady as Sam Rockwell’s Man from the Future in ‘The Terminator’, but the new comedy certainly channels some of that movie’s concerns about the future.
Rockwell brings his typically nervy energy to the role, but it’s not a one-man show.
Script and Direction
‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ director Gore Verbinski. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
Written by ‘Love and Monsters’Matthew Robinson, ‘Good Luck’ harkens back to wild time-travel movies such as ‘Twelve Monkeys’ in particular, but has its own weird sensibility. While it doesn’t completely hold up towards the end –– several disparate storylines have to be knotted together, and it’s not always the cleanest fit –– the whole is happily more than the sum of its parts.
Verbinski, meanwhile, is clearly relishing the chance to cut loose once more, freed from studio restraints and letting a smaller budget be the mother of invention. There are various standout moments, and the movie is satisfying by the time the credits roll.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Asim Chaudhry, Juno Temple, Michael Peña, Sam Rockwell, Zazie Beetz and Haley Lu Richardson star in ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
Rockwell is the central figure here, driving the narrative and spilling exposition in a way that it remains interesting and (usually) easy to follow. He’s also a compelling, crazed and, as his full story is revealed, emotional figure.
The rest of the cast are more of a mixed bag in terms of how much they have to do, but Richardson and Temple in particular are great in this.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Juno Temple, Zazie Beetz, Michael Peña, Sam Rockwell, and Haley Lu Richardson star in ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
It might not hit every beat it takes aim at, but ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ proudly finds its own groove, and once you’re on its wavelength, it’s hard not to have fun taking the wild ride.
‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ receives 80 out of 100.
Sam Rockwell stars in ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
What is the plot of ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’?
A man (Sam Rockwell) from the future travels to the past and recruits the patrons of a Los Angeles diner he arrives in to help combat a rogue artificial intelligence.
Who is in the cast of ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’?
Arriving on Netflix on November 26 is the first four episodes from ‘Stranger Things’ fifth season, starting the long(ish) road to wrapping up the series as a whole.
Finishing off a series that has had as much worldwide attention of ‘Stranger Things’ is a task that could best be described as “mammoth.” There is so much expectations and a multitude of dangling plot lines to be tied up.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have opted to go big, and Netflix in its infinite wisdom (and hunt for viewing figures) has decided to split this final season somewhat confusingly into various-sized chunks. Fortunately, the first four, at least don’t disappoint.
Script and Direction
(L to R): Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer attend Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 UK Special Screening at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square on November 13th, 2025 in London, England. Photo: StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
The Duffers and their writers team appear fully cognizant of the challenges inherent in sticking the landing –– and what has emerged, at least in this initial run of four is a mostly balanced treatment of the surviving main characters.
A majority of the cast get something fun (or terrifying; or both) to do, and the team-up concept means that there are more interactions. The creators have also built on the premise, raising the stakes as the final conflict begins.
Despite hour-plus running times for most episodes, there’s not much downtime, and the show’s hefty budget means it all looks good.
Though the younger cast have all aged to such a degree that they’re not the most convincing high-schoolers to grace screens, they still give committed, entertaining performances.
Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin remains a standout, but all the “young” characters enjoy decent storylines or at least moments, while Winona Ryder is on good form as Joyce.
It might have very familiar genre bones (evil presence in a small town, psychic connections or powers, monsters) but ‘Stranger Things’ has always built well on those foundations, with this initial batch of final season episodes delivering on heart and spectacle.
Now we just have to wait until Christmas Day for the next three.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Volume 1 receives 75 out of 100.
‘Stranger Things’ has always referenced 1980s pop culture, so it seems appropriate that this middle chunk of Season 5 should be the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of the final run. The heroes are on the back foot to some degree, but are looking for ways to win. It never reaches the sheer quality of that second ‘Star Wars,’ but there is some solid entertainment here.
The scripts are a mixed bag here and there –– we get plenty of big reveals (particularly about the nature of the Upside Down) and a lovely moment for Will, but the episodes also suffer from long batches of exposition designed to set the finale up (though one scene featuring the reuniting gang manages to pull off an info dump while also being fun).
Frank Darabont and Shawn Levy are on directing duty here (the Duffers share a credit with Levy on Episode 7) and the three episodes are generally stylish, full of interesting visuals.
While we talked about the main characters in the review of the first chunk, credit to Noah Schnapp, who brings real pathos and nervy energy to Will’s big revelation to his friends.
But we would be remiss if we didn’t also highlight Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, who is a real star in his supporting role.
We’re in the endgame now for ‘Stranger Things’ and while the final season has been a mixed bag, it’s certainly got plenty to offer fans who have been on the ride for nearly a decade.
Can it stick the landing? We’ll have to wait and see once the finale arrives.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Volume 2 receives 70 out of 100.
And so… it ends. With somewhat of a bang, but also a slight whimper as the big finish proves to be as epic as you’d hope, but the more exciting moments are also sandbagged by protracted sequences that play the same beat over and over again.
Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer were behind the writing and directing for this giant wrap-up (the whole thing runs for around two hours and eight minutes, longer than many movies), and –– spoiler alert in case you haven’t seen it –– chose to largely keep following their pop cultural inspirations and go for a big ol’ happy ending. At least, mostly.
The script is baggy in places (there really was a world where this could have been about an hour and a half) and some of the moments are saccharine, but all in all, it’s a solid ending for the show.
And style-wise, the big final battle against Vecna and his even more powerful allies does deliver on the spectacle, while the extended wrap-up gives the characters some closure.
The main cast are brought front and center once again, with the likes of Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo standing out once more.
On the other end of the spectrum, spare a thought for poor Winona Ryder, who mostly got reaction shots until one big moment and then the character coda.
It stumbled slightly, but for the most part, this ‘Stranger Things’ finale stuck the landing, offering a big, effects-heavy clash and then scope to explore the characters’ ongoing stories.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Volume 2: The Finale receives 80 out of 100.
What’s the plot of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Volume 1?
The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown.
Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s (Noah Schnapp) disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming…
(L to R) Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka and Holly Hunter as Chancellor Nahla Ake in season 1 , episode 1 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.
Arriving on Paramount+ on January 15 with its first two episodes (followed by one episode weekly) is the first season of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,’ the latest attempt to extend the venerable sci-fi franchise to places where no one has gone before.
(L to R) Robert Picardo as The Doctor, Kerrice Brooks as Sam and Bella Shepard as Genesis in season 1 , episode 1 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.
Exploring student lives at Starfleet Academy has been a project mooted for years but which never quite came about.
Now, Alex Kurtzman and the current TV ‘Star Trek’ team (Gaia Violo created the series alongside Noga Landau and Kurtzman) have finally managed it, setting the show in the far, far future as explored by ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s later seasons, in a time when the Federation and other space-going organizations are still recovering after the “Burn”, which killed billions and all but ended warp drive travel.
It’s designed as a blend of YA archetypes, with younger characters still finding themselves and a healthy dollop of ‘Star Trek’s moral philosophy, albeit with the harder edge of the Paramount+ series.
Script and Direction
(L to R) George Hawkins, Bella Shepard and Kerrice Brooks in season 1, episode 5 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.
Kurtzman, Viola and Landau have pulled off quite the trick here –– the combination of fairly different approaches could have been as problematic as mixing matter and antimatter, but here it largely works.
Yes, some of the storylines are burdened with cliches (the bitter loner with a tough past who finds a family among his fellow students! The non-human character learning about humanity! The hard-charging jock/rich boy who seems smug and annoying but has some depth!) and the show’s deep dive into ‘Trek’ history can come across as pandering in a way that ‘Lower Decks’ never did, but once the series starts to find its feet, it turns into something watchable, and one episode early in the run that explores the potential fate of a familiar character from a previous series (no spoilers here), is even effective and affecting.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, Kerrice Brooks as Sam and Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir in season 1 , episode 3 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: John Medland/Paramount+.
While the main focus is on the younger characters, it’s the veterans who really impress. Hunter’s fantastic as the long-lived chancellor/captain, forever curling up in command chairs or padding around the Academy barefoot.
When she’s facing off against Giamatti’s half-Klingon/half Tellurite piratical troublemaker, the air crackles with energy.
As for the younger cast, they’re good –– Kerrice Brooks brings truly fun energy as SAM, the “photonic” (read: holographic being) who was created four months before the series starts but is designed to act as a 17-year-old, hoovering up knowledge and interactions.
Meanwhile, Robert Picardo is still supremely fastidious and officious as The Doctor, but has found new levels of humanity to play.
Final Thoughts
Bella Shepard in season 1, episode 1 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.
Like any youngster finding its way in the world, the new show stumbles a little before it really takes off, but should find a home with both those who enjoy the current ‘Trek’ output (there are humor levels that sometimes rival ‘Strange New Worlds’) and even fans of the various older series.
Plus, with Season 2 in the works, at least you know it’s worth heading back to the final frontier…
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Season 1 receives 78 out of 100.
(L to R) Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, Kerrice Brooks as Sam, Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe and Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir in season 1, episode 5 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: John Medland/Paramount+.
What’s the plot of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Season 1?
The new series introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism.
Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Who stars in ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Season 1?
Holly Hunter as Nahla Ake
Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir
Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag
Kerrice Brooks as SAM (Series Acclimation Mil)
George Hawkins as Darem Reymi Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal
Robert Picardo as the Doctor Tig Notaro as Jett Reno Oded Fehr as Charles Vance Gina Yashere as Lura Thok
Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka Stephen Colbert as the voice of Starfleet Academy’s Digital Dean of Students
Karim Diané in season 1, episode 4 of ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.
