Movies

Recent reports shed light on what contributed to the critical and box office failure of Joker: Folie à Deux, with many attributing the outcome to director Todd Phillips’ reluctance to collaborate with Warner Bros. and DC. Despite the massive success of his first Joker film, Joker: Folie à Deux saw some of the lowest opening weekend numbers in its genre, along with poor critic and audience scores in comic book movie history. Key criticisms included its bleak ending, sluggish soundtrack, and troubling portrayal of Arthur Fleck. Just under a week after the film’s release, Variety revealed that Phillips maintained near-total creative control over the project. Sources claim that Phillips refused to film in London, which would have reduced costs by 20%, opting for Los Angeles instead. He also reportedly disregarded feedback from DC Studios executives James Gunn and Peter Safran and did little to ease tensions with DC. Additionally, Phillips allegedly bypassed screen-testing the film and insisted on premiering it at the Venice Film Festival against the studio’s objectives. Todd Phillips originally intended Joker to be a completely standalone film, not the start of a franchise or trilogy. However, after Joker earned over $1 billion on a $55 million budget, a sequel became inevitable. Warner Bros. seemingly interpreted the success of Joker as proof that Todd Phillips could deliver similar results with a follow-up, which likely explains why Joker: Folie à Deux‘s budget soared to $200 million. With the larger budget came increased creative control, and Phillips reportedly used this freedom to disregard any external input. As a result, Warner Bros. was unable to make changes to align the film with audience and critic expectations.

The trailer opens with Moana arriving back at Motunui after a three-day voyage. Upon reaching the shore, she is warmly welcomed by her younger sister, Simea. It is then revealed that during her journey, Moana discovered an artifact linked to an ancient island ruled by “angry gods.” This discovery launches Moana on a new quest, where she aims to lift the curse and restore her connection with her people. In the second half of the trailer, Maui appears to offer his help on her adventure. The key addition in this clip from the earlier Moana 2 trailer is the emphasis on Simea. In the original, Moana was portrayed as an only child, and her journey was a personal lesson in perseverance and belief. However, the arrival of her sister adds a new layer of motivation, as Moana is now driven to safeguard both Simea and the next generation. The strong connection between them is highlighted in the previews, where the sisters openly share how much they miss one another during Moana’s absences.

Netflix’s latest sports film “Rez Ball “, with a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, makes its debut in the platform’s Global Top 10. The movie is inspired by the nonfiction book Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by The New York Times journalist Michael Powell. It tells the story of a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska, New Mexico, who face the challenge of losing their star player while vying for the state championship. LeBron James served as one of the producers, and the cast includes Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Amber Midthunder, and Kiowa Gordon. Following its September 27 release, Rez Ball quickly entered Netflix’s Global Top 10. As of the week from September 30 to October 6, the film ranked sixth in Netflix’s Global Top 10 films (English), garnering 3.9 million views and 7.4 million hours watched. Rez Ball is strongly grounded in Native American traditions, focusing on the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team with deep Native American roots. The film was created by Native American storytellers, with direction by Sydney Freeland, a Navajo filmmaker, who co-wrote the script with Sterlin Harjo, an American Seminole and co-creator of FX’s Reservation Dogs. Furthermore, parts of Rez Ball were shot within the Navajo Nation, with the endorsement and backing of the local sovereign tribal nations. In Netflix’s Global Top 10, Rez Ball premiered with an impressive 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 85% audience rating. Reviews for Rez Ball commend it as an inspiring underdog tale, filled with heartfelt moments and captivating basketball scenes.

A New trailer provides an in-depth glimpse at Anora. The critically acclaimed film holds a Certified Fresh score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 80 reviews since its premiere at Cannes in May. This latest feature from writer-director Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket) stars Mikey Madison in the lead role as a stripper in New York City who is drawn into a world of wealth and intrigue when she agrees to marry the affluent Russian heir Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn). NEON has now released the second official trailer for Anora. It begins with a minute-long exploration of how Anora and Vanya meet and fall in love, then introduces the central conflict when Vanya’s parents send an agent to rectify their son’s decision. This leads to Anora physically fighting back, followed by a scene of her gagged with what appears to be a red scarf. Amid alternating clips of the couple and escalating violence surrounding them, she battles to have her marriage acknowledged. The upcoming Anora features a standout performance from Scream actress Mikey Madison, which could potentially secure her an Oscar nomination. She is already viewed as a strong contender for a Best Actress nomination at the 2025 Academy Awards, currently positioned at No. 3 on Variety‘s predictions list. Any chance to emphasize her role and demonstrate the complexity of her character will likely benefit the film’s Oscar campaign in the future. Further details about the film’s plot are provided, presenting a different perspective from the first Anora trailer. While the earlier trailer emphasized the suspense and drama surrounding the arrival of Vanya’s handler, the new trailer primarily focuses on developing the relationship between the titular characters. Although their marriage is a transactional arrangement, the latest trailer showcases the Authentic love and Passion that grows between them.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has become a hit on Netflix eight years after its initial release. Directed by Tim Burton and based on Ransom Riggs’ 2011 novel, the 2016 fantasy film follows a teenager who, after discovering clues to a time-spanning mystery, accidentally finds the titular home for extraordinary children. As he forms bonds with the residents, the mystery deepens, revealing their unique abilities. The cast features Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Terence Stamp, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench, and Samuel L. Jackson. After eight years since its debut, Tim Burton and Ella Purnell’s fantasy film has gained popularity on Netflix. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children claimed the top spot on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week of September 30 to October 6, amassing 7.1 million views and 15.1 million hours of watch time. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children did not fail at the box office, earning over $296 million globally. However, considering its $110 million budget, this can be seen as a lackluster box office performance that was insufficient to justify a sequel based on Ransom Riggs’ follow-up novel, Hollow City.

Stephen King’s Horror Adaptation has turned into a streaming sensation on Netflix in the U.S. Inspired by the 1986 horror novel by Stephen King, the sequel acts as a continuation of It (2017), with both movies directed by Andy Muschietti. The first It film centers on a group of children in Derry, Maine, who confront a frightening shape-shifting clown named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), while the sequel revisits these characters 27 years later as they come back to their hometown. Both movies achieved box office success, with the sequel earning $473 million globally. Released in 2017, It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences, currently holding an impressive 85% critics score and an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also a significant box office success, earning $702.8 million globally on a $35 million budget. While the sequel didn’t quite achieve the same level of success, it remains a notable accomplishment and a fitting conclusion to the narrative. It Chapter Two has a respectable RT score of 62%, but it truly resonated with general moviegoers, as reflected in its higher audience score of 78%. Muschietti’s sequel was produced with a larger budget of $79 million and generally showcases more spectacle along with some higher-profile actors. The cast of It Chapter 2 includes Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, and James McAvoy, among others, with Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise. Now is an excellent time to view the It sequel, as the prequel series Welcome to Derry is set to premiere in 2025, featuring a storyline that unfolds in the 1960s and leads up to the events of the original film.

The Order Trailer outlines the unsettling true events that inspired the intense crime thriller. In 1983, an FBI agent in Idaho discovers a pattern connecting a string of recent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations, and armored car thefts that have been terrorizing the Pacific Northwest. He seeks to demonstrate that these crimes aren’t being committed by a traditional crime organization, but rather by an extremist white supremacist group. While Jude Law’s character, FBI agent Terry Husk, is fictional, Bob Mathews (played by Nicholas Hoult) was the real leader of the neo-Nazi group called “THE ORDER“. The Trailer for The Order features Jude Law facing off against Nicholas Hoult in a new historical crime thriller, currently holding an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Justin Kurzel and written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Zach Baylin (King Richard), the film is based on the true story of an FBI agent who hunts down a white supremacist group known as The Order, active in the U.S. during the 1980s. The movie stars Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult, with supporting roles from Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, and Marc Maron. The Trailer presents Jude Law as an experienced FBI agent who becomes entangled in a perilous game of cat and mouse with Bob Mathews (portrayed by Nicholas Hoult), the leader of a white supremacist extremist group planning to topple the US government. This follows a troubling surge in violent bombings and bank heists throughout the Pacific Northwest.

A Newly Released Promotional Image For Venom: The Last Dance has confirmed a key detail about the army dispatched to Earth by Knull, the latest antagonist in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Venom: The Last Dance is set to premiere on October 25, marking the fifth entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and the final chapter in Venom’s trilogy. Recent trailers suggest the film aims for a grand conclusion, introducing a live-action version of Marvel’s most formidable villain since Thanos in the MCU. Sony has shared little about the exact motives of Knull and the Xenophage army he has unleashed on Venom. However, it’s clear that their intentions will be far from favorable for Venom or Eddie Brock, with trailer scenes hinting that the Xenophages will be especially hostile and likely one of Venom’s greatest challenges to date. A promotional image, shared by @thevenomsite on X, has revealed that Knull’s army will consist of the Xenophage. The image, which reportedly comes from official movie merchandise, shows the alien species roaring behind the word “Xenophage” in a graffiti-style font. This confirmation aligns with earlier speculation about the nature of the creatures seen in the trailers, which differ greatly from the symbiotes Venom has previously encountered.

Joker: Folie à Deux establishes an ideal narrative for a potential threequel, yet that DC film is unlikely to ever come to fruition. Joaquin Phoenix continues to shine in his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, delivering another remarkable performance as the lead in Joker: Folie à Deux, likely earning him award nominations. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the film itself. Joker: Folie à Deux has turned into a box office disappointment, which is surprising given that the original Joker surpassed the $1 billion milestone. Similar to its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux is a polarizing film. However, the primary issue lies in how this installment contradicts the essence of the first, offering minimal thrills and almost no captivating musical numbers, which makes its claim to be the first superhero musical feel squandered. The film’s conclusion has sparked outrage, contributing to the plethora of negative critiques from both critics and audiences. While it leaves a slight opening for a more promising sequel, that will regrettably likely never materialize. The Most Contentious Element Of Joker: Folie à Deux is the film’s choice to clarify that Arthur Fleck is not the true Joker. This choice undermines the core theme of the original movie, which illustrated how Arthur’s struggles relentlessly wore him down until the troubled character erupted, adopting the Joker persona that gave him a sense of strength and danger. In Joker: Folie à Deux, Arthur grapples with his dual identities right up to the conclusion, with Phoenix’s character ultimately confessing that the Joker was never real—merely a figment of Arthur’s imagination. To emphasize this point, the conclusion of Joker: Folie à Deux presents the most significant twist in the franchise. Throughout the film, a young inmate at Arkham makes occasional appearances, consistently admiring Arthur Fleck and drawing inspiration from “The Joker“.

Netflix is working on a Series Adaptation Of Jane Austen’s most well-known Novel, Pride and Prejudice. Released in 1813, this beloved story centers on the clever yet determined Elizabeth Bennet, who discovers that love can transcend both pride and prejudice through her evolving bond with the affluent but initially distant Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice has been brought to the screen multiple times, notably in the 1995 BBC miniseries featuring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, as well as the 2005 film with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Now, Jane Austen’s Renowned Novel is set for another adaptation. According to Variety, Netflix is creating a series version of Pride and Prejudice. The project has not yet received official approval from the streaming service, and there are currently no cast members involved. Netflix has previous experience with Jane Austen’s writings, having transformed her 1817 Novel Persuasion into the 2022 film of the same title featuring Dakota Johnson. A few years later, Netflix is now taking on the author’s most renowned work, which presents a greater challenge since it has already seen two legendary adaptations: the 1995 BBC miniseries and the 2005 movie. The Announcement that Netflix is creating a series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice signifies that Jane Austen adaptations are thriving, particularly those of her legendary 1813 novel.