Movies

[This story contains major spoilers from the Yellowstone season 5B premiere, “Desire is All You Need.”]

For me, the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving feels like an uneasy in-between. Instead of getting into the pumpkin craze or going all out for spooky decorations, my thoughts leap straight to Christmas. If I could, I’d deck the halls on September 1st and keep them up until March, but my kids might find that a bit odd. As the weather turns chilly, I start watching festive movies and shows to get into the holiday mood. Recently, I’ve added Taika Waititi’s new short film “The Boy and the Octopus” to my list – it’s a delightful piece with an enchanting soundtrack that really sets the Christmas spirit alight.

It’s not just me, but I’ve been struggling to get excited for Captain America: Brave New World. To be honest, if my past selves were to read this, they’d find it hard to believe. But lately, I’ve just been feeling “meh” about the upcoming Marvel film. That was until the latest Brave New World trailer came out and flipped me around so quickly that for a moment, I thought I had stepped into an alternate universe!

In the realm of video entertainment, few names loom larger than Rockstar Games. The monumental success of their Grand Theft Auto series essentially redefined the entire genre of open-world games, providing players with an expansive playground where they could explore and engage in activities at will. This game’s popularity was such that subsequent editions incorporated voice acting from stars like Ray Liotta and Samuel L. Jackson. They’ve almost matched this success with both Red Dead Redemption titles, which transported the open-world concept to the Wild West, meticulously capturing its essence. While their games are often criticized by skeptics, it’s challenging to find a more passionate fan base within the gaming community.

As a die-hard movie buff, I must say one of the shining moments in the DC cinematic universe for me was the 2023 release of “Blue Beetle”. This film marked the debut of Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, and it turned out to be a pivotal piece even though changes were brewing in the DC Universe following the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs. To our delight, “Blue Beetle” was confirmed to be part of this new direction for the DC Universe, with Xolo set to reprise his superhero role. The future of this character is still being shaped, but I, along with many fans, can’t wait to see where Xolo takes Jaime Reyes next on his heroic journey.