TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

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Netflix will order original shows from Africa in 2019
Netflix has filmed originals in Africa, but it hasn't really commissioned originals from Africa. That's about to change, the company's Erik Barmack revealed at a conference this week. He promised that Netflix would "definitely" order some shows from Africa in 2019. He didn't hint at what might be coming in the pipeline, but the service was already "looking at opportunities" in the expansive continent.
Disney adds Nick Nolte to the cast of its 'Star Wars' streaming shows
Disney is quickly solidifying the talent for its Star Wars streaming shows. Variety sources say Nick Nolte has joined the cast of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian, joining other big names including Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano. There's nothing mentioned about the role Nolte will play (Disney isn't commenting), but the casting is eerily appropriate -- Nolte was one of the candidates to play Han Solo in the original Star Wars movies. Something tells us he won't be playing a smuggler with a heart of gold, though.
'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' continues April 5th
You won't have to wait long if you're craving another fix of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Netflix has confirmed that Part 2 of the teenage witch saga will arrive on April 5th. The accompanying teaser doesn't say a whole lot about what's coming next, but Netflix noted that Sabrina has "gone full witch" and is struggling between her dark connections and her friends on the Path of Light.
Fox investigates Neil deGrasse Tyson over sexual misconduct claims (updated)
Astrophysicist and Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson is facing investigations by Fox, National Geographic and show producers in the wake of fresh claims of sexual misconduct. The two networks told Hollywood Reporter in a statement that they were "reviewing" allegations from two women in a Patheos story who accused deGrasse Tyson of groping and making unwanted sexual advances. The Cosmos team, meanwhile, said they would embody the philosophy of the show and "follow the evidence wherever it leads" with its investigation.
AT&T's WarnerMedia streaming service will include three plans
When AT&T's WarnerMedia-themed streaming service arrives in late 2019, you may have to think about how much you want -- not just whether or not you want it in the first place. In a presentation discussing its 2019 strategy, the company noted that there would be three plans offering varying levels of content. The "entry" tier would be focused on movies, while the "premium" tier would offer more of what you're actually looking for, including "premium & popular" original shows as well as "blockbuster" flicks. And if you're determined to go all-out, a "bundle" tier would throw in classics, kids' programming, niche material and other extras.
Sinemia brings back debit cards following complaints over fees
As MoviePass began to flounder amid mounting money woes, changing its model every few weeks and introducing new restrictions like surge pricing and limits on what films customers could see on any given day, rival Sinemia began to turn some heads. It offered a number of different plans, as opposed to MoviePass' one, and while it cost a little bit more, the company claimed its model supported stability, something that MoviePass customers no longer had. It even began to offer an unlimited plan just after MoviePass disbanded its own. But over the past few months Sinemia customers have begun to complain about the service's fees, discontent that even led to a lawsuit. Now, Sinemia is making some changes that will give users the option of purchasing tickets without fees.
Netflix's 'Criminal' series will never leave the interrogation room
Netflix is still determined to show that it doesn't have to conform to TV tropes. The company has ordered a police procedural, Criminal, with more than a few hooks. Most notably, it's set entirely inside police interrogation rooms -- it's all about the "intense mental conflict" between officers and suspects. It's not The Usual Suspects, but it's hard to completely avoid comparisons.
LG starts teasing 2019's OLED TVs
It must be close to CES time, because once again LG is talking about next year's TVs. In a post touting the Alpha processors that drive its various displays, it revealed that in 2019 its high-end OLED screens will include the Alpha 9 (α9 Gen 2), the sequel to last year's A9 CPU. It mentioned a four-step noise reduction process and support for high frame rate 120fps video (HFR). The only issue? They listed the same features last year. What we'd be really interested to find out is if these new TVs will have any support for the HDMI 2.1 standard. If they do, then it would be possible to input HFR video via HDMI -- last year's sets could only do it via a USB drive. Another big addition last year was support for AI like Google Assistant, and we'll need to see if that gets any upgrades in the new sets as well.
Amazon’s ‘The Grand Tour’ returns for a third season January 18th
Amazon Prime Video's The Grand Tour is coming back for a third season and it's full of the hijinks you've come to expect from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. A new trailer gives us a peek at what's in store for season three and along with impressive cars and cool locations, you'll also be able to catch Richard getting his Jeep stuck on a rickety bridge, James playing the bagpipes and Jeremy racing on a lewdly shaped track. The season includes trips to Detroit, Colombia, Mongolia and China, plenty of laughs and even an explosion or two. It debuts January 18th and you can check out the trailer below.
NBCUniversal is using machine learning to make ads more relevant
Advertisers have been targeting their messages to relevant media for as long as advertising has existed. Kids' TV channels are awash with toy commercials, breaks during wedding shows are full of ads for honeymoon destinations and so on. But now, NBCUniversal has adopted a new machine learning tool that makes the placement of ads on TV more exact, relevant and timely.
Amazon inadvertedly streamed an upcoming episode of 'Doctor Who'
Never mind bootleggers releasing unaired Doctor Who episodes -- the biggest concern this week is none other than one of the BBC's own distributors. Fans who tried to watch the latest episode of the show ("Kerblam!") on Amazon the evening of November 21st found themselves watching "The Witchfinders" instead -- an episode that wasn't supposed to air until November 25th. Yes, the time travel jokes pretty much write themselves here. The io9 team notes that Amazon even had the subtitles for "Kerblam!" instead, leading to some unintentionally funny mash-ups of text from the future with the 17th-century past.
Robert Rodriguez releases over-the-top VR film 'The Limit'
Want to see how well Robert Rodriguez' directorial skills translate to virtual reality? Now's your chance. Rodriguez and STX have released The Limit on nearly every major VR-capable platform, including Oculus headsets, HTC's Vive line, Android, iOS, PlayStation VR and Windows Mixed Reality. Shell out $10 ($8 on phones, and half-off during the launch period) and you'll take part in a 20-minute film where you recruit a "super-assassin" (Michelle Rodriguez) to recover your identity and seek justice. To no one's surprise, this involves a whole lot of punching, shooting and gratuitous explosions. Norman Reedus also plays a pivotal role, although the trailer suggests he might not be so friendly.
Amazon bids on Fox regional sports channels from Disney deal
Now that Disney has to give up 22 regional sports channels in order to buy key Fox assets, who's going to snap them up? It might be Amazon. CNBC tipsters claim the internet giant is bidding on all of the channels, including the YES Network. It's not certain how much the company is bidding, but it's going up against a mix of companies that include investment firms and broadcasters like Sinclair.
'Avengers: Infinity War' comes to Netflix on Christmas Day
Ever since the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War, there's been a looming question: when is it coming to Netflix? Right in time for some holiday viewing, it seems. Netflix has revealed that the star-studded superhero flick will be available to stream on December 25th. Yes, you too can pay tribute to Stan Lee while you're recovering from the family feast. Just be sure to put your blinders on if you haven't seen the movie yet -- this is a Marvel title that can easily be ruined if you're not careful.
DC Universe's 'Young Justice: Outsiders' premieres January 4th, 2019
DC Universe finally has the premiere date for its first show after Titans. The company has announced that Young Justice: Outsiders' third season will reach the streaming service on January 4th, 2019. The teaser clip says precious little about the continuation of the story, but it does offer a peek at a sinister alien planet.
Amazon Prime members can watch 'Aquaman' a week early
Aquaman has only appeared briefly in Batman v. Superman and as a member of the Justice League, and was one of the few good things in two pretty awful movies. As such, the character's first solo movie has more promise than other DC Extended Universe films. Amazon has announced that Prime members will get to see the movie on December 15th, nearly a full week ahead of the movie's December 21st public debut.
Italian law requires domestic movies hit theaters before they stream
France isn't the only country particularly wary of streaming services. Italian Culture and Tourism Minister Alberto Bonisoli recently unveiled a law that would require all Italian-made movies to show in theaters before they reach Netflix, Prime Video and other streaming providers. It also formalizes a 105-day delay between the theatrical and streaming releases, although that can be shortened to 'just' 60 days if a picture either shows in fewer than 80 theaters or has fewer than 50,000 viewers in its first three weeks.
'Devil May Cry' series coming from the producer of 'Castlevania'
After Adi Shankar chalked up a hit with his animated Castlevania series on Netflix, what's he going to do next? Why, adapt another classic, darkly-themed video game franchise, of course. Shankar told IGN in an interview that he's developing an animated Devil May Cry series as part of what he says is a "bootleg multiverse." He did buy the rights, to be clear -- he's just making sure the "jabronis in Hollywood" don't mess up the treatment of Capcom's stylish shoot-and-slash titles. There's not much to show beyond that, although Shankar did post a teaser picture showing what looks like Dante from the DMC games.
YouTube quietly offers free, ad-supported movies
YouTube is borrowing a page from Vudu's playbook, in a manner of speaking. AdAge has confirmed that the Google video service quietly started adding free, ad-supported movies to its "Movies & Shows" section in October. The roughly 100-title collection largely revolves around old or unspectacular movies that are long past their money-making prime, such as Legally Blonde, Agent Cody Banks and the original Terminator. However, that makes it an easy fit -- studios can rake in some ad revenue (YouTube hasn't said how it shares ad money) from people wanting to watch a classic during a sleepy afternoon.
Amazon strikes a global deal with Blumhouse for eight thrillers
Jason Blum's Blumhouse Television, the production house behind TV shows like Eye Candy and Cold Case Files, has struck a deal with Amazon Studios to create eight dark/thriller films that will all be thematically connected. If the name Jason Blum sound familiar, he's the man behind such horror films as Paranormal Activity, The Purge, and the recent Unfriended: Dark Web. He's also behind the highly successful Halloween reboot that premiered earlier this year.

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