Category Archives: Film & TV

A Minecraft Movie Post-Credits Scenes Explained: Who Is That New Character?

There was some controversy or, more precisely, mockery involving “A Minecraft Movie” before it was released. This was especially the case when it came to Black’s casting as Steve, one of the only notable named characters in the early days of the “Minecraft” video game universe. That version of Steve wasn’t a character with a backstory or a personality; he’s merely the default “male” player avatar. In time, Steve became the face of “Minecraft” media, and he can be seen on much of the franchise’s merchandise around the world. Nevertheless, having Black play Steve was seen as somewhat risible by the (sizable) “Minecraft” community. It would be like making the mermaid figure from the Starbucks logo into a movie character.
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Luckily, “A Minecraft Movie” is — shockingly — not that bad. Even Black avails himself well, relying on his usual over-enthused shtick.
There was, notably, also a “female” player avatar added to the “Minecraft” game in 2014. This new avatar, Alex, had long red hair and a green blouse. Alex, like Steve, didn’t have a personality, but her mere presence made her an equal to her “male” counterpart. Reams of fan fiction were soon produced, sussing out the relationship between Steve and Alex. Were they siblings? Friends? Lovers? Are Alex and Steve symbols for Adam and Eve?
Regardless, should Hess’ film receive a sequel (and it likely will, given how successful “A Minecraft Movie” has been), Alex will play a part. Both Black and McKinnon are hilarious comedians, so it will be fun to see them play off each other in a whimsical “Minecraft” universe. It will also fulfill a vital new character in the minds of “Minecraft” players. One cannot have Steve without Alex.
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More recently, other named default skins have been added to “Minecraft,” including Sunny, Kai, Makena, Zuri, Efe, Ari, and Noor. Again, none of them have actual backstories or personalities, but it’s nice to see a wider panoply of humanity in the block-headed game. Perhaps if Alex appears in “Another Minecraft Movie” (or whatever it ends up being called), then those other seven will as well.
“A Minecraft Movie” is now playing in theaters.

Downton Abbey star lets slip pregnancy plot in final movie

Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt told BBC viewers what they can expect to see in the upcoming Downton Abbey movie.20:46, 07 Apr 2025Actress Joanne Froggatt shed light on the anticipated new Downton Abbey film during her Monday night appearance on The One Show, chatting with hosts Gethin Jones and Alex Scott.The BBC host eagerly asked about the final chapter of the cherished period drama, which drops in September, as she questioned: “Are you ready to say goodbye?”Article continues belowTo which Joanne responded: “Oh my goodness, it’s going to be hard! We’ve said goodbye a few times, thinking, ‘This is the end’, at the end of the seasons. Then we did one movie and we wondered if we’d get a second movie.”This really is, the third and final, so this really is goodbye. It’s going to be emotional, but all good things must come to an end, I suppose.”Downton Abbey star lets slip pregnancy plot in final movieAudiences will recognize Joanne from her enduring role as Anna Bates in the ITV saga, emerging onto the scene back in 2010, reports the Express.The series concluded in 2015 with her role capping off an impressive run, though she reprised her role for the subsequent movies, with the first launching four years post-finale in 2019.As Joanne confirmed this marks the cast’s last curtain call, host Gethin Jones couldn’t resist probing for some juicy tidbits about the finale.Challenged about spilling any details, Joanne divulged: “Look, I think I can say Anna, my character, is pregnant because I was pregnant when we were filming and there’s been pictures out there, so that’s one spoiler.”Joanne is known for her role as Anna Bates on the ITV period drama(Image:

Bill Murray says masked kiss led to sexual misconduct allegation that shut down movie

Bill Murray said a masked kiss in 2022 on the set of a movie led to sexual misconduct allegations that eventually shut down the film, an incident the famed actor says still bothers him and feels he was “barbecued” for.In 2022, a female staff member working on the film set for “Being Mortal” accused the “Ghostbusters” and “Groundhog Day” star of behaving inappropriately with her. The film, directed by Aziz Ansari, was eventually shelved by Searchlight Pictures.“I don’t go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened in ‘Being Mortal,’” the 74-year-old actor told The New York Times in an interview published Saturday. He explained that he had known the woman who made the complaint, and the incident involved him kissing her as they were both wearing face masks that were part of Covid-19 protocols. Murray and the woman eventually reached a settlement, Deadline reported. The woman was never identified by anyone affiliated with the movie and has not come forward to comment on the matter.When asked to discuss what unfolded, Murray said, “I tried to make peace. I thought I was trying to make peace. I ended up being, to my mind, barbecued.”“But someone that I worked with, that I had had lunch with on various days of the week — it was Covid, we were all wearing masks, and we were all stranded in this one room listening to this crazy scene. I dunno what prompted me to do it. It’s something that I had done to someone else before, and I thought it was funny, and every time it happened, it was funny,” Murray said. “I was wearing a mask, and I gave her a kiss, and she was wearing a mask,” he explained. “It wasn’t like I touched her, but it was just, I gave her a kiss through a mask. And she wasn’t a stranger.” He said the incident still “bothers me.””Because that movie was stopped by the human rights or ‘H & R’ of the Disney corporation, which is probably a little bit more strident than some other countries’. It turned out there were pre-existing conditions and all this kind of stuff. I’m like, what? How was anyone supposed to know anything like that? There was no conversation, there was nothing. There was no peacemaking, nothing,” Murray said. “It went to this lunatic arbitration, which, if anyone ever suggests you go to arbitration: Don’t do it. Never ever do it. Because you think it’s justice, and it isn’t,” he continued. The veteran comedian and critically acclaimed actor, who has a long history of alleged bad behavior on movie sets, said he thinks the whole experience was “stupid.” “You can teach an old dog new tricks. But it was a great disappointment, because I thought I knew someone, and I did not. I certainly thought it was light. I thought it was funny,” he said. “To me it’s still funny, the idea that you could give someone a kiss with a mask on. It’s still stupid. It’s all it was.”

Unannounced Thor Movie Actor Spotted With Pedro Pascal Near Avengers: Doomsday Filming

Following the announcement of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, a star known for work in the Thor saga was seen near filming for the MCU’s next team-up outing with the MCU’s Mister Fantastic actor, Pedro Pascal.Doomsday is already confirmed to deliver the biggest cast of any comic book movie in history, and the announcement stirred up plenty of interesting discussions. Some confirmed stars for the film are still keeping quiet about their involvement, leaving fans to fend for themselves news-wise.With over a year until Avengers: Doomsday releases, plenty of secrets are still being kept. However, Marvel seemingly cannot keep everything under wraps thanks to potential cast members simply living their best lives.Thor Star Seen Near Avengers: Doomsday Filming LocationShortly after Marvel Studios began filming 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, an Instagram post revealed an unexpected Thor star being close to the action.Tessa Thompson (known for playing the MCU’s Valkyrie) posted a picture to her Instagram Story of Reed Richards star Pedro Pascal with his arms up and smiling at a party. Thompson also appears to be sitting on Pascal’s shoulders as he celebrates his 50th birthday (held on April 2).
InstagramPascal is one of the first 27 confirmed cast members in Avengers: Doomsday and is already filming for the 2026 blockbuster. Tessa Thompson has not yet been announced to be in Avengers: Doomsday; however, Marvel has revealed that the final cast of Avengers 5 will include many more Marvel characters.While nothing is certain, considering Thompson is so close to where filming is taking place, it would be no surprise to see her reprise her role as Valkyrie in the movie as well.Thomspon played Valkyrie in five MCU projects, most recently in What If…? Season 3. Her last live-action appearance came via a small cameo as the King of Asgard in 2023’s The Marvels.Valkyrie’s Potential Role in Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel StudiosDoomsday would be Thompson’s second Avengers movie after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. While she only appeared in one scene before shining during the epic final battle, she could be in for a bigger role this time around.Since Endgame, Valkyrie has held a position as the King of Asgard after being anointed to the role by Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Continuing with this role in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, she now has the task of leading the New Asgardians against any potential threats.After Hemsworth became the first name on the back of Doomsday’s string of director’s chairs, Valkyrie’s chances of appearing in the film went up. If she gets a bigger role, she will unquestionably prove to be a key fighter for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as new Variants and enemies make their presence known.In the end, all these questions will lead to Robert Downey Jr.’s reintroduction to the MCU as Doctor Victor Von Doom (see more on a recent birthday post for Downey here).Downey Jr. is being teased as arguably the scariest and most powerful villain Marvel Studios has ever delivered, particularly considering the inevitable ties between Doom and Tony Stark. No matter the details, emotions will run high for Thompson and everyone else involved in this blockbuster.Avengers: Doomsday will debut in theaters on May 1, 2026.

Bryan Cranston will be in Vancouver filming revival of iconic 2000s show

An iconic 2000s TV series is being revived, and actors like Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz, and others will be in Vancouver for the shoot beginning next month.Do you know what show we’re talking about? Yes? No? Maybe? You don’t know? Should we repeat the question?
It’s Malcolm in the Middle. We could’ve just told you that off the bat, but we needed to reference the iconic theme song that won a Grammy in 2002.
The show helped catapult Cranston to new heights before taking on the iconic role of Walter White in Breaking Bad. According to Creative BC, the shoot is expected to last about one month between April and May and will be shot at Vancouver Film Studios at 3500 Cornett Rd.
Variety says it won’t be an extended trip back to the world of Wilkerson, as it reports that this new season will have four episodes that will air on Disney+. Variety has also learned what the premise for these four episodes will be.
Cranston will be joined by at least a couple of central Malcolm in the Middle characters in Vancouver, with the same actors reprising their roles 25 years later.
The reboot of sorts will focus on Hal (Cranston) and Lois’ (Jane Kaczmarek) 40th wedding anniversary party. Malcolm (Muniz) now has a daughter, and the pair is drawn into more family chaos because of this anniversary party.
What’s particularly serendipitous about this is that Cranston was actually in Vancouver last year celebrating his real-life 35th wedding anniversary with his wife, Robin Deardon.
Variety adds that the original show received a whopping 33 Emmy Award nominations.
It is not currently known whether other iconic characters like Dewey, Malcolm’s other siblings, or Malcolm’s friend Stevie will make an appearance, but we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
A premiere date has yet to be revealed, since life is unfair.

Hrithik Roshan signs film with Pushpa producers, Bobby Kolli to direct?

The trend of South films dominating Indian cinema continues to scale new heights with so many directors from Tamil and Telugu making films in Hindi. Next in line is Bobby Kolli, a popular director who made his last film Daaku Maharaaj with Balakrishna. He is now all set to direct none other than Hrithik Roshan for his next.Hrithik Roshan to team up with a Telugu directorGoing into details, the makers of Pushpa, Mythri Movie Makers, met a few Bollywood stars to launch their production house in Hindi. They met the likes of Hrithik Roshan and also paid him a massive amount in advance. But for some reason, the project did not take off as Hrithik was busy with other projects. Years later, the collaboration is all set to happen as the project with Hrithik Roshan is all set to be locked. We at OTTplay have come to know that Mythri Movie Makers arranged a meeting between Bobby and Hrithik a few days ago in Mumbai. Hrithik RoshanBobby Kolli aims big with his nextOne of the sources close to the production house has revealed to us that Hrithik loved the script narrated to him and has shown interest in the project. The source also adds that Hrithik has asked for a detailed narration and a bound script from Bobby. Once Bobby wraps up the script work, he will once again meet Hrithik and finalize the project.The said project is an action drama and will be made on a massive scale as per the news. Hrithik injured himself on the sets of War 2 and is currently recuperating as of now. Once he is done with War’s shoot, he is likely to take a call and lock the project.Bobby KolliComing to Bobby Kolli, he has directed the likes of Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, and Balakrishna in the past and all his films have been big hits. If he gets a nod from Hrithik, his career will take a new turn. Let’s see what happens in the days to come. On the other hand, Mythri Movie Makers are gearing up for the release of their Hindi debut Jaat with Sunny Deol. The film releases on April 10, 2025. 

Celebrity Big Brother filming secrets producers don’t want you to see – including snogging den

Devotees of ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother may assume that every moment is captured for all to see on TV – but some secrets are kept between the production team and contestants20:00, 07 Apr 2025Not everything viewers see on TV is as it seems(Image:

Shout! Studios Acquires Gravitas Ventures, Bolstering Two Specialized Indie Film Libraries

Shout! Studios, which has been behind films like Viggo Mortensen’s “The Dead Don’t Hurt” and the Tim Blake Nelson film “Old Henry,” has acquired fellow indie distributor Gravitas Ventures, the Cleveland-based company known for movies like the Diane Keaton film “Mack & Rita” and the Jackie Chan movie “Vanguard.” The acquisition gives Shout! access to Gravitas Ventures’ library of 3,300 scripted, non-scripted, and sports-related feature film, documentary, and TV titles, and it means that Shout! will have the luxury to continue making partnerships with brands like Aardman Animations, The Carol Burnett Show, GKIDS and Studio Ghibli, LAIKA Studios, Mystery Science Theater 3000, the Golden Princess movie library, and more.

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But both brands are staying intact, meaning they will continue acquiring content individually and will continue to operate as separate brands. The added scale will let both companies better monetize its content across linear and streaming channels, with Gravitas especially being a big player in the AVOD and TVOD space.

It was specifically Gravitas’ film library that made it such an attractive acquisition target for Shout! Studios. CEO Garson Foos told IndieWire that the focus with Gravitas moving forward will be on “new releases in the pipeline and maximizing the existing library.” Shout! also operates two different genre labels, including Scream Factory for horror content and Shout! Kids.

“Gravitas represents the next step in our continued expansion of the catalogue at Shout. We are excited to join forces with the Gravitas team and see several opportunities to expand distribution of the combined library,” Foos said in a statement.

Shout! Studios is backed by asset management firm Oaktree Capital Management, and it acquired Gravitas from Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Gravitas has been around for 18 years and was acquired by Anthem in November 2021. Not long after that acquisition, founding CEO of Gravitas Nolan Gallagher stepped down to focus on the ownership of his newly launched Cleveland-based soccer team.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Gravitas to the Shout! family and believe it represents another successful example of Shout’s ability to identify and execute upon attractive library acquisitions in the space. We are excited to continue to support the entire Shout team as we pursue other organic growth and M&A opportunities going forward” said Jared Frandle, Managing Director for Oaktree’s Special Situations Strategy.

Salem Partners acted as the exclusive financial and investment banking advisor to Anthem Sports & Entertainment and Gravitas Ventures, led by Ivar Combrinck. Sheppard Mullin acted as exclusive legal advisors to Anthem Sports & Entertainment, led by Shaun Clark and Aerin Snow. Greenberg Traurig acted as exclusive legal advisors to Shout Studios, led by Ben Einbinder and Daniel Black.

10 Best Erotic Horror Movies on Netflix (April 2025)

Horror comes in all shapes and sizes. Or, to speak more properly, there are many forms of horror. Surprisingly, there is also a form of horror that is sexual. Considering the topic of our article, such a kind of horror begins as creepy. Despite being considered pleasurable, traditionally speaking, it isn’t likable. Something erotic is preferable only when we are comfortable with it. Otherwise, it becomes something else entirely: erotic horror. Be that as it may, erotic horror is one of the most popular genres that people like to binge-watch. And if you too want to get a taste of it, Netflix offers you such content that is a titillating combination of scary and sexy, with true-to-form scary and creepy erotic movies.

Normani’s Audition For ‘Freaky Tales’ Stunned The Film’s Directors: ‘The Camera Loves Her’

Freaky Tales, which premiered back in 2024 at the Sundance Film Festival, is finally out now, and one thing people have been waiting for is Normani’s feature film debut with the project. She stars opposite Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn, Dominique Thorne, the late Angus Cloud and more.

The singer wasn’t approached for the Lionsgate film but rather auditioned like countless others for the role, according to directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

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“She came in to audition like a lot of other people, and she just had this great presence,” Fleck said in a recent interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “The camera loves her and she’s a performer. So she had never acted before, but she was very comfortable performing, obviously. And so it was great to have her comfortable on stage with a microphone. She could handle all that with grace and presence. But beyond that, the acting stuff, just quiet moments where she’s looking at herself in a mirror or just feeling anxiety about her life and the things going on in her life. She doesn’t have to say a lot to express so much. And I think it’s a really beautiful quality she has.”

“She has such depth, and it really comes across,” Boden said. “And I hope that her fans see a new side of her. She shows in this movie that she can do so much more than be a musician and perform. I mean, she can really bring it in terms of acting. And I just want to say we have a dream cast for this and we feel so lucky.”

What is ‘Freaky Tales’ about?

The film, which has an anthology format, is set in 1987 Oakland where “a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters — an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector — [are] on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles.”

How did the directors approach making an indie film with big ambitions?

Boden explained, “We kept having to remind financiers when we were getting the money to make this [that], ‘We come from indie filmmaking. We know how to make a dollar go really far. Trust us. This is in our wheelhouse. We know what the expectations are for making an indie film. We know how to be scrappy. We know how to do things quickly.’ And this was certainly a very, very ambitious indie film, the most ambitious indie film that we’d ever done. But I think that some of the tools that we’d gained from Captain Marvel in terms of just having more experience with action, having more experience with visual effects, not just Captain Marvel, but also the [Apple TV+ series] Masters of the Air kind of prepared us to do this. And then our experience working with indie films like Half Nelson and Sugar kind of prepared us for the run-and-gun nature of it.”

Fleck explained how they resisted turning the film into episodic television, adding, “There were some people that read the script though and urged us to turn it into a television series [and said] it could potentially make more money. And we were very much like, ‘No, this is a movie. This is a movie, like Creepshow, like Pulp Fiction, like Mystery Train. This is going to be a movie.’ And we stuck to it.”

How do Pedro Pascal and Jay Ellis fit into the film’s story?

Aside from Normani, Boden and Fleck spoke about the other stars such as Pascal and Ellis, the former of whom had his role interconnected through the entire film. His character, Clint, is a fictional character and not a story rooted in real-life events like most of the film.

“Pedro’s character, as we were writing, he was a completely fictional character that was kind of based more off of our love of movies in the 1980-like archetypical, kind of B-movie characters from that time,” Boden said. “He was kind of created in order that he was a tie that was starting to tie those other chapters together. And honestly, as we were writing, we just loved that character so much that we started to grow him into his own chapter. That’s why he ties all the chapters together, is that that was almost his purpose. He just became such an interesting character in and of himself that we gave him his own little story and his own life and he became like our ’80s B-movie/VHS video store kind of subculture.”

What genre twist does Jay Ellis’ segment bring?

As for Ellis, for his section of the movie, the film turns into a blaxploitation-esque, fun slasher.

“It was awesome,” said Fleck. “It was really fun to write, first of all. And Jay was so committed. He was the first person we went to and he was in from the beginning. And he was so committed to the training, to just making it look awesome. And we worked with a stunt coordinator, his name is Ron Yuan. And basically we had ideas and he would share ideas with us, and it was really collaborative and we just thought of fun ways that… fun gags that could go down in that sequence.”

Freaky Tales is in theaters now.