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Screen Geek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
'M3GAN 2.0' Review: A New Skin Doesn't Quite Work This Time
The idea of using a doll as a homicidal horror antagonist in film had been done to death for some time. Chucky has pretty much cornered that market for decades, but Blumhouse Productions and creator Akela Cooper decided to come for the king. Cooper's creation, M3GAN , was a massive hit released in 2022 and warranted the return of an AI doll. M3GAN 2.0 promised to step from the horror element into more of an action thriller and succeeds in some parts. The movie goes hard in the 'silly' factor, yet the new direction almost makes it forgettable. New Zealand director Gerard Johnstone directs M3GAN 2.0 . Johnstone takes up writing duties for the sequel, and we see the return of Allison Williams as Gemma, alongside Violet McGraw as her niece, Cady. This time around, the two are forced to work with M3GAN, voiced by Jenna Davis and played by Amie Donald, to stop the more dangerous robot, AMELIA. AMELIA, played by Ivanna Sakhno, is on the hunt for something that will destroy the country, and it's up to our two humans and one robot to stop her. If the familiarity of the plot of M3GAN 2.0 rings of the Terminator 2: Judgement Day elements, you're not delusional. The script from Johnstone takes parts of the 1991 James Cameron film and gives them a more updated, ridiculous spin. The script works for about 50-60% of the time and adds more humor this time around. Gemma doesn't believe that this somewhat new M3GAN's intentions are good, while Cady falls on the trust side of the fence a little more easily. There are numerous instances where M3GAN has to prove herself repeatedly, which becomes tiresome by the middle of the second act. It detracts from what made the first film work, and that's the chemistry between Cady and M3GAN. It hurt the film at numerous points and didn't allow M3GAN 2.0 to showcase the emotional stakes that some of the plot points promise. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed some of the parts where M3GAN and the gang were trying to be one step ahead of AMELIA, but it lacked a bit of soul. However, the comedy aspect of the movie wasn't lacking. Several comedic beats work well for M3GAN 2.0. Johnstone's writing allows Davis to take the Deadpool route with her level of snark and comebacks. That notion works well with Williams and McGraw playing their characters as the 'straight men.' It mixes well with some of the action and brings it home with a ridiculous singing number that starts awkwardly funny and turns into all-out hilarious. Unfortunately, some of the foundations that work for M3GAN 2.0 are outweighed by the poor directing choices from Johnstone. The filmmaker has worked on action projects, but this film is a step back from his previous work. There are times in the movie where the action set pieces featuring M3GAN and AMELIA really work. The scenes are well thought out and have an even peace. However, the further they go along, the more frequent the quick cuts become. I started getting lost in what was going on at a certain point, and it even left me a little disoriented. It's as if Johnstone was trying hard to hide the lack of impact or ugliness in the scenes, and it only makes things worse, and it doesn't stop there. M3GAN 2.0 runs at a clip. The pacing is RUSHED and gives the movie that 'forgettable' component. The film is nearly two hours long, which could have allowed the entire story some breathing room. I got the feeling that Johnstone desperately wanted that breathing room by the third act when the pacing takes a hard break and almost gives whiplash. This is the part where the villain of the movie reveals themselves and presents their ultimate plan, which often proves to be confusing, convoluted, and downright unintelligible. I wasn't expecting M3GAN 2.0 to be anything more than a dopey follow-up to a ridiculous horror film that could have failed but didn't. I applaud Johnstone for taking a new route with the characters, diving in hard with the concept, and making nods to other robot film classics, such as T2 and Metropolis (1927). Yet, the movie's script and direction feel rushed and, sadly, give it that 'strike while the iron is hot' quality desperately. I don't know where they can take this franchise further, but they might as well continue leaning harder and start genre hopping. That's probably the only way to keep interest in M3GAN going and potentially attract new audiences. Grade: C
Screen Geek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
Netflix Brings Back Canceled Series After 5 Years
Netflix is home to a wide variety of films and shows that subscribers have been enjoying for many years now. Of course, like any other streaming service, the availability of different titles depends on licensing and other issues that create temporary windows to watch said titles. Now Netflix has managed to bring back one canceled series after five years. The series, which originally ran on ABC from 2012 to 2018, lasted for a total of seven seasons. It quickly turned into a critical and ratings hit, and as a result, it led to as many as 124 episodes across its run. Fans were originally able to watch all of these episodes via Netflix for quite some time from 2014 to 2020. Subscribers no doubt became comfortable with having the series to stream and watch as much as they wanted during this time. With five years having passed since then, however, it certainly became a missed title for many. Now it's returning to Netflix with all seven seasons once again available to stream. The series, titled Scandal , is a political thriller series which originally aired on ABC. Kerry Washington starred in the show as Olivia Pope, a character based on the real-life George H. W. Bush administration press aide Judy Smith. Additionally, Smith even served as a co-executive producer on the series, assisting in its faithfulness to the real-world situations that led to its engaging drama. For subscribers that either want to revisit Scandal or those that have never seen it, this certainly makes for a great time to do so. Scandal earned numerous awards during its run and it's continued to be a critically-acclaimed series, so if you're looking for something to watch on Netflix, then this very well could be it. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the latest trending titles available on streaming platforms including Netflix. As for now, subscribers can finally watch Scandal on the streaming platform for the first time in five years.
Screen Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
MCU Star Asked For Name To Be Removed From 'Thunderbolts' Credits
The Marvel Cinematic Universe delivered a well-received hit with Thunderbolts , an unexpected result given the uncertainty surrounding the title. And, while the movie is enjoying a successful response from viewers, not everyone wanted to be credited. In fact, one MCU star asked for their name to be removed from the credits featured in Thunderbolts . The film features a number of major stars, most of whom appeared in previous MCU projects, including Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. As such, it's a film known for its cast, and one would assume everyone would want to be credited alongside these stars. As shared with Interview magazine, however, the actor explained why they asked to have their credits removed. This was revealed when they sat down to speak with cast member David Harbour who previously starred in the previous MCU project Black Widow . The cast member that spoke with Harbour, Scarlett Johansson, shared the following response when Harbour asked if she saw the film, noting that she's 'all over this movie' and responded with the following when she said she hadn't: 'OK. You are an executive producer on it. Congratulations.' Johansson added that she 'asked to have my credit removed,' specifically because of her lack of creative input, noting that 'I wasn't involved.' It's certainly a surprising response from the Black Widow star, especially knowing that she's played her character in numerous MCU projects going back to some of the earliest films in the franchise. Nevertheless, Thunderbolts does make another nice send-off for the character, even if she wasn't creatively involved or mentioned in the credits. Whether or not she'll receive other chances to work on the MCU remains to be seen, though it's unlikely that she'll reprise her role as Black Widow, which she insists in the interview has been completed. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we have them. Now that Thunderbolts has hit theaters, fans can enjoy the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters on July 25, 2025.
Screen Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
HBO Max Cancels Fan-Favorite Series After Two Seasons
The second season of a fan-favorite series on HBO Max came to an end late last year. Sadly, for fans hoping that an additional season would be announced this year, it looks like that's not the case. In fact, HBO Max made the decision to cancel this fan-favorite series after releasing only two seasons. The first season dropped in November 2023, setting the stage with a story full of high stakes and messy situations. A little over a year later, the second season arrived in December 2024 – picking up with even bigger risks and complications. As is the case with many shows in the age of streaming, it is always unclear whether or not a series that viewers have invested their time in will be canceled with little to no warning. While it would have been great for fans to have been treated with a third season by the end of this year, it seems the story of this particular series has come to an end. 'For two seasons creators Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay and their hilarious cast, led by Sebastian Maniscalco, made us laugh while pulling back the curtain on the world of sports betting,' an HBO Max spokesperson stated to Variety regarding the series – which is none other than Bookie. The spokesperson further confirmed that Bookie would not be returning for a third season: 'We won't be moving forward with a third season, but we are grateful to have worked with such a brilliant team on this laugh out loud comedy.' In addition to Sebastian Maniscalco, the cast of Bookie also included Omar Dorsey as Rayfield 'Ray' Ballard, Andrea Anders as Sandra, Vanessa Ferlito as Lorraine Colavito, Jorge Garcia as Hector, Maxim Swinton as Anthony, Rob Corddry as Walt Dinty and Selina Kaye as Janelle. There were also several recurring cast members including Arnetia Walker, Toby Huss, and Dale Dickey. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for more news regarding the latest trending shows and which titles have been renewed or canceled as we have them. For now, however, it looks like fans of Bookie will have to settle for the two existing seasons of the series since there won't be a third.
Screen Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Says Blake Lively Hasn't Won Just Yet
The legal debacle between celebrities Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively is far from over. At least, that's what Justin Baldoni's lawyer has to say, insisting that Blake Lively has not yet won and that she shouldn't be celebrating this soon. A judge recently dismissed Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit that was made against Lively. As noted via Newsweek, Baldoni's laywer Bryan Freedman is taking the next steps necessary to continue their legal battle against Lively. Here's his latest statement regarding this endeavor: 'Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false,' Freedman shared. 'This case is about false ccusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened,' he continued. 'Most importantly, Ms. Lively's own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking.' Currently, Baldoni's legal team has until June 23 to refile the amended claims of their dismissed lawsuit. The court is allowing the team to amend four of the seven claims against Blake Lively, with the court having dismissed the defamation-related claims, which the team hopes will allow them to provide more evidence and refined allegations. Although Lively's legal team is quite happy with the outcome so far, especially having the initial $400 million defamation lawsuit dismissed by a judge, Freedman could be right in that it's too early to celebrate. Especially if they're being allowed to amend four of their seven claims. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the legal situation between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively as we have them, including whether or not Baldoni's lawyer has any additional statements to share. In the meantime, they do seem to be right in that the debacle will still be ongoing.
