The John Cho-led?AfrAId?recently made its debut on Netflix, and while it may be ranking high on the streamer's charts, I can't really recommend watching the Blumhouse title. The base concept of it could've led to some interesting themes, John Cho and Katherine Waterston give great performances, and there are one or two creepy visuals, but it's not really scary, the majority of the runtime feels dedicated to setup rather than pure terror.

2024 has seen many exciting movies in a wide variety of genres. Some of my favorites include Deadpool & Wolverine, I'm Still Here, Twisters, We Live in Time, and Dune: Part Two. While I believe the latter is still the best movie I have watched in 2024, being a visual marvel with complex characters and an intriguing story, Wicked has become a very close second. The musical excels at everything it does, with a charming cast ¡ª Ariana Grande is bound to win an Oscar ¡ª impeccable visuals, and entrancing musical numbers.

The first trailer for James Gunn's Superman movie will reportedly be released in mid-December. If that is accurate, we should not have to wait long for it. However, that timeline suggests the trailer will not come attached to a major event, as CCXP will happen a week or two before then, and the next event would be the Super Bowl, which only comes in February 2025. As such, I think that, as DC did with the announcement of the DCU's slate, some people might see the trailer early, and it will then be shared with the public.

Sony has surprisingly released the first 8 minutes of Kraven the Hunter. I liked the footage. While the movie does not present anything major in the scenes that are shown, Taylor-Johnson's character is shaping up to be a cool one to follow. The R-rated action sequences are also handled well, so I'm keeping an open mind when it comes to Kraven, even if Sony's Spider-Man Universe is not among my favorite franchises.

Now that it's December, I'm excited to get into the holiday spirit with some classics. I've been saving?a rewatch of?Love Actually?for the holiday season, and?It's a Wonderful Life, neither of which I've seen in ages. I'm sure something like?Elf?will make its way into the rotation, but I rarely actively seek out the silly ones unless it's with a group!

The?Mufasa?movie trailers seem to point toward some type of revisionist narrative where Scar is made to be a more sympathetic villain. With?Wicked?being so successful, I wouldn't be surprised if?Mufasa?pulls off a similar dichotomy to Glinda and Elphaba with Mufasa and Scar. Overall, I think the constant need to make prequels where villains are made more complex is kind of silly in concept. It works in some cases, but I don't feel like every movie villain needs to be tragic.

Though highly unlikely as the franchise continues to find new stories to tell within its universe, the endless reboots and remakes of Hollywood could one day result in a complete overhaul of the Alien?series and introduce a new star to take on Sigourney Weaver's iconic role of Ellen Ripley. For me, I would vote for Millie Bobby Brown to take the part, as I think she is the perfect young star and has the right level of strength to do so.

I really enjoyed some of the references to?The?Wizard of Oz?in?Wicked, although some were subtler than others. Of course, it was obvious that audiences would see things like the yellow brick road and shots of Munchkinland, but I was really impressed with some of the less obvious nods to the 1939 film and the original book. For me, the use of music was my favorite. There are brief moments in which "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" can be heard, which I really appreciated.?

While there are a few who have played Dorothy Gale from?The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland will forever be the true Dorothy. Wicked?part 2 syncs up with the events of The Wizard of Oz, and casting the correct performer to portray Dorothy could be difficult. It's important that the right person is picked, especially as the character is so iconic. At the moment,?Matilda's?Alisha Weir has been rumored to play Dorothy, although there hasn't been any confirmation yet.?

It has been announced that Kenya Barris is working on a remake of?The Wizard of Oz, and considering how much attention?Wicked?has gained, I'm intrigued whether or not the two projects will be connected. I think it would make sense for the Wicked?cast to also appear in the new version of?The Wizard of Oz, even if it's only Cynthia Eviro at the very least. However, Barris may take things in another direction.

Timothy Olyphant has joined Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, and Juliette Lewis as part of the cast of the English remake of the 2021 Norwegian horror movie, The Trip. The movie has a very unique premise. It follows a husband and wife who are eager to end their marriage by murdering each other. To do this, they head to a remote cabin, but soon, they face an even bigger threat. Just taking one look at this cast, and it is quite clear that the film is likely going to be a horror-comedy. Weaving and Segel both excel in this genre, and both Olyphant and Lewis are great in comedic and serious roles as well, so I cannot wait to see how this version of The Trip ends up.?

The Oscar contenders have started releasing into theaters, and I'm so excited about the movies I've been able to see this fall. From?Heretic?to?Conclave?and?Anora?to?A Real Pain, the movies this autumn have been stellar. I'm fairly certain my favorite fall release has been?Wicked,?which I didn't expect after being a fan of the musical for decades.

James Gunn has confirmed that Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker season 2, HBO's Lanterns series, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be the first 5 movies and TV shows released in the new DC Universe. Since I have wanted to see David Corenswet play Superman since first watching a project with him in 2019, Gunn's Superman movie is the DCU project I am the most excited about.?

Harry Potter is one of my favorite movie franchises, and the film series saw many talented young stars pass through it. After the movies ended, many of those young stars went on to be in impressive projects. While Daniel Radcliffe has appeared in some movies that I have really enjoyed, as have a couple of other actors from the franchise, I have to say that Emma Watson's Little Women is the best movie out of those the young Harry Potter actors have starred in after the franchise.

Seeing how the original Broadway production is 2 hours and 45 minutes long, I was surprised that?Wicked?was split into two movies. After seeing the first chapter in theaters, which is 2 hours and 40 min, I think the additional sequences and character moments were entertaining, and the decision to end the movie after "Defying Gravity" makes sense. That said, I hope that?Wicked: Part Two is?just as good and has new elements of its own that are just as satisfying and compelling for the split to be worthwhile.

Both Marvel and DC have some exciting releases set to come in 2025. Where films are concerned, I would say that James Gunn's Superman movie is the one I'm looking forward to the most, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Fantastic Four reboot stands in second place. As for TV series, the MCU takes the top spot, as Daredevil: Born Again is one of the superhero projects I have been the most excited about in years. That said, Peacemaker season 2 is also a major release that I can't wait to watch.

I find it very strange that no other Sony Spider-Man Universe movies have been announced following December's?Kraven the Hunter. Currently, Sony just has the animated?Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?movie,?Spider-Man 4?in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a live-action?Spider-Man Noir?series. It's hard to see what might be in the works outside those three projects, though I wouldn't be surprised if Sony might try a complete reboot of sorts, perhaps wanting a fresh start with an interconnected universe that actually includes Spider-Man to a much greater degree.

There are far too many movie props and replicas that I wish I had, and other probably wish they had too. Some notable items include a full movie-accurate Batsuit or a fully functional Batmobile (it doesn't matter which ones). I'm also a big fan of lightsabers and various Star Wars helmets. Indiana Jones' whip and fedora would be cool, as would Marty McFly's hoverboard, with bonus points if it worked!

Of course, what each person considers a "feel-good" movie varies, but I love to find out what other people's favorite heartwarming watch is. I really enjoy?13 Going on 30, especially because it reminds me that no matter how dorky I was as a teenager, the high school popularity structure did in fact end, even though it didn't feel like it at the time. I also love?The Princess Diaries, and no matter how old I am, watching it always makes me hope that Julie Andrews will turn up on my doorstep and tell me that she is my grandmother.

Dear Santa largely works because of how Jack Black tackles the character of Satan. It comes as no surprise that he puts his all into this role, and delivers the right combination of humor and heart. The end of the movie shocked me, but in a good way. While I think there are quite a few complications that would come from bringing someone back from the dead, it is sweet and touching, and totally made me cry. If you do not think about it too much, it makes for a lovely ending.