MOVIE ★

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is wired-up, synthetic pleasure. It's a frivolous child film that moves at the speed of your thoughts when playing video games. Video-game films seldom have that quality; they are typically overproduced and dreary. However, "Sonic 3" lends hyperactivity a positive label. Jeff Fowler, who directed all three of these films, is a faster and wittier energy magician than he was when he filmed the first "Sonic" in 2020. ' Sonic the Hedgehog 3. ' Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is a vivaciously produced throwaway, yet its attitude is reminiscent of the beautiful tomfoolery of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet." And it is anything but mindless. Though it never says it, the entire film — nuclear light displays, a plan to blow up the globe, a squad of heroes who can run circles around physics — is a mockery of the grandiosity tha...

Midway through the punishingly dull Kraven the Hunter, Ariana DeBose — playing a high-powered lawyer linked to a string of gangster killings who flees a team of hitmen in her London office and lands in Siberia — says with a straight face, "I don't like the feel of this at all." Not joking. The moment was definitely not supposed to be funny, but it makes you wish director J.C. Chandor and the writers had embraced the ridiculousness of this confused Marvel villain origin story with a little more winking comedy. Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ' Kraven the Hunter. '  Sony Pictures Instead, those indications of a so-bad-it's-good guilty pleasure are a brief glimmer in an action thriller that pours a lot of blood but never increases the stakes or sparks enthusiasm. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, with his rock-hard abs, plays the main character with great physique and knife abilities, but he's too wooden to enjoy it. Overlong and punctuated with anticlimactic killin...

Eight years ago, Moana (impressively voiced by Auli'i Cravalho), the strong-willed Polynesian wayfinder — don't call her a princess — made a mark with her eponymous Disney debut. Her one-of-a-kind marine journey with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson in top form) grossed over $665 million worldwide for the studio and won an Oscar nomination for best animated film. But it was the heroine's charm and tenacity in saving her people from environmental devastation that gave Moana her most lasting features.  ' Moana 2. ' Walt Disney Moana, like other economically profitable Disney creations, was destined to become a franchise. Four years after the original's popularity, Disney revealed plans for an animated television series. Then they abandoned the idea in favor of a more typical movie sequel and announced a live-action remake. However, Moana 2, directed by Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, and David G. Derrick Jr. from a script by Jared Bush and Ledoux Mille...

Superman & Lois's writer/director would like to apologize — to his mother in particular. "My mother is a big admirer of the program... But one thing about her is that she despises cliffhangers," Jai Jamison tells TV Line. "I know my mother is going to detest this. She's going to be very upset." ' Superman & Lois. ' CW The show's penultimate episode concluded with the Man of Steel facing up against a supercharged, super-pissed Doomsday — and the odds are once again stacked against our hero. As downtown Smallville descended into turmoil, Superman paused to assure his anxious family how much they meant to him. He mouthed, "I love you," to Lois. "I always wi…" But before he could complete his statement, Doomsday delivered another devastating blow. "I wanted it to be an emotional hit and end on an unresolved note," Jamison adds, alluding to Superman and Doomsday's initial encounter last season. Cla...

The first season of Squid Game captivated viewers from the start, with the notion of adults in South Korea playing children's games for money and being murdered if they fail or don't follow the rules. Viewers adored certain competitors, making it all the more painful when they were eliminated. According to creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, season two will not let up, and if anything, things will become much more terrible for both the actors and everyone watching. Lee Jung-jae as ' Seong Gi-hun / Player 456 ' in ' Squid Game. ' Netflix Hwang has already stated that he intends to use this season to discuss the many sorts of division that have taken center stage in recent years, and he also noted to Empire Magazine that things "are getting worse [out there]." "Our lives aren't improving." He believes the world has deteriorated since 2021 because to "worse climate change, more wars, and more people dying." Essentially, he warned...

It's not on Barbenheimer's level, but the combination of Universal's musical Wicked and Paramount's Gladiator II — dubbed Glicked, Wikiator, or whatever you want — resulted in the finest pre-Thanksgiving weekend in more than a decade. ' Wicked ', ' Gladiator II. ' Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures; Paramount Pictures Wicked grossed an estimated $114 million domestically, topping the charts. While it falls short of Friday's forecast of $120 million, it is still a record-breaking sum for a film based on a Broadway production and is among the greatest debuts of all time for a big-screen musical, as well as one of the year's top openers. Globally, the film has grossed $164.2 million. Gladiator II is expected to launch at $55.5 million domestically, a solid start for a male-skewing, swords-and-sandals film. It is likely to garner a large audience internationally, where it has already made $165.5 million for a total of $221 million. In North A...

Wicked movie director Jon M. Chu is urging moviegoers to make an unusual request when they see the film in theaters. Chu, who directed Universal Pictures' movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, turned to X (previously Twitter) on the opening night to request that viewers urge their theater to turn up the volume for the musical's sound. Wicked depicts the story of The Wizard of Oz's characters prior to Dorothy's arrival, with Ariana Grande playing Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Ariana Grande is ' Glinda ' and Cynthia Erivo is ' Elphaba ' in ' Wicked. ' Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures "Tell your movie theater to increase the volume to a 7. Chu wrote, "I've been to a couple screenings, and they're more like a 6.4." "If you want it the way it was intended 7 is the way." Dana Fox, the film's co-writer, commented on the post, saying, "We turned it up a clock tick at our screening a...

It's red light, green light! Years after Young-hee the doll plagued us in Squid Game Season 1, the Korean thriller is back for Season 2. We're set to rejoin with Lee Jung-jae's Gi-hun, who returns to the arena to play games till his death. ' Squid Game. ' Netflix When Hwang Dong-hyuk's series debuted in September 2021, it broke down language boundaries and became Netflix's most viewed series ever. Squid Game had it all: an enthralling idea, fascinating acting, and a narrative that progressively grew darker as the program went.  "I wanted to create an immersive tale. And I wanted viewers of Squid Game to start questioning themselves," Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter. "How am I leading my life? Who am I amid these characters, and what sort of world do I live in? "I wanted these questions to be asked." Critics also enjoyed the performance. In September 2022, Squid Game cemented its position in television history by winning...

Denzel Washington stars in Gladiator II as a glamorous armaments trader and former gladiator plotting to take control of Rome. The character, Macrinus, is based on a historical individual. But filmmaker Ridley Scott believes Macrinus resembles a specific modern-day politician. Denzel Washington plays Macrinus in ' Gladiator II ,' from Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures When detailing the character's (spoiler-free) past, Scott told The Hollywood Reporter, "[Macrinus] was a prisoner of war — probably in a North African state — and was taken to Rome, most likely as a gladiator. Survived. I got free. I got into the business of perhaps creating wine and bread. He became a wealthy trader who sold goods to the Roman troops, including food, oil, wine, fabric, and weaponry. He may have had a million men distributed over Europe. So he was a millionaire at the time; why wouldn't he [aspire to the throne]? 'Why not me?' He is also a mobster, extremely...

Grey's Anatomy has bid farewell to another series regular. Mika Yasuda, Midori Francis' surgical intern, scrubbed in to Seattle's Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for the final time on Thursday, having joined the program at the beginning of season 19. Midori Francis as Mika Yasuda in ' Grey 's Anatomy ' season 21. Anne Marie Fox/Disney The eighth episode of season 21 — also the fall finale of the blockbuster ABC medical drama, which returns on March 6, 2025 — followed up where Jake Borelli's Dr. Levi Schmitt left Grey's Anatomy. Yasuda's younger sister, Chloe (Julia Rose Gruenberg), was tragically killed in a vehicle accident after Yasuda fell asleep at the wheel after working an all-nighter at the hospital. The combination of Chloe's accident injuries and the impact of chemo on her body while treating her illness proved catastrophic, and she died as a result. At the outset of this week's episode, "Drop It Like It's Hot,...

The Christmas season must be here, since Netflix's December offers are many. But be warned: not every title is joyful. To begin, Squid Game Season 2 is being released more than three years after the Korean drama launched, and anybody who has binge-watched Season 1 knows there is nothing joyful or festive about the series — though the notorious challenges modeled on children's games may trick you at first. ' Lee Jung-jae ' as ' Gi-hun ' in Squid Game. Netflix At first sight, the new series No Good Deed may appear to be an optimistic comedy. However, the show's primary protagonists, Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, are about to establish that not all is as it appears in the magnificent property they're attempting to sell. In December, Netflix will release an adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez's 1967 classic One Hundred Years of Solitude as well as a music biography starring Angelina Jolie. Here are the Netflix shows and movies that we are most...

The Game Awards 2024 nominations were announced on Monday, with "Astro Bot" and "Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth" tied for the most nods with seven each. This year's event, which honors the awards' tenth anniversary, will feature 29 competitive categories, including Game of the Year. The games contending for the top spot are "Astro Bot," "Balatro," "Black Myth: Wukong," "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree," "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth," and "Metaphor: ReFantazio." Astro Bot. Astro Bot/Sony Interactive Entertainment Geoff Keighley will host the Game Awards on December 12 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. See this year's list of nominations below. Game of the Year ASTRO BOT (Team Asobi/SIE) Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack) Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science) Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix) Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/...

Thanksgiving dinner is incomplete without certain elements, starting with the conventional fixins like turkey, dressing, and macaroni and cheese and ending with some sort of friends, family, and fun. The latter can take various forms, such as playing card games at the dinner table or putting up Christmas decorations and stringing lights around the tree in preparation for the next important family celebration. And, while some people think there's nothing better to watch on Thanksgiving than football, we've rounded up a few other options for everyone who might find themselves in your home, from the little ones at the kids table to the adults looking for a break from the weeklong food preparations and the stress of Black Friday shopping. ' Instant Family. ' Paramount/Everett Collection Thanksgiving movies don't often receive the same attention as frightening Halloween films and feel-good Christmas films, but that doesn't mean there aren't lots of al...

Christmas has come early to the box office. Amazon MGM Studio's Christmas picture Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, grossed $3.7 million in Thursday previews before launching throughout North America on Friday. The big-budget tentpole will be shown in 4,032 theaters this weekend, including Imax, Dolby Cinema, and other premium large-format screens. Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson in ' Red One. ' Amazon Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection According to tracking, the film will earn between $30 million and $35 million in its American debut. Warner Bros. Pictures is releasing the Seven Bucks picture internationally, where Red One grossed $28 million this year, to avoid a direct competition with Paramount's Gladiator II, which opens this weekend at the foreign box office a week before its home release. (Ridley Scott's Gladiator sequel might gross $80 million or more in its international debut.) Red One's box office success will be keenly e...

The Night Agent viewers are prepared to answer the call. When the action-thriller from Sony Pictures TV and Shawn Ryan debuted on Netflix in March 2023, it became a breakthrough hit. Fans of the Gabriel Basso-led spy series may now find out when it will return. Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in Netflix 's ' The Night Agent ' season two. Christopher Saunders/Netflix   Season two will premiere on January 23, 2025, which is significantly later than Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos projected. The revelation was accompanied by a teaser depicting Peter Sutherland (Basso) on the run and dialing the top-secret White House phone number, which he had previously received. The first season of The Night Agent, based on Matthew Quirk's novel, followed Peter, a low-level FBI agent whose attempts to save the president win him the opportunity to become a Night Agent in season two. However, working with Night Action, a hidden group, would thrust Peter into a world fraught wit...

Hwang Dong-hyuk said, "It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year," when he revealed that the worldwide hit series would return for a second season. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever." That period of time was stressful for the writer-director, but it did not result in a large enough paycheck to let him to turn down an offer for a second round in the games. Hwang Dong-hyuk attends Netflix 's Squid Game Fall Showcase at TUDUM Theater on November 03 , 2024 in Hollywood , California. Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix "Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly, I didn't make much," Hwang told BBC. "So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too … and I didn't fully finish the story." He lost eight or nine teeth while creating the first season as a result of the stress he was unde...