Disney Plus
Understanding Trauma, Grief, and Resilience In WandaVision
It’s a tale as old as time: young woman is traumatized, radicalized, and experimented upon; A.I. takes physical form as a robot before evolving into something more traditionally, distinctly human. Woman and humanoid robot fall in love before humanoid robot is killed and woman, in her grief, semi-accidentally takes an entire town of people hostage. Explaining the concept of WandaVision to anyone not familiar with the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe presents a bit of a challenge. Perhaps the even bigger challenge is then trying to communicate the way that the show so effectively becomes a truly emotional story. Over the course of nine episodes, WandaVision shares more about the two titular characters than the five movies that featured Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff or the seven in whi...
WandaVision Dusts Off the Comics to Tease Vision’s Future
The following editorial is heavy on spoilers… “Previously On”, this week’s eighth episode of Disney+’s WandaVision, is enlightening in many ways. It explores the details of Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) tormented past, re-writes the origin of her powers, and yet also tells the backstory of the villainous Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). By far the most interesting reveal, however, is the resurrected, colorless version of Vision (Paul Bettany), which is unveiled during the post-credits scene. Not only does this suggest an emotional series finale, it also has some interesting links to the comics that could hint at Vision’s future within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Vision being drained of all color is an unsettling sight, not just because of his cold appearance, but because it speaks to t...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in March 2021
Disney+ is bringing back a few familiar faces in March. With WandaVision wrapping up, Marvel Studios will pivot to their next highly anticipated spinoff series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. As the title suggests, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan return as — you guessed it — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Right behind those Marvel heroes is everyone’s favorite hockey coach Gordon Bombay. Yes, Emilio Estevez will return to the ice with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, which should give Mouse House their own Cobra Kai if there’s enough Zamboni power. Beyond those two blockbusters, National Geographic will unveil new documentary Own the Room, MCU fans in need of a refresher can tune into Marvel Studios: Legends, and for $30 extra bucks will get you Raya and the Last Dragon. Elsewhere...
Gina Carano Fired From The Mandalorian Following “Abhorrent” Social Media Posts
Lucasfilm has cut ties with The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano following a series of “abhorrent and unacceptable” social media postings. Carano had portrayed former Rebel Alliance soldier Cara Dune in the first two seasons of the widely popular Disney Plus series. She had emerged as a fan-favorite on the show, and Lucasfim had even considered a spinoff series starring Carano’s character, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, in recent months Carano courted controversy for social media posts in which she spread misinformation about voter fraud and mask wearing. She also mocked individuals who used preferred pronouns on social media by listing “beep/bop/boop” in her Twitter bio. More recently, she came under fire for an Instagram post comparing being a ...
Wakanda Series from Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Coming to Disney+
Though its king is no longer with us, Wakanda lives on. Word has come that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is developing a dramatic series set in Marvel’s fictional African country for Disney+. Deadline reports that the show is part of a newly signed five-year exclusive deal between Coogler’s Proximity Media and Disney. While the deal will find Proximity developing content beyond the Disney+ streaming service, the Wakanda project is up first. It also may not be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe series the production company will have a hand in, as Coogler said in a statement that “we will be working closely with [Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios] on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can’t ...
‘WandaVision’ Episode 4 Trailer Confirms Many Suspicions & Familiar Faces From The MCU
Source: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Everything is starting to make sense in the first MCU spin-off series. It’s been a slow grind, but Marvel’s love letter to comic book fans, the Disney+ original, WandaVision, is slowly coming together. Casual comic book movie fans have been watching in confusion as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are seemingly trapped in some fake world that takes its cues from television sitcoms across the years. On the other hand, Marvel fans have been loving every minute of the show, giving them real House of M vibes. The ending of last week’s third episode hinted that things were about to pick up when Geraldine(Teyonah Parris) was booted from the fake world by an angry Wanda. Now a trailer for the fourth episode is giving fans even more cl...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in February 2021
Disney+ is bringing the fantastical for February. The great Marvel mystery that is WandaVision will continue each Friday, delivering more sitcom subversions as the two titular heroes attempt to escape their own televised hell. Then again, who would want to leave the comforts of a ’70s living room. Speaking of classic television, the Mouse House is dusting off five seasons of The Muppet Show, as previously reported. Just make sure you bring champagne, roses, and a box of Godiva for Ms. Piggy, who tends to be particular about that stuff. Editors’ Picks Elsewhere, families can enjoy seeing Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz pop up in the new superhero comedy Flora & Ulysses or revisit Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in not one but two Cheaper by the Dozen films. Those are always a fun re...
50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2021
Anticipating movies these days is a fool’s errand. Unless it’s guaranteed to be hitting a streaming platform, the release date of any film should have an asterisk appended to it. That’s not cynical, but the nature of covering this industry amidst the pandemic. So, you could imagine how fun this list was to put together. (Spoiler: It wasn’t.) Dragging over last year’s offerings to this one seems like an easy task, but the shift opens the door for so many questions, all of which boil down to: “What are the odds?” For many features — you know, like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, or No Time to Die, or Halloween Kills, or any film without a streaming opt-in — the release date is as certain as we are about anything right now in life. “We’ll see” is the name of the game. Having said that, a few studios...
Boba Fett Fans Rejoice, Your Fav Star Wars Bounty Hunter Is Getting His Own Disney+ Series
Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty Many Star Wars fans felt for years that Boba Fett didn’t get the respect he deserved. The iconic intergalactic bounty hunter is finally getting his late flowers in the form of his own show. Boba Fett made his triumphant return during The Mandalorian’s epic season 2 that has finally linked this to the Disney+ original series Stars Wars films. If you saw the amazing season 2 finale and stuck around after the credits, you already know that Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett, whom we met in 2002’s Star Wars: Attack of The Clones, will be getting his own show titled The Book of Boba Fett and it will co-star Ming-Na Wen as Fett’s new partner assassin Fennec Shand. Today (Dec.21), Disney/Star Wars confirmed the new show, and Like intergalactic spaghetti western, The Boo...
What’s Next for Star Wars? The Mandalorian Season 2 Finale, Explained
Disney+ just aired the season finale of The Mandalorian’s second season, and what a finale it was. A big old dust-em-up with all manner of returning characters, some big, surprising (and not-so-surprising) cameos from old friends, and the bittersweet resolution of Din’s (Pedro Pascal) budding fatherdom with “the little green guy.” For all its revelations, though, Chapter 16, “The Rescue,” directed by Peyton Reed, highlights the light and dark sides of the show’s sophomore season: it’s got a clear sense of the sandbox it’s playing in, but can’t keep itself from using the same toys over and over again. Read on to learn more. As always, it goes without saying that there are some major, major spoilers ahead. You must be cautious. What’s the Plan for Getting Grogu Back? <img aria-d...
Lizzie McGuire Reboot No Longer Happening
Sadly, the Lizzie McGuire reboot is no longer happening. On Wednesday, Hilary Duff shared a post to her Instagram in which she briefly explained that the Disney+ revival of her iconic series has been scrapped entirely. “I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” Duff wrote in the post. Although she didn’t give a specific reason as to what ultimately killed the production, which was first announced in August 2019, Duff reiterated that she had hoped to take the Lizzie McGuire character — who was supposed to be 30 — in a more adult-friendly direction from the 13-year-old she played in the show’s original run from 2001-2004. Back in February, Duff publicly stated that she want...
Top 25 Films of 2020
Our Annual Report continues as we reveal the Top 25 Films of 2020. Stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles in the days and weeks to come about the best music, film, and TV of the year. If you’ve missed any part of our Annual Report, you can check out all the coverage here. Going to the movies ain’t like it used to be, right? What an understatement. With theaters shuttered up and movie chains filing for bankruptcy, one might argue it’s been a pretty crap year for cinema. Financially speaking, they’re not wrong. But, art is a funny thing. It has a way of enduring even the most arduous obstacles — you know, that whole Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park, “life finds a way” bit — and this year was a testament to that truth. Art had no issue finding a proper stage. That stage, as fate...
