Latest news with #Yoda-like
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Spaceballs' returns for a sequel with Mel Brooks, 98, as Yogurt. Will Barf make a cameo?
'Spaceballs' returns for a sequel with Mel Brooks, 98, as Yogurt. Will Barf make a cameo? Brooks wrote, directed and played two roles in 1987 'Star Wars' spoof 'Spaceballs' with John Candy as Barf The Schwartz is still strong in comedy legend Mel Brooks − and now, returning with even greater power. Amazon MGM Studios announced that Brooks, 98, will reprise his role as the Yoda-like Yogurt in a new "Spaceballs" movie. The sequel to the 1987 cult classic "Star Wars" parody will be released in theaters in 2027, according to a June 12 release. Josh Greenbaum will direct the film from a script by a top team that includes "Frozen" star Josh Gad (also a producer), Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez. Plot details and more casting news are being kept under wraps. According to the release, the film has been described (by those who have not yet read the script) as "A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film." Confused? The ONLY important thing is that "Spaceballs" is back and Brooks will play Yogurt, the keeper of the power known as The Schwartz (which is definitely not The Force). Yogurt predicted this reunion on-screen 38 years ago in the comedy that critics panned, but which lives on like a joke-telling Force Ghost. "God willing, we'll all meet again in 'Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money,'" Yogurt said at the time. It was foretold! In a video with the announcement, Brooks, looking spry in a "Spaceballs" sweatshirt, said, "After 40 years, we asked, 'What do the fans want?' But instead we're making this movie." He ended the video with a universe-resonating, "May the Schwartz be with you!" Comedy Renaissance man Brooks directed, wrote and played two roles in the original "Spaceballs" — Yogurt and President Skroob. Rick Moranis starred as the Darth Vader-wannabe Dark Helmet, Bill Pullman was the Han Solo-esque Lone Starr, and Daphne Zuniga was the Princess Vespa. "Spaceballs" also featured the legendary late John Candy as Barf: a half-man, half-dog sidekick. Will Barf return somehow? We can only wait and see. Deadline followed the Amazon newsblast by reporting that Pullman and Moranis would both return for the sequel. Is the 'Spaceballs' sequel a good idea? When will it blast off? Clearly, Amazon MGM has high hopes, setting the movie up for a 2027 release. It will be a much-awaited appearance of a comedic giant as Brooks has talked for years about a new "Spaceballs." We'll just call it before filming even starts: What this crazy world needs now is Mel Brooks and "Spaceballs 2."
New York Times
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Brewing Tea in a Cozy Game Can Be Tiring
Wanderstop, a chill but cheeky experience with characters who exude dry humor, appears to be about harvesting and making tea. But it is also full of musings about fatigue and burnout. In other words, is the daily grind worth the harm it can do to the psyche? Cozy games like Animal Crossing, Nintendo's funny animal series, became extra popular during the stress of the coronavirus pandemic, and the new studio Ivy Road is trying to change the nature of the genre. In Wanderstop, you're not just tending your garden in a Voltaire sense. You're trying to understand, relate to and fix a character who is on the verge of a breakdown — or has already had one. It's a cautionary tale for those who toil too much and too hard. Alta, a female warrior, has lost her mojo by laboring too strenuously to make it to the top. Exhausted, she faints in the forest. She can no longer even lift her huge sword to fight. To clear her mind, Alta begins managing a far-flung tea cafe. Creating the steamy brews requires dutifully ascending a wooden ladder to release water into an extravagant tea machine. With a bellows, she stokes the fire 30 or so times until the water boils. Then, with a neatly animated kick, she opens a giant kettle to toss in tea and fanciful ingredients. Brilliantly rendered, the device recalls Willy Wonka's Great Gum Machine. Alta, with a mahogany-colored apron and little patience for customers, has long followed the strict, militarized rules of elite competition. But here, there are no timed objectives, just an anything-goes attitude. Nonetheless, the argumentative Alta remains drained. Boro, the portly, baldheaded tea master, proclaims, 'What a surprise that a person pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion would collapse!' His Yoda-like philosophy comes off as overwhelmingly needling rather than meaningful, his concern mired by condescension. Alta is easily addled and stressed. Beyond her desire to return to the top fighter ranks, she carries a heavy guilt regarding her father. Powerless, she feels lazy, stupid, angry and a failure, to use her words. There's a meta aspect to these feelings. Davey Wreden, the game's director, felt similarly after working for too many hours on versions of The Stanley Parable (2013), which became so popular that it was an inspiration for 'Severance.' The art here is admirable. Lush garden acres of smudgy colors surround the cafe, inviting contemplation. Collectible tea grows on its outskirts, and there is a small temple featuring a being's somehow-soothing oval head. Hues change from variations of purple and green amid running brooks to pink and white. It's all suitable for sitting on a bench, watching the world go by while plump and playful pluffins waddle near their coop. Alta and her customers eventually offer moments of revelation. But they're too few and far between. A goofy knight (with a cursed foot that emanates purple mist) who yearns to be thought of as cool by his son, as someone to be respected, is a compelling enough story beat that comes too late. It was difficult to sympathize with the characters' tales of despair, however witty. The wry, eccentric humor that worked well in the sterile office setting of The Stanley Parable seemed at odds with this world of breezy bucolic environments and magical hybrid teas. Working in the farm-like setting and making tea wasn't always peaceful. Commanding exclamation points appeared over customer heads when they required tea or wanted to make a minor point. It made me believe I needed to jump to customer needs. I also wondered how, if Alta was physically and mentally beaten down, she could cut down a lawn's worth of thorny bramble snarls with the caffeinated speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. By the time those around me began to open up and become nicer, I didn't want to engage anymore. The point was to learn that working at one's own pace is rewarded with individual enlightenment, cup by cup. But I felt more like a therapist, trying to be patient with my patients as I urged them to spill the tea.
CBS News
12-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
More cute than harmful, bat-eared fox on the loose at a Palm Desert zoo
An insect-eating furry critter with large Yoda-like ears is on the loose at a zoo in Palm Desert. Guests at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens are asked to be on the lookout for the "very clever" bat-eared fox, who escaped from a holding facility at the zoo Monday evening. Zoo staff has been searching for the small, approximately 10-pound female fox, which poses no threat to humans as she eats only insects. Bat-eared foxes can be distinguished by their large ears, gray fur around the belly and darker fur on their feet, ears, and tail tip. They are primarily nocturnal and as one could imagine, with such dominating ears, they have an incredible sense of hearing. The Living Desert animal care team believes she's on the grounds, likely in one of the gardens munching on small insects. If anyone spots the little fox, they are asked not to approach the animal, but to call zoo staff at (760) 346-5694.
