TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

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'Mortal Kombat' reboot will be rated R for all the fatalities
Filming is set to start soon on the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot, which is in pre-production in Australia under the wing of producer James Wan. Tidbits about what's in store are starting to emerge, such as the casting of The Raid star Joe Taslim as series lynchpin Sub-Zero. The latest news on the movie comes from writer Greg Russo, who said the production team is gunning for an R rating. And yes, it'll include proper fatalities.
Amazon previews Prime Day deals before the shopping frenzy
Amazon claims Prime Day 2019 will be a "two-day parade of more than a million deals." The action starts July 15th and new deals will drop as often as every five minutes for a full 48 hours. Today, Amazon released a preview of what's to come.
Zack Snyder is turning Norse myths into anime for Netflix
Netflix isn't just tapping Zack Snyder for a zombie action movie. The streaming behemoth has announced that Snyder and DC animated movie director Jay Oliva are creating an anime series based on Norse mythology. There's no mention of plot, a release date or even a name, but Netflix is counting on the close connection between the two masterminds as a selling point. They've worked together on more than a dozen movies, including Man of Steel and Justice League.
HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home of 'Friends'
AT&T's WarnerMedia finally has a name for its streaming service -- and some unfortunate news for people hoping it would share some classic shows. The new platform will be named HBO Max, and will unsurprisingly use HBO's material as its base on top of originals and shows from other Warner networks. Most notably, that includes exclusive rights "at launch" to every episode of Friends -- true to its word, AT&T won't let Netflix and others share its classics. There are similar on-launch exclusives for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Pretty Little Liars.
Netflix picks up heist movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot
Netflix is no stranger to buying movies originally destined for other studios, but its latest coup is particularly eyebrow-raising. The company has acquired Red Notice, a blockbuster heist thriller that was previously under Universal's wing. It was already set to be a high-profile pic with Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot as its biggest stars, but the switch to Netflix also brings Ryan Reynolds to the cast. It's directed and written by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who's best known for working with Johnson on Central Intelligence and Skyscraper.
'Stranger Things 3' has been seen by over 40 million Netflix accounts
Remember when it was a big deal that Bright racked up 11 million viewers? That's now quaint by comparison. Netflix has revealed that 40.7 million accounts have watched Stranger Things 3 in the four days since its July 4th premiere, making it the most-viewed show of any kind on the service in that time frame. And many in that audience were determined to finish the season before they returned to work -- 18.2 million have already completed the entire season.
Recommended Reading: Apple's ambitious TV plan
Can Apple hack it in Hollywood? We talk to the man behind Apple TV+ Stuart McGurk, GQ UK Apple officially revealed it's TV streaming service in March, but it won't debut for the masses until this fall. There have been all kinds of reports swirling about content, including reports that Apple executives were micromanaging creative direction. GQ sat down with senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue to find out more about TV+, and get some clarity on a few of those rumors.
Research group says America's favorite TV size is now 65 inches
More and more Americans are scooping up 65-inch TVs, so much so that they're now apparently the most popular screen size in the country. Market research company TrendForce reckons tumbling prices have led to a shift in the most common screen size: 65-inch screens have been getting cheaper in recent weeks, while prices on 55-inch displays have remained much the same.
New trailer for ‘Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution’ is full of Pokémon nostalgia
More than twenty years after the release of the first Pokémon movie, the film is being reimagined with an all-new computer-generated release in Japan. The first trailer dropped at the start of this year, and now a second trailer shows more of what to expect from the upcoming film.
Regal Cinemas movie subscriptions are reportedly coming this month
Regal Cinemas is reportedly preparing to join the unlimited movie ticket subscription fray. It's said to be revealing its plans later this month. According to Variety, the three pricing tiers ($18, $21 and $24) will all offer unlimited tickets and will vary based on theater location, unlike the state-based pricing of AMC's year-old Stubs A-List service.
Sling TV's sports add-on just got more expensive for some users
Sling TV is once again raising prices, and you won't be thrilled if you're a sports enthusiast. New customers for the Sling Orange package now have to pay $10 per month for the Sports Extra channel bundle instead of the previous $5. Existing customers will see the rate hike take effect from August 1st onward. That's the same price that Sling Blue customers were already paying for Sports Extra, but it also means you're looking at a minimum of $25 per month when you combine the sports pack with any base plan.
Five 'Star Trek' movies come to Amazon Prime on July 31st
There's more Star Trek available for streaming -- although it might not be on the service you were expecting to use. Amazon is adding five pre-Abrams Star Trek movies to Prime Video in the US on July 31st. Two of them come from the cast of the original series (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), while the rest are from the Next Generation crew (First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis). It could be a good way to brush up on Jean-Luc Picard's history ahead of his new streaming series.
Amazon gives Fire TV devices a section devoted to live television
Fire TV devices now have access to plenty of live television services, and Amazon wants to be sure you know what's playing regardless of what services you prefer. The internet giant is rolling out a dedicated Live tab that showcases whatever's playing across a host of apps, whether it's a free offering like Pluto TV, a cable substitute like PlayStation Vue or an over-the-air broadcast picked up through a Fire TV Recast.
Apple won't offer a Netflix-like quantity of TV shows
Apple has hinted that its TV+ service will focus more on a handful of top-tier shows than a Netflix-style deluge, but now that's considerably more explicit. Senior VP Eddy Cue told the Sunday Times in an interview that Apple "won't create the most" shows, and is instead interested in making the "best." He didn't think Netflix's emphasis on quantity was bad, but it was "not our model."
A 'Final Fantasy XIV' live-action TV show is in the works
Final Fantasy might be making its way to a screen near you, albeit without the need for you to have a controller in hand. Square Enix and Sony Pictures Television are developing a live-action Final Fantasy TV series with Hivemind, the production company behind The Expanse. It's also working on Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher.
Dish launches a WiFi and TV service aimed at apartment dwellers
Last week Dish announced a new service designed to make smart home technology available to all, now it's launching another service that makes modern tech accessible to everyone. "Dish Fiber" is a combined WiFi and livestreaming TV bundle for those living in multifamily communities, such as apartment blocks and student housing.
BET+ streaming service launches this fall with Tyler Perry's help
The rumor was true -- BET is launching a streaming service. The newly official BET+ is due to launch in the fall and will work closely with Tyler Perry Studios to offer a host of African American-focused on-demand video to subscribers. In addition to a "curated" library of videos from BET, Viacom and Perry (expect lots of Madea), it'll also provide some online-only originals. You can expect Tracy Oliver's TV remake of the classic comedy First Wives Club, a show from Will Packer and, of course, fresh shows from Perry.
Thom Yorke's new album comes with a Netflix short film
The same day Thom Yorke's upcoming album ANIMA comes out, he'll release a short musical film directed by frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson. The one-reeler will be set to three ANIMA tracks, and Yorke is expected to both score and star in the production. Netflix, which released a trailer today, calls the film a "mind-bending visual piece" and says it's best played loud.
Why your Avengers UHD Blu-rays aren’t actually 4K
Welcome to the latest episode of Upscaled, our explainer show where we look at the components and parts that make our favorite tech better. In this week, we're actually taking a step away from components to talk about 4K movies and TV. As companies push higher resolution screens and cameras, 4K resolution has become the standard for high-quality content. Distributors have also embraced high-resolution, with 4K streaming becoming more common on platforms like Netflix and Amazon, and Ultra HD Blu-Rays generally considered to be the best video quality you can get at home.
Netflix details the ‘best’ 2019 TVs for watching Netflix
Choosing what to watch on Netflix can be a time-consuming experience, but actually accessing the platform, and navigating your way around it, doesn't need to be. Some TVs are better at this than others, so Netflix has revealed its official 2019 list of recommended TVs for the best streaming experience. If you're in the market for a new model and this is a key concern for you, the company reckons TVs from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic are your best bet.

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