It’s easy to see why people were excited when The X-Files became available to stream for free on Pluto. Revisiting the show allows you to catch things you might have missed before and rediscover favorite episodes. While not every episode of The X-Files is a hit, and some aren’t very good, there’s still one episode that really stands out.
Though not made by Netflix, most of this fantastic crime thriller, which has a Western feel, is currently streaming on the platform. Season 4 premiered on February 15th and will be added to Netflix at a later date.
The upcoming film, Ebenezer, boasts a stellar cast, including Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Andrea Riseborough, and the legendary Ian McKellan, who plays Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge’s former business partner. Grint expressed his excitement about working with McKellan, calling him “iconic.”
With Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as Marty and Wendy Byrde, Ozark successfully recaptured the feel of Breaking Bad – something few shows have managed since. The series centers on a couple who relocate to the Ozark Mountains to wash money for a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. While Breaking Bad felt like a classic tragedy, Ozark created a darker, more suspenseful atmosphere, heavily exploring bleak and pessimistic ideas.
Stephen Amell recently starred in the TV shows Heels and Suits LA, but unfortunately, both were canceled. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s taking on a leading role in a Baywatch reboot. The original Baywatch, a popular lifeguard drama that ran from 1989 to 2000, was a huge hit and lasted for 11 seasons.
While people discuss and critique new movies – debating acting, style, and how closely they follow the original stories – a recent film has flown somewhat under the radar. This 2022 drama, with a strong 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a lead actress who often gets compared to Margot Robbie, actually adds a fascinating new layer to the classic story of Wuthering Heights. Watching both films together creates a really compelling pairing.
Netflix’s hit sci-fi show, Stranger Things, quickly became popular thanks to its talented young actors, like Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and others. The series is set in the town of Hawkins, which is terrorized by mysterious creatures and monsters that start kidnapping kids. The town’s residents – especially the children – have to fight to protect their families and save their town.
Looking back, a lot of George Lucas’s initial vision did happen. We got the original trilogy starring Luke Skywalker, which eventually became the foundation of the entire nine-film Skywalker saga – including the prequels detailing his father, Anakin, and the sequels focusing on his nephew, Ben Solo. But that original plan for another trilogy? Sadly, that never quite materialized. It remains a ‘what if’ for fans like me.
Paul Reiser’s work as a documentary filmmaker influenced how Mad About You playfully referenced filmmaking itself. The episode “Our Fifteen Minutes” is a prime example, showing the Buchmans trying to create a documentary about their lives for PBS, which gives the show a clever, self-aware quality. The episode “The Conversation” was particularly innovative, filmed as a single, unbroken shot in their apartment hallway. However, Mad About You was most daring in how it portrayed the central romance between Jamie and Paul.
Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 3 and Luc Besson’s Dracula both came out on February 6th. The Strangers: Chapter 3 is the final film in Harlin’s recent trilogy, though it’s actually the fifth Strangers movie overall. Dracula is a fresh take on the famous Bram Stoker novel, with Caleb Landry Jones playing the lead role.