Disney just held an early screening ofJoachim RønningandEspen Sandberg’sPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Talesduring Cinemacon, and the first reviews are in, and they’re surprisingly positive. First up, we have Steve Weintraub and /Film’s Peter Sciretta talking about the film last night during a Facebook Live: We also got these tweets: These reactions make me cautiously optimistic going forward. I like thePiratesfranchise, and even though I’ve grown a bit tired of Depp’s schtick, I’m not opposed to the series returning to its former greatness....

From show creatorCarina MacKenzie, The CW seriesRoswell, New Mexicois back for Season 2, and Liz (Jeanine Mason) is torn between having her sister Rosa (Amber Midthunder) back and the sacrifice that Max (Nathan Parsons) made, in order for that to happen. And while Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Isobel (Lily Cowles) are struggling with their own grief over the death of Max, Rosa begins experiencing mysterious side effects from her resurrection, as she realizes that she’s been kept in the dark about what really happened the night that she died....

Gladiatoris one of the rare ostensibly “original” films of the 21st century that managed to become both a massive critical success and a commercial achievement; this level of success is rare under parameters, but it’s even more impressive considering thatGladiatorwasn’t connected to a previously established franchise. Although there may have been doubt about whetherRidley Scottcould pull off a modern “sword-and-sandal” epic, a genre that had been largely dormant since the 1950s,Gladiatorproved to be an unmissable cinematic hit and became one of the few summer blockbusters towin the Academy Award for Best Picture....

Who could have guessed we’d wind up with aChris RockSawmovie? In fact, even though the trailer forSpiralhas already dropped, I still can’t get over it! And it turns out thatSawco-creatorLeigh Whannellwas just as shocked by Rock’s enthusiasm for the franchise. Whannell co-wrote the very firstSawmovie withJames Wan. He also worked on the scripts forSaw IIandSaw III, but then that was it for Whannell in the franchise. It appears as though he’ll always be an executive producer on new films having helped create the series, but as he said himself, he hasn’t had anything to do with theSawfilms for quite a while, and that includesSpiral....

One of the aspects that has made the newStar Warssequels so intriguing is the strong central dynamic between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Even if you strip away the mystery regarding Rey’s parentage, you still have two powerful Force users who come from different backgrounds and are swept into a much larger conflict. While at the outset we may see two characters headed towards different sides of the Force with Rey going toward the Light and Kylo Ren heavily on the Dark Side, that doesn’t mean they’ve staked out their positions....

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2.Thanks to its pitch-perfect placementin episode 4 ofStranger ThingsSeason 4, Kate Bush’s haunting, propulsive single “Running Up That Hill” is a worldwide hit, a mere 37 years after its release. Always a brilliant track, and long considered a classic, the song that opens Bush’s masterworkHounds of Love, istopping charts,making the singer millions, andbreaking records. Its success has even inspiredSpotify to create personalized Upside Down Playliststo help you find your own best song to fend off Vecna....

George Lucasis set toreceive an honorary Palme d’Or prizeat this year’s Cannes Film Festival in honor of his significant contributions to the development of modern cinema. While he will likely be most closely associated with theStar Warsfranchise for eternity, Lucas’ work to advance the cinematic art form spans far beyond the development of the galaxy far, far away. Lucas helpedshepherd many projects out of development, developed bold new technology, and made several films outside of the Star Warsfranchise....

Dementia is its own world. Unmoored from setting, time, and identity, we can’t hope to be the people we always were because our identities rest on the fragile ground of memory and place. To watch a loved one enter this world and knowing they’ll never return to our own is painful and heart-wrenching.Florian Zeller’s adaptation of his own play,The Father, explores this loss through thoughtful direction, careful storytelling, and yet another incredible performance fromAnthony Hopkins....

From showrunnersJD Payne & Patrick McKay, the Amazon Studios multi-season drama seriesThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris set in the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Ringsand at a time when a terrifying villain called Sauron is looking to conquer the kingdoms, defeat the heroes, and gain control over all life. Following an ensemble cast of characters that are both familiar and new, the eight-episode first season is setting up an epic adventure that’s expected to take five seasons of story to conclude....

It’s a good moment to be a fan of anime series thatfeel like RPG games. When you specifically delve into the ranked battles niche, you’d be amazed at thenumber of titles that use this premiseas the driving force. One of the biggest examples is, of course,Solo Leveling. But other shows also use this trope, and the newest one is calledMy Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s. The newanime serieshails from theCowboy Bebopstudio, and it is set to premiere onCrunchyrollthis October....

DirectorJames Gunnrecently spilled some very important beans in regards to the planned release dates and production schedules forThe Suicide SquadandGuardians of the Galaxy 3on Twitter. Previous to the sweeping production shutdowns across Hollywood in regards to the global coronavirus pandemic, Gunn had been working onThe Suicide Squadfor Warner Bros. while also preparing for the upcoming thirdGuardiansmovie which is part of theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4. Gunn shared the important release date news for his two upcoming tentpoles during an informal Q&A sesh with fans on Twitter....

Netflix has released the trailer forThe Two Popes. The film is based on the true events that lead to the retirement of Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and the ascension of Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) to the papacy. Watching this trailer, I’m curious what directionFernando Meirelles(City of God) and screenwriterAnthony McCarten(Darkest Hour) are taking with the material. There seems to be a concerted effort to display the humanity of these two towering figures and show them as people with self-doubt and modest interests....

Academy Award winnerTilda Swintonputs on her director’s cap with her debut feature,The Hexagonal Hive and the Mouse in a Maze, premiering at Sheffield DocFest. According toDeadline, Swinton’s documentaryexplores the varying mechanics of learning in different corners of the world, encouraging viewers to reconsider the variety of pedagogies that satisfy humans’ hunger for knowledge. Swinton describes the film as a “smorgasbord of suggestions, observations, and wonderings.” The Hexagonal Hive and the Mouse in a Mazefollows Swinton and her fellow co-directorBartek Dziadoszas they journey through the UK, Bangladesh, West Africa, and North America, exploring unique, diverse learning methods....