TV & movies

The latest news and reviews of TV shows and movies.

Latest

CBS will stream Super Bowl LIII on mobile devices without a sign-in
CBS is determined to make the most of the NFL's loosened streaming rules. The broadcaster has revealed its streaming plans for Super Bowl LIII, and you'll finally have the option to watch on mobile devices without a sign-in through CBS Sports' website and mobile apps. You'll also have mobile access through authenticated apps from CBS' cable, satellite, telecom and streaming TV partners. To no one's surprise, you can watch through All Access on mobile if you're a subscriber.
Netflix's 'The Witcher' series casts Henry Cavill as Geralt
Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher has landed a big name for the leading role. Henry Cavill will don the guise of monster slayer Geralt of Rivia in the eight-episode series. The show, which replaces a planned movie, is based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels and short stories -- they also inspired CD Projekt Red's series of The Witcher games.
LG shows off an 8K OLED and huge MicroLED TV, because Samsung
A few years ago it was curved TVs and 4K, but the never-ending game of LG vs. Samsung and who can create the most unnecessary display porn has moved on. Yesterday, Samsung showed off its first consumer-ready 8K QLED TV at IFA, but LG wasn't going to let its Korean nemesis take all the super-ultra-high-definition glory. And so today LG announced its own 88-inch 8K OLED panel, which is, naturally, a "world's first" because there's little reason for it to exist right now. There's no price or release date or really any information whatsoever on the TV because it's basically just a technical exercise, and because it's 3 inches bigger than the biggest Samsung TV, LG kinda won, I guess? And yes, it looks incredible.
Sony's premium Bravia Master TVs start at $3,500 (updated)
If you've been eyeing Sony's top-of-the-line Bravia Master TVs, you now know just how large a dent they'll make in your bank account. Both the OLED-based A9F series and LED-based Z9F series are available for pre-order now, with a starting price of $3,500 for the 55-inch A9F and $4,500 for the 65-inch A9F. The 65-inch Z9F will cost you $3,500, and if you want more visual real estate, the 75-inch Z9F will set you back $6,000.
Netflix releases mesmerizing trailer for Orson Welles' final film
Cinema's storied history is littered with projects that remain unfinished in various states. One such movie is (or at least, was) The Other Side of the Wind from the legendary Citizen Kane director Orson Welles. Netflix picked up the rights last year, and with the movie set to be released almost 50 years after production started on it, the captivating first trailer has arrived.
Rotten Tomatoes is changing what it looks for in movie critics
Rotten Tomatoes has overhauled its criteria for which critics and outlets get to contribute to its Tomatometer scores, opening the platform up to more voices and points of view. The company said that when it got started, it largely included critics from major publications and broadcasters with a large audience reach, which fit with the media landscape at the time. "In the intervening decades, a lot has changed," said the company, noting that staff positions at major outlets have dwindled and many critics are producing good work elsewhere, through smaller online outlets, podcasts and YouTube, for example.
Spotify's student Premium plan now includes Showtime
Spotify is determined to keep sweetening the pot for student listeners and stop them from drifting toward rival services. It's updating its Premium student plan in the US to include a Showtime subscription on top of the existing Hulu Limited Commercials deal, all for the same $5 per month. To put it another way, you can watch both Twin Peaks and The Handmaid's Tale at the same discounted rate that only offered music just a few years ago.
Netflix is distancing itself from the term 'binge-watching'
The Oxford online dictionary has seen a spate of zeitgeist-related inclusions in recent times – 2014 was a particularly busy year, with "yolo," "clickbait" and "adorbs" working their way into the wordy hall of fame. Ditto "binge-watch," a term used to describe the consecutive hours and hours lost to watching new series releases, and often synonymous with Netflix, the platform that facilitates exactly that. But it seems Netflix isn't too keen on that phrase.
Amazon is reportedly working on an ad-supported video service
Amazon is working on an ad-supported video service that would be available to users of its Fire TV devices, The Information reports. According to people familiar with the matter, the service will tentatively be called Free Dive and is being developed by the company's IMDB subsidiary. It will likely feature older TV shows and Amazon is reportedly in licensing talks with major studios.
HDR10+ support comes to Samsung and Panasonic 4K TVs (updated)
Samsung's upstart HDR10+ format took a big step in its fight against Dolby Vision for HDR supremacy. The group announced that Panasonic and Samsung have deployed HDR10+ firmware to select 2018 4K TVs, and that 20th Century Fox will start encoding new films using the tech. That means if you buy a new 4K TV from Samsung or Panasonic, you'll soon be able to watch programs that look better than those encoded with regular HDR10.
MoviePass forces annual subscribers to its new three-movie plan early
Earlier this month, MoviePass announced that its customers, previously allowed to see one movie per day, would be limited to just three per month. At the time, the company said that the change wouldn't affect annual subscribers until their plan renewed. But it looks like MoviePass has changed its mind yet again, and probably to nobody's surprise. The company began circulating an email today notifying annual plan subscribers that they too will be limited to just three film showings per month.
Apple moves forward with TV adaptation of Asimov's ‘Foundation’
In April, reports surfaced that Apple was looking into an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series for its lineup, and now the company has announced that it is moving forward with the show. Apple has gone ahead and ordered the adaptation, which will be produced by David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Avatar 2), who will also serve as showrunners.
Gorgeous puzzle game 'Monument Valley' is being turned into a movie
One of the most beautifully-designed mobile puzzle games of all time is going to be given the silver screen treatment. Released in 2014 and quickly snapping up the title of Apple's Game of the Year, Monument Valley will be adapted into a movie in a joint venture by Paramount Pictures and Weed Road Pictures.
Hulu is close to making a new season of 'Veronica Mars'
Veronica Mars is the TV series you just can't ignore, it seems. Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, Variety and others have claimed that Hulu is "close to a deal" with Warner Bros. for a new season of Veronica Mars. Many of the details are up in the air, but it would include lead Kristen Bell (it damn well better) and creator Rob Thomas. Deadline and Variety understood it would be an eight- to ten-episode limited production. The project has been in development for "months," EW said.
A 'Vampyr' TV show is on the way
If you're looking for a new supernatural television series, you're in luck (if you don't mind waiting a while). Fox 21 Television Studios will produce a new show based on the video game Vampyr by the developer of Life is Strange, Dontnod. The title came out for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 5th.
Netflix test interrupts your binge session with video promos
Netflix is trying out a new way to suggest content to viewers: Show them promos between episodes. The streaming company confirmed the tests to TechCrunch, but it doesn't appear to be a feature rolling out to everyone -- only a "small percentage" of subscribers will see the experimental psuedo-ads. And yet, the few viewers who have are irate, claiming the full-video interruptions are just as bad as commercials.
MoviePass limits customers to just six movie options per day
MoviePass is changing its service yet again and for the foreseeable future, it will significantly limit which films its customers can see on any given day, Business Insider reports. In a letter to its users, which the company began sending out today, it said that as it transitions to the new subscription plan it began imposing yesterday -- limiting monthly subscribers to just three films per month -- it will offer a limited selection of movies and showtimes each day. "During this transition period, MoviePass will offer up to six films to choose from daily, including a selection of major studio first-run films and independent releases," said the letter. "In addition, showtime availability may be limited depending on the popularity of those films on the app that particular day."
Director Tony Kaye puts out a casting call for robots
For one of his next films, director Tony Kaye (American History X, Lake of Fire) needs a robot, but rather than using computer-generated effects to depict one, as filmmakers have done in the past, he wants to cast an actual AI robot. Deadline reports that Kaye and producer Sam Khoze came up with the idea for the upcoming film 2nd Born, a follow to the soon-to-be-released 1st Born.
Hulu’s ‘Castle Rock’ will return for a second season
Hulu's Castle Rock, the anthology series from JJ Abrams and Stephen King, will return for a second season. The streaming service announced the renewal today, just shortly after the first season's premiere. Hulu also said that the show, which will drop its sixth episode on Wednesday, had the most successful first-season launch of any of its originals to date in terms of reach and consumption.
Amazon's 'The Romanoffs' teaser shows desperate claims to fame
Amazon is finally ready to show more of The Romanoffs than its all-star cast. The internet behemoth has posted a full-fledged teaser trailer for the Prime Video anthology series, and it's evident that the show is equal parts serious and irreverent. This definitely isn't a historical piece. Rather, it's a look at the seeming ridiculousness of people around the world as they claim to be descendants of the last Russian royal family. There's more than a slight whiff of desperation, although the teaser doesn't rule out the possibility that some characters might have a legitimate claim.

...