With 2019 officially in the record books, it’s time to look ahead. And from the cold wastelands of January, the rest of 2020 certainly looks promising. Well, at least it looks promising for the movies.
After hunkering down and deciding on a list of 25 movies we most wanted to see in the next year (a process that was recorded as a podcast), the team voted on the final ranking. And here we are. These are our 25 most anticipated movies of 2020.
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Hoai-Tran Bui
Studio Ghibli has been notoriously resistant to streaming — until three months ago, when HBO Max scooped up the U.S. streaming rights to all of the classic anime films from Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and more. But what about the Studio Ghibli movies streaming rights for everywhere else? Netflix, ever the opportunist, has snapped up those global streaming rights, debuting all 21 Ghibli features on its streaming service this February in every country except the U.S., Canada, and — ironically — Japan.
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Hoai-Tran Bui
Doctor Who is a show of sky-highs and deep lows, and baby, we’re back up in the air again. After last week’s episode wasted a fantastically creepy monster design and an ambitious premise, Doctor Who is back to the well trod historical. Doctor Who has had an unusual history with its historical episodes — early seasons of the Classic series infusing as little sci-fi elements as possible, while the Doctor Who revival went full-tilt on “Shakespeare battles alien witches,” etc. In their inaugural season, Chris Chibnall and his writing team attempt a return to those period-accurate historicals, with the Doctor and Team TARDIS barely making a dent on history as it happened in front of them. It was educational, it was thoughtful, but it was boring. But this season is changing all that, first with the season premiere bringing in three important female figures in the invention of computers (before erasing their memories, boo), and now with the Nikola Tesla-centric episode, “Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror.”
This season of Doctor Who has swung way in the opposite direction of last season’s reverent but stiff historical episodes — now we get Tesla battling an army of scorpion aliens, and it rules. But most disarmingly, it’s sweet and endearing to Tesla in a way that Doctor Who hasn’t been to a real-life figure since the all-time great 2010 episode, “Vincent and the Doctor.” Is this Jodie Whittaker‘s own “Vincent and the Doctor”? It’s not quite on par with the Richard Curtis-penned episode, but it’s almost up there.
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
It’s been some time since director David Lynch brought Twin Peaks: The Return to Showtime. The filmmaker has kept relatively quiet since then, but today is his birthday, and he actually has a present to give us in the form of a short film on Netflix.
Overnight, Netflix released What Did Jack Do?, a 17-minute black and white short film where David Lynch plays a detective interrogating a monkey who is being questioned about possibly committing a murder. Before you ask: no, this isn’t just David Lynch asking questions to a monkey that sits in silence and looks adorable in response to the questions. The monkey talks, and as you’ve already guessed, it’s pretty freakin’ weird. Read More »
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
Since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is wrapping up the Skywalker saga, it’s pretty much the last time for some key characters to make a significant appearance in the long-running sci-fi saga. And since it’s the end of an era in a galaxy far, far away, there are plenty of people who wanted to get in on the last chapter of the story that began all the way back in 1977.
That’s why there are plenty of cameos to behold in The Rise of Skywalker, some in the form of new characters, others being characters from previous installments of Star Wars. We’ve got a list of all the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker cameos that we know of so far, but beware of major spoilers as we name them. Read More »
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Hoai-Tran Bui
(Welcome to Pop Culture Imports, a column that compiles the best foreign movies and TV streaming right now.)
In this week’s Pop Culture Imports, the French would gladly die for love…and liberty, equality, and a good apartment building. This week’s column is dominated by films that come from the land of baguettes and biting social satire. Some of the best foreign movies and TV streaming now include Luis Buñuel’s surrealist masterpiece, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s bizarre post-apocalyptic black comedy Delicatessen, Roman Polanski’s psychological horror film The Tenant, as well as two collaborative Netflix titles that give refreshing spins on anime and the crime drama.
So, let’s do as Bong Joon-ho says and overcome that one-inch barrier of subtitles to watch the best foreign movies and TV streaming now.
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
Last weekend, the 2020 SAG Awards honored achievements in acting in both film and television from last year. When it comes to the film side of the awards, there weren’t really any surprises, at least not until the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture was handed out. That’s the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, and it was quite a shock with Parasite became the first foreign film ever to win the top prize. Get the full list of 2020 SAG Awards winners below.
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
Netflix and Chill has been in the zeitgeist for a long time now. But since that social situation can be hit or miss, the ice cream makers at Ben & Jerry‘s came up with a way for Netflix and Chill to deliver 100% of the time.
Ben & Jerry’s has officially partnered with Netflix to released a new flavor called Netflix and Chill’d. Not only will it keep you on the couch watching more of your favorite Netflix shows, but it’ll keep your mouth busy without all the pressure that comes with making out. So what is the flavor of Ben & Jerry’s Netflix and Chill’d ice cream? Find out below. Read More »
Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.
In this edition, see how Once Upon a Time in Hollywood‘s recreation of an episode of The FBI compares to the original series from 1965. Plus, stuntmen react to work from Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Amazing Spider-Man, and find out some fun facts about how the Toy Story franchise has evolved in the 25 years since the original Pixar movie debuted.
Posted on Sunday, January 19th, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
In a new approach to Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name, Hulu’s High Fidelity TV series puts Zoë Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road) in the lead role of Rob Brooks as she takes a look back at the five biggest heartbreaks in her life, all so she can figure out why she keeps having her heart broken. John Cusack starred in the film adaptation from back in 2000, and the latest High Fidelity TV series trailer shows the spirit of the film and the lead character have both been kept intact. Read More »
5/24: Aladdin, Booksmart, Brightburn
6/21: Child's Play', Toy Story 4
6/28: Yesterday
7/19: The Lion King
8/14: The Angry Birds Movie 2
8/23: Angel has Fallen
9/06: It: Chapter 2
9/20: Ad Astra, Rambo: Last Blood
10/04: Joker
Future:
