Remembering Michael K. Williams
And WB drops 180,000 'Matrix 4' clips
What to know
Michael K. Williams dead at 54… Just horrible news. Williams was best known for playing Omar on The Wire, as well as memorable turns in Boardwalk Empire, When They See Us, and Lovecraft Country. He’s actually nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy this year for Lovecraft Country, and will hopefully win. The outpouring of love from friends and collaborators has been truly moving. Williams will be deeply missed.
The Matrix Resurrections releases 180,000 teaser clips… Yes, you read that number correctly. Ahead of a full trailer release Thursday, WB has resurrected whatisthematrix.com and pumped it with a randomized mix of 180,000 new clips. Considering The Matrix was among the first movies to do viral internet marketing, this is both a nice tribute and a completely unprecedented stunt. 🥄
Disney+ drops LEGO Star Wars Halloween special trailer… I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday special and this looks to be bringing the same level of irreverence and fun. I’m especially intrigued by some of the “what if”-iness included ✨
A copy of Top Gun: Maverick was accidentally stolen along with Tom Cruise’s bodyguard’s car… Having your car stolen is bad, but not the end of the world. When there’s a copy of upcoming Tom Cruise blockbuster in said stolen car, well, that might be a problem. Luckily for Cruise and Paramount, the unreleased movie was recovered — but we’ll see if the car thieves made any copies 🚗
Shang-Chi earns Marvel’s highest RottenTomatoes audience score… people really love this movie! And they should! It’s good! 🍅
For more pop culture news, discussion, and what-to-watch recommendations subscribe to my pals over on the Kickball Friends podcast. 🎙
Dropping this week:
Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere — Sept 7 FX/Hulu drama series | 🍅 71%
Doogie Kamealoha MD premiere— Sept 8 Disney+ family series | 🍅
Come From Away — Sept 10 Apple TV+ filmed stage musical | 🍅
Scenes From a Marriage premiere — Sept 12 HBO drama series | 🍅
What to watch
Trailer: The Guilty — Oct 1 on Netflix
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Nic Pizzolatto, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Riley Keough, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, and Bill Burr.
Antoine Fuqua and Jake Gyllenhaal are asking the question: What if Fox’s 9-1-1 but better? Based on a 2018 Danish film, The Guilty stars Gyllenhaal as a 911 operator bent on helping a woman who’s been kidnapped — and even though I listed all those other phenomenal actors above, it appears this is more of a one man show. It’s a pretty neat concept for a thriller and was probably easy to make in COVID times. Gyllenhaal is definitely at the level where he can carry a solo movie like this but Fuqua and Pizzolatto have their work cut out for them in making a movie like this engaging for its entire runtime. As an experiment, I’m intrigued, but Netflix original movies can be hit or miss, so best to wait to hear from the critics on this one.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!