ThaOGDreamWeaver

Brittany Howard - Pale Pale Moon

Four episodes in and liking The Well most so far: it’s Aliens, but for kids. (Including the “nuke it from orbit” line.) Ruby’s solo episode had that nasty little twist but fell flat after that: Lux had great one-liners but otherwise way too gimmicky and self-referential for my taste.

It helps that they cast Keaton for that. Aside from the Bat-references, he's a vastly underestimated actor both for drama and comedy: and was MUCH better for both without the bird suit. Specifically, the scene in the car where he twigs Peter's identity, and the argument with his unfortunate henchman (I thought that was the Gravity Gun?) Oh, and if you've not seen Birdman yet...

I'm gonna say jury's out on this one until the movie comes out. On the one hand, James Gunn is coming off the back of a hit franchise, plus Suicide Squad which was a little uneven but fun, and of course Peacemaker and Super. He is a Super-Fan and True Believer. On the other hand, David Corenswet is untested at this level, and there's a lot going on that he'll need to hold attention against. Hilarious as Fillion's bowlcut is, does Guy need to be there given this particular storyline, or Mr. Terrific for that matter? Is the Engineer a strong enough antagonist - especially with Lex also kicking around in the movie - and also are they familiar enough to an audience member that's not an obsessive Super-Nerd? Does everything and everybody get enough time and love to make them make sense as part of a whole, and still deliver 2 hours 20 or so of punchy popcorn-munching fun? I worry that Gunn's gone kid-in-a-sweetshop on getting hold of his dream franchise, and trying to pack too much in. I didn't think Hackman's Lex was completely goofy. Looking back from an adult PoV, his Lex was very much like the OG comic book versions (even down to repeating his self-aggrandising catchphrases). He's genial, almost likeable, and yet entirely capable of wiping out the Western Seaboard in pursuit of real estate. Smiling Psycho's a classic trope, and I've met more than a few...

Early numbers: $11m Thursday previews, US weekend $70m-$75m, global open prediction $175m. Which given May 4th isn't a Federal holiday, is pretty solid. And if that $175m figure does appear, that's the entire budget banked on open: $525m for technical breakeven should be well within reach. Previews aren't necessarily good predictors: Shang-Chi opened low at $8.8m but got legs from word-of-mouth, whereas Cap:BNW had $12m and then died. Sinners and Minecraft are still also strong contenders. BTW: if you're not fancying seeing Bucky, Yelena and Bob at the flicks this weekend... go see Sinners. Really. GO. Try not to watch or read anything about it before you do. Not even one trailer.

Mo-cap and also face-cap/visual appearance (though they did him a tiny bit dirty compared to his 8x10s. If a camera adds ten pounds, how many mocap cameras were on him?)

JK's only 70, which is a spring chicken by some Hollywood standards. (In fact, by some Hollywood standards, they'd be pairing him off with Sydney.) Also enviably ripped, so I don't think he'd be forced off it on health grounds anytime soon. And dammit, I'd miss that voice. That said, one of the Brand New Day arc's subplots is JJJ getting forced out of the Bugle, so this could be a handover/character retirement movie for him too. And if we can't have any more after this one, at least give the guy a fitting exit. Pentangle if you count Miles. (Which would be fun relationship-wise if he hooked up with MJ). Not 100% confirmed. But... The casting call was for a leading Asian male, 30-50. (Thankfully ruling out BTS). Mr. Negative is the most interesting and relatable villain in that arc. The others are a paperthin goth girl, a jokey XZibit pastiche, and a Lizard spin-off (fun, but a lot of CGI and a lot of plot setup to do). Oh and... Spider-Mugger. You can see why a writer would settle on Martin. As mentioned above, Mr. Negative's plan to take over the NYC underworld plays well with bringing in Cox and D'Onofrio... ...but if Pete discovers Martin's Mr. Positive side and his genuine commitment to FEAST, that gives him plenty to chew over morally. So from a writing point of view, very much yes, this is the guy you want. And it's a bit of a lateral, but why not get in Stephen Oyoung - who's already played the role for the Playstation games? (Not to mention being one hell of a stuntman - could give Holland a proper workout.) He's got quite a lot of mid-level credits on TV and is stepping up to movies - it'd be a major step up, but if they took the chance on Holland...

Yup. My inner editor decided not to add this tidbit from Reuters, though it’s interesting. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/marvels-thunderbolts-test-chinese-appetite-hollywood-trade-war-rages-2025-04-30/

Small updates from the rumour mills: Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) is being strongly attached to the movie as either Gwen Stacy or maybe Jean Grey. Zendaya will also return as MJ... ...joined by Felicia Hardy/Black Cat (rumoured: Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney. That's gonna make things complicated.) Casting calls have been made for an Asian male principal who could - from the description - be Martin Li / Mr. Negative. Plot hints have been dropped around FEAST so that would make sense. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio will also make an appearance, with the events of Daredevil: Born Again impacting on Spidey's ability to operate. That would match up with the Brand New Day comic's Registration Act theme, except more local to NYC. Also, Mr. Negative's play in the comics is taking over NYC's underworld - so if Fisk is still the MCU's Kingpin at that point, it makes sense to go after him. Harry Osborn will be in this as a neutral: Timothée Chalamet is rumoured, but that would be a step down from being a lead, so let's see if that pans out. Involvement of the Daily Bugle is key so JK Simmons is back. And the big surprise: this flick may introduce Miles Morales, so it might wind up being a handover movie.

Yup. Speaking of which, bit of writing advice - or maybe all kinds of creativity... ...don't necessarily worry about having everything planned out. Let it flow, then edit later if you need to.

It's not the worst-performing Disney flick this year: the Snow White remake did only Y9m total (or about $1.25m), and they're smacking down Minecraft, which has been on release for just over a month and has only clocked $26m. Besides, Chinese moviegoers have had a much better selection to choose from of homegrown movies of late. Ne Zha 2 - one of those movies you're gonna need to know a lot about Chinese legends to get set up on - is wiping the floor with every imported movie you can think of. (One exception being the Kung Fu Panda series, which... well.) I think Whollyodd studios generally - and genre movie producers specifically - are gonna have to get used to not having China as a guaranteed moneyspinner any more. If we're looking for some good news, the reviews are unexpectedly good, especially Flo Pugh holding it together. Let's see how things pan out over the May Day release weekend. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thunderbolts

I'm not sure we need every 80s movie remade, sequelled or equalled, but I've never refused a side order of Bacon. Val returns to Perfection 35 years later, and the worms are back, probably called by some damn kids who watched too much Dune or something. Get your popcorn, throw some jelly worms in halfway down to freak your partner out, switch your brain off and enjoy. Hopefully. Side note: this is the second time a series has been spawned, the first being... ...well, probably not something you want to spend too much time hunting down.

Spirit Of Canada - Home For A Rest🇨🇦

Rush - Freewill (Snakes & Arrows - Live) 🇨🇦

If a potato grows this many eyes, you shouldn't eat it.

Ooh, Rare drops

Feels like a half-series order. Which isn't generally speaking good news. The House of Mouse has been cutting back a bit on spending, Andor aside - which was already committed budget and should have a lot of longterm value. A lot of the cuts are going to be around the ESPN restructure and ABC, Freeform and FX. But if the Dr Who deal isn't yielding results - and the streaming algos have a merciless ream of data these days - they're not going to commit. TBH, if they'd known there was a risk of that kind of thing, The Well should have been episode two. Lux got a little bit too meta for me, even though I love Alan Cumming and Fleischer movies. (And some of it did feel like a bit of a lift from Joe Dante's Twilight Zone segment, which still scares the hell out of me to this day).

Happy April 25th from a happy resident of Paragon City, Rhode Island.

On to Episode 2: Thoughts: Tonally, the jarring light-heartedness of Ep1 - fun with bureaucracy and Rock/Scissors/Paper/Lizard/Spock bit aside - is gradually dimmed in favour of Impending Dread. We have at least three nasty problems ready to pay off next episode, probably more. More gorgeous shots, music and outfits. $30m per episode well spent, in my opinion.

I think the Carol Kane version is the one I remember the best ("...oh, just a curse. Have a nice day.") This version of Hester is... somewhat different.

Not quite, but good call: Grandmama (Joanna Lumley) is Hester Frump, Tish’s mum. Also, Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joins the full cast at Nevermore this season, but struggles to fit in - “an outcast even among outcasts”…

Well, tranche 1 of the new season has arrived. Let's roll Episode 1: Thoughts: Very solid opening episode. Lots of new plot threads. And absolutely nobody is going to be complaining about lack of action. Gorgeous, gorgeous shots and pacing. Cassian's flexing between confidence and chaos is great. Dedra being given a lot more to do. And yay, more Luthen. If I had a slight problem, the light-hearted moments jar a bit in the context of what's gone before in the show.

Ah, of course, yes, that was why the piranha. Probably need a rewatch.

Not yet. S1 was centred squarely around the characters of Nevermore Academy, and Gomez and Tish were only in it for two eps. (Don't even remember if Pugsley was in it at all). S2 promotes them to series regulars, and will include some new Addams - notably Joanna Lumley as a fabulous take on Grandmama, and Christopher Lloyd making a return alongside Ricci in an as-yet undisclosed role. Steve Buscemi takes over as Nevermore's headmaster, and even a Gaga appearance as well. (Given the whole Bloody Mary meme thing, it's only fair...)