HBO Max pulling more great shows
And 'Avatar 2' reviews are in
What to know
Love Life canceled at HBO Max, 2 seasons reportedly being pulled as well… Fuck this. This is exactly what I was worried about when Warner Bros. Discovery started removing content from HBO Max to cut costs. It’s a loss that Love Life has been canceled as much as any cancelation is a loss — but for it to be potentially erased from public consumption is just cruel. Minx and Love Life are both excellent and that people potentially won’t be able to watch them at all in the future sucks. For what it’s worth, as of the time of this writing, both shows are still available to watch on HBO Max, despite reports that they’re getting pulled. Just speculating, but maybe they’ll disappear at the end of the month? I implore you to watch them while you can. 🤬
Westworld and The Nevers are also coming off HBO Max… And the latter has been canceled outright. Just more bad news in this worrying trend. You have to wonder what shows are next. The only silver lining here is that Deadline reports the series will likely resurface on other WBD-owned services, perhaps on its in-development FAST offering. 👎
Jake Johnson says Minx will finish shooting season 2, despite HBO Max cancellation… That’s good news. Johnson continues, “From what I am hearing S1 & S2 (and hopefully S3) will find a new home, the question is where… I am eager to find a new platform for these episodes.” I truly hope this works out. 🍆
Avatar: The Way of Water reviews pour in… After strong early reactions, the critics have officially spoken. The mega sequel sits at TK on RottenTomatoes as the time of this writing, reminding us never to doubt James Cameron. Things are looking good for Way of Water, north of $500 million worldwide in its first weekend good. 🌊
New Hayao Miyazaki film How Do You Live set for summer 2023… The legendary animation director is back with an adaptation of Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 YA book of the same name about a 15-year-old boy’s journey of discovery, spirituality, and human nature. Miyazaki hasn’t directed a feature since 2013, making this more than worthy of our attention. 🇯🇵
Destry Allyn Spielberg to make directorial debut with Four Assassins (And a Funeral)… Yes, that Spielberg. The Blacklisted script is said to be a cross between Knives Out, Kingsman, and Succession, which sounds pretty good. 🎥
Adam Sandler to receive Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for Humor… Which means we’re going to get another hilarious Sandman acceptance speech. 🎤
Eugene Levy to front travel show on Apple… Sign me up. ✈️
What’s new
Kindred — Dec 13 | Hulu/FX drama series | 🍅 67%
National Treasure: Edge of History — Dec 14 | Disney+ action series | 🍅 50%
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths — Dec 16 | Netflix drama film | 🍅 60%
Avatar: The Way of Water — Dec 17 | Sci-fi film in theaters | 🍅 83%
1923 — Dec 18 | Paramount+ Western series | 🍅
What to watch
Trailer: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse — June 2 in theaters
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, written by Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and David Callaham, starring Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham, and Oscar Isaac.
I’m extremely hyped for this movie. Its predecessor is one of the singular achievements in comic book moviemaking of the last 20 years. The good news, as presented by this trailer, is that the filmmakers are continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible visually in an animated film. The style is so bold, nothing else in the field can even compare, and this trailer is stacked with eye-popping frames. All the while, the team has kept the comic book aesthetic. More than almost any other comic book movie, this looks like a comic book. The marriage of innovation and authentic adaptation is miraculous. That said, this feels like a teaser trailer after we already got an excellent teaser trailer last year. This spot feels vague to me in a way that’s troubling rather than enticing. Is there something going on with the production that has caused them to withhold so much from us and focus on what appears to be one or two sequences from the movie? Maybe I’m over analyzing it. Fewer plot details in the trailer means more surprises for the audience in the finished product after all. Regardless, I’ll be there on Thursday night June 1 to see Across the Spider-verse.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!