TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

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Every ‘Star Wars’ feature film will be available on 4K Blu-ray in March
So far, Star Wars fans have only been able to watch The Last Jedi and Solo on 4K Blu-ray. The rest of the live action movies will be getting the 4K Blu-ray treatment on March 31st, though, for a total of 11 Star Wars films on the high resolution format. That, of course, includes the latest entry -- and the final chapter in the "Skywalker Saga" -- The Rise of Skywalker, which comes out on March 17th on digital and March 31st on standard and 4K Blu-ray.
Alex Garland’s new show wants you to be scared of tech again
Back in the '90s, when the internet first entered our collective consciousness, Hollywood responded by releasing a slate of techno thrillers that warned of all the horrible things computers could do to us. Perhaps our existence could be erased like Sandra Bullock's in The Net, or maybe our entire species would be enslaved like in The Matrix. Now, the media is seemingly dominated by the brilliant-but-inept tech bros of shows like Silicon Valley, or friendly hackers like Abby on NCIS. Ex Machina and Annihilation director Alex Garland's new show Devs argues that maybe we had it right the first time: We should be afraid. We should be very afraid.
Miraculously, 'Sonic the Hedgehog' is a fine movie
Sonic fans are used to being let down. Unlike Mario, who has rarely starred in a bad video game, the famous 'blue blur' has featured in countless duds. These include Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a disappointing follow-up to Sega's Genesis classics, and Sonic the Hedgehog, a 2006 reboot that was full of bugs and featured a now-infamous kiss scene between the hyperactive hero and a human princess. Expectations for the Sonic movie were, therefore, low. The film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, had already been criticized for releasing a trailer with a horrifically unfaithful and human-like version of Sonic. The backlash was so severe that the studio was forced to delay the movie's release, redesign the character and remake every shot he featured in. A second trailer revealed a more recognizable and authentic Sonic, which earned some respect and appreciation from the Sega faithful. Still, many were understandably skeptical. Shockingly, though, the Sonic movie is okay. Amusing, even. The 99-minute feature rarely feels original, ambitious or narratively interesting, but it's also not the cinematic train wreck that so many were expecting. The bar was exceptionally low, but this simple live-action comedy might be the best video game to movie adaptation ever made.
Watch the first trailer for Spielberg's Apple TV+ series 'Amazing Stories'
Apple has shared the first trailer for Steven Spielberg's upcoming Amazing Stories revival. The series will hit the tech giant's TV+ streaming service on March 6th, with five different stories to watch.
Redbox debuts a free, ad-backed live TV service
Redbox is still better known for its rental kiosks than anything else, but it's clearly keen to expand its streaming offerings. The company has launched a free, ad-supported live TV service (appropriately, Redbox Free Live TV) for some users. You don't need to sign in -- you just have to use Redbox's website or mobile app to tune in. You'll eventually see the service reach other platforms where Redbox is available, including smart TVs, Apple TV boxes and Roku players.
'Sonic the Hedgehog' breaks record for a video game movie debut
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has come a long, long way from that horrifying initial trailer. Paramount's adaptation just broke the record for a video game movie's three-day opening in the US, pulling in $57 million compared to Detective Pikachu's $54.3 million. Estimates have Sonic raking in $68 million over four days, which could give it one of the best Presidents Day performances of any movie -- and definitely the best for the 2020 holiday weekend. That's not adjusted for inflation, but still no small feat. Remember, Sonic premiered in February (when audiences are smaller, and studios often slot their less promising movies) where Detective Pikachu debuted at the height of the early blockbuster season in May.
HBO Max's first trailer reminds you it has non-HBO titles, too
HBO Max is still a few months away from its May launch, but that isn't stopping AT&T and WarnerMedia from trying to drum up some early hype. The streaming service has introduced its first trailer, and it mainly serves to remind you that Warner owns a lot of movies and TV shows beyond HBO. The promo starts with a not-so-subtle reminder that HBO Max has the exclusive for Friends, and goes on to show a flurry of clips from titles like Joker, South Park, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Wonder Woman, among others. The ad doesn't appear to tout HBO Max's originals, although that's not completely surprising when many of them won't be ready for a while.
'Harriet' star Cynthia Erivo's sci-fi podcast is becoming a movie
Podcast adaptations have a mixed track record in Hollywood, but that isn't stopping Amblin Partners from being particularly ambitious. Steven Spielberg's outfit has bought the movie rights to Carrier, a sci-fi podcast created by Qcode and Dan Blank that stars Harriet actress and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. She'll both produce the movie and reprise her role as the truck driver Raylene, who discovers that her latest cargo is a threat to the planet that makes her a target.
‘Apollo 13’ returns to theaters for three days in April
Despite never landing on the moon, Apollo 13 is one of the most notable spaceflights in history. An explosion on the Apollo 13's service module put the lives of its three crew members in peril. And despite all odds, the astronauts were able to keep the ship functioning until safely touching down on Earth. 25 years later, Ron Howard directed a largely accurate film version of the near-fatal mission. To celebrate the mission's 50th anniversary, Apollo 13 will return to theaters on April 5th, 6th and 8th.
Netflix will let anyone stream 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' for free
It seemed as though To All the Boys I've Loved Before was the talk of the town when the charming rom-com arrived on Netflix in 2018. With the sequel to the hit movie set to arrive on Wednesday, Netflix is offering non-subscribers the chance to see what all the fuss is about -- without having to sign up.
'Altered Carbon' season 2 trailer spoils a key moment
Following last week's teaser, Netflix has shared the first main trailer for season two of Altered Carbon. A word of warning: if you want to go into the new episodes without spoiling any of the story, don't watch the trailer or read what follows this paragraph as the trailer shares almost too many details.
Virtual pet site Neopets is being rebooted into a TV show
Neopets was all the rage in the early 2000s, but it's been gradually fading away since then. A series of ownership changes (currently NetDragon-owned JumpStart Games), technological progress and even the aging of its audience has left the virtual pet site a faded version of its former self. However, JumpStart is betting it can revitalize the brand with a strategy occasionally used for kids' games: make a TV show. It's teaming with Blue Ant Studios' Beach House Pictures on an animated series. It's still early days, but the production will be aimed at 8- to 12-year-olds. In other words, it's hoping that interest in the show will translate to more players as viewers enter their teens.
Recommended Reading: The lasting effect of the Iowa Caucuses
Iowa might have screwed up the whole nomination process Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight By now you probably know the story. The Iowa Democratic Party decided to use an app to report results from its caucuses this week. These events were the first primary-type votes cast in the 2020 Democratic presidential race, and would've set the tone for New Hampshire and the states to follow. Except the app failed, phone lines were jammed and it took the better part of the week for the full numbers to come out. So just how badly didn't Iowa screw up the whole process? FiveThrityEight's Nate Silver explains the candidate(s) who "won" didn't get the massive bump they would have and the field is still way too crowded.
IMDb's free streaming service will have every episode of 'Lost'
IMDb thinks it has a way to keep you coming back to its free streaming video service: offer a bunch of the TV shows from your younger days. IMDb TV has secured the rights to stream over 20 Disney-owned series, including Lost, Desperate Housewives, Malcolm in the Middle and My So-Called Life. Moreover, this will be the only place where you can watch Lost and Malcolm for free. You'll need a subscription or paid download anywhere else, to put it another way.
HBO Max forms a production unit devoted to streaming movies
If HBO Max is going to compete against streaming incumbents like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix on every level, it's going to need movies -- and it's gearing up to provide a flurry of them. WarnerMedia's yet-to-launch service has teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures Group to create a production wing, Warner Max, that's dedicated solely to producing streaming movies. The aim is to produce eight to 10 "mid-budget" flicks per year for HBO Max, with Warner Bros. distributing the titles in places and formats where the service isn't an option.
Google Fiber stops offering traditional TV service to new customers
If you're ready to sign up for Google Fiber but want TV service at the same time, you'll have to go online. Google has stopped selling conventional TV service to new customers as of today. Instead, it'll give customers the choice to sign up for YouTube TV (as announced in December) or the sports-oriented fuboTV. The company characterizes this as reflecting the modern reality. "Customers just don't need traditional TV," Google said.
Sony sets prices for (most of) its latest 4K LED TVs
You didn't have to wait too long for Sony to start pricing some of its 2020 Android TVs. The electronics giant has started taking pre-orders for its 'entry' X800H 4K LED TVs and their higher-end X950H counterparts. Only two of the flagship X950H models have been listed so far. The relatively small 49-inch set starts at $1,200, while the room-filling 85-inch set will cost you a substantial $5,000. Either set carries some of Sony's nicer tech, including the current-gen Picture Processor X1 Ultimate and local dimming LED backlighting. You can also expect common features like Google Assistant, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support. Details for other X950H sizes are coming at a "later date," Sony said.
'Altered Carbon' season 2 teaser shows Anthony Mackie as the 'new' hero
Netflix is finally ready to show a little more of Altered Carbon's second season -- if only just. The service has posted a teaser trailer that revolves around Anthony Mackie as the "re-sleeve" of Takeshi Kovacs, who was played by Joel Kinnaman in the first season. As the clip makes clear, though, a new body doesn't make things any easier. He's embroiled in a "ghost story," and there's a risk of becoming a ghost in the process.
YouTube Premium and Music have 20 million subscribers
It's now clearer just how YouTube's streaming services stack up against rivals. Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai revealed during the company's latest earnings call that YouTube Premium and Music have a combined 20 million subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2019. That's a far cry from Spotify's 113 million paying users (as of September 2019) and Apple Music's 60 million (as of June 2019), but still makes YouTube one of the bigger music providers assuming Premium users are taking advantage of their included Music access. Amazon Music had 55 million users as of January this year, but it's not clear how many of those are paying for full-fledged Music Unlimited access.
MoviePass declares bankruptcy
You knew MoviePass wasn't long for this world when it shut down service in September, and now it's ready to bow out completely. MoviePass and its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics have declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy -- that is, they're dissolving instead of trying to restructure under Chapter 11. Accordingly, the CEO, CFO and remaining board members have all resigned.

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