We review Netflix’s animated adaptation of ND Stevenson’s classic fantasy graphic novel Nimona, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, and more!

PLOT: After an ostracized knight in a futuristic, medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona – a mischievous teen who’s also the shape-shifting creature he’s sworn to destroy.

REVIEW: After years of hard work, uncertainty, multiple delays, and a damning cancellation by the Walt Disney Company, Nimona is ready to dazzle audiences with a stunningly animated adventure about defying expectations, exploration of self, acceptance, and the limitless potential of love and friendship. After being canceled by Disney and resurrected by Annapurna and Netflix, Nimona‘s arrival on the small screen is a cause for celebration. Both a triumph of animation and heart, Nimona delivers a story as powerful as its title character for a film that deserves to be seen by everyone.

For the sake of full disclosure, I’ve been a Nimona fan since the first print of ND Stevenson’s powerful graphic novel in 2015. I’ve given the book as a gift during holidays on multiple occasions and the top prize during an annual end-of-year comics awards ceremony. I’ve loved Nimona for years, making me uniquely qualified to analyze the film adaptation after several years of touch-and-go production. Would it live up to my expectations? Will changes to the story and characters alter the impact of the experience? Can a character I hold in the highest regard leap from the printed page to the screen and retain what makes them unique? I’m thrilled to say Nimona exceeded all my expectations, securing a place among my favorite animated films of the past decade.

Set in a futuristic, medieval world that feels like The Princess Bride is holding hands with Blade Runner 2049, Nimona invites audiences into a kingdom unlike any other. Seemingly trapped between two eras, the Kingdom is a bustling, vibrant playground for Nimona to terrorize as they shape-shift into a menagerie of different animals in service of their friend and boss, Ballister Boldheart.

When the film begins, our introduction to Ballister depicts a man loyal to the Kingdom but plagued by his heritage. Despite his best efforts, the Kingdom views Ballister as an outsider unworthy of pledging allegiance to the Queen. Riz Ahmed delivers an inspiring performance as Ballister, with his voice embodying someone whose sense of duty outweighs the incessant heckling of his peers. Like Nimona, Ballister is a pariah, and Ahmed’s voice work brings the character’s sense of expectation and longing to a man with complex emotions. Be it his disbelief when fate finds him on the run after a terrible accident or as a lover whose partner stands at a crossroads when things go awry, Ahmed becomes a savior of the kingdom worth rooting for.

Ready and willing to aid Ballister in the fight to reclaim his reputation as someone worthy of the Queen’s blessing is Nimona, a buzzing, unhinged whirlwind with the ability to shape-shift into any creature known to humankind. Chloë Grace Moretz goes all out for this golden role. Meeting Nimona’s boundless energy and then exceeding it with the power of a teen high on too many pouches of Fun Dip, Moretz rides an emotional roller coaster throughout her spirited performance. At a glance, Nimona is overflowing with a playful antagonism toward the citizens of the Kingdom. However, beneath her rage and vigor is someone who’s spent their entire life misunderstood while seeking acceptance. People fear what they do not understand, and Moretz takes the form of someone who desperately wants to love while also being capable of unleashing untold destruction.

Trapped between loyalty to his new Queen and desire to hold Ballister close is Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, a natural leader and respected hero of the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. Eugene Lee Yang owns the role with sincerity and conviction as a lover and warrior caught between protecting the citizens of the Kingdom against an impossible threat and seeing through a deception thrust upon the man he loves. I could hear Goldenloin’s heartbreak and frustration as Ballister’s opportunity for acceptance was snatched away by an insidious plot, a credit to Yang’s versatility as a gifted actor.

The relationship between Goldenloin and Boldheart, too, is a point of both note and interest. It is more firmly established in the movie than in the source material and normalized in a positively delightful way. Sensing that Disney doesn’t have the stones to represent the LGBTQA+ community in ways that move the needle, Nimona is better served by finding a home with Netflix/Annapurna.

While Nimona explodes with breathtaking action, intelligent observations about subservience, and animated sequences that represent the best of what modern animation has to offer, the partnership between Nimoma and Ballister Boldheart is the glue that holds everything together. Both outcasts, Nimona and Boldheart, develop an endearing bond throughout the film, ultimately leading to the presentation’s most gratifying display of affection. Their bond carries a powerful message of understanding as they evolve from an unlikely duo to friends as thick as thieves.

Discussing Nimona without drawing attention to the film’s directors, Nick Bruno and Troy Quane is impossible. The duo met the difficult task of taking the movie over head-on, directing dynamic camera movements, quiet moments of reflection, and epic displays of fantasy action on par with Netflix’s Arcane or Disney’s Big Hero 6. A fun and bubbly soundtrack accompanies the film’s outstanding technical prowess, while the score from Christophe Beck gives the adventure an overwhelming sense of grandiosity. 

Everything about the Nimona movie adaptation feels well-earned. The changes to the story meet the needs of the medium, serve the narrative and the characters well, and feel fluid and natural. The character chemistry is brilliant in script and casting, and the dialogue is hilarious. I burst out laughing for what felt like most of the film, drinking in Nimona’s dry wit, chaotic goblin energy, and ceaseless snark. The story is an incredible distillation of the exploration of fluid identity and what happens to our humanity when we trade critical thinking for the comfort of faith in our leadership. While animated films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Super Mario Bros. Movie are likely to get all the glory this year, Nimona is a glittering gem in an ornate crown forged from the cast and crew’s tenacity, faith in Steveson’s brilliant blueprint, and a desire to bring something honest and new to the animation stage.

10

The impact of a combination of WGA and SAG strikes would affect far more than just those in Hollywood, with global repercussions likely.

The buzzword in Hollywood right now is strike, with the Writers Guild of America actively in theirs and SAG-AFTRA possibly nearing their own. Uh, then what?

While the WGA strike has put numerous productions on hold in Hollywood, Deadline notes (in a new piece titled “What Happens To Hollywood (And Beyond) If The Actors Go On Strike”) that a Screen Actors Guild strike would have more global repercussions. After all, SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members, compared to the WGA’s ~20,000. And with so many productions filming outside of the United States, that would mean more than just domestic offices closing down.

Stopping so many productions amid another Hollywood strike would, of course, further impact the release calendar as well. We’ve already seen how much the WGA strike has played a role in this, as Disney has significantly shuffled their own releases, moving back major films like the upcoming Avatar and Star Wars installments, with Avatar 5 now expected in 2031. Major projects currently filming that could see an impact include the next Mission: Impossible, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 and Juror #2, expected to be Clint Eastwood’s last movie. Come on, the dude’s 93, let him sneak past the line on this one!

Also on the international side of things, a strike on the Hollywood front could play into film festivals as well. And while there isn’t concern at the moment, that doesn’t mean it’s not something to keep in mind. According to one festival rep quoted by Deadline, “We are going ahead assuming there will be talent at our event and on the carpet. Studios and streamers haven’t mentioned the strike yet. Should it happen, it’s force majeure. Nothing you can do. The pandemic has taught us to live with uncertainties.”

Evidently, a SAG strike would also affect the upcoming Emmy Awards, one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. Such an occurrence calls to mind the 32nd Emmys, which took place amid the 1980 actors strike. Of historical note, the only winner to attend that year was the late Powers Boothe.

Unlike the WGA, SAG has a much leaner history of strikes, with the most recent being over 20 years ago. They did, however, launch one of the earliest major strikes in Hollywood back in 1960, the same year WGA initiated their first.

How would another Hollywood strike impact you as a moviegoer? What do you hope comes of the negotiations? Let us know below.

With the recent revelations on working conditions that visual artists endured while making the acclaimed movies, it may put a strain on the release.

Not only were both Spider-Man films — Into the Spider-verse and Across the Spider-verse — garnering acclaim from both critics and audiences, but Across the Spider-verse would best its predecessor immensely with over $300 million made domestically and crossing $500 million globally. The film would make everyone’s Spidey-sense tingle for the next installment since Across the Spider-verse would end on a cliffhanger. The original plan from Sony is to follow the film up Endgame-style with its second half of the story getting released just a year later. Unfortunately, with all the goings-on with studio politics all over Hollywood, and the CGI artists currently not unionized, harsh working conditions may have caused a delay in the release as some of the animators would walk out on the project.

ComicBook.com reports on comments made by Lord and Miller, as the duo addresses the issues that may delay the project from hitting its Spring 2024 release target. Lord explained, “I would say that just like we’re going to take the time necessary to make Beyond the Spider-Verse great.” Then, Miller added, “And we won’t back into a release date that doesn’t fit.”

The Miles Morales Spider-Man producers added, “They’ve announced that Beyond the Spider-Verse will be released in March of next year. I’ve seen people say, ‘Oh, they probably worked on it at the same time.’ There’s no way that movie’s coming out then. There’s been progress on the pre-production side of things. But as far as the production side goes, the only progress that’s been made on the third one is any exploration or tests that were done before the movie was split into two parts. Everyone’s been fully focused on Across the Spider-Verse and barely crossing the finish line. And now it’s like, Oh, yeah, now we have to do the other one.”

Sony and Pascal claim that the working conditions were not unusual for such a high-profile project. Executive vice-president and general manager of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Michelle Grady explained to Vulture, “It really does happen on every film. Truly, honestly, it can be a little bit frustrating, but we always try to explain that this is the process.” Pascal added that animation has the necessary evil of being ever-changing in development which could be straining for those trying to keep up with revisions. She expounded, “One of the things about animation that makes it such a wonderful thing to work on is that you get to keep going until the story is right. If the story isn’t right, you have to keep going until it is.” Pascal would then conclude her thought with a blunt statement, “I guess, Welcome to making a movie.”

Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch have been cast in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

The ten episode series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (read our review HERE) was such a huge success for the Netflix streaming service last fall, Netflix ordered two more seasons of the show from creators Ian Brennan and American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy. Last month, it was announced that the second season will be titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – and Deadline reports that Nicholas Alexander Chavez (General Hospital) and Cooper Koch (They/Them) have been cast in the lead roles, with Chavez playing Lyle and Koch playing Erik.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will tell the story of the brothers, who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents. José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez were fatally shot in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Erik and Lyle were not the initial suspects in the killings, though police began to investigate their involvement in the months after. Erik eventually confessed to his psychologist Jerome Oziel, who told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Smyth would become a key witness in the brothers’ trial. During the trial, the brothers said they’d committed the murders out of self defense after a lifetime of abuse from their parents, particularly their father. They were tried separately, and both juries deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial. They were later tried together and found guilty. Erik and Lyle were sentenced to life without parole and remain incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Southern California. The first trial enthralled the nation when it was broadcast on Court TV, and it is often thought to have helped usher in the modern fascination with true crime. A judge later ruled that cameras would not be allowed in the court room for the second trial.

Soon after Monsters was announced, there was a new development in the Menendez case, as the brothers “filed documents asking for a new hearing in response to former Menudo bandmember Roy Rosselló’s claims he was molested by José Menendez at the age of 14.”

Deadline notes that Chavez and Koch were actually cast as Lyle and Erik Menendez before the writers strike began, and Murphy hasn’t been involved with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story in any capacity since going on strike.

Are you interested in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story? What do you think of Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch being cast as the brothers? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The episode of The Test of Time covering Tales from the Hood was Written by Andrew Hatfield, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

For the most part on this show, we are looking at certified classics to see if they still hold up. For the most part, anyway. Looking at you C.H.U.D. We try to look at everything from the cinematography and direction to the acting and special effects. Sometimes though the story ends up being the most important aspect of the movie. Every now and then a movie needs a reappraisal even when it wasn’t a hit at the time or seen as a classic. Look at what happened to The Thing. From box office dud (even though that has been blown out of proportion) and critical hatred to topping a lot of people’s lists of best to ever be. Spoiler alert, today’s movie not only stands the Test of Time but at parts is far more prescient today than when it was released nearly 30 years ago. Sit back and try to relax as we tell you some Tales from the Hood (watch it HERE).

Plot

The anthology film is a popular, yet often flawed, sub-genre within horror. It’s been around for over 100 years with the German made Uncanny Stories being released in 1919 but really hit its stride in the 60s and 70s courtesy of Hammer Films’ chief rival, Amicus films. Founded by Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg, Amicus made a couple Doctor Who films starring Peter Cushing as well as a few other movies to capitalize on the sci-fi or horror trends of the time, but they are remembered for their anthologies. I’d be mad at myself for not naming a couple of my favorites with Dr. Terror’s House of Horror and Tales from the Crypt, but you mostly can’t go wrong… mostly. That’s really the only caveat with anthology movies, there is usually one or two that fall flat.

Anyway, the idea for Tales from the Hood came from eventual director Rusty Cundieff and his one act play called The Black Horror Show: Blackanthropy. He was approached by producer Darin Scott to make a movie and he agreed, though he wanted it to mean something. He didn’t just want to make a movie to make a movie. The anthology format allowed them to tell multiple stories they found important to them, and the title is an obvious homage to Tales from the Crypt, both the 1972 movie and the EC comics it was based on. The 4 stories they put together are “Rogue Cop Revelation”, “Boys Do Get Bruised”, “KKK Comeuppance”, and “Hardcore Convert”, with the always important wraparound story of “Welcome to my Mortuary.” This was not Cundieff’s first movie as two years before he released a mocumentary called Fear of a Black Hat. After the success of Tales from the Hood, it made just under double it’s budget by the way, Rusty would go on to be one of the bigger TV directors you don’t know. He did 25 episodes of Chapelle Show, a ton of episodes of The Wanda Sykes Show, and kind of came full circle with a couple episodes of Creepshow for Shudder. He would also direct the two sequels to today’s movie with Tales from the Hood 2 and Tales from the Hood 3.

His writing partner and producer Darin Scott would have a lot more hits before Tales, being a producer on Menace II Society, Best Horror Anthology You Never Saw From a Whisper To a Scream, and Black Sheep favorite Stepfather 2. As a director he would helm anthology flick American Horror and Deep Blue Sea 2 and he would write Whisper to a Scream and the first 2 Tales movies. The in front of the screen talent has some great character actors like Duane Whitaker and Michael Massey, a few more recognizable talents like Corbin Bernson, David Alan Grier, and Wings Houser, and then a bunch of up and coming talent like Deandre Bounds, Joe Torry, and Samuel Monroe Jr. Then there is Clearance Williams III who, spoiler alert, is our crypt keeper and is in a class of his own.

The stories follow corrupt cops who work outside the law, child abuse and how it’s seen from all angles, casual and overt racism in a public office, and gang violence through the lens of accountability. These stories are bookended by a drug pickup in a mortuary where, in classic style, the people hearing the stories are being introduced to a hell of their own making. It made 11.8 million on it’s 6 million dollar budget and had split critical reception even though it has become a cult classic and standout amongst the anthology format. It finally received a Blu-ray from Scream Factory in 2017 that is a must own.

Sign of the Times

Blaxploitation is actually a beloved and groundbreaking section of film that has had a resurgence in the last few years but started in earnest in 1968 with Uptight, a remake of John Ford’s The Informer from the mid 1930s. The 70s is when it hit its stride with things like Sweet Sweetbacks Badassssss Song, Shaft, and Blacula. As you can see, it’s not just horror and Blaxploitation can cover a huge range of subjects like gangster, crime, drama, musical, comedy, and nearly everything else. The point of the movement was to shine a positive light on Black characters, being the hero or antihero of the movie and pushing against what Hollywood had painted black actors and characters for years and put them into roles that many producers just flat out wouldn’t for years. I would also like to point out that this isn’t the first Blaxploitation Anthology film as Tales from the Quadead Zone came out in 1987

It made a resurgence in the late 80s with gems like I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka! and Action Jackson and continued into the mid to late 90s with today’s film as well as Original Gangtas and, to a degree, Jackie Brown. That wasn’t the only style to focus on Black culture as movies like Friday and House Party aimed at comedy with a dose of realism and Menace II Society, Boyz n the Hood, and New Jack City looked at drugs, crime, and life growing up with no choice. While Candyman and Eve’s Bayou went the straight horror route, Tales from the Hood took many of the situations that the dramatic movies were focused on and put them through the view of a horror movie.

Another very real sign of the times are the very themes the movie deals with. Black on Black crime and police brutality were, and are, very big topics. The movie does a remarkable job not just trying to play the blame game and instead attempting to show fault at all sides. Sadly, many of these things continue today in a world of social media and everyone having a full video camera in their pocket.

What Holds Up?

A ton here is really astonishing to watch. In addition to the prescient nature of the stories involved, they are just really well told. Yes, as I stated before, there is usually one less than memorable story and in this case it’s the 4th one, but the first three and wraparound tale knock it out of the park. The first story about police officers killing an activist who is trying to oust the crooked cops from the department adds the twist of the African American cop seeing and knowing what’s about to happen, but not doing anything to stop it. It goes further though as that officer does not get off Scott free, regardless of what color he is. The second story still has the best interpretation of child abuse I’ve ever seen with David Alan Grier’s abusive father being seen from the childs point of view as an ACTUAL monster. The third story has the antagonist being killed by a symbol of the people he hates and diminishes while the final story shows how hard it is to end a cycle of violence.

Another thing that stands up quite well is the special effects… non-CGI division. I had no idea until this watch and research that many of the special effects were done by the famous Chiodo brothers’ studio but that tracks. From the mangled but still living body of a child beating father to the revenge seeking doll people that would creep anyone out, almost all of the practical effects look great. That’s the thing about practical effects, they almost always age well while CGI tries to out do itself and sometimes the millions and millions of dollars that go into them give off a bland or even gross look. More on that later though. Even some of the “guy in a rubber suit” effects are used in a way that makes the scene pop and add to the feel of the overall movie.

Finally, there is one performance that stands head and shoulders above the rest. While Clearance Williams III is stellar as our host and has some of the most outrageous facial expressions or lines in the film, its David Alan Grier that will stay with you long after. He is in over 120 different TV shows and movies with his most famous roles being either as part of the stellar cast of In Living Color or, if you are that age, as the cop in Jumanji. He has done a lot of comedy, a few action films and dramas but only 1 horror film and boy, are we worse off because of that. His turn as the abusive father and husband, a story that the director based off of a real-life experience, is beyond chilling. I would love to see him play a serial killer or main villain in a horror movie or action flick. He is menacing and I don’t ever want to run into anyone like him.

What doesn’t hold up?

Effects can be a double-edged sword. 1995 wasn’t exactly the pinnacle for CGI and while it isn’t as egregious as some of the movies we’ve talked about on this channel, the devil tongue that comes out of the morticians’ teeth looks like an early build of something out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and not in a good way. Quickly following this is the main trio ending up in hell and yeah, it looks like a school production. It’s a shame as we JUST discussed how cool this movie looks but these, especially happening at the end, are a letdown.

David Alan Grier aside, the acting isn’t anything to write home about either. With veterans like Corbin Bernsen and Clearance Williams III chewing the scenery, it makes many of the other performances stand out and not for the right reasons. This doesn’t ruin the movie by any means but it’s noticeable enough from a handful of main characters to be distracting and really take away from these meaningful tales.

Verdict

This is a no-brainer. Tales from the Hood has aged like fine wine. Not only is it an above average anthology movie that hits on almost every story, but its themes and warnings are just as important today as they were in the mid-90s. It is a rare horror movie that has a clear message and doesn’t pull any punches. It was impressive enough that Spike Lee wanted in on the producer side and he’s another one that doesn’t really attach himself to horror. The fun homages like the doctor in the 4th story being named Cushing, as in Peter, one of the kings of the Amicus Anthologies, or the dolls being cousins to the Zuni Fetish doll from Trilogy of Terror add a charm while paying respects to the films that inspired it. Check this one out if you ae new to it or it’s just been a while as Tales from the Hood more than stands the Test of Time.

A couple of the previous episodes of The Test of Time can be seen below. To see more, click over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

Images from the slasher movie New Fears Eve feature the characters played by Felissa Rose, Dave Sheridan, Hannah Fierman, and more

Last December, we learned that Jeffrey Reddick, whose horror credits include Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Tamara, Day of the Dead 2008, Dead Awake, and Don’t Look Back, is teaming up with fellow genre regulars Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) and Dave Sheridan (Victor Crowley) to produce the slasher film New Fears Eve. Filming on the project is now nearing its conclusion, with the “In Demand” Indiegogo fundraising campaign coming to an end today. In the final hours of that campaign, we’ve gotten our hands on a batch of images from New Fears Eve that feature the characters played by Reddick, Rose, Sheridan, and Hannah Fierman (V/H/S/), as well as several of their co-stars. These images can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Coming our way from Blood Moon Pictures and producers P.J. Starks and Eric Huskisson, who previously brought us the anthology films Volumes of Blood, Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories, and 13 Slays Till X-Mas, New Fears Eve sports the tagline “The Doctor Will Slay You Now!” Huskisson is also directing New Fears Eve, which has the following synopsis: As the coming year approaches, three best friends reluctantly prepare for Hooper Industries’ annual New Year’s Eve bash. The clock ticks down and the body count rises as a psychotic murderer known as The Doctor is on the loose. This sadistic surgeon of death leaves Owensboro covered in blood as local police and FBI are forced to navigate through a maze of bodies left in his wake. Unbeknownst to the three best friends, their mandatory party is about to turn deadly when the killer sets his sights on them. December 31 becomes a party to die for when Leslie, Brian, Moses and their colleagues are trapped inside an inescapable building with a bloodthirsty madman hell bent on carving his way to midnight.

In addition to the actors mentioned above, cast members include Lily Claire Harvey, Jay Woolston, Alyssa Rhoads, Roni Jonah, and Turner Vaughn, with Jesse MacDonald as The Doctor.

New Fears Eve sounds like a good time to me, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Are you interested in New Fears Eve? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and check out these images while you’re scrolling down:

Alan Arkin, the Oscar-winning and beloved character actor, has passed away at 89 years old.

Alan Arkin, the legendary character actor, has died at age 89. The Arkin family confirmed his passing in a statement to People Magazine. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”

Indeed, the legendary Alan Arkin had an incredible, enduring career. He first made a name for himself on stage, but here’s an interesting tidbit – he was nominated for an Oscar for his first movie role: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He was a Tony Award winner when he was cast but had yet to make a movie. He won the role because he was raised in a Russian-Jewish household, making him the ideal choice to play the film’s comic hero. Arkin’s performance was so lauded that he became a sensation playing ethnic roles. He played a Puerto Rican widower in the hit film Popi and even replaced Peter Sellers in the movie Inspector Clouseau.

Around the same time, Arkin earned another Oscar nomination for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and he had a big financial hit with the film Freebie and the Bean, considered one of the prototypical buddy-cop action movies. Other hits include The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (where he played Sigmund Freud in Nicol Williamson’s Sherlock Holmes), The In-Laws (opposite Peter Falk) and many more. In the nineties, he moved into character roles, such as in The Rocketeer, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grosse Pointe Blank, Gattaca and many more.

Perhaps Arkin’s greatest fame came later in life when he won an Oscar for co-starring in Little Miss Sunshine and then earned another nomination for Ben Affleck’s Argo. He remained busy until the end, co-starring with Michael Douglas on two seasons of The Kominski Method and recently starring opposite Mark Wahlberg in Spencer Underground and voicing a character in Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Arkin was certainly one of a kind and will be missed. What’s your favourite Alan Arkin role? Let us know in the comments!

The man in the hat is back. Harrison Ford dons the fedora one last time, and early numbers stack up with the other aging legacy heroes.

The esteemed professor and archeologist Henry Jones Jr., known to many as Indiana Jones, has embarked on his final adventure, and Harrison Ford has been candid with his emotions throughout the lead-up to the Dial of Destiny release. The day has finally arrived, and the numbers are coming in for the Thursday night previews. According to Deadline, Disney and Lucasfilm are looking at an estimated $6 million to $7.5 million in early screening ticket totals (UPDATE – the total came in at $7.2 million).

The $6 million to $7 million range is comparable to other Thursday preview totals for films that feature legacy action characters, such as Daniel Craig’s last outing as Agent 007, James Bond in No Time to Die, which brought in $6.3 million with a 4 p.m. Thursday start time, and Tom Cruise’s last Ethan Hunt adventure, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which ushered in $6 million on the Thursday before it took in a total of $61.2 million over its debut weekend. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny started its run at 3 p.m. and has been projected to come in at around $60 million – $65 million at 4,500 theaters. This makes it “the second-highest stateside opening for the Steven Spielberg-George Lucas franchise after 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which posted a five-day opening of $151.9M, after a 3-day of $100.1M. Crystal Skull didn’t have previews but opened fully on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend with $25M at 4,260 theaters.” It is also expected to reach about $140 million globally.

The projections for this entry fall short of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The talk around this sequel had been divisive since the premiere at Cannes a few weeks ago. The early reviews coming out of the Cannes screening slowly gave the film the lowest critics’ score in the series, which has ultimately topped out at 66%. RelishMix explains the social media reception of the swan song for Ford’s iconic character, “Chatter on Indy 5 runs mixed-leaning-positive with fans who think ‘this will be a masterpiece, filled with heart-pounding action’ and that Ford as Indy will be missed as one the best heroes ever — along with adoration for John Williams’ historic contribution and career. Plus, there’s excitement for James Mangold at the helm as fans talk about their lives over the 39 years [of the] franchise and wish there had been more episodes. Hecklers are taking pot shots at everything from the story, throwback elements and cliché comments about sequels, but are nowhere as loud as lovers of the franchise.”

The Italian Stallion follows the footsteps of the Austrian bodybuilder with his own documentary, where the actor purges a lot of emotions.

The beloved action stars that defined the 80s and 90s are not only rolling with the trends but also getting reflective and introspective in their twilight years. Sylvester Stallone found longevity with his biggest creation as Rocky Balboa, when a young fan named Ryan Coogler wanted to make a spin-off sequel with Apollo Creed’s son. Sly may have had an ugly departure from the franchise, but the action legend partnered with Paramount+ to star in two projects — Tulsa King from Taylor Sheridan and a reality show with his family, The Family Stallone.

Sly was recently seen on a Netflix documentary about his friendly rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now the Rambo actor will be getting his own life and career documentary, Sly. The Hollywood Reporter gives us the details on the project, which just released a trailer. The description reads, “For nearly 50 years, Sylvester Stallone has entertained millions with iconic characters and blockbuster franchises, from Rocky to Rambo to The Expendables. This retrospective documentary offers an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer, paralleling his inspirational underdog-story with the indelible characters he has brought to life.”

The Italian Stallion had recently partaken in a deep dive with The Hollywood Reporter about his career hits, misses and his regrets. “I feel very immature. I’ve always been averse to the quote ‘Act your age.’ Or ‘Age gracefully.’ How do you age gracefully? There’s nothing graceful about you. The older I get, the more I try to embrace my inner kid,” Stallone explained in the deep-dive interview.

The documentary comes from Springsteen on Broadway director Thom Zimny. Stallone admitted in the Schwarzenegger docuseries Arnold that he felt he hadn’t surpassed the Austrian bodybuilder in terms of career or achievement. The two had been box office rivals in the 80s and 90s but had always remained friendly (even investing together in a tinsel town-themed restaurant called Planet Hollywood. Sly getting his own documentary nearly feels like they don’t quite stop competing, no matter if they have already collaborated in The Expendables movies and Escape Plan. Stallone also made an appearance in the last two Guardians of the Galaxy films as well as The Suicide Squad, so no matter how things are going down with the rights to his Rocky franchise, Stallone has been able to adapt.

SLY is set to premiere on Netlix this November.