Loki Season 2 Episode 2 (Disney+): The real strength of Loki when compared to the rest of the Disney+ shows for Marvel Studios is that it feels most like an actual television show and not like a long movie. The character work in the show and the overarching narrative unfolds most like a show designed to keep the audience engaged week-to-week with layered mysteries. The chemistry between Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston continues to be fantastic, which helps to sell the deeper character-driven scenes beyond just the big action set pieces.
Doom Patrol Season 4 Episodes 7 and 8 (Max): As Doom Patrol comes to an end, it is worth noting how this show has managed to maintain the same level of quality from beginning to end, especially when one considers the downward skid of a lot of the DC shows across multiple networks with multiple creative teams. That said, the idea that they would make Cliff willingly complicit with the plans of Immortus does not sit right.
This Week In Theaters:
Killers of the Flower Moon: Martin Scorsese’s latest film (the first he has a “written by” credit since Casino) hits theaters this weekend. The film stars his frequent collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro and also stars Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemmons, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow.
Last Week At The Box Office:
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: $96.0 Million
The Exorcist: Believer: $11.0 Million
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie: $7.0 Million
Saw X: $5.7 Million
The Creator: $4.3 Million
Programming Notes:
This week marks the launch of both Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
for the PlayStation 5 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch. PC Game Pass does have a number of major new releases for those who do not have a PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch including Sea of Stars, Forza Motorsport, Cocoon, Solar Ash, Starfield, Lies of P, and Payday 3.
This past week was Steam NextFest which highlighted some of the best upcoming video games for PC. Of note, the long-awaited Souls-like Another Crab’s Treasure where the player has to fight sea creatures as a hermit crab with a wide variety of shells, both looks and plays great in a crowded year within the genre (Lies of P last month was also great), positioning it to be a game worth checking out when it comes out next year. If there is one complaint to be had about the state of the independent game ecosystem as highlighted by this event, it would be that there are way too many similar-looking simulation and atmospheric horror games that do not stand out from each other. Still, with enough drive to do so (and time to sift through the mountain of games), an enterprising player could find something they like in their preferred genre.