“‘Earshot,’ the season three episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, is infamous for some not-great reasons. The episode was initially set to air right after the Columbine school shooting in April of 1999, but it was shelved until September due to a plotline that involved Buffy, who gets telepathic powers for the episode, seemingly thwarting a school shooting.” Read more at The Mary Sue. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a centuries-old brotherhood that left a trail of numerous skeletons....

“The Power Glove was not a failure. Sure, the licensed accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System from 1989 remains an infamous piece of retro tech — a game controller made into a right-hand glove, as if an Apple keyboard were stitched to an oven mitt — and was sold at retail for less than a year. But it still made money for those who invested in it, and its technical innovations paved the way for the next 30 years of gaming....

“Every six years, an alien comes to Earth looking for a fight. This has happened for generations. As a result, every six years, a team of expert martial artists must face him, using techniques this alien himself passed down centuries ago. If they don’t, everyone on Earth will die. Is Nicolas Cage up to the task?” Read more at Gizmodo. Looking forward to that big plate of roasted turkey on Thanksgiving?...

“‘It made me appreciate the changes within the franchise that were happening,’ says Lynch. It ‘made me excited as an actor. That first scene in Casino Royale is the most memorable opening scene in cinema history. I thought, ‘This is feeding my soul.’ It made me connect in a way I hadn’t before.’ 15 years later, Lynch is 007. In No Time to Die, Lynch co-stars as ‘Nomi,’ a young, skilled MI6 agent who replaces Craig’s retired Bond — and takes over his double-O alias....

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the cultural juggernaut that is Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which started with the release of The Fellowship of the Ring on December 19, 2001. The movies could have been a lot different, though, and not just because one executive apparently had Hobbit murder on the brain. Here are 11 actors who were almost cast in the blockbuster fantasy series....

“Have you ever been to the Ghibli Museum? It’s a magical place! But, due to covid-19, it’s a place in need of extra cash. Last Friday, the city of Mitaka in Tokyo launched a crowdfunding drive in Japan, requesting 5,000 yen ($45) donations, which can be tax write-offs. The crowdfunding site, however, is only for residents of Japan.” Read more at Kotaku In honor of his 45th birthday, here are some interesting facts you might not have known about Benedict Cumberbatch....

“Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk has had his profile raised to an almost unimaginable degree over the last month or so. A 50-year-old writer and director who spent years trying to get his hyper-violent satire of capitalism off the ground, Hwang is now the creator of one of the biggest shows on the planet. That’s a step up in fame that comes with some major perks, presumably—including getting to hear the thoughts and opinions of a far more famous class of critics....

“Funky is branching into consumables with Pop! Candy in Q1 of 2023 with a special, see-through Pop! figure filled with colorful candy to hit fan’s sweet spot, while also delivering a collectible item. In time for Easter, the first launch will include Freddy Funky and other IP, such as Care Bears.” Funko also announced they will begin producing a line of puzzles as well. “Funko’s first line of puzzles will arrive this holiday season from Funko Games, featuring fan-favorite pop culture characters like Elf (available in October), Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (November)....

“To make Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony had to invent new types of animation technology. The result was a stunning, Oscar-winning film that blurred the line between cartoon and comic book. But at the same time, Sony was making another animated film that took the same tech from Spider-Verse and used it to do something very… weird.” Read more at Inverse. Shrek is a masterpiece that couldn’t have existed as it does if the stars hadn’t aligned....

“Filming on The Witcher’s second season continues apace, as Netflix has hired several new cast members for the hit series based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy books, including one of the series’ bigger villains.” Read more at Gizmodo. William Shatner turned 90 years old yesterday. To celebrate, check out 90 fun facts about this Star Trek icon. Read more at Mental Floss. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gives two beloved MCU sidekicks the attention and character developments they deserve....

On its surface, Mare of Easttown is a murder mystery: Who killed poor, sweet, Erin McMenamin? By the time the credits roll on the final episode, we will almost certainly have that answer (unless we don’t). Yet, the connective tissue of the series goes much deeper than a simple whodunnit. The threads that bind the citizens of Easttown together are woven through with unspoken pain, loss, and tightly held secrets....

The MCU is finally back on the big screen! Marvel’s Black Widow was supposed to be the official kickoff of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but then the pandemic happened, it got bounced around the release calendar, and Disney managed to release three MCU TV shows before Natasha got to take her curtain call on the big screen. But that’s thankfully behind us, and Black Widow delivers terrific blockbuster action in the mighty Marvel manner....

Marvel’s Loki episode 1 has finally arrived on Disney+! And in the grand scheme of things, this one is much closer to WandaVision than The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in terms of its tone, weirdness, and overall sense of mystery. The halls of the TVA are packed with obscure Marvel Comics lore and hints of what’s to come for the MCU, and we’re here to try and help you make sense of all of it....

In an interview with Metro, BioWare project director Mac Walters addressed some of the ways that the team is using the Legendary Edition to fix certain aspects of the original Mass Effect games that haven’t aged well. Notably, he revealed that the team is especially interested in remedying some of the issues that left the original female avatar for Commander Shepard feeling like an afterthought. “So a male Shepherd animation would have him sitting with his legs quite wide open with a low camera where, if you were wearing a skirt, it would be a bit unflattering,” Walters explains....

When it comes to interrogating the meanings and possible subtexts of Men, the new and formidable surrealist horror film from Alex Garland, the filmmaker is unusually circumspect. As a storyteller who appears always as erudite as the films he’s written—which include 28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go, and his previous directorial efforts of Ex Machina and Annihilation—Garland is again thoughtful while discussing Men ahead of release. But perhaps more so than any of his previous projects, he also feels a need to be ambiguous about a movie that shockingly ends with the sight of Rory Kinnear birthing himself....

Midnight Mass is the project that’s rattled around Mike Flanagan’s head the longest. According to the creator himself, Flanagan developed the central conceit of the faith-based horror story well before his horror career even began. The project has been fine tuned many times, first as a novel, then a movie, and now finally a Netflix series. Though the details of Midnight Mass have changed over the years, two particular moments have remained immutable....

It’s easy to forget, but the mid-2000s were a lean period for Cruise’s stardom. The actor’s involvement with Scientology and subsequent bizarre media appearances led to the end of a 14-year relationship between Cruise and Paramount Pictures. Underwhelming box office performances for Cruise-led films like Lions for Lambs, Valkyrie, and Knight and Day also suggested that maybe it took more than Cruise alone to sell a picture. However, Cruise’s fortunes appeared to turn in 2011 with Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, the fourth film in the franchise....

A long time in a galaxy not even remotely close to far away, there was a special entity that appeared to save us. No, it was not Grogu saving us with his near-unrivaled level of cuteness. But rather, it’s the folks over at MobyFox making sure our watch game is strong with the force. What better way to showcase your Star Wars fandom than their new Star Wars collection, which features a plethora of your favorite Jedi, Droids, and everything in between!...

Up to 2009, the Marvel name had already been attached to some big-performers – Sony’s Spider-Man, Fox’s X-Men, the studio’s own Iron Man – but it was also complicit in just as many bombs: Spider-Man 3, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, a pair of lukewarm Fantastic Fours. Even Marvel’s own Incredible Hulk. In 2010, there was little indication that in the decade that followed, Marvel would go on to absolutely dominate the pop-culture conversation....

Nancy Drew Season 2, Episode 2 Sea shanties truly are so hot right now. Yes, the musical sensation sweeping your social media plays a big part in the latest installment of Nancy Drew, as our favorite sleuth works to track down a nautical ballad that may hold the key to defeating the vengeful Aglaeca. Unfortunately, there’s not nearly enough actual singing in this hour for a plot involving sea shanties, and the bulk of the story isn’t so much about the vicious sea spirit’s backstory as it is a trip down memory lane with her last batch of victims, who all turn out to be faces we’ve seen before....