Doc Strange 2 reviews are in
Doc Strange 2 reviews are in
And why Justin Lin left Fast 10
What to know
Doctor Strange 2 reactions are in, Marvel flick heads for $150M+ opening… Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (and that will be the last time I write out the full title) is finally opening in theaters this weekend — and it’s going to be another BIG one for Marvel. A smash opening seems inevitable as Feige and company have done such a great job featuring this character in the years since his debut, tying his arc into the rest of the franchise (Spidey, Wanda), and bringing in the multiversal aspects. At 80% on RT right now, the critics are somewhat mixed, saying Sam Raimi’s directing is top notch but the plot is “exhaustive.” 💥
Why Justin Lin left Fast X… Here it is, some explanation as to why Lin ditched the auto-action franchise after making 4 previous installments. It turns out studio mismanagement and one final argument with Vin Diesel sealed the deal. THR also reports that the movie is ballooning to a $300M budget, most of which is to pay its starry cast. So who will come in and play high-stakes ball with the studio, cast, and crew? Incredible Hulk and Now You See Me maker Louis Leterrier. 🚗
Director Jon Watts exits Marvel’s Fantastic Four… On the one hand, Marvel has gone through director musical chairs on projects before — and come out fine. (It’s a shame Edgar Wright didn’t direct Ant-Man, but it turned out OK anyway.) On the other hand, Fantastic Four has yielded 3 big-screen failures, so this type of shuffling at the top isn’t a great omen. We’ll see. 4️⃣
Blake Lively to direct Edgar Wright-written Seconds, based on comic by Scott Pilgrim creator… Speaking of Edgar Wright, here’s a hot project. The auteur is returning to the works of Bryan Lee O'Malley and Blake Lively is making her directorial debut. Based on how she can produce dramatic moments like this, we’ll be in good hands. 🎬
The CW cancels Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, Netflix cancels Space Force… The CW culling its superhero lineup isn’t that surprising, but Netflix axing a Steve Carell/Greg Daniels project? That’s more alarming and another sign of Netflix’s belt tightening. 🪓
Most of That ‘70s Show cast returning for spinoff appearances… The only one not returning is about to stand trial on multiple sexual assault allegations. 👀
John Oliver explains why Florida revoking Disney’s Reedy Creek District is a $1 billion mistake… so you’re saying Florida Republicans didn’t think this through? I’m shocked. 😑
Viola Davis in talks to reprise Amanda Waller for new DC spinoff series… James Gunn is only exectuive producing, but at this point I’ll trust anything he touches. 🦋
Paramount+ greenlights new Jackass series… Soon enough Johnny Knoxville won’t have to put on old-man makeup to play a grandpa. 👴🏻
Peacock says 8 million people have watched Bel-Air… They’re just tuning in to see if Will slaps anyone. 🦚
Early buzz heralds Alex Garland’s Men as a “surreal, unsettling, and surprisingly funny frightfest”… I’m listening. 👂
What’s new
Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known — May 3 | HBO Max musical doc | 🍅
The Staircase — May 5 | HBO Max drama limited series | 🍅 91%
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — May 5 | Paramount+ sci-fi series | 🍅 100%
The Pentaverate — May 5 | Netflix comedy series | 🍅
girls5eva s2 — May 5 | Peacock comedy | 🍅
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — May 6 | Marvel in theaters | 🍅 80%
What to watch
Between Boyhood and his new boyhood reflection Apollo 10 1/2, now available on Netflix, one thing is clear: Richard Linklater is in touch with the emotions and experiences of growing up. For this one, the Texas-based director returns to the medium of rotoscoping (in which he animates over live-action footage), a form he used to great success on Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly. But rather than a dark trip inside the minds of damaged people, Apollo is a gentle and reflexive, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age fairytale. He uses live-action to ground us and animation to lift us into the stratosphere. The film starts with a prologue about a Houston boy who was recruited in secret by NASA and may or may not have landed on the moon before the Apollo 11 crew — but the director then goes into an extended 45-minute stretch that is purely a scrapbook of what it was like growing up in the suburbs in the 1960s. There’s a lot of nostalgic ‘memba berries in that mushy middle, but damn if it isn’t charming and feel-good in a Little Rascals kind of way. The whole thing is narrated with warmth by former Linklater collaborator Jack Black (School of Rock, another one of Linklater’s family-friendly pieces). Linklater’s point with Apollo 10 1/2 is that a lot has changed since back then but the experiences of childhood and growing up in a loving family have not. The main boy “goes” to the moon in a wonderfully cross-edited section juxtaposed up against the real moon landing, that echoes Apple’s must-see For All Mankind in a lot of interesting and telling ways. The pandemic has led a handful of directors to look back at their own upbringings—PTA’s Licorice Pizza and Spileberg’s upcoming The Fablemans for example—but not all can pull it off with as much charm as this.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!