Very few TV shows in history will come burdened with the pressure and expectations that fall on the shoulders of Amazon's mega budget The Lord of the Rings. Not only is it the first small screen episodic work based in the expansive universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien and a companion piece to one of the most successful movie franchises of all-time, but it also happens to be the single most expensive production in the history of television, with the streaming service shelling out a billion dollars for five seasons of content.
Even before the Coronavirus pandemic decimated the theatrical industry and times were much more precedented and a lot more certain, February still wasn't a great month for movies. There was barely a crowd-pleaser to be found, with the focus largely placed on the awards seasons holdovers looking to get a little bump in box office takings through some positive word of mouth and a nomination or two.
For a while, there was plenty of talk sweeping the internet that an adaptation of comic book arc Secret Invasion would be the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next major Avengers-level crossover, especially when the shapeshifting alien species were introduced in Captain Marvel. And while it's looking increasingly likely that Earth's Mightiest Heroes won't be assembled at all during Phase Four, we're still going to see the fan favorite storyline brought into live-action.
This time last year, most of us were expecting the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man 3 to revolve around Peter Parker desperately trying to clear his name after having his secret identity revealed to the world by J.K. Simmons' returning J. Jonah Jameson at the end of Far From Home, with Kraven the Hunter heavily rumored to be introduced as the big bad given his skills for tracking down the most elusive of prey.
If there's one thing Quentin Tarantino loves almost as much as making movies, it's talking about them. The filmmaker has an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema from the most obscure Z-list genre titles that 99% of people have never heard of to big budget Hollywood blockbusters. The 57 year-old seems to spend all of his free time devouring content when he's not creating it, and given his standing in the industry, when he talks, folks listen.
For some reason, Warner Bros. and DC Films have shown no interest in a Man of Steel sequel, despite Zack Snyder's Superman reboot serving as the launchpad for the studio's entire shared universe of superhero blockbusters, one that's only going to continue its expansion now that HBO Max is in play as a method to continue delivering new content.
Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park will always be regarded as one of the greatest blockbusters to ever come out of Hollywood, as well as one of the most important. It didn't just capture the imagination of audiences around the world to become the highest-grossing movie in history when it was first released, it also booted the doors open for the CGI revolution by seamlessly mixing animatronics with visual effects, and they still hold up today.
Cancel culture has got to be one of the worst things to come out of the social media era, with the rapid spread of both information and misinformation allowing everyone to speak their minds long before the facts have been made clear. Chris Pratt was once again targeted by the Twitter mob after fake screenshots began widely circulating, while the Guardians of the Galaxy star has faced repeated accusations in the past that he's a racist homophobe despite there being no clear evidence.
Stephen Amell may have retired from his career-defining role as the Arrowverse's Oliver Queen, but the actor has no intention of giving up on partaking in elaborately choreographed fights while wearing a skintight costume. Indeed, since last October, the 39 year-old has been shooting Starz series Heels, which is set in the world of professional wrestling.