TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

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LG's 48-inch gaming OLED TV arrives in June for $1,499
If your idea of sticking it out at home involves catching up on games and movies, LG might have some good news. The company has started rolling out its 2020 OLED TVs, complete with US pricing and release dates for the collection. The highlight for many may be the smallest of the bunch -- the gaming-oriented 48-inch model in the CX series will arrive in June for $1,499. That might be more expensive than you were expecting, but it could hit the sweet spot if you either intend it as a gaming PC monitor or just want something better-suited to a small space.
Movies Anywhere will let you share purchases with friends
Chances are you're already sharing streaming recommendations with friends who are staying at home to socially distance themselves. Now, Movies Anywhere wants to make it a little easier to share actual movies. The service, which syncs up your purchased films across platforms like iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play and Vudu, is launching a new feature called Screen Pass that will let you temporarily share your purchased movies with friends and family, The Verge reports.
Broadcom lawsuit blames your Netflix habit for a drop in chip sales
Broadcom's success still depends in part on selling chips for cable set-top boxes, and it's apparently upset that TV viewers are headed elsewhere. The company has sued Netflix for allegedly violating eight patents covering data transfer and video playback, and that the streaming service is profiting from that claimed infringement by encouraging cord-cutting and hurting Broadcom's chip sales. In other words, it believes your Witcher marathon hurt its bottom line.
NCAA March Madness games will be played without fans
Precautions for the coronavirus outbreak are about to radically affect how many people watch college sports. The NCAA is responding to the risks of COVID-19 by restricting attendance at championship events, including Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, to "essential staff" and "limited" family members. You'll have to watch matches either online or on TV, no matter how much of a fan you might be.
NWSL soccer matches will stream on CBS All Access and Twitch
You might have an easy time watching National Women's Soccer League matches online this season. The league has struck deals that give CBS Sports and Twitch the rights to stream games for the next three years. CBS will stream 87 matches, 71 of them available solely through All Access and its various portals through CBS' apps and website. However, the Twitch team-up may be the real highlight. Amazon's livestreaming service will air 24 "select" matches for free in the US on its channel, and it'll offer every game to viewers outside the US.
Sharp sues Vizio over display tech in 70-inch TVs
Sharp, the Japanese electronics company behind the world's largest 8K LCD TV, is suing Vizio and two other companies over alleged patent infringement. Sharp claims that the companies infringed 12 patents related to panel technologies, like liquid crystal displays (LCD). In particular, Sharp says one of Vizio's 70-inch TVs is an offender. Sharp is seeking an injunction, as well as compensation for lost profits and the use of its technology.
Disney+ reportedly scrapped a 'Tron' series from John Ridley
As scarce as Disney+ originals might be at the moment, Disney is apparently being picky about just what reaches its streaming service. Hollywood Reporter sources claim Disney+ developed and ditched three originals in the past year, including an unannounced Tron series from 12 Years a Slave producer John Ridley. The show had reportedly been in the works for "several months" even though it hadn't been officially greenlit, the insiders said. It's not certain why the life-inside-a-computer series didn't survive -- the other two shows were cut for wildly varying reasons.
Netflix will end 'Lost in Space' with a third season in 2021
One of Netflix's biggest sci-fi shows (and biggest shows, period) is winding to a close. Netflix has renewed Lost in Space for a third and final season expected to premiere sometime in 2021. This isn't the product of Netflix's habit of canceling shows after three seasons, thankfully. Series showrunner Zack Estrin stressed that the modernized tale of the Robinsons and the Robot was designed as a trilogy with a "clear beginning, middle and end," and it's just reaching its expected conclusion.
ESPN+ will be the home of PGA Tour's streaming service in 2022
You might end up paying less to stream live golf tourneys in the future. As part of a larger media deal, PGA Tour Live will be included as part of the ESPN+ base package starting in 2022 -- it'll be the only place you can use it in the US, in fact. The service will grow as part of the arrangement, too, with multiple live streams available for "nearly every week" of the FedExCup season. This includes 36 tourneys, "at least" 28 of which will get four days of coverage. You can also expect the usual on-demand replays, recaps and original programming.
'The Last of Us' TV series is coming to HBO from the creator of 'Chernobyl'
Naughty Dog isn't stopping with its long-in-the-making Uncharted movie. The studio is partnering with HBO to create a The Last of Us TV series -- yes, a full show rather than a one-off feature. It'll even have stronger-than-usual talent. Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin (who's apparently a fan of TLoU) will helm the the project alongside Naughty Dog's own Neil Druckmann, who'll help write and executive produce the series. Naughty Dog president Evan Wells and Sony's PlayStation Productions are also involved in adapting the game.
Samsung unveils its latest 4K and 8K QLED TVs for the US
Samsung's 4K and 8K TV launch is one of the more controversial in years, because Samsung appears to be saving high-end features for the much more costly 8K models. We first saw signs of it in January at CES 2020, when Samsung failed to show off any mainstream 4K sets, while displaying a plethora of 8K models. The company has now effectively confirmed that situation with the US launch of its new lineup.
'Connected' is a kids' movie about the dangers of tech obsession
For all the potential that AI and robotics hold, there's still plenty of fear around the negative impacts they could have on society, as well as concerns that we already spend too much time staring at screens. Sony Pictures plans to capitalize on that sentiment with a new animated film Connected. It's another family-saves-the-world plot, but its message probes our reliance on technology, and it has some impressive talent behind it.
YouTube TV to drop Fox regional sports channels following Sinclair dispute
If you subscribe to YouTube TV to get live sports without a pricey cable or league package, you might be in for a disappointment. YouTube TV is dropping Fox Regional Sports Networks (including the New York City-oriented YES Network) on February 29th after it was "unable to reach an agreement" with Sinclair to continue carrying the channels. While the company didn't say just what the points of contention were when asked by Engadget, it pointed to its attempt to balance the climbing costs of sports broadcasting with its desire to deliver a good value to subscribers. You can read its full on-the-record statement below.
Netflix's daily-updating Top 10 lists roll out worldwide
For anyone who has suffered from option-overload on Netflix and spent too much time looking for something to watch, the streaming service is rolling out a new Top 10 feature. In the Netflix app, you'll see a new banner with the 10 most popular titles in your country.
'Harley Quinn' season 2 gets a quick April 3rd debut
There's normally a lengthy wait between seasons of streaming TV shows, but don't tell that to DC Universe. The comics-oriented service is premiering the second season of its Harley Quinn animated series on April 3rd -- just four months after the show's first season arrived. There aren't many clues as to what's coming next, but the announcement clip (below) serves as a reminder that there are a lot of people who are less than fond of Harley.
'Game of Thrones' duo will co-produce a Netflix series with Sandra Oh
It's now clear how Game of Thrones TV series co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss intend to kick off their huge Netflix deal. Netflix has announced The Chair, a six-episode "dramedy" executive produced by the pair as well as show star Sandra Oh, writer (and Benioff's wife) Amanda Peet and Bernie Caulfield. The half-hour episodes will revolve around the chair of an English department at a large university. Many other details are unknown, but Transparent's Jay Duplass is also poised to star.
Netflix's first 'Transformers' teaser reveals a hopeless war
Netflix has posted the first teaser trailer for its Transformers animated series, and it's now clear just how the service will take on the robots' origins. The clip for the first part of the War For Cybertron trilogy, Siege, portrays the Autobots fighting a seemingly hopeless war to prevent the Decepticons from finding the Allspark (the source of the machines' power) and destroying the essence of what the Transformers are. It's not the most complex narrative, although it's surprisingly bleak for kids' fare. It even draws eerie parallels with human politics by having Megatron spin the Autobots' efforts as "aggression."
Eli Roth is directing the 'Borderlands' movie
Uncharted won't be the only well-known game franchise receiving a movie adaptation in the near future. Lionsgate has revealed that Hostel director and Inglourious Basterds star Eli Roth will direct the Borderlands movie, with production starting later in 2020. Most of the details aren't known (including the basic plot), but Roth said he was happy with the script as well as the support from Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, who's also one of the executive producers alongside Take-Two chief Strauss Zelnick.
'Westworld' season 3 trailer sets the stage for an AI battle
HBO has released a new trailer for the upcoming third season of Westworld. It shows Dolores, Maeve and Westworld's other characters leave the confines of the park that defined so much of show's past two seasons. Additionally, we see more of the futuristic city we saw glimpses of in the first trailer HBO shared last July. There's also the suggestion Maeve and Dolores will come into a conflict, with a mysterious new character instructing the former to find and kill her fellow android. To top it all off, an orchestral version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses accompanies the latter half of the trailer.
Alamo Drafthouse's movie-per-day Season Pass is finally here
It took many months, but Alamo Drafthouse's Season Pass is finally available to everyone -- but like some rivals, what you'll pay depends on where you live. The service gives everyone access to one regularly priced movie per day, with seat reservations up to a week in advance. The prices vary sharply, though. Only viewers happy to watch in New Braunfels, Texas will get the best pricing at $15 per month, with $5 discounts at other locations. People in eight other locations (including Austin, Denver and Raleigh) will have to pay at least $20 per month with $10 discounts at other locations, and those watching in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco will have to shell out $30 per month.

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