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I Love LA  © HBO Max There are going to be comparisons made to Lena Dunham's Girls , which also aired on HBO, but what helps Rachel Sennott's I Love LA stand out is that it comes from a completely different generation and keeps its focus on how influencers operate and how our appearance on social media controls almost every aspect of our lives. It's a safe assumption to make that Rachel Sennott is without a doubt an IT girl, as she's highlighted her stylish lifestyle on Instagram and has also risen as a star from her debut in Shiva Baby to comedies such as Bodies Bodies Bodies and Bottoms . She's displayed range with her acting, taking on a slightly more dramatic role with I Used to Be Funny and playing characters based off real people, such as in Saturday Night . Sennott has shown that she's capable of it all. After co-writing Bottoms with Emma Seligman and delivering a high-school comedy classic, she returns with I Love LA , a show that she's created for HBO which displays the LA lifestyle, friendships, relationships and the social commentary on influencing. I Love LA follows Maia (Rachel Sennott), who's trying to make a life for herself at a talent agency but has failed to catch the attention of her boss. Her life changes when her best friend-turned-enemy-turned-back-to-best-friend, Tallulah (Odessa A'zion), arrives in LA for her birthday, giving her the chance to represent an up-and-coming influencer, gaining her the traction she needs at her job to rise up. Maia and Tallulah's relationship is constantly put to the test as they occasionally blur the lines between friends and work. They navigate life alongside their friends Alani (True Whitaker) and Charlie (Jordan Firstman), respectively, a nepo baby who has been given the title "VP" (only in name) at her father's production company who also works as an actor, and a stylist who's simply trying to get by and figure out their relationships. Episode 1 opens up with Maia and her boyfriend, Dylan (Josh Hutcherson) celebrating her birthday with some good old-fashioned birthday sex, which Maia is completely lost in despite Dylan freaking out that there's an earthquake, which his seismology app has confirmed. She wants to continue going, stating that "if we're going to die, I just want to cum," and this entire scene sets the tone for what to expect from Maia as a character and for her arc, as she's someone who's determined to push further and get what she wants but is too stubborn to achieve what she wants any other way that isn't her own way. Rachel Sennott as Maia in I Love LA © HBO Max Josh Hutcherson is phenomenal as Dylan; he doesn't get much screentime compared to the rest of the characters, but his character helps ground the series a little bit as he acts as the normal person in the friend group. He's a teacher, enjoys reading ( The Third Reich , specifically), loves to play board games and cook, and overall is just the pitch-perfect boyfriend anybody could ask for. Dylan is the complete opposite of everyone around him and gets swept into Maia's chaotic life whenever she's around, and the show dives into how Dylan continuously stays supportive of her decisions but fails to have that energy feel reciprocated. It's a dynamic that balances out the group and is needed to help tone down the chaos that everyone else brings. The entire cast of characters in I Love LA are lovable, but honestly, they are the most annoying bunch that you will come across, as they get themselves into situations that only dig them a deeper hole. The beauty of this show is that Rachel Sennott is able to tap into the humanity of LA and its characters, allowing them to grow from their mistakes and not feel like complete idiots the entire way (although deep down they always will be). Sennott takes the lead as the main character, and she's always fun to watch, but I Love LA has an ensemble cast that complements each other rather well and is filled with some of the funniest actors we could come across. Odessa A'zion steals the spotlight in I Love LA as she plays an over-exaggerated influencer who's still trying to grasp an understanding of the world. A'zion's chemistry with Sennott is impeccable, with no one being able to get between the two, even when they're at their rock bottom, and while Tallulah is a character that's outrageously hilarious and feels too connected with her phone and social media, she begins to feel like a grounded character that's more in tune with reality when she comes across a chef (Moses Ingram) that allows her to truly be herself and disconnect from the rest of the world. Jordan Firstman as Charlie, True Whitaker as Alani and Odessa A'zion as Tallulah in I Love LA © HBO Max True Whitaker, in her debut role, highlights that she's able to share the screen presence with actors who have had much more experience, perfectly portraying a character that's too kind for her own good and lacks self-awareness, still landing some great jokes alongside Jordan Firstman, who plays a character who quite literally has one of the worst gaydars in the world (or perhaps LA is just filled with extremely sexy men who just appear to be gay) and displays the most emotional range with his character as he balances his struggling relationships, social life and endeavors to find job security. I Love LA is at its best when it makes a parody of the influencer culture, especially during episode 4, which features Quen Blackwell playing a fictionalised version of herself, which explores the grievances of getting the perfect video made for TikTok or farming clicks to work the algorithm. This show has it all and highlights the chokehold that social media has over us and how it can control the way some people behave. This show isn't a Curb Your Enthusiasm or Entourage , but it does have its fair share of celebrity cameos that will surprise you, which we won't ruin here but are great additions to the show and can promise will have you pointing and whistling at your screen like the famous Leonardo DiCaprio meme. It's hard to believe that I Love LA is Rachel Sennott's first show, as she delivers a show that's witty, remarkable, heartfelt and genuinely one of the best comedies to debut this year next to The Studio . The jokes surrounding the city of LA might go over some people's heads depending on their knowledge or where they're from, but it won't take away from their enjoyment of the series. It has a cast of characters that are relatable to the younger generation that can't help but have their lives dictated by their phones and social media. While some characters lack screentime, they all feel three-dimensional and have the depth to be memorable and have landed their mark in Sennott's first landmark season of I Love LA , which we'd be happy to have five more seasons of. Rating: ★★★★1/2 I Love LA . © HBO Max About I Love LA Premiere Date:  November 2, 2025 Episode Count:  8 Showrunner: Rachel Sennott Writer: Rachel Sennott Directors: Lorene Scafaria Executive Producers: Rachel Sennott, Emma Barrie, Aida Rodgers, Lorene Scafaria, Max Silvestri, Michael Seitzman, Jason Blum Production:   Pasta Pasta, Maniac Productions, Blumhouse Television, HBO Entertainment Distribution:  HBO Max Cast:   Logline: A codependent friend group reunites, navigating how the time apart, ambition and new relationships have changed them.

This review includes minor spoilers for The Three-Body Problem . The three-body problem in physics is a theoretical problem that describes the motion of three celestial bodies under their mutual gravitational attraction. It is notoriously unsolvable with a closed-form equation, meaning there is no single formula that can predict the trajectories of all three objects from any set of initial positions and velocities. In other words, the system is inherently chaotic. Even the most minute changes to initial conditions lead to drastically different outcomes. It is simply impossible, with our current understanding of physics, to accurately predict how a three-body system will interact over an extended period of time. It's worth noting that the problem can be simplified and solved if one of the bodies has significantly less mass than the other two (like the Earth, Moon, and Sun), but it becomes chaotic when all three bodies have comparable masses. This basic understanding of the three-body problem was all of the knowledge I brought into my first read of Liu Cixin 's groundbreaking science-fiction novel, The Three-Body Problem . Reading through the novel (translated by Ken Liu) was an experience of wonder and tension. I'd seen the praise for the book - it's hard not to if you're plugged into the sci-fi literary world at all, and the Netflix adaptation certainly helped bolster its awareness - but I didn't really know what the book was about. It turns out it's about quite a lot, but the aspect I found most surprising was just how much it feels like a thriller. The Three-Body Problem  brings a lot of elements to the table. It dives into cosmology, virtual reality, politics, history, technology (future and ancient), and philosophy, exploring all of them. It switches between modes seamlessly, keeping the reader engaged while consistently drip-feeding new information. This consistent trickle of information isn't revolutionary; it's how novels work, but the way it's presented in Three-Body  is addictive. Every discovery feels like a revelation. Understanding scope is crucial when telling a story. Stakes have to be determined, promises to the audience have to be made, and paid off. Is this an end-of-the-world story, or is it about a character getting out of a localized, isolated problem? It's important in any story, but in science fiction it commonly manifests itself in determining how far into the future the story is set, how technologically advanced the world is, whether interstellar travel is possible, and whether aliens exist. Three-Body  has an answer for all of these, and it executes them brilliantly. Liu Cixin masterfully escalates the stakes of the story in Three-Body . The narrative evolves across multiple time periods with distinct point-of-view characters bringing their own flavor to the tale. Things start relatively contained but consistently grow in scope until the entire planet and beyond hang in the balance. Liu understands how to realistically bring the story to unbelievable points. Where the narrative ends up would feel incredulous if told out of context, but each step towards getting there feels like a completely logical evolution. Three-Body  is a first contact story played out as a thriller. I've never read a book with as much sheer awe wrapped in growing dread. And when the chips are all down, when you reach the moments of final revelation, when all the pieces fall into place, the entire book feels so obvious in hindsight. Feeling obvious isn't a critique; it's an accomplishment. It is taking a test with all the answers. It's reaching the end and realizing this is the only possible way things could have happened. It's a feeling of inevitability. The Three-Body Problem  is heralded as a groundbreaking science fiction novel. It injects its narrative with questions of existence, meditations on the universe, advancements in technology throughout history, and the place politics has in science. While it easily earns its spot among the greatest sci-fi novels of all time, it should also be considered one of the most engaging, awe-inspiring, and enlightening thrillers on bookshelves. Rating: ★★★★★

Nhut Le in Peacemaker Season 2. © HBO Max James Gunn’s Peacemaker has been a wild and irreverent extension of the DC Universe, becoming a fan-favorite for absurd humor, chaotic violence, and surprising heart. Among its breakout stars was Nhut Le’s Judomaster, a pint-sized powerhouse with an unpredictable temper and an endless supply of Hot Cheetos. Initially introduced as a sharp-tongued antagonist in season one, Judomaster became a favorite following the penultimate episode of season two. We spoke with Nhut Le about his journey from season one’s enigmatic fighter to season two’s unlikely hero, how James Gunn allowed him to help shape Judomaster’s evolution, the challenges of performing in full costume, the truth behind those now-iconic Hot Cheetos and his future in the DCU. Demet: You had quite a journey from season 1 to season 2. Were you expecting Judomaster to become more of a hero when you first signed on? Nhut Le: After the first season, I really didn't know what to expect. I was actually a little bit nervous of how the fans are going to react to him just because he's such a weird, annoying, cockroach of a character - you can't really get rid of them. So, to have him come back in this capacity and to join with the 11th Street Kids to create Checkmate, I couldn't have imagined it when I first read it. I'm happy that's where things are going. Alex: His motivations also evolved a lot from vengeance to purpose. Was there a particular scene or moment that clicked for you emotionally? Nhut Le: I think for Judomaster, it has always been what he thinks is his duty to save the world. So even in season one, history is written by the people who win, and because you are aligned with the Peacemaker crowd, you think that Judomaster is the bad guy. It's his way of thinking that maybe the Butterflies had the right idea of protecting the world through alien control, and Judomaster happens to agree with that. Then in the second season, he joins ARGUS because he wants to hunt down Peacemaker. He thinks Peacemaker is a threat to this world and then having gone through Earth X and trying to find other worlds, he sees that Rick Flag isn't after the best intentions, so he jumps that ship and joins with the 11th Street Kids. Alex: Within the season, how much input did you have shaping Judomaster? Did James [Gunn] give you any room to play with the character? Nhut Le: One thing that I think is really fun about Judomaster is he's so unpredictable, and James did a great job of writing the show. In season one, you really don't know anything about Judomaster. I didn't have a lot to go on so a lot of the character, I just infuse either myself or just creatively what I would imagine this character to do. James wrote season two with a little more of myself in mind, and I think he's evolved as a character because I have put so much of my sass, or personality, or whatever it is into it. Alex: Representation have been a strong a line with James's work. When you read Judomaster is finally out in this season, how did that conversation unfold behind the scenes? Did James talk to you about the approach on authenticity? Nhut Le: I first found out about it when I was reading the script in episode 7 so there wasn't a conversation about it. We spoke after the fact, him being queer, and Buddhist, and all that. We didn't talk about what my religious affiliations were. In my normal life, I'm just out as gay, and James sort of took that and infused it in with Judomaster. Demet: Were there any spontaneous moments or lines that made it into the final cut? Nhut Le: There were a bunch of things that we did that didn't make it into the cut, but it was always a lot of fun to do. I remember in the van scene in episode 4; when I'm going back with Red Saint Wild, instead of saying, "I'm Vietnamese Wild Bill Suckcock," I say in one of the takes, "I'm Vietnamese Dances With Bro Shit," or, "I'm Vietnamese Long John Silver." You know, calling him random names back and forth, that was a really fun day. Nhut Le and Michael Rooker in Peacemaker Season 2. © HBO Max Demet: Yeah, that's so fun! You also have such great chemistry with the cast. Who did you love working with most this season and what made that dynamic special for you? Nhut Le: I really enjoyed my scenes with Danielle Brooks, who plays Adebayo. I think a lot of Judomaster leading up to this was always a fight, or just like aggression. In all of season one, every single time I'm on the screen, I had a fight scene. It's nice for season two to have that quiet moment of conversation with her and a heart to heart. You get to peel away some of that tough exterior that Judomaster has so it was nice to be able to share moments like that. Demet: Another thing about your character is that you're almost always in costume. Did you ever think, "Oh, that's a bummer," or did you actually enjoy that aspect of the character? Nhut Le: We actually had a conversation about that for the second season during the scene with Adebayo when they're playing scrabble. I thought possibly that would be a time where he takes off his mask just to let some of his guard down, but then it became a running bit that he's always in costume, and I think it's so funny. Even in season one when he got shot, they bandaged him up over his costume. Then in this season when they're doing the exploration of the other dimensions, he's wearing his costume underneath a full hazmat suit. And then at the very end when they're doing the lineup for Checkmate, everyone's in their civilian clothes except Judomaster. Alex: I don't know how you did it, especially wearing something so skin tight throughout the whole season, but you were in a hazmat suit wearing that mask. Was that your idea, or was that something that James put in? How did it feel going about that? Nhut Le: I believe it was written in the script that Judomaster is in a hazmat suit, and underneath he’s wearing his full costume. So I had a black underdress thing on, and then I was wearing the cowl, so I didn’t have to put on the green shell, which was nice because of the shoulder pads and all that. But the black underlayer was still very form-fitting and skin-tight, so it wasn’t much of a relief. I will say, the worst part of the hazmat suit, surprisingly, were the gloves. Everything else I’d gotten used to, but because my hands were covered, it felt very claustrophobic, and I lost my sense of touch. Every inch of my body was covered in some sort of material except for my eyes and mouth. During those days, I had to take a breather and calm my thoughts, because if you think too much about it, it feels very claustrophobic. Even if you’re feeling super restrained, it takes two or three people to get out of everything. It’s just about taking everything in stride. I’ve had a full season to get used to the Judomaster costume, but the hazmat suit on top of that was extra challenging. Demet: So now that we’ve talked about the costume, we have to talk about Hot Cheetos. How many did you actually eat on set? Be honest - are you sick of them now, or were they fake Cheetos made by the prop team? Alex: I hope you got a sponsorship from Cheetos after the fact. Nhut Le: For the second season, they actually brought me in a few days earlier to do a Cheeto test. They had a bunch of different types of Cheetos: normal ones they colored into different versions, and each had a different taste. I went through the line and taste-tested each one, and I actually chose the most bland one because some of the others were really good and flavorful. But I knew if I had to eat a lot of them, I’d get sick of it, so I picked the simplest one possible. There was a day on set when I ate so many that my teeth turned red from them. So yeah, I’ve had a lot. Demet: I’m sorry you had to go through that. Nhut Le: There are worse things in life. (Laughs) Demet: Let’s talk about teams: if Judomaster were to team up or go toe-to-toe with another DCU hero, who would you want that to be and why? Nhut Le: Judomaster has history with Bane. In the comics, Bane snaps Judomaster’s back as his finishing move. I’d love to see that fight, but I don’t love that it could potentially mean the end of Judomaster. Maybe a decade down the line, we could have that matchup. Otherwise, I really like that Judomaster is small in stature and goes up against these huge guys like Peacemaker. John Cena’s 6'3 or 6'4, and even Vigilante is super tall. Freddie is like 6 feet. These big guys fighting a little guy, it’s funny, but Judomaster can hold his own. Maybe someone like Deathstroke, or even Wildcat... Those really huge, hulking guys. I think it’s funny. Alex: It’s interesting you mention Deathstroke and Bane because I think they’re working on a project with both of those characters very soon. Hopefully we get to see you there, but given Bane’s history, we really want Judomaster to be okay. With the season two finale, it officially sets up Checkmate and hints at the bigger future of the DCU, especially with Planet Salvation. Were you given any insights into where it might be headed — or your character as well? Nhut Le: I think there are maybe a dozen people who know what’s happening next. I’m not one of them. Even up to when we were shooting episode 8, there were things the cast didn’t really know. In the script, we were told that these characters were forming a new agency of some sort and we had no idea it was Checkmate until episode 8 released. When we shot that day, they panned up to the building, and it was just an empty building. The Checkmate sign was CGI’d in afterward. Reading the scripts, you don’t hear anything about Salvation either. We knew Peacemaker was sent to another world but we didn’t know it was called Salvation. So you guys have just as much information as I do. (L-R) Nhut Le, Tim Meadows, Freddie Stroma, Danielle Brooks, John Cena and Jennifer Holland in Peacemaker Season 2. © HBO Max Demet: What else is on the horizon for you? Nhut Le: Right now, I’m doing a few more auditions and circling a few projects that are really fun and exciting. I think after people saw me in Peacemaker, I’ve been getting a lot of roles for assassins and fighters, which is so different from who I am as a person, but those films are always super fun for me. Demet: We were also talking about your pottery. How’s that going? I was looking at your Instagram. You have some great work. Nhut Le: Oh, thank you! If I wasn’t going to do acting, I was going to pursue pottery full-time. When it came down to the wire, I booked Peacemaker , so now I get to do both, which is really nice. After the show came out, pottery sales went crazy, so I’m very fortunate for that too. Demet: One last thing: how are you finding this new fan love? After the season finale, people are really loving Judomaster. Nhut Le: It’s been really nice getting all the audience interactions. I will say, it was a little overwhelming at first. After episode seven came out, I got about 20,000 followers overnight. Before this, I always made it a point to answer every comment, because I know as a fan myself, after you finish watching a show, you’re really excited and want to talk about it and watch interviews. Now, being on the other side, I wanted to have a safe place for fans to come and interact with people from the show. But with so many followers and comments now, I’m super appreciative, but that first week was really stressful and gave me a lot of anxiety. I felt like I was constantly on my phone. I also have a publicist now, and we’ve been doing tons of interviews, collaborations, and posts. It was a little touch-and-go for a bit and a bit stressful, but I appreciate it. I’ve been working super hard all these years to get to moments like this: to do interviews and have these kinds of fan interactions. I’m super grateful. I’m taking it in stride, and at the end of the day, I’m just a person. I take moments for myself, eat good food, and talk to people I love. It’s been really good so far. Demet: We’re very happy for you!

Tobias Menzies and Cate Blanchett. © WSJ/Searchlight Pictures Tobias Menzies has joined the cast of Sweetsick, the highly anticipated directorial debut from screenwriter Alice Birch ( The Wonder, Normal People ). The film also stars Cate Blanchett and Alien: Romulus breakout Spike Fearn. Sweetsick follows a mercurial woman (Blanchett) with a strange and piercing gift: the ability to see what others most intimately need. As she sets out on a journey home, her attempts to heal those around her begin to take a toll, forcing her to confront an agonizing question: is she truly saving others, or simply losing herself in the process? Birch makes her feature directorial debut with the project for Searchlight Pictures. She also penned the screenplay. The film is produced by Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Theo Barrowclough, Cate Blanchett, and Lee Groombridge. Menzies is best known for his acclaimed performances in Game of Thrones , Outlander , and The Crown . He recently appeared in Joseph Kosinski’s F1 alongside Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, and will next be seen in Apple TV’s upcoming series Prodigies , starring opposite Will Sharpe. Menzies is repped by Conway van Gelder Grant and WME (William Morris Endeavor). The filming is currently underway.

Alexander Skarsgård as Ray and Harry Melling as Colin in Pillion © A24/Picturehouse Love comes in many forms, and we get to experience it all through cinema in how these various relationships form. Harry Lighton arrives with his directorial debut, Pillion , which explores a relationship between an introverted and timid gay man, Colin (Harry Melling) and a dominant biker, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). Pillion starts like any other romantic comedy, where we see Colin catch the eye of Ray as he drives on his way to the pub to sing along with his barbershop quartet. They lock eyes once more. Colin is unable to pay any attention to his current date that was arranged by his mother, and who's to blame when Alexander Skarsgård is standing round the corner in all leather? While this all may seem very wholesome and cute at first, with Colin's parents supportive of him meeting this mysterious new man, it quickly turns explicit as Ray takes him behind an alleyway and gets into some steamy intimate action. This is how the movie opens; Lighton doesn't shy away from what this movie is, and he gives us two characters that understand what they want. Colin loves to be obedient and has a "high capacity" for it, while Ray is in search of a sub for his biker group. It's a match made in heaven and a love story for the ages, but Lighton doesn't just make this a movie that's all about sex; it's a heartfelt and human story about two guys who are learning about what they truly desire in life from their relationships. Harry Melling as Colin and Alexander Skarsgård as Ray in Pillion © A24/Picturehouse The rules for their relationship and the boundaries between them are set when Colin first goes over to Ray's house. He cooks for him, sleeps on the floor and doesn't ask many questions. This is all an escape from Colin; he gets to escape from his ticket inspector job that involved him getting harassed all day and doesn't have to continue living at home with his parents. Their first few months play out quite fast, with Colin getting accustomed to this life of living and "giving" his entire self to Ray, becoming a part of his lifestyle and joining his biker gang. Alexander Skarsgård feels like he's not giving much with his performance with Ray, but that's the magic of it all and what makes it such a captivating performance to watch. He doesn't open himself up to Colin, and there's not much we get from the minimal dialogue except that he keeps himself very private. It's an intriguing character study that Lighton provides with both Ray and Colin and their relationship; it doesn't play out like a heterosexual relationship would, like we see with Colin's parents. When his parents do get involved, we start to see how Colin's mother begins to view their relationship, upset with how her son is being treated, although it's a lifestyle that he accepts. The movie moves at a quick pace, rushing through their relationship and through Colin's life, but it's a great depiction of how quickly life can go for one person. The events that take place allow for Colin to sit with himself for just a little bit and ask himself if he wants a little more control with his relationship. There's a scene where Colin's asked if he's happy, and he answers, " No, I'm happy. I can just maybe be a bit happier, " which puts into perspective the toll that this relationship is taking on him and his angle on happiness that doesn't usually feel explored in movies. It's one of the best scenes that explores the dynamic of what feels like a one-sided relationship. Skarsgård and Melling's dynamic and chemistry are strong, and the vulnerability that Skarsgård displays with Ray and the beautiful yet timid performance that Melling delivers make for one of the most heartfelt performances of the year that shouldn't be missed. Pillion is an impressive directorial debut from Harry Lighton that's an intimate and non-judgemental showcase of the complexities that arrive with a BDSM LGBTQ+ relationship. It's a movie that's all about self-reflection and discovery and that it's healthy to figure out what works and doesn't work in a relationship. Rating: ★★★½ Pillion © A24/Picturehouse About Pillion Premiere Date:   November 28, 2026 Director: Harry Lighton Producers: Emma Norton, Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe Writer: Harry Lighton Production:  Element Pictures, BBC Film, BFI Distribution:  Picturehouse, Warner Bros. Pictures UK, A24 Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears, Anthony Welsh, Paul "Kvasir" Tallis Synopsis: A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.

© Prime Video On September 10, the cult YouTube series Helluva Boss  made the move from being a Patreon-funded passion project created by Vivianne Medrano to a powerhouse series on Prime Video. Both seasons that were released on YouTube are now available on Prime Video, along with a brand-new pilot episode that gives the series a stronger opening.  Helluva Boss  takes place in Hell and follows a troupe of imps whose job is to kill people in the mortal world at the behest of sinners already in Hell who want revenge on someone still alive. Leading the team is Blitzo (the O is silent), a former circus clown whose ambitious but self-sabotaging antics are brought to chaotic life by Brandon Rogers, who not only voices the character, but is one of the writers of the series.  I spoke with Brandon about the process of becoming involved with two hit shows (he also voices Katie Killjoy in the Medrano-created series Hazbin Hotel , the second season of which premiered on Prime Video on October 29), the collaborative nature of the production, and the power of love, even in Hell.  Sarah: Can we start by talking a little bit about the process and how that [ Helluva Boss moving to Prime Video] happened? Brandon Rogers:  Viv [Medrano] just reached out to me a long time ago and said, “I’m working on this pilot.” It wasn’t even a series. It was, “I’m doing a short. Do you wanna be in it? Do you wanna write for it?” I said sure. At that time, I was saying yes - I mean, I still say yes to everything - but having someone, an animator, who says, “Here’s this character I want you to play in a video.” Like, yeah, he looks cool, I love his white hair and his little goat legs. Then she said, “Oh no, that’s Moxxie. You’re the tall, lanky, dumb-looking one with the big mouth.” And I said, “Oh, okay. Well, I like him too. He’s great.” So then, we started writing it in a diner together, season one. We still sometimes go back and write at that diner to keep it feeling not corporate, you know? To keep it feeling authentic, like a school project. It felt like some after-school shit. She brought her laptop, and we would both write, and she was the scribe and would write everything down while we were eating our chicken nuggets and just going crazy. Then, eventually, Hazbin [Hotel]  popped off, and then Helluva [Boss]  popped off with it. Both shows, luckily, found an audience. It’s very rare that you have two shows do successfully at the same time. Viv, an animator in her twenties, made what I’ve never seen anyone in Hollywood do, and that’s just get two hit shows, pop-pop right out the puss, back-to-back at the same time. Unbelievable. So anyway, it’s been a wild ride. I’m very lucky that she got into bed with Amazon. No one slept with anyone for this deal, that’s not what I mean, but I’m glad that she did. It’s changed all of our lives. The cast, I’m thirty-fucking-seven, I didn’t think I’d be getting a new family this late in my life, I guess. A new family from out of nowhere too. I was not expecting, when I met this cast, that I’d be joined at the hip with these people for the foreseeable future. And I’m very glad that I did. It’s really the first show that I’ve been in that wasn’t one of my own that has had no drama. No drama! Usually there’s always one person in every cast that’s a little… you know. There’s always that one person where you’re like, [groans], but it’s so nice because everyone in this cast just doesn’t give a shit. They’re chill. No one’s uptight about anything, and it makes for a really conducive, creative atmosphere. Blitzo (the O is silent) in Helluva Boss . © Prime Video Sarah: The cool thing about it is you know where it came from. It’s always felt very collaborative. It comes across to the audience as a labor of love. Brandon Rogers:  Absolutely. You can attribute that to Viv’s ability to curate talent. A lot of people don’t acknowledge that about her, but the show is great because of the people who make it, and those people were brought together by Viv. She knew who she needed to make this dish. She brought in Sam Haft, who does all our music; Richard Horvitz, who is vocal directing; everyone. And the animation is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Mind-blowing. Especially in season two, it just gets better and better. She’s created a team of people that are just powers of nature. Sarah: With getting a wider audience on Amazon for Helluva Boss , what are you most excited for them to see now that it’s coming off YouTube? Brandon Rogers: First, I’m excited that they get to start with a proper pilot. It’s not every day a successful show gets the opportunity to recreate a pilot that it’s kind of evolved from. It’s nice to go back and say, “No, actually, if we’re getting a new audience, this is the pilot we want them to start with.” It’s more representative of the characters as they’ve become, and obviously of the animation quality. It’s season-three-level animation at our pilot. Throughout seasons one and two, there were little things, every creator feels this, where you think, “I wish I could have tweaked this, I wish I could have fixed that.” So we got to go back and fix a lot of the little things we wished were tighter or better. Overall, it’s not just the pilot, the show got a little bit of a makeover. It got its drawers dropped! We get to see the show’s nudity and violence a little more. Sarah: Fantastic. Brandon Rogers:  Yeah, that’s what we’re there for! That’s why I love voice acting: It’s the only kind of acting you don’t need clothes to do. Sarah: Who is your favorite Hellaverse  character who is not yours? Brandon Rogers: Probably Vox, from Hazbin Hotel . I just love his style and aesthetic. When I learned, this is no longer a spoiler, that he’s central to the plot of season two, I really got excited. He’s kind of who I was hoping would be the main thing in season one, and I’m glad he’s got a much bigger arc now. In season one it seemed like the Vee’s were going to take a bigger role, so I was happy to see that come true. I’ve seen at least the first five episodes of season two. It’s a work of art. I hate sucking Hazbin ’s dick on a Helluva  interview. It’s so fucking good. Sarah: They’re so interconnected at this point. Brandon Rogers: They are, yeah! And now that the cast has been going to cons together, I feel very joined at the hip with them too. It’s nice, because when you watch the show, you feel more connected since your friends are the voices you hear. Viv writes characters around the voice actors. She builds them that way, so a lot of the people in Hazbin  and Helluva  are their characters. It’s fun. The show is just one of the most authentic things ever. The actors, the story, it all comes from people who relate to it. Moxie, Blitzo, and Millie: The Immediate Murder Professionals in Helluva Boss © Prime Video Sarah: One more question, and it kind of involves Hazbin , particularly as it relates to Charlie’s mission. One of the big draws of Helluva Boss  is the relationships between all the characters. The demons, sinners, [and] imps are all reaching for connection and love. Can you speak to how that’s evolved, and if we’ll see more of that in Helluva Boss ? Brandon Rogers:  Oh god, yeah. The theme of Hazbin , specifically Charlie trying to redeem people, is so applicable. A lot of people feel like they’re not savable, like they’re too far gone down a road they can’t come back from. What better setting than Hell to have a show about “it’s not too late”? If anything’s too late, it’s you burning in Hell. It’s cool, it inspires people to think that maybe even those sentenced to eternal punishment can still be saved. With Helluva Boss , it’s not as grand in scale, it focuses deeply on the relationships between characters. In that sense, Helluva  is the more human show. It focuses on things we all relate to. The characters are almost entirely queer, but what I love is that it’s not about that. They just happen to be queer. Everyone can relate to the things they go through. I’m so tired of every time a gay character’s on screen, they have to say, “My boyfriend’s waiting for me outside.” Like, okay, the writers had to tell us they’re gay. Can’t it just be part of them being a person? Not every straight character has to go on screen and establish that they’re straight or talk about the hardship of being straight, they just go through shit without thinking about their sexuality. That’s what I love about Helluva Boss . It feels nice playing a queer character that’s not even talked about. That’s how I want people to see me. That's how a lot of us in the show want to be seen. We don’t want to be defined by something we didn’t choose. We want to be defined by the things we do choose, the decisions we make. I think that’s what draws people to Helluva Boss : that sense that these people are just themselves. It isn’t about who they love, it’s about how they grow together. Sarah: I’m absolutely blown away by what I’ve seen so far. I can’t wait to see where it goes . Brandon Rogers: Thank you! I’m really looking forward to people seeing more of it. And thank you for watching it. I’m very lucky to be selling something I believe in. I really believe in this show, and it’s nice to be on something that I have total faith in. I hope you enjoy season three. Helluva Boss is now streaming on Prime Video. This interview has been edited for clarity.

Ballad of a Small Player © Netflix Within this decade, Edward Berger had made a name for himself by releasing the critically acclaimed All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave , which were both award-winning films, with the latter recently winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. With Berger's latest second partnership with Netflix, Ballad of a Small Player doesn't seem like it'll be able to compare to his previous two films, as it struggles with its script and where it wants to take its characters. Ballad of a Small Player follows Lord Doyle (Colin Farrell), a man hiding in Macau, spending every minute of his life at casinos and drinking his life away. He's down on his luck but believes that it'll all soon change for him. As Doyle finally begins to think he's found an out when he comes across Dao Ming (Fala Chen), his past begins to catch up with him as private investigator Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) is on his case. The opening shots of the movie highlight the beauty of Macau through its neon lighting while shadowing against Lord Doyle, a man who's not as bright as the city he's trying to scam through gambling. Everything is laid out straight for you with Doyle's situation, and Colin Farrell, who has been on an absolutely unbelievable streak, is the perfect casting for him with his charming charisma that he uses to get out of his life-and-death situations, but Rowan Joffé's script never allows for any actual depth with Doyle or any of the other characters that are introduced. Both Berger and cinematographer James Friend collaborate to deliver an anxiety-inducing experience, but as you begin to reach the latter half of the movie, it begins to click that all Ballad of a Small Player is, underneath all its pretty visuals, is a movie that's all style and no substance. The score by Volker Bertelmann while addictive is overbearing and feels like a distraction from the rest of the movie. All of this combined can make for a decent experience in the cinemas, and thankfully, due to its limited release, some people got to watch the movie that way, but Netflix's touch feels like it's all over it. What might make Ballad of a Small Player worth a watch is how Macau is viewed, becoming one of the most important characters in the entire film. Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle and Fala Chen as Dao Ming in Ballad of a Small Player . © Netflix A major turn-off with movies is when a female character is introduced and doesn't serve any purpose for herself but to serve the male character for the simple purpose of allowing the movie to progress forward. Dao Ming becomes guilty of this, and it's unfortunate, as she's a character who arguably has a more interesting story to tell. She's a casino employee who takes out credit for gamblers who'd never be able to afford it, leading people to the point of taking their own lives. It's a mentally draining toll that affects her, but the movie never truly delves into this and instead focuses on her relationship with Doyle that doesn't ever feel believable and lacks the screentime for the chemistry to radiate off the screen. Tilda Swinton also feels merely wasted as she plays a character that's written to be two-dimensional, not offering much to deliver in the film. It's quite an embarrassment to say that her best scene comes in the form of a post-credit scene which you won't want to miss if you've already watched the entire 102-minute run of Ballad of a Small Player . Ballad of a Small Player is a movie that's just all over the place and slowly reaches an ending that's predictable and unworthy. If you had to bet any money on whether this would be a film worth watching because you've enjoyed Berger's previous pieces of work, I'd save your money. The visual style of Ballad of a Small Player is absolutely beautiful, highlighting the wonders and structures of Macau with a score that's alluring and a performance from Farrel that showcases why he's one of the best actors of our generation, but Berger's direction and Joffé's script are unfortunately not enough to continue the streak of outstanding films that Berger has been producing. Rating: ★★1/2 Ballad of a Small Player . © Netflix About Ballad of a Small Player Premiere Date:  October 17, 2025 and October 29, 2025 on Netflix Director: Edward Berger Producers:  Edward Berger, Mike Goodridge, Matthew James Wilkinson Writer: Rowan Joffé Production: Good Chaos, Nine Hours, Stigma Films Distribution: Netflix Cast: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings Synopsis: A high-stakes gambler decides to lay low in Macau after his past and debts catch up with him. Along the way he encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.

Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for Gregory Maguire’s novel, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood . Elphie: A Wicked Childhood © HarperCollins In 1995, the Albany, New York-bred author, Gregory Maguire, published his first adult novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West , a 400+ page deep dive into how the title character came to be known by her fearsome moniker prior to the events of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . By 2003, Maguire’s unofficial Oz  prequel had sold 500,000 copies and inspired a Broadway adaptation of the same name, whose meteoric popularity is often credited with revitalizing 2000s-era Broadway. That a film adaptation of Wicked  took 30 years to come to fruition means that Oz, et al has welcomed yet another generation into its emerald-hued realm of magic and secrets (and secrets about magic!). Amidst the fervor of director Jon Chu’s cinematic Wicked  duology - Part 2, aka Wicked: For Good, is slated for theatrical release on November 21st - Maguire’s own (latest, there have been several sequels to the original novel) return to Oz, a prequel to Wicked  called Elphie: A Wicked Childhood , was released to the masses back in March of 2025, offering the perfect appetizer before the upcoming  Wicked: For Good  feast. In terms of its role within the context of Maguire’s Wicked  book series, as Fernanda Figueroa notes in her review via APNews.com , “Maguire takes to writing in short chapters with short sentences” in Elphie: A Wicked Childhood , thus “reflecting the overall dysfunction occurring in Oz and in Elphaba” which creates a narrative “rhythm” that makes the <300-page novel “easy … to breeze through.” Likewise, “Compared to previous books in the series, there is less happening to drive the narrative,” as much of the book “serves as a psychological backstory to understand Elphaba’s character, explaining what made her one of the most iconic witches in literacy, theater and film.” In spite of Figueroa’s insistence that “Elphaba fans … hold space for” Elphie: A Wicked Childhood , however, as Jena Brown puts forth in her own review for The Portalist , that the backdrop of Elphaba’s childhood mandates familiarity with her family members and their nomadic lifestyle (due to Elphie’s father, Frexspar’s vocation as a traveling preacher) somewhat de-centers Elphaba in her own book. Elphie:A Wicked Childhood  is not just Elphaba’s story, Brown argues: “It’s also Nanny and Frexspar’s, Nessarose’s and Shell’s,” aka Elphaba and Nessarose’s younger brother who does not appear in the musical and shows up but sparingly throughout the rest of the Wicked  book series. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in the upcoming Wicked: For Good © Universal Studios “Elphie is destined to be a witch” Though the aforementioned Figueroa references Elphie: A Wicked Childhood ’s overall “melancholy” as a result of the novel’s “subtle political distress,” Brown argues that the story’s “tension and direction, twists and turns” often lack Elphaba’s own input. For instance, “We see her initial interest in animals, but her drive to understand what happened is muted with a very off-brand desire to not find out.” Here, Brown references a subplot wherein Elphaba is determined to befriend a clan of Dwarf Bears from a nearby settlement who are gradually driven off by locals without Elphaba’s empathy for the Animal population. That she is chastised for her presumed misplaced curiosity until she simply stops broaching the topic, while not how an elder Elphaba tends to respond to social strife, is more in line for one still very much in the throes of adolescence who yet relies on said chastisers for her continued livelihood, such that it is. Even so, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood  may tell more than show how the title character’s trademark “delightfully defiant … spark” that makes her such a captivating eventual anti-hero developed amidst the “murkier … reality” of her upbringing. Perhaps, as Brown suggests, briefly showcasing Elphaba’s “aversion to water” and/or “any hint to the shocking revelation of her birth” might have provided deeper narrative insight through exploring “her frustration over her helplessness as a child” as among “the deep roots of the ferocious woman she became.” Without “depth or space given to explore the reactions or impact these events have on the future witch,” Brown argues, “even Elphie herself is lost in the narrative weeds.” On the other hand, Maguire himself makes a passionate case for the cruciality of understanding Elphaba’s childhood to truly appreciate who she ultimately becomes. Bernardo Sim, in his interview with Maguire for Out.com , references a line from William Wordsworth’s poem, “ My Heart Leaps Up ” as “one of Maguire’s biggest inspirations for writing Elphie: A Wicked Childhood : ‘The Child is father of the Man,” wherein both Child and Man are enraptured by the “natural piety” of “A rainbow in the sky.” Alas, most adults who dot the landscape of Elphaba’s childhood do, in fact, lose the very wonder and passion for life and justice that later marks Elphaba ironically and tragically as ‘wicked,’ given her refusal to bend to the will of the same sorts of adults who drive Animals off of shared land (and much worse). Here, Maguire offers, “'Elphaba ... may have wanted to revolve 180 degrees from what her father represented - from the shame, the disgrace, the mocking. But she couldn’t shed his influence. But who can? We can’t shed the influence of our parents. So, when Elphaba takes up a lost cause, or what looks like a lost cause, it really is not much different from what her father’s done. It’s directed a different way, but she has similar tenacity, similar drive, and she keeps going even when it looks like she’s not going to make it.'" Likewise, that she is ultimately unable to "fulfill her aims" through little fault of her own makes her story a tragedy. Maguire downplays Frexspar’s arguably still considerable role in Elphie: A Wicked Childhood , given how “‘annoying, but rounded’” a character he already is in the initial Wicked  novel, while simultaneously noting that he “tried to see” Melena (“So close to Melania …”), Elphaba’s mother who passes after birthing Shell, “more clearly.” Ergo, if Elphie: A Wicked Childhood  falls short narratively in terms of further illuminating Elphaba herself, it may yet somewhat console readers by showing them how to “lend sympathy backwards to those who raised you, and punished you, and did you a disservice … But who are also just humans.” Caveat: This may necessitate putting Frexspar back in the narrative, so to speak. During his interview with Maguire, the aforementioned Sim draws an “astute” parallel between Elphaba and her father, as “Two people who feel very strongly about what they believe in, experience how Ozians do not care about their causes, and go on to live very isolated lives as a result. Dying on a hill that no one even realized was there.” The interview goes on to reveal that Maguire’s own “long dead - 40 years” father “simply ‘did not take to me,’” and that in spite of his nonetheless having “many happy memories of my father … He wasn’t really comfortable with my being gay,’” or even “‘that I was a happy person. The family atmosphere was kind of morbid after … My mother died in childbirth when I was born.’” Ergo, in spite of Elphie:A Wicked Childhood ’s proposed narrative shortcomings, its real life-inspired subtext adds a layer of meaningfulness on par with Jon Chu casting Cynthia Erivo, a Black actress, to portray the othered Elphaba on the silver screen. Case in point: “‘I was the unhappy lynchpin in our family,” Maguire tells Sim, “because, had I not shown up, maybe [my mother] would have lived.’” Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the upcoming Wicked: For Good   © Universal Studios Hexes and Vegetables and Fledglings, Oh My! Overall, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood  as art imitating life - both Maguire’s, as well as the novel’s “ subtle political undercurrent ” (Maguire ruefully refers to 2025 in his interview with Sim as the “‘break everything before it can do any good’” era) - does not make up for the book being “A bit of a slog and a bit of a downer,” though as Kirkus Reviews insists (and which Maguire would almost certainly agree), it is yet “essential” reading “for Elphaba fans.” Indeed, perhaps some of Elphie: A Wicked Childhood ’s formulaic devices are a bit too bare bones - the Kirkus review snarks, for instance, that Melena’s premature death is “a standard trope of children’s literature that daughters must live without their mothers,” one unfortunately shared by Maguire himself. Likewise, “of course the absence of love is an essential ingredient in the recipe for producing evil people,” the review proposes, citing the apparent incongruity between Elphie “‘making wishes on falling stars still’” and her later “picking viciously on poor armless Nessa” as proof of her titular wickedness. This is arguably shortsighted, as it fails to acknowledge how Maguire’s narrative deftly avoids definitively pinning the blame for various hardships that befall the Thropp family on either Elphaba, Nessarose, or Shell - that is, all are neglected children with muted magical abilities. As Maguire notes in an interview with Paste Magazine , “things happen,” including plenty of sibling rivalry from all parties involved. Perhaps it is kindest to consider Elphie: A Wicked Childhood  as Maguire’s mostly successful rekindling of his long friendship with the title character, whom he views as a more self-realized version of himself: "'Elphaba is me; she is a better version of me,’” he notes in an interview for Times Union . “‘I'm a late-middle-aged, grumpy-looking[,] not entirely prepossessing Irish man of a certain type. No one can fail to look at Elphaba. She is my hero.'" Likewise, Maguire offers while discussing the novel with People , “‘Elphaba brings many of my [“‘psychological’”] characteristics to a sharper fruition than I’ve been able to do in my own life. I think I'm reasonably sharp and I think I'm reasonably kind, but I'm not as strong. And if I am moral, I'm also more cautious. Elphaba is not so cautious and she strives into situations and takes a certain amount of charge of them, more briskly than I've ever done.'" Even while watching the original 1939 Wizard of Oz  film as an annual broadcast during his own childhood, Maguire notes that he “was always struck by the Wicked Witch, played by Margaret Hamilton”: “‘She seemed like the most genuine item on a supermarket shelf … It almost seemed like she was the only one who wasn’t acting.’” Ergo, though Maguire once believed that his own time in Oz “‘was a one-off, as the British say. One and done, done and dusted,’” the seemingly natural conclusion to an obsession culminating in keeping a file folder entitled “Oz Matters” while attending the University of Albany, whose campus “‘loomed mentally on the horizon’” and reminded the young Maguire “‘of Dorothy going to the Emerald City … as the world continued to complicate itself and perplex me, I found I needed to go back to Oz for my own mental health … [it] allows me to remain functional’” ( Times Union ). In any case, Maguire seems quite aware that Oz and even Elphaba are much bigger than him, even though he readily admits that “‘Elphaba is my baby.’” In fact, the origins of Elphie: A Wicked Childhood  amount to portions of the original Wicked  novel which his publisher insisted he cut for length by about seven percent, coupled with worry that his window of opportunity to write a prequel was “‘escaping my hold. I will be dead one day.’” On Wicked ’s aforementioned chopping block “‘were the parts when she was 2 to 16 years old. I still think they’re important parts.’” In an interview with The Culture Show , Maguire added that “‘those scenes had to come out because we needed to gallop ahead and get Elphaba and Glinda to meet each other more quickly. So I took those cuttings out. I put them in the basement like one does a hyacinth bulb, and thirty years later I found that there was still life in them. When I planted them, they began to flourish again.'" From there, he told People , “‘I only had to write the first page, about her sitting on a blanket on the edge of a river in Quadling Country, before I felt I had slipped right back to sit next to her, to put my arm around her and almost to be her … I found that since she is part of me, I am part of her, too. The minute I turned my attention to her, I was right back there.’” Rating: ★★★☆☆

One Piece © Netflix The day that everyone has been waiting for has arrived. During today's Japanese One Piece live stream, " One Piece News #3," the release date for Netflix's live-action One Piece and updates on the One Piece anime as it begins to enter its next arc. One Piece Season 2 Official Release Date Revealed During today's stream, we finally got the long-awaited release date for the second season of Netflix's live-action One Piece . Fans won't have to wait too long into 2026, as it was revealed that the second season will be dropping on Netflix on March 10, 2026, and won't be subject to Netflix's split-season strategy so all eight episodes will be released at once. Alongside the release date announcement for One Piece: Into The Grand Line , Netflix also revealed first-look photos of Drum Island, which also featured a new poster and highlights of the Straw Hat Crew's Drum Island outfits. One Piece: Into The Grand Line will star Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Taz Skylar, Emily Rudd and Jacob Romero. Season 2 will "unleash fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet" and will have "Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line—a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world’s greatest treasure, they’ll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies." Season 2 additions to the cast include Mikaela Hoover, Charithra Chandran, Katey Sagal, Mark Harelik, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Callum Kerr, Julia Rehwald, Rob Colletti, Ty Keogh, David Dastmalchian, Jazzara Jasylyn, Camrus Johnson, Daniel Lasker, Clive Russell, Werner Coetser, Brendan Murray, Rigo Sanchez, Yonda Thomas, James Hiroyuki Liao, Sophia Anne Caruso, Anton David Jeftha and Mark Penwill. The show is co-run, written, and executive produced by Matt Owens and Joe Tracz. It's also executive produced by Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements through Tomorrow Studios, Tetsu Fujimura, Chris Symes, Christoph Schrewe and Steven Maeda. One Piece is created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partner) and Netflix. Season 3 is already in pre-production, with production beginning later this year in Cape Town, South Africa, with Ian Stokes joining Joe Tracz as co-showrunner, writer and executive producer. Toei Animation Shifts One Piece Anime Production Schedule The One Piece anime is coming near to its end with the Egghead Island arc, with the highly anticipated and long-awaited Elbaph Island arc approaching. It was announced during the stream that Toei Animation would be releasing a maximum of 26 episodes per year starting from April 2026, with it being on hiatus between January and March 2026. This is due to the anime slowly starting to catch up with the manga and to ensure that the pacing keeps on track, as it has improved over the last few years. It's Toei Animation's plan to animate one episode per manga chapter to ensure that they can keep up with the manga and to allow the animators to continue providing the movie-quality animation that they bring every week. Additionally, Toei Animation revealed a poster for the Elbaph arc and the character designs for the Straw Hat Crew. There was no news revealed on the upcoming One Piece: Heroines adaptation or the Wit Studio remake that's currently in the works. Stay tuned to Nexus Point News for more updates as they become available.

This review contains spoilers for 'The Mortal Thor' #3. The Mortal Thor  #3 © Marvel Comics The Serpent has been revealed. At the end of The Mortal Thor  #2, the mastermind behind the racist thugs Sigrud Jarlson had violently dispatched was shown to be none other than Don Blake, Thor’s former human proxy. Many fans were disappointed by the implication that Blake, long a villainous figure within Thor’s mythos, was essentially a Nazi, but I found it fascinating because it pits two of Thor’s identities against one another (since Jarlson is the name of an alter-ego Thor used during the 1980s) - as well as against the identity of Thor himself. Once again, Thor’s greatest enemy appears to be himself.  In the third issue of the series, we see more about Blake’s operation. He has a cadre of soldiers dressed in green and black uniforms reminiscent of Hydra agents who not only follow his orders, but who call him “Father.”  It’s exceptionally creepy, and it’s made even more so by Blake’s serpentine features, a fantastic design choice by artist Pasqual Ferry. Blake even refers to himself as “daddy” before ordering his minions to find and kill Sigurd as retribution for the beatdown Sigurd had delivered in the previous issue.  When we see Sigurd again, he’s dreaming of the deathscape where Thor and Blake had their final battle at the end of The Immortal Thor  run, where Thor ultimately sacrificed himself and restarted the cosmic cycle of death and rebirth once more. There, he speaks with Thor, who claims Sigurd is not  Thor, does not have anything of Thor’s except for one thing: the desire to “break the sky” to right the wrongs of the world. Sigurd wakes with more questions than answers and certainly adds to the confusion of how everything works in this new world. Is Sigurd Thor? Is he a proxy? A human reincarnation? Al Ewing certainly knows how to drag out a mystery in a way that doesn’t feel like the answers are internationally being kept from the readers for the sake of later shock value, but because the story is unfolding in such a way that the readers are learning what’s going on at the same time Sigurd is.  Sigurd Jarlson is the talk of the crew in The Mortal Thor  #3 © Marvel Comics Since Sigurd’s last attempt at a job had failed due to his refusal to be a Roxxon scab, he (with some magical, mischievous, help from Lucky) ends up working up on the iron beam of a high-rise building, gaining a reputation as a hard-working, exceptionally strong, if not somewhat mysterious since he still has no memories of his past. There are plenty of little nods to his true identity, in particular the fact the hammer he wields is of the short-handled variety instead of the usual long-handled sledges that require the use of two hands. This is a nod to the mythology surrounding Mjolnir, and a fun little throwaway moment that still holds deeper meaning. Unfortunately, his peaceful existence is once again interrupted by the Sons of the Serpent, who swarm the building, shooting Sigurd’s co-workers with tranquilizers - but it hardly matters if the projectile is non-lethal if it results in a fall dozens of stories to the ground, which is exactly what starts happening. This sequence is a rough read and gets even more brutal when Sigurd attaches his hammer to his wrist cuff via a bungee cord (a setup he developed in the previous issue to mimic the ability of Mjolnir to fly around at Thor’s command and then return to his hand). The art is dynamic here, and truly gory with the hammer turning men into ground meat.  I had wondered in the aftermath of the first issue if Sigurd’s violence would have any legal repercussions, and by the end of this issue, it’s looking like that might become the case when his neighbor Kris gets an unexpected phone call from Sigurd, who seems to be in police custody, judging by her promise to bring a lawyer with her when she comes to get him. Overhearing this conversation is Lucky, who is not happy with the turn of events. However, he doesn’t have time to come up with a new scheme because before he can even move, the imposing figure of All-Father Odin appears. He confirms Lucky to indeed be Loki, which wasn’t a huge surprise - but Odin’s involvement surprised me. He’s been largely absent in the narrative since he was removed from the rebuilt Mjolnir several years ago, and his appearance to interrogate Loki about the magic he used to create Sigurd’s employment papers raises yet even more questions. That next week’s issue seems to be the story of what’s happening on Asgard while Sigurd is having street-level adventures, those questions may be answered sooner rather than later.  The Mortal Thor  continues to be exceptional in both the writing and the artwork. Al Ewing is building the tensions nicely, and the layers of symbolism in his work make it even more engaging, though knowledge of those symbols is not required to enjoy the story itself. The art is dynamic and the way Sigurd is portrayed as same-but-different from how we know Thor hammers home (pun intended) the idea that Sigurd may, indeed, be a separate identity from Thor, just as Blake has become. Of course, there is the looming threat of a showdown with the Serpent, but for now Sigurd’s problem is a very human one, one I’m looking forward to seeing play out: he needs to get bailed out of jail.  Rating: ★★★★★ The Mortal Thor  #3 © Marvel Comics About The Mortal Thor #3 Release Date:  October 29, 2025 Written by:  Al Ewing Art by: Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth Page Count: 23 Synopsis :   SNAKES IN THE GRASS! Roxxon Construction has a vigilante problem. But whoever this "Thor" is, they know he's only human... ...and the people they've hired to find him are much, much more. Somewhere in the city, a man with a hammer is being hunted...

Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for Hedda . Hedda © Amazon MGM Studios In Nia DaCosta’s film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler , the title character, played by Tessa Thompson, finds herself stifled by the rigid suburbanism of 1950s London which ends up having much in common with 1891-era Christiania, Ibsen’s in-universe nod to his stomping grounds in Oslo, Norway. DaCosta’s Hedda  is neither titularly tarnished with her husband, George Tesman (Tom Bateman)’s surname, nor her father’s, though it is clear that their influence is what keeps her in high society. Even so, George’s struggle to maintain appearances at her behest seems to be an open secret among the help - hired as one-off servants in order to fill out a largely empty mansion for an impromptu party - with Hedda’s lone claim to fame being a set of pistols inherited from the late General Gabler, “pretty little things” for his “pretty little thing,” she remarks sardonically to Judge Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), who takes advantage of her honesty as the evening progresses. In this sense, in spite of the handful of creative directing liberties taken by DaCosta, the plight of Hedda, a diminished and increasingly desperate housewife, remains intact. Hedda (Tessa Thompson), Eileen (Nina Hess), and Thea (Imogen Poots) in Hedda . © Amazon MGM Studios “You were like a fire before you were domesticated” Though Hedda’s home is itself a character of sorts, DaCosta’s choice to avoid wide shots and even to keep certain characters just off-screen while they nonetheless carry on conversations crucial to the narrative gives much of the film a claustrophobic feeling, one which is almost certainly meant to center Hedda’s catastrophic boredom with the bourgeoisie. Though Hedda is sometimes referred to as the female Hamlet, her manic and depressive turns as portrayed by Thompson are perhaps more reminiscent of another Shakespearean staple, none other than Lady Macbeth. Motivated largely by misery, Thompson’s Hedda manipulates many partygoers with her trademark “whimsicality,” whose accompanying “consequences” occur when she realizes that she’s not really fooling anybody. Like Lady Macbeth, Hedda’s enterprising international spirit makes for an entertaining party guest, though she proves even worse at resisting her respective (though not respectable) vices than her ex, alcoholic academic Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hess), gender-swapped by DaCosta for an added layer of intrigue, to say nothing of Thompson’s Hedda herself being biracial.  Of the decision to place her Hedda  in 1950s London, DaCosta acknowledges via an interview with Radio Times  that “it was this decade where everyone’s trying to figure out how to be after World War Two … How to be back to the nuclear family, how society should be run.” Ironically, in Ibsen’s play, the original Eilert Lovborg’s much anticipated manuscript “deals with the civilising forces of the future.” However, Eileen’s own magnum opus, as she drunkenly explains to a smoky room full of male peers who are more interested in the saucy sex stories she might tell for their amusement than picking her brain, focuses on humanity’s hidden fetishes and fancies a la a bar patron who allegedly begged her to let him sniff her feet. Perhaps this change reflects DaCosta’s worry that Eilert’s concerns are too old-fashioned even for the regressive 50s; ergo, the shift seems a justifiable step towards (somewhat) modernizing Hedda . “Let the women talk!” That DaCosta’s Hedda  is stacked with three female leads is impressive, no less because it does not diminish the drama that unfolds. Like the late, great Jay Gatsby, Hedda positions herself as a mysterious master of affairs, stirring up strife with calculated comments and actions alike. Determined to get Eileen to ditch Thea Clifton (Imogen Poots), her new girlfriend - and Hedda’s former schoolmate whom she notably bullied, though she airily claims that she does not remember being so beastly - finds Hedda suggesting an impromptu swim, during which she simply smirks while watching a couple of male guests toss Thea into the water. As the evening progresses, so too does Eileen’s resolve not to drink wane, with Hedda traipsing after her (as her husband and Judge Brack alike look on knowingly and disapprovingly) to ensure that she does just that. The inherent drama of Hedda  is not whether or not chaos will eventually ensue, of course, but how Hedda herself will react as it happens, to say nothing of the aftermath of her malicious mess-making. Here, DaCosta’s close-ups on Thompson’s micro-expressions as the words of her various current and former lovers fall upon her usually unwilling ears make up for the lack of Baz Luhrmann-esque scenic sweeps - that is, the camera only has eyes for (and on) Hedda.  Hedda (Tessa Thompson), George (Tom Bateman), and Judge Brack ( Nicholas Pinnock) in Hedda . © Amazon MGM Studios Unlike Gatsby, the surrounding opulence is not sufficient to allow Hedda to conduct her affairs without party guests’ gawking or guessing what her next move will be. In one scene, Hedda is even interrupted from flirting with Eileen (to Thea’s considerable chagrin) by her own husband, who demands that she return to his side to entertain all of the guests, as is more appropriate than lurking in various nooks and crannies and coming back with smeared lipstick. “Play the part and stay out of trouble,” Hedda is reminded repeatedly as the night wears on, though as Thea eventually proposes as Hedda continuously cockblocks her from Eileen, “You don’t want her in control.” Fighting a losing battle against her lover’s addiction and her lover’s ex-lover’s determination to make Eileen break her vow of sobriety, Thea eventually exits, tearfully telling Eileen that “No matter what I do, you’re always going to be on this path.” Alas, alienating Eileen is not enough for Hedda, either: “You’re upset I couldn’t choose you,” Eileen tells her. From there, it is only a matter of time before their hands graze longingly over one another, the scene ending, seemingly inevitably, with Eileen pocketing one of Hedda’s father’s proffered pistols. “Hedda Gabler doesn’t love anyone but herself, and Hedda Tesman doesn’t exist” More than a queer reimagining of Ibsen’s infamous Hedda  starring a mixed-race actress, the most controversial aspect of DaCosta’s adaptation might be how it ends. Without spoiling everything, the ambiguous nature of whether or not certain characters survive the events of Hedda’s party is unexpected for those familiar with the source material. Far from Ibsen’s Hedda’s fantasies of clean, artistic suicide - namely, Eilert’s, and then her own once he botches the appeal after accidentally discharging the aforementioned borrowed pistol “in the bowels” at a brothel - DaCosta’s choice to potentially leave more of the main players alive is somehow even bleaker. That is, one can hardly imagine the already flighty Hedda further shackled by society, by actual chains, no less, presuming Judge Brack makes good on his threat to inform law enforcement whose pistol is found in her ex-lover’s slackened grip. On the other hand, perhaps Hedda would take advantage of her increased notoriety a la Chicago ’s Roxie Hart and make the most of her prolonged predicament. Indeed, both Heddas’ calculated mention of a supposed pregnancy to their doting yet dull husbands is right out of Roxie’s playbook. Even so, DaCosta’s Hedda’s brown skin and lesbianism may well be a harder sell on a 1950s jury than an assisted murder charge. Ergo, more than likely, Judge Brack’s proposal to Hedda that “People generally get used to the inevitable,” beyond its initial intention of shoehorning him further into her affairs, would ring hollow whilst replaying in her head again and again as she lived out the rest of her days behind bars, or worse. Tessa Thompson in Hedda . © Amazon MGM Studios Overall, DaCosta takes on Hedda with a mostly clear vision in mind, though in the puddles of ambiguity that occasionally muddle it, Thompson’s title character tends to reside, weighty expressions and restless body language included. Likewise, the carefully concocted scenery is on boldest display while underscored by the film’s sparse score, largely composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, including a cover of Betty Hutton’s 1951 single, “It’s Oh So Quiet,” whose alternating quietude and brassy trumpeting is fitting for Thompson’s bipolar Hedda, whose staggered breathing punctuates the scene in which said song is featured. Indeed, Hedda inevitably “blow[s] a fuse,” at which point “The devil cuts loose (zing boom).” Rating: ★★★★☆ About Hedda Premiere Date:  October 29, 2025 Writer: Nia DaCosta Director: Nia DaCosta Production: Orion Pictures, Plan B Entertainment Distribution:  Amazon MGM Studios Cast:   Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock and Nina Hoss Synopsis:  A provocative reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, Hedda follows enigmatic newlywed Hedda (Tessa Thompson), who is outwardly composed but hiding a simmering discontent that threatens to explode when the brilliant and charismatic Eileen Lovberg (Nina Hoss) reenters her life. Over the course of a raucous party, the high and low of society endure the consequences of this dangerous and unknowable woman yearning for a past love. What ensues is a ruthless game of manipulation, where lust, jealousy, and betrayal collide. Written and directed by Nia DaCosta, Hedda is a daring exploration of power, desire, and a woman’s refusal to be confined.

© Disney Plus A struggle with the Star Wars franchise is that it feels stuck within its post- Return of the Jedi era with its shows, games and movies. Even when Star Wars tries to branch out and tell a unique story, whether that may be a show set during the High Republic era or a story that involves kids on an Amblin-esque adventure, audiences and Lucasfilm don't tend to give it the time of day, which leads to complete failure and the franchise once again falling back on what it believes it does well: telling stories that feel familiar. This year has been great for the franchise with the release of the Emmy Award-winning second season of Andor which was phenomenal and provided writing that connected audiences with the tragedy of Ghorman. We also got the third season of the Tales series with Tales of the Underworld , which wasn't as strong as previous seasons and felt held back by its Clone Wars animation and time setting. There was also Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past , which was just a fun, harmless Lego show which twists up the universe everyone knows and loves, so at least there was some variety seen from the franchise within that show. Star Wars: Visions has always been one of the best pieces of media to come out of the Disney+ era of Star Wars ; scratch that, Visions is one of the best pieces of media to come out of the Disney era of Star Wars . Star Wars is a franchise that's set in a galaxy far far away and Visions branches out to Eastern international territory to further explore and celebrate the vast mythology that the franchise has to offer. Visions offers stories that you won't be able to find anywhere else, as we look at the universe through a cultural lens that allows us to view the world differently and also tell stories that, unfortunately, we wouldn't find in the West. Star Wars: Visions gets the best Japanese studios to showcase and highlight the creativity that comes from Japanese animation and how diverse it is compared to the animation that we're usually used to. Just like previous volumes, we get nine stories from eight different Japanese studios, and for the first time, Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 offers sequel stories to previously released episodes from its first season. This season comes with flawless animation that will have your jaw on the floor, sending you through a wave of emotions as you witness a psychedelic, nostalgic rush that will leave you wanting to spend more time with certain stories. Thanks to the announcement of Star Wars: Visions Presents , this is now a possibility. For the first time, Star Wars: Visions offers sequel episodes to three of its Volume 1 stories, and with them, we get improved animation from the studios and a further look into the worlds that were previously established. The first sequel we get is "The Duel: Payback , " which features the Ronin (Brian Tee) hunting Anée-san (Suzy Nakamura), a former Sith who he must team up with when a ghost from his past returns to haunt him. It's a world that takes inspiration from samurai films of the past, such as Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, and Kamikaze Douga + ANIMA work effortlessly together to bring a great blend of 3D animation which allows for the dynamic action sequences in the episode. There's great attention to detail with the animation style that feels like sketches come to life. The Duel is a fan favourite among Star Wars: Visions , having spawned novels and comic books which tell more stories within that world, and now this sequel explores this revenge story that takes a unique direction that involves Jedi and Sith with their belief system. It continues to be the most unique setting in Visions , as it takes an Edo period setting, and if Lucasfilm wanted to return to this world (which likely will happen), it would be a welcomed decision. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3. © Disney The second sequel is “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope , ” which feels drastically different to its predecessor, an action-packed story which featured betrayal, while this sequel focuses on loss and discovering your path. It's a cute story that brings back those nostalgic 90s anime visuals, and with the bond that Kara (Kimiko Glenn) builds with Teto (Freddie Highmore), a caretaker droid that she comes across, it truly feels like you're watching a Ghibli-esque animation set within the Star Wars world. It's unfortunate because Production I.G. began implementing 3D animation, and while it works in " The Duel: Payback ", it doesn't deliver the same effect in " The Ninth Jedi ", which thrived off its nostalgic 2D animation. The third and final sequel is “The Lost Ones,” a sequel to "The Village Bride" which returns us to F (Karen Fukuhara) as she comes across a planet that's in need. Throughout this episode, we learn of her relationship with her master, Shad-Rah/Zero (Mark Strong), who was believed to be dead but is now seen working for the Empire. This is a story that seems quite simplistic with its concept, but its messaging with good and evil is executed well as we learn why F continues to help people and how she's grown different from her master. It's an episode that's beautifully animated, with Mark Strong giving a career-best voice performance as he takes charge of the screen. F and Zero's confrontation takes up half the episode, but it's worth every minute and proves that sometimes a simple story is all you need to deliver one of the best episodes of the season. Although the season already had three sequels, there was an episode where I had already wanted to see more from the characters. "The Bounty Hunters" features Sevn (Anna Sawai), a tough bounty hunter running from her past, and IV-A4 (Ronny Chieng), a medical droid and assassin droid that struggles with its split personality. It's a duo that you can't escape from, as they work together to take down an industrialist who has a shady background and connects to Sevn's past. It's an episode that's a lot of fun thanks to the dynamic duo, but it also doesn't shy away from its topics of child abuse and labour. With Sevn on the run from her previous team and dozens of bounties to collect, there are endless stories we could follow with Sevn and IV-A4, and although it's unlikely we'll get a Visions: Presents for this story, I'm hopeful that we'll at least get a sequel in the near future. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3. © Disney "The Bird of Paradise" is one of two standout episodes in Star Wars: Visions Volume 3, as yet again, it delivers a story that focuses on the balance between good and evil, but it takes it in a direction that the Star Wars universe has never gone before. While we've experienced the use of blind characters in the universe, such as Kanan from Star Wars Rebels and Chirrut Îmwe from Rogue One , this episode highlights the spiritual connection within the Force once blinded. It focuses on a Padawan named Nakime (Sonoya Mizuno) who begins to lose faith in the Light Side and her teachings and begins to become tempted by the Dark Side. The visuals and structure of the episode tell a wholeheartedly beautiful story unlike anything seen in Star Wars: Visions before. The final episode of the season, "Black," is animated by david Productions who are known for being one of the few anime studios who always deliver with animation and continue to subvert audiences' expectations of what they're capable of. This isn't your usual episode, as there's not a linear story to follow. It follows two stormtroopers trapped in battle between the past, present, light, dark, life and death. "Black" is a psychedelic trip that transports you into the mind of a Stormtrooper, and you are sent through a complete haunting acid trip of the horrors that the Stormtroopers are constantly sent through. They're normally the butt end of the Star Wars jokes with their terrible aim, but this episode takes the time to make you truly understand how horrific and straining their battles are, reflecting the life and mind of a real soldier. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 might just be the best instalment of Visions yet, as it continues to deliver stories that continuously expand on the mythology of Star Wars and create stories that may feel similar but vary drastically as they're told through the eyes of the various creatives that are on board. Visions tackling sequels for the first time is a welcome addition and never once felt like a forced entry, allowing for these characters and their worlds to feel more fleshed out with hopes that future stories may be able to return. The music throughout complements each episode, with Towa Tei being one of the few composers this season to deliver music that will transcend you or Sakura Fujiwara, who has the horrors of Stormtroopers play out to some smooth jazz. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is Star Wars like you'll never see anywhere else and it continues to be a masterclass in science-fiction storytelling. Rating: ★★★★½ About Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 Star Wars: Visions . © Disney Premiere Date: October 29, 2025 Creators: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs Producers: James Waugh, Josh Rimes, and Jacqui Lopez , Justin Leach, Flannery Huntley and Kanako Shirasaki Cast: Brian Tee, Will Sharpe, Suzy Nakamura, J, Stephanie Hsu, Aki Toyosaki, Trevor Devall, Kimiko Glenn, Freddie Highmore, Masi Oka, Earl Baylon, Anna Sawai, Ronny Chieng, Joseph Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Liam Karlsson, Julian Paz Fedorov, Harvey Guillén, Steve Buscemi, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Strong, Ryan Potter, Emma Myers, Tanner Buchanan, Judith Light, Sonoya Mizuno, James Sie, Victoria Grace, George Takei, Kenta Miyake, Tsuyoshi Koyama Production:  Lucasfilm, david production, Kamikaze Douga + ANIMA, Kinema citrus Co., Polygon Pictures, Production I.G, Project Studio Q, TRIGGER, WIT Studio Distribution:  Disney Synopsis: The award-winning anthology of animated short films celebrates the mythology of Star Wars through unique cultural lenses. Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 features nine shorts from nine different anime studios to further demonstrate the diversity and creativity of Japanese animation.