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Long-running film series are regularly required to re-cast major roles with new actors – and superhero movie franchises are no exception. Often times, a worn-out performer declines to return after their contract expires, or once they’ve butted heads with the studio regarding the size of the part (or the paycheck) offered to them for the sequel. Then there are those occasions when a formerly minor character is elevated to a more prominent position in the franchise’s latest installment....

The network upfronts continue, and ABC is the latest to peddle its upcoming wares to potential advertisers. Considering last week’s cancelation frenzy, during which ABC let go of a number of series, like Designated Survivor, Alex Inc., Inhumans (naturally), and Quantico, it’s no surprise that the network would have a number of newcomers ready to fill the programming void. What is surprising, however, is that quite a lot of ABC’s new shows actually look more than capable of replacing the series that got the ax....

Science fiction has had a long, storied history in cinema. The 1940s and 1950s were overcrowded with cheesy b-movies designed to freak out teenagers at drive-ins. These days, science fiction films are more frequently celebrated, thanks to better technology and film-makers being allowed to tell the kinds of stories they want to tell. One can very easily separate the genre into two time periods - before and after Star Wars....

We’re just a little more than a week out from the planned release date of a second Justice League movie - having only had Aquaman appear in his own standalone movie in the DCEU since the last outing of the supergroup. The comparison between DC and Marvel’s movies are an easy one to make. The war between the two brands continues today as much as it ever has done, except now it’s mostly done on the big screen rather than just on print pages....

Heading into the weekend, all of today’s best deals are headlined by a $219 discount on Apple’s previous-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro. That’s alongside the fitting Magic Keyboard at an all-time low and a series of Anker iPhone accessories from $12. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Save $219 on prev-gen. 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro Woot currently offers Apple’s previous-generation 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256GB for $880....

Now that the fourth season of Arrow has come to a rather anti-climactic, yet hopeful, end, it’s time to look ahead to what we’re hoping to see in the upcoming fifth season of the show. Fan reaction over the last couple of seasons has been mixed, to say the least, but we’ve come up with some ideas that would go a long way to righting the ship and getting the show back on course....

How do you measure greatness? Awards and money, perhaps, along with the love of the people. Pixar Animation Studios has all three. The studio has earned twenty-six Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and three Grammys. In addition to decades-long box office ownership, Pixar has also excelled in the most difficult of departments: finding the heart of its viewership and moving them to tears. Walt Disney Animation Studios has failed in none of these areas....

Science fiction, for a long time, was regarded as a cult, B-movie sort of a genre. Movies like Sharknado are meant to be forgotten… but because the internet is a thing, these exploitative cheese-fests have been given new life. Fans now vote which characters live or perish on Twitter, while the movies’ worst moments live on as memes for all eternity. That’s not to say that some of them haven’t been smash pop culture sci-fi hits (Star Wars) or critical darlings (Avatar), because, of course, there have been....

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been one of the most popular and most financially successful movie series in the recent decade. Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. started it all back in 2008 with Iron Man, but since then the franchise has expanded to something bigger than anyone could have imagined. So far the films have been separated into phases which have allowed Marvel to easily coordinate release dates and reveal new movie to the public....

Frequently thought of as a modern day Seinfeld, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia frequently takes comedy to the next level. Creators Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton created something completely different in the sitcom world. The show revolves around five narcissistic individuals: Dennis Reynolds (Howerton), Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson), Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day), Frank Reynolds (Danny Devito) and Mac (McElhenney). They are greedy, selfish, and would sell each other out to get what they want, yet they’re still best of friends....

Along with huge laughs, the R-rated superhero blockbuster Deadpool expertly pulled off action and violence galore. It lived up to all of the hype Ryan Reynolds and co. thickly spread to make the movie happen in the first place, living up to the expectations of most fans and coaxing many more aboard the Deadpool bandwagon. Like any adaptation, the movie wasn’t completely perfect and had plenty of flaws, from glaring bloopers like Wade’s gag being moved all around in between shots during a scene with Ajax to some of Reynolds’ own favorite jokes getting cut....

Writer/director Damien Chazelle’s musical La La Land won a record number of prizes earlier this month at the 2017 Golden Globes ceremony, further cementing its status as a serious contender at this year’s Oscars show too. The race to the 2017 Oscars is far from over, however, what with Barry Jenkins’ drama Moonlight having been recognized as the best of 2016 by the National Society of Film Critics around the same time that La La Land was winning big at the Golden Globes....

Over five years since NBC’s 30 Rock aired its final episode, star and creator Tina Fey recently suggested a reboot could happen soon. However, it wouldn’t have the same comedic formula that made the show so popular during its seven-season run. From 1997 to 2006, Fey rose to stardom on Saturday Night Live after developing her skills at The Second City, Chicago’s esteemed improvisational collective. During her time on SNL, Fey initially worked as a writer before making her first appearance on camera....

3000th Duel proves that a good game doesn’t always have to innovate. Sometimes just delivering a strong take on a well-worn formula can still impress. In this case, Neopopcorn Corp’s action-adventure title blends two of gaming’s most en vogue styles, the Metroidvania and the Soulsborne genres, into a cohesive, challenging, and, most of all, entertaining whole. The game runs down the checklist of prerequisites of a Castlevania and Dark Souls. Labyrinthine exploration gated by keys and abilities?...

The X-Files was one of the biggest shows of the 90’s, hot off the heels of Twin Peaks. It was a horror-mystery serial that fed into the cynical society of the time. It was full of conspiracies and a troublesome bureaucracy that had been compromised by exterior and interior forces alike. However, Fringe leans more towards mind-bending, misused pseudo-science rather than monsters or governmental conspiracies. It is a series of mystery boxes, the likes of which could be expected from series creator J....

Everyone knows that the book is better than the movie… most of the time. There are a few exceptions that have proven the old adage wrong, most notably in the young adult realm. YA literature has always been terrific fodder for movies; look no further than The Princess Bride or The Outsiders for proof. The trend continues to present day, with Love, Simon as a more recent example of a successful adaptation....

Fans of ABC’s Thursday night #TGIT lineup are still adjusting to the reality that Scandal, one of Shondaland’s most popular shows, has officially ended its run on television. Not only is Scandal over, but news broke last year that creator Shonda Rhimes had signed a humongous deal with Netflix, making some fans nervous for the future of their favorite shows on ABC. Don’t worry – her shows on ABC aren’t going anywhere....

Apple ran into challenges with iPhone 14 – particularly the Pro and Pro Max – this fall when a COVID-19 outbreak in China impacted its manufacturing partner Foxconn. Now the company’s stock has hit a 52-week low amounting to one trillion dollars in value lost as further forecasts for iPhone challenges have surfaced. Back in November, Apple warned customers and investors about how the situation in China was constraining its ability to produce enough iPhone 14 Pro devices to meet demand....

[This is a review of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3, episode 11. There will be SPOILERS.] - Prior to its midseason break, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 tackled the global consequences of Inhumans undergoing Terrigenesis, further setting up the dispute that will take center stage in Captain America: Civil War later this year. Additionally, Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) led a campaign within S.H.I.E.L.D. to assemble her team of Inhumans – the Secret Warriors – that was realized in the midseason finale consisting of herself, Lincoln (Luke Mitchell), and Joey (Juan Pablo Raba)....

[This is a review of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3, episode 18. There will be SPOILERS.] – Throughout much of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3, especially since the show returned from its winter hiatus, the series has had a number of balls in the air – Hydra, Hive, the Secret Warriors, The ATCU/S.H.I.E.L.D., the public’s reaction to Inhumans, the dynamic of Coulson’s team – and largely managed to balance the many moving pieces....