Inspired by an article called “Top Guns,” written by Ehud Yonay for the May 1983 issue of California magazine, the film detailed the lives of pilots at the Navy’s elite Fighter Weapons School (known as TOPGUN) in Miramar, California. Written for the screen by Jack Epps Jr. and the late Jim Cash, the Tony Scott-directed movie starred Cruise as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a skilled pilot and natural rogue who must learn how to become part of a team if he wants to fly the dangerous missions he’s training for....

But if you asked him about his giant-sized movies, the famously cantankerous director would probably take you to task. “I’m way over this whole thing, this question that I get asked all the time,” he vented in a conversation with GQ this week, in response to those who’ve asked him whether he’d ever just make “a little movie with just a couple of actors.” Cameron countered, “Yeah, I make that movie every time I make a big movie....

If you’re not watching The Man Who Fell to Earth, you’re missing out. Not only is it one of the most inventive science fiction TV series currently airing, it also blends dark drama with whimsical science fiction optimism. And while the titular men-who-fell-to-earth, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Bill Nighy, might be taking up the lion’s share of attention, there’s another science fiction stalwart doing some of the most interesting work of her career: Kate Mulgrew....

It doesn’t feel quite so long though because, despite spending 11-plus years away, Law & Order never really went anywhere. Reruns air constantly across basic cable, with syndication positively loving the show’s “drop into any episode at any time” quality. The franchise itself lived on in the form of spinoff Law & Order: SVU, which actually passed the original in season-count. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf even continued his network primetime dominance with his suite of L&O-style “Chicago” shows (Chicago Fire, Chicago P....

“Bruce Lee is one of pop culture’s most multifaceted icons. Legions of fans admire him for his movies, his martial arts prowess, his incomprehensible physical fitness, his championing of Chinese culture, and even his philosophies on life. Yet for all the new ground Lee broke, most of his recognition only came after his death at the age of 32.” Read more at Mental Floss. With The Mandalorian now well into its second season, let’s take a look at how the father-son relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu has progressed....

“When Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out in 2016, perhaps its most notable achievement was making Darth Vader scary again. After decades of familiarity and the thoroughly unintimidating prequel trilogy, it was almost impossible to remember that once Vader was considered frightening. This Star Wars Halloween Special from LEGO probably won’t change anything, but at least it looks fun.” Read more at Gizmodo The finale for season 5 of Rick and Morty might be setting up a sixth season fans won’t be too happy about....

“The official Indian Marvel account on Twitter had previously published a calendar of releases with upcoming MCU films, setting the release date for each movie in the country. Among the films featured in the calendar are Eternals on this November 5, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on March 25, 2022, and The Marvels on November 11, 2022.” Read more at Collider Michael Keaton reassures us he can still fit into his Batman costume after 30 years....

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is on its way, heading to the big screen on December 20, 2024. The upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog sequel sees the return of our favorite Sega character, with both Tails and Knuckles the Echidna teased alongside him. ‘Running faster, flying higher, and punching harder,’ said an official announcement via Twitter. ‘#SonicMovie3 hits theatres on December 20, 2024.’” Read more at IGN Speaking of live-action adaptations of classic video games, a Pac-Man movie is now being developed....

“Sam’s trying to return to his family after giving up the shield (much to the delight of the U.S. government, who I will never forgive for that square-jawed VHS bootleg version of Captain America), while Bucky’s haunted by what he’s done as The Winter Soldier, working to make amends in the angstiest way possible. There’s a lot I can draw from in this first episode, but I wanna talk about the bank scene because of how relatable it was to me....

“If you watched the premiere of Marvel and Disney+’s Loki this week, you probably picked up on the series’ homage to science fiction. While WandaVision was an examination of sitcom tropes, Loki is packed to gills with homages to everything from the byzantine bureaucracy of Brazil to the time travel journeys of Doctor Who to the irreverent humor of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Read more at The Mary Sue....

“Being trapped in a repetitive loop might not sound like escapism right now. But for many among its half-a-million strong player base, the indie sensation Loop Hero is an all-consuming obsession. On paper, it’s a mash-up of genres that brings to mind chucking half a decade’s worth of gaming buzzwords into a blender, but the resulting concoction is fiendishly addictive and refreshingly unique.” Read more at Inverse. Elementary and Charlie’s Angels actress Lucy Liu has reportedly joined the cast of Shazam!...

“Last frame, Disney and Marvel Studios’ superhero sequel Thor: Love and Thunder began with $144.1M, the #30 opening weekend of all time. This frame, it falls -68% to $46.0M, the #75 second weekend of all time. That’s a sharper drop than any other pandemic-era MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) title to receive theatrical exclusivity.” Read more at Box Office Pro While $17 million isn’t an impressive number compared to some franchise films, Where The Crawdads sing snagged the biggest pandemic-era opening for a movie solely placed in the drama genre....

Follow Den of Geek on Twitch. Die Hard starring Bruce Willis is one of the most revisited action flicks in the genre’s history, but why is that? Read more at Mental Floss. From Jingle Jangle to The Mistle-Tones, check out some of these underrated holiday movies this Christmas instead. “We all have our holiday staples, the movies we turn to time and time again. But before you break out Elf for the 42nd time, spend another week trying to convince people Die Hard is a holiday movie, or press your luck with NBC’s version of The Grinch musical (although I wouldn’t), maybe give some of these special holiday flicks a try instead....

Apparently inspired by the kindergarten teacher who writer-director Abe Forsythe says taught him to let go of his own anxieties for his five-year-old son, Little Monsters is an unexpected feel-good zombie comedy that is as equal parts The Magic School Bus as it is a grisly, R-rated undead slaughterfest stuffed with disemboweled guts and endangered goats. Obviously utilizing discordant elements, Forsythe ably creates a peculiar harmony of sunshine and carnage, particularly whenever Lupita Nyong’o picks up a ukulele and gets her Taytay on....

As we’ve seen over the first two episodes of the show, the 2012 Avengers version of Loki has been captured by the TVA and recruited to help them catch a Loki “variant” that’s messing with the Sacred Timeline and murdering TVA agents along the way. Loki’s handler is Mobius, a bureaucratic sort who nevertheless likes to push the rules a bit and is fascinated with his complex, unpredictable prisoner. Up until now, much of Loki’s arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen him in a push/pull, frenemy relationship with his adopted brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth)....

Future State is the next big DC Comics event. Following the conclusion of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s explosive reintroduction of the infinite multiverse-slash-musing on what might happen if we let evil get a couple of high profile wins in (gee no real world analogue to that story at all no sir), the entire DC line will be taking a pause for two months, while a variety of creative teams jump forward in the DC Universe’s timeline to tell stories about what that future might look like....

In Werewolf By Night, a secretive cabal of monster hunters will gather to take part in a deadly competition for a powerful relic. Leading the cast of mysterious characters in the Halloween special is Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell, who, in the pages of Marvel Comics, became a werewolf when he turned 18, afflicted by a family curse. Also joining the fray is Outlander fan favorite Laura Donnelly, who plays Elsa Bloodstone, the daughter of a notorious monster hunter....

That said, bad wrestling stuff is even more surreal when you string a bunch of it together. Like there was a year-plus storyline involving the Undertaker in the mid-90s that included Leslie Nielson, George Kennedy, Chuck Norris, Nicholas Turturro, Dominos Pizza, Undertaker wearing a 1776 flag, Undertaker being lynched by the entire heel locker room, Undertaker exiting out of a giant TV screen and flying into the heavens, Undertaker fighting his evil doppelganger, and Paul Bearer cross-dressing to escape murder charges....

Few actors have left a more definitive mark on the Dark Knight like Michael Keaton. When Keaton’s Bruce Wayne told Viki Vale that his life was “complex,” audiences believed it. Keaton captured the energy of a guy who only felt comfortable running around in a Batman costume, a guy who longed to meet the Joker or Catwoman or someone else who wanted to get nuts. So great was Keaton in two genre-defining movies that his departure confounds fans even today....

In fact, the “Caves and Cliffs” update, as it’s called, uses alliteration to include the mountain biome modifications that Minecraft Live attendees voted for in 2019 as well, making it one of the largest updates in the game’s history. Many fans were probably expecting to hear about the new mountain goats, the “snowier snow,” and not much else. But there will be much, much more to the upcoming version. The Minecraft 1....