Critics react to The Batman

And a Best Picture dark horse emerges

What to know:

• Critics love The Batman… It’s got 89% on RottenTomatoes at the time of this writing, with RT summing it up: “A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight's bleakest -- and most thrillingly ambitious -- live-action outings.” I’m torn because on the one hand, who needs all that darkness when the real world is plenty dark — but on the other hand, it seems like Matt Reeves made something pretty special here. 🦇

• SAG Awards boost CODA, delight with surprises and firsts… If you missed the SAG Awards last night, you missed a great time. Actors were earnest, surprises were had, records were broken, it only lasted 2 hours — it was everything an award show should be. CODA took home the Best Ensemble award perhaps making it a Best Picture dark horse! Let’s review the highlights. 🏆

  • Squid Game’s Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-Yeon beat the actors of Succession in the individual categories… Amazing! Succession still won TV drama ensemble, officially setting up a horse race for this year’s Emmys! 🦑

  • CODA’s Troy Kotsur became the first deaf actor to win an individual SAG award… Is Oscar next? 🤟

  • Ariana DeBose became the first Latina actor to win a SAG film acting award… It’s about damn time. 👏

  • Michael Keaton stole the show with his powerful and emotional acceptance speech… Watch this, try not to cry. 😢

• Spielberg developing original film featuring Frank Bullitt… Yes, the same Frank Bullitt played by Steve McQueen in 1968’s Bullitt. This won’t be a remake but instead a new story featuring the character. Spielberg is a master of picking projects and while there’s no script or cast attached to this yet, it’s worth keeping track of as it develops. 🎬

• Live-action Twisted Metal series starring Anthony Mackie lands at Peacock… What is Peacock’s strategy!? Because right now, NBC Universal’s interest in making content off recognizable IP seems half-assed at best. As for this series itself, I like Mackie but his quest here to deliver “a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland” sounds like a real turnoff. And that’s not even addressing the series’ iconic deranged clown. 🤡

• HBO Max crashed ahead of the Euphoria finale, show is most tweeted series of the decade… People love tweeting about Euphoria, but as it grows in popularity I’m seeing a lot more negative reactions to the show. Now that it’s wrapped its season, I’ll be checking back in. 💥

• Chris Hemsworth to play villain in Furiosa… Interesting! Should be fun to see what Hemsworth can do as a heel in such a heightened world. 💦

• Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tart movie moving forward with $14-million tax credit… $14 million could buy you 6.4 million boxes of Pop-Tarts 💰

• Yes, Ukraine Pres. Zelensky voiced Paddington in the localized version… As if Paddington wasn’t lovable enough. 🧸

• Michael Douglas to play Benjamin Franklin in Apple limited series… Freed(om) is good 🇺🇸

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What’s new this week:

• Drive My Car — Mar 2 | HBO Max Japanese drama film | 🍅 98%

• The Dropout — Mar 3 | Hulu drama limited series | 🍅 79%

• Our Flag Means Death — Mar 3 | HBO Max comedy series | Ⓜ️ 60%

• Joe vs Carole — Mar 3 | Peacock drama series | 🍅

• Top Chef s19 — Mar 3 | Bravo cooking competition | 🍅

• The Batman — Mar 4 | Comic book movie in theaters | 🍅 89%

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For more pop culture news, discussion, and what-to-watch recommendations subscribe to my pals over on the Kickball Friends podcast. 🎙

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What to watch:

James Gunn makes superhero content on the exact right frequency. He understands that audiences want to be wowed by action sequences and special effects, but that they need to connect to the characters as humans. He also knows how absurd all this is and leans into it with stylization and humor. Whether he’s cooking up family-friendly Disney fare with Guardians of the Galaxy or more R-rated DC content, Gunn is a master alchemist of the genre. His big-budget superhero movies and now shows are a joy to watch. Peacemaker, whose first season is available on HBO Max, feels like a culmination of Gunn’s experience in comic book land, combining the team-building and humanity of Guardians with the raw, low-budget, street-level viscera of his earlier work (see Super). It’s fun and funny and weird and shockingly touching — and a true lesson in 8-episode pacing that allows for expanded character work and numerous twists and turns. The entire cast shines (Danielle Brooks and Steve Agee bring the chops, Freddie Stroma is pure hilarity) — but John Cena impressively anchors the show by humanizing an ass of a character. Also, this series also has the most memorable opening credits sequence of any show in the last year. If you love this genre, do not skip Peacemaker.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!