It feels like it was just yesterday.  And yes, I understand how much this sentiment “dates” me, but I don’t care! 25 years ago, on May 19, 1999, the Star Wars universe was officially expanded, with George Lucas’ launch of his prequel tale ‘Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace.’  This, of course, is the beginning of a film trilogy that all takes place before the events told in his original blockbuster Star Wars trilogy, which were rebranded in the 1990s to be Episodes IV, V, and VI. Listen – you know all of this.  If you’re here reading this, you must be a Star Wars fan, or at ..read more

The world got a bit more exciting on Super Bowl Sunday – February 11th – when Marvel dropped the first trailer for the forthcoming third Deadpool movie, which they announced was officially titled ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ Mark today as another exciting day on the calendar, as Marvel has provided us with the second full trailer for the film! Rather than inundate you with silly ramblings about the two characters and the long-gestating crossover between them that many thought would never happen, we will instead jump right in and give you the trailer in all its insane glory.  Take a peek: T ..read more

What if. It’s a question that has intrigued storytellers and audiences alike for generations.  The desire to take something known and twist it ever so slightly, to the point where elements and pieces are not immediately recognizable – or worse, things are chillingly recognizable and seemingly appropriate in their darker state. The thought of “yes, I could see something like this happening” is perhaps one of the scariest story premises out there – especially when what we’re being presented with is dark and dangerous. Such is the case with ‘Civil War,’ the new film from director Alex Garlan ..read more

We’ve known for a while now that the first season of the animated Disney+ show, Marvel’s “What If…?,” was getting a follow-up season.  Today, Disney and Marvel have confirmed the new season’s release date, along with some additional fun information about the release schedule of the individual episodes.  Read on for more info! Starting its life in comic-book form back in 1977, Marvel’s series told alternate-reality tales about heroes and characters that readers knew well.  The first issue was titled “What if… Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?” and it set the precedent that re ..read more

There are certain video games that have a natural path that can be traced in terms of what a move about that game would be about.  Assassin’s Creed and time-travel undercover ops.  Uncharted and a treasure-hunting mystery.  Sonic the Hedgehog and a fast blue animal with rings.  Super Mario Bros and plumbing.  And the like. So, when the news came down about an upcoming film called ‘Tetris,’ it makes one’s brain start to think of the possibilities: will this be a movie along the same lines as Hasbro’s now-scuttled plans for turning its games into film propertie ..read more

New beginnings bring new excitement, but also new challenges. Such is the takeaway vibe I got from our advance screening of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the kickoff for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Let’s be clear from the get-go: Marvel has been giving us entertaining, high-quality films for a long time now.  Almost 25 years, across dozens of television series, along with short films and literature tie-ins… this juggernaut is no slouch.  Unfortunately, every entry into the series can’t be a home run – and that’s where we need to have some “real talk” about ..read more

  Marvel has made plenty of waves this year with both their newly-released MCU content (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk) and key announcements for the forthcoming Phases of film & TV. One of the most anticipated upcoming films easily has to be ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’  After the first Ant-Man film was a pleasant surprise to both fans and critics alike, and its follow-up ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ continued to build on that success – not to mention casually dropping one of the most impactful pre-‘Endgam ..read more

Amazon has been kind enough lately to grace readers with advance copies of select forthcoming titles, and I was lucky to grab a copy of Signal Moon by Kate Quinn, which is releasing wide in August from the streaming giant.  This novella-sized tale will be available in eBook only, but it packs a pretty decent punch into a relatively bite-sized story. In 1943, at the height of World War II, Lily Baines works for her country as a “Wren,” the Y-Station listeners of the British Royal Naval Service tasked with intercepting, relaying, and sometimes deciphering the enemy transmissions they hear o ..read more

It will almost assuredly be a trivia question years from now: who was the first character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get a fourth solo film?  The answer, of course, will be Thor Odinson, and the film will be the movie that’s next headed to cinemas for audiences to enjoy: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’ The impending superhero film comes with a few twists and “extras,” however.  The story will see not only Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the iconic God of Thunder, but Natalie Portman also returns to the franchise – not just as mild-mannered human scientist and Thor’s love int ..read more

Marvel’s Phase 4 is officially off and running here in 2022.  One of the biggest questions on fans’ minds – besides what the heck we’re in for in the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ film set to hit theaters next month – is “what changes are in for one of the last-standing original Avengers, Thor?” Answers to that question and others are undoubtedly forthcoming with the impending release of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth feature film in the Norse Gods’ franchise and the first on-screen sighting of Thor since his characters’ wild evolutionary ride in the MCU In ..read more