Movies

As a huge fan of gothic horror, I absolutely adore the 2015 film *Crimson Peak*, but it feels like it’s sadly been overlooked by most people. While it wasn’t one of Guillermo del Toro’s biggest hits, I still think it’s one of the most beautifully atmospheric and genuinely fun gothic horror movies out there. And honestly, I think Charlie Hunnam’s performance gets unfairly dismissed – he’s often seen as just a supporting character, but he really delivers and deserves more recognition for his work in this fantastic film.

For a long time, *One Piece* didn’t focus on romantic relationships, and now the series is feeling the consequences in its final arc. While the creator, Eiichiro Oda, intentionally avoided romance for the Straw Hat Pirates, other characters are now being developed through love stories, leaving the Straw Hats behind. This makes an existing problem even worse: many Straw Hat crew members besides Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji haven’t been given enough attention or development since the time skip.

Sakura Haruno often gets a lot of criticism from *Naruto* fans, but much of it is unfair. While characters like Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and Temari aren’t developed as fully as Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi, that’s true for most of the series’ cast. It’s also important to remember that despite years of negativity from some male fans, Sakura was a key reason many women started watching *Naruto*, and she continues to be a very popular character.

I’m so hyped for *Marvel Zombies* – the second series in Phase 6! Marvel Studios just dropped this really cool poster, and it’s packed with all these zombified versions of our favorite heroes and villains. We’re talking Thanos, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Abomination, Wasp, and even Ant-Man and Hank Pym! What’s interesting is that instead of being a tall, standard poster, it’s actually wider than it is tall. Apparently, there’s a reason for that design choice, which is pretty neat.

Wes Craven had a knack for turning ordinary settings into terrifying situations, and *The People Under the Stairs* is a prime example. Like his film *A Nightmare on Elm Street*, which was inspired by reports of people dying suddenly in their sleep, Craven found horror in everyday life. He’d take something familiar – like dreaming – and twist it into something frightening. This approach works because it makes the fear feel real and relatable. Craven’s films often balance scary moments with humor, and moments of levity are often tinged with unease. Whether you’re revisiting *The People Under the Stairs* for a nostalgic experience or discovering it for the first time, the film remains surprisingly relevant and impactful today.

Looking back, if we ever see the rumored Black Frieza story arc, it won’t really be *Dragon Ball* as created by Akira Toriyama anymore. Sadly, with Toriyama’s passing, Toyotarou will be writing it without his guidance. From what I understand, Toriyama actually intended Cell to be the final villain. He considered Cell Max the concluding major villain for the *DBS* storyline that he personally oversaw, and felt it brought the core ideas of *Dragon Ball* to a really fitting end.

Ten years ago, seeing Sigourney Weaver back in an *Alien* movie would have been great news. However, with the recent success of *Alien: Romulus* and *Alien: Earth* in introducing new characters, and with audiences starting to tire of sequels that rely too much on the past, Weaver’s return feels more draining than thrilling. Ellen Ripley is an iconic character, and Sigourney Weaver is a fantastic actress, but the *Alien* franchise needs to move forward and leave Ripley behind.

Director Condon has a new movie coming out in 2025 – a musical called *Kiss of the Spider Woman* starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna. Although the *Twilight* films were quite different, he remembered working on this musical while filming the large battle scene at the end of the final *Twilight* movie. He shared this memory at the New York City premiere.

DC Studios has switched the animal featured in its profile pictures on YouTube and Instagram. Previously, the images showed Eagly, the bird from *Peacemaker*, sporting sunglasses and headphones with the DC logo. Now, they’ve been updated to feature Krypto the Superdog from *Superman*. This change happened around August 20th, shortly after the first episode of *Peacemaker* Season 2 was released.

According to sources, Lucasfilm is once again working on a *Lando* movie. The project had been considered stalled for years, but insider Daniel Richtman recently announced on X (formerly Twitter) that development is underway again.