It was always the plan to bring Kyle MacLachlan back to The Lowdown in season 2. Series creator Sterlin Harjo just needed to find an entry point that made sense.  MacLachlan’s character, Donald Washberg, had a complete arc in season 1. Seeking to block Ethan Hawke’s Lee Raybon Jr. as he tried to make sense of the Washberg family’s secrets, the aspiring governor of Oklahoma proved a powerful impediment. The two became uneasy allies when Lee presented an opportunity for Donald to honor his late brother’s wishes, screw over some Nazis, and return a large piece of land to the…

Magic: The Gathering is hitting the big screen soon, and it’s now scored its first cast member in Maya Hawke. Not only does this casting lend the upcoming MTG movie some nerd cred thanks to Hawke’s previous role as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, but it also led to a tidbit of news that will make players of the popular trading card game very happy. The Deadline article reporting on Hawke’s casting also mentions that “the cast is expected to have an ensemble feel,” which would fit in perfectly with the world of MTG. For those who aren’t familiar with…

Whenever a new James Bond movie is announced, rumors spread like wildfire. Who’s going to don the super-spy’s tux? Who’s the new Bond girl? Who’s the villain? Now that visionary director Denis Villeneuve has boarded the next Bond adventure, those rumors are once again heating up – particularly when it comes to who’s taking up the 007 mantle after Daniel Craig.  While we wait for those rumors to shake out, however, let’s examine one less-heralded element of the James Bond mythos that Villeneuve should bring back to his incarnation: the gadgets. Besides his trusty Walther PPK, James Bond is often…

Even after getting roundly stomped at the box office by the Avengers and other heroes, the X-Men remain Marvel‘s most popular team, characters second only to Spider-Man in wide appeal. And with good reason. Under the guidance of writer Chris Claremont—along with fellow creators such as John Byrne, John Romita Jr., and Louise Simonson—expanded the X-Men from C-list nothings to bestsellers, thanks to their combination of rich drama, high-concept genre trappings, and superhero action. So important are the X-Men, in fact, that they’re bigger than the X-Men. Marvel has a host of mutant teams and organizations, all the better to…

It can happen that filmmakers create scenes that are unexpectedly satisfying to listen to, even when they have nothing to do with relaxation. Things like a character handling objects, a soft speech, or the tiny sounds of everyday activities can produce the same tingling sensation associated with ASMR videos. While these moments often go unnoticed because they’re part of a larger story, their sound design and attention to detail make them surprisingly soothing. This is why we’ve gathered certain scenes that have become favorites among viewers who appreciate the little sounds as much as the visuals. IMDb The Nightmare Before…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. In the MCU, the first superhero is effectively Iron Man. Sure, Nick Fury tells him he isn’t the first at the end of the 2008 movie, and we know that Captain Marvel, the Eternals, and others predate him. But for all intents and purposes, it starts with Tony Stark. In Marvel Comics, however, it starts with the Human Torch, a flaming android who appears on the cover of 1939’s Marvel Comics #1. Now the MCU has finally caught up, with the Human Torch officially debuting in the latest episode of…

This article contains spoilers for VisionQuest season 1 episode 7. Thus far, VisionQuest has been a good show, but definitely a flawed one. Its strongest asset has been its compelling cast, actors who would be captivating on screen no matter what they’re doing. Even better, the sludgy CGI environments that plagued the first two episodes have been replaced with compelling and visually striking compositions, giving those actors interesting spaces to inhabit. But the central mystery of the Butcherbird Killer has not been captivating, making the whole thing play like an acting exercise, albeit with excellent performers. With the mystery set…

It’s no secret that anime is the one medium Hollywood has struggled to adapt to live action. While we love series like Bleach or Dragon Ball Z for their hyperkinetic action and unique stories, translating that energy to the 3D world often leads to disaster – the less said about Dragonball Evolution and the Scarlett Johansson-led Ghost in the Shell, the better. Now the tide might be turning, thanks to Destin Daniel Cretton’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Naruto. For starters, Naruto has a plot that’s fairly easy to grasp. Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki seeks to become the strongest ninja in the…

Among the many titles being displayed at Tokyo Game Show 2026, one of the most consistently popular the entire weekend came from Smilegate, a South Korean studio specializing in mobile and PC games. The most fun that I had with any of the mobile games unveiled by Smilegate at this year’s show was Dead Account: Two Blue Flames, a top-down roguelite actioner with strong deck-building and character collection gameplay mechanics. After playing an extended preview of the game, I interviewed the creative team over email following the show. “This was the first time we’d opened the game up to general…

Marvel Studios is pulling out all the stops for its upcoming X-Men reboot, including tapping Jake Schreier — who handed the MCU one of its best movies in Thunderbolts* — as director and wrangling an all-star cast that includes Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Adam Driver as a character that’s definitely Mister Sinister. However, recent casting news suggests Marvel is doing something that could set the X-Men reboot apart from the previous Fox-era movies. Deadline recently reported that Ben Wang (American Born Chinese, Karate Kid Legends) is in the running to play Bobby Drake a.k.a.…

The Batman: Part II is arguably the most anticipated comic book movie adaptation in some time, and yet it’s been hit with a volley of issues and delays. Director Matt Reeves briefly paused production due to a family matter, tapping Steven Soderbergh to finish principal photography. The recent Paramount/Warner Bros. merger means that The Batman: Part II will be debuting in a movie landscape that’s already gone through massive upheavals. And now, a set of photos might have revealed the villains that will be menacing Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. Surprisingly, however, the leak came from someone who isn’t even in…

Like all television pilots, the first episode of The West Wing has to introduce all of its characters, both their names and personalities. So the cold open of The West Wing‘s pilot gives us handsome Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) picking up a woman in a bar, motormouth press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) jabbering about work/life balance while on a treadmill, crotchety Leo McGarry (John Spencer) crabbing about an error in the New York Times crossword, oddball Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) asleep at his desk at the office, and know-it-all Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) explaining to flight attendants why he…

Taika Waititi had a bad weekend. It’s not just that his latest film, Klara and the Sun, released to disastrous reviews so bad that Sony canceled a wider global release; it’s also that he went to social media, reposting an article about Klara and the Sun‘s 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a self-aggrandizing statement. “I haven’t read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years,” he wrote, going on to describe critics as “sad lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists,” and are now “Irrelevant. Out of touch.…

Most people won’t tell you when something you do bothers them. They might smile, keep the conversation going, and act as if everything is perfectly fine, only to walk away with a slightly different opinion of you. Sometimes, it’s a habit you barely notice, a comment that comes out wrong, or the way you treat someone when you think nobody important is watching. These little details can leave lasting impressions, even when nobody brings them up. And while everyone has their own pet peeves, there are certain everyday behaviors that tend to make people raise an eyebrow without saying a…

Sometimes, respect disappears over something surprisingly small. It might be the way someone treats a waiter, a careless comment during a conversation, or the moment you realize a person never takes responsibility for anything. These little incidents can reveal habits and attitudes that are easy to overlook until you see them firsthand. Online discussions are full of people recalling the exact moment their opinion of someone changed, often over something that barely registered with anyone else. The stories are petty, uncomfortable, and occasionally funny, but they also say a lot about what people notice in everyday interactions. Medium Being Rude…

The owner saw him first: a grizzled, bearded man leaning around the refrigerator at 2 a.m., staring right at him. During my three nights in that same haunted Airbnb in Beatty, Nevada — the desert town known as the Gateway to Death Valley — I never saw the miner. But I may have heard him. I made the Airbnb-hosted trip for a Halloween episode of Talking Strange, the paranormal pop culture show (check it out on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite shows). Beatty is just shy of two hours from Las Vegas, and although it’s…

Saturday Night Live‘s cultural imprint is unquestionably massive, as is the list of comedy stars who have come through the show in its 52 seasons. But the new documentary, SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of, reminds us of a lesser-known legacy: the many competing shows it inspired. Launched in 1975, SNL took the world by storm with the help of Second City Toronto alums Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. Second City Television (eventually shortened to SCTV) started a year later in response, giving remaining troupe members an outlet. But the two shows were vastly different.  With its “live…

Another year, another Halloween. And apparently, another party you didn’t prepare for and now you have to scramble to find a proper costume. But if all of the costume shops are sold out, how in the world are you going to find something to wear? You can just go in plain clothes and say you’re portraying a pedestrian, right? Well, this year at least, we’ve got you covered. These following ideas are sure to aid you on your journey to have a simple yet recognizable costume. A lot of iconic outfits use surprisingly cheap materials, so let’s find you something…

eBay Live is expanding into automotive sales while celebrating the history of cars in video games, including titles like the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. To commemorate this, eBay Live has unveiled its eBay Most Wanted Collection, four cars going up for auction in a livestream hosted by Fast & Furious star and noted automotive enthusiast Sung Kang alongside automotive influencer and creator Hert. With 100% of the proceeds going to charity, benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Kang’s own history shopping through eBay for his own personal car collection, hosting the event was a no-brainer. “eBay…

I only ever saw Sir Patrick Stewart once in person. It was on stage at the Cort Theatre in New York City, where he starred opposite his late-in-life best friend Sir Ian McKellen. Rife with humor, but also the crushing existential misery that makes Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot such a challenge, both for performers and often the audience, Stewart’s performance as Vladimir brought a sense of affectionate doddering to a man waiting for everything and nothing—life to have a point, or for death to end it. Admittedly though, I was in the audience for a matinee particularly to observe…