Month: March 2024

Roku City used to be a safe and welcoming place filled with picturesque purple sunsets and nostalgia-fueled movie references. Now it’s just a glorified commercial. But this is how most cities evolve, so we shouldn’t be surprised. What is surprising is that the company is not very good at discouraging hackers from taking a quick vacation to Roku City, where they subsequently compromised nearly 15,000 accounts. Gotham sure looks like the preferred fictional city right about now.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that 15,363 Roku accounts were compromised between December 28, 2023 and February 21, 2024. Filings in California and Maine indicate that hackers obtained login data from another source to try and purchase streaming subscriptions.

A company spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter:

Roku’s security team recently detected suspicious activity that indicated a limited number of Roku accounts were accessed by unauthorized actors using login credentials obtained from third-party sources (e.g., through data breaches of third-party services that are not related to Roku). In response, we took immediate steps to secure these accounts and are notifying affected customers. Roku is committed to maintaining our customers’ privacy and security, and we take this incident very seriously.

Bleeping Computer also reported that the stolen accounts were being sold for as little as $0.50 per account.

While it sounds scary, the company assured customers that the hackers did not gain access to “social security numbers, full payment account numbers, dates of birth, or other similar sensitive personal information requiring notification.” It seems like they really just wanted to log in to Hulu and see what Shogun is all about.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

The wait for Stranger Things season five just got even longer.

During a recent appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, star Millie Bobby Brown revealed that there’s still many months of shooting remaining for the final season of the Netflix series. “We have nine months left,” she said, according to Screen Rant.

Bobby Brown declined to reveal any more details than that, however, because “I really like Netflix, I’d like to be employed by them for a really long time, because I sign a piece of paper that tells me I’m not allowed to say anything, and I think I owe it to them to keep my mouth shut… I know what happens to my character. I haven’t read the script because they are in the process of writing them. I think I read up to episode six… But like I said, I like working for Netflix, I’m going to be a good girl.”

Nine months from now is December 2024. Stranger Things requires lots of visual effects, so add another six or seven months, at least, for post-production work. That means fans of the show shouldn’t expect season five to premiere until summer 2025, at the absolute summer. By then, Finn Wolfhard will be [checks notes] 82 years old. It’ll be distracting seeing Mike with a long, white beard, but we’ll get used to it.

Until Stranger Things returns, you can watch Bobby Brown in Damsel.

(Via Screen Rant)

In a relatively short time, 39-year-old Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson has become a favorite of both hip-hop fans and geek fandoms online thanks to his expansive oeuvre. Since 2011, he’s garnered attention from the former for his production work alongside Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and more. Meanwhile, fans of sci-fi epics and superhero movies know him for his contributions to scores for massive multimedia franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars.

However, there’s one group that isn’t too happy with him this week: Gamers. A search for his name on social media outlets today would surface a roiling debate over Göransson’s comments on Sunday during his Oscars acceptance speech. After receiving the award for Best Original Score for Oppenhaimer (his second win after receiving one in 2018 for Black Panther), he thanked his parents “for giving me guitars and drum machines instead of video games.”

This has obviously riled the gaming community, who view themselves as oft-put-upon despite the gaming industry’s record worldwide profits and popularity. There’s probably a whole 2000-word article to be written about why they feel this way, but in general, they seem salty that Göransson appeared to deride their hobby in his thanks to his parents. Since I started off talking about hip-hop, there’s no better example to use here than the homie Mega Ran, a stalwart of the so-called “nerdcore” subgenre of rap, who called the comments “an unnecessary bit of shade.”

Over on Twitter, the discourse has gotten heated, with many gamers rightly pointing out that video games have featured or inspired some of the most recognizable music in pop culture, from the Mario theme to the chiptune subgenre that reproduces the 8- and 16-bit sounds of millennial nostalgia for original works.

Of course, there’s no speaking for Mr. Göransson either way, but whether he was legitimately putting games down or just joking about his parents’ refusal to let him have something many, many other ’90s kids begged their parents to have (many to no avail), one positive to take away from this whole kerfuffle is an appreciation of the wide range of musical styles in video game music. Maybe as a mea culpa, he can compose the music for a triple-A game or two, just to prove he can.

South By Southwest is happening right now, spanning this year from March 8 to 16. Things haven’t been perfect so far, though. Some artists have opted to pull out of their performances due to one of the festival’s sponsors. Now, SXSW has shared a statement after a hit-and-run in Austin resulted in a death.

SXSW’s statement reads, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of an individual in downtown Austin following an auto-pedestrian accident shortly after 1:00am this morning. Our thoughts are with all affected by this tragic incident.”

As Fox 7 Austin reports, after 1 a.m. on March 12, two pedestrians were walking at the intersection of 7th Street and Red River and were hit by a vehicle, according to police. One of them died on the scene, while the other was taken to a hospital “with critical, life-threatening injuries.” The intersection has closed after the accident but had re-opened as of 5 a.m. Police are still looking for the driver.

The intersection where the hit-and-run took place is near participating SXSW venues like Elysium, The Creek And The Cave, and Flamingo Cantina, among others.

Meanwhile, Uproxx recently published a guide on the unofficial SXSW parties happening in Austin, so learn more about that here.

After a rough year in 2023, Marvel seemed to be turning a corner with the back-to-back trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine and X-Men ’97, a follow-up to the classic X-Men: The Animated Series. The cartoon sequel earned rave reactions on social media as Marvel fans were thrilled by the animation style that brought back memories of watching their favorite mutants on Saturday mornings.

With X-Men ’97 set to hit Disney+ this month, Marvel was about to make big on its new strategy of leaning into the X-Men to ward off superhero fatigue. However, the studio is now caught in another PR crisis following reports that Marvel has fired X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo with only a week to go until the Hollywood premiere.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

But early last week, Marvel and DeMayo suddenly parted ways. His company email was deactivated and cast and crew were informed he was no longer on the project. DeMayo’s Instagram account, once a source for X-Men updates, was deleted. No reason for the firing was given.

Marvel had no comment. DeMayo’s representatives did not return calls for comment and emails to the showrunner yielded no response.

As THR notes, “It is unusual for a top creative on a Marvel project to miss a premiere or cancel press plans last minute, even if they’ve been shuffled to the side.”

DeMayo had already lined up press to promote the first season of X-Men ’97 and was scheduled to attend the Hollywood premiere on March 13. He had also handed in drafts for the upcoming Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali. DeMayo will no longer be moving forward with any projects with Marvel after getting his start as a writer on Moon Knight in November 2021.

X-Men ’97 premieres March 20 on Disney+.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

You know the old saying: one Dune simply isn’t enough, Two Dunes is a crowd, and Three Dunes is a party. It’s in all of the high school textbooks!

Even though director Denis Villeneuve is still riding high on those sandworms of success of Dune: Part 2, he’s already got his eyes on the third installment, which has not even been announced yet.

Villeneuve has been “unofficially” moving forward with his idea for the threequel. “Dune Messiah – which, Dune 3, the title would be Dune Messiah – we’ll see the day when the screenplay will be ready and I want to make sure that there will be no compromise,” he told Comic Book. “It has to be tremendous. All is there to make the fantastic film, and I don’t want to mess it up.” There is still time for him to mess it up, but here is everything we know so far about the potential sequel. Hopefully, you saved that suggestive popcorn bucket. Or….not.

Cast

One of the biggest surprises with Dune: Part Two was Anya Taylor-Joy showing up as an older version of Paul’s sister Alia. Villeneuve himself was surprised that the secret was kept. “I was deeply happy with the fact that Anya accepted this challenge of playing a ghost and a secret,” he told EW. “I cannot believe that we kept the secret that long. It required so much work to keep that secret. Everybody signed with their blood.”

While Taylor-Joy has not been confirmed for the threequel, the director hopes to expand on Alia’s storyline, which would give her a larger part. “I love her [Taylor-Joy],” Villeneuve said, adding that he would also like Florence Pugh to return. “I would love to make Dune Messiah just to work with her and Florence more. Those actresses are so inspiring. They give me chills and the will to do another one.”

Of course, we couldn’t have Dune without Paul, so it’s likely that Timothee Chalamet would return as Paul. While Paul’s mother, played by Rebecca Ferguson, does not appear in Dune Messiah, she could show up in Villeneuve’s adaptation.

Plot

The plot would follow the second novel in the series, Dune Messiah, which was published in 1969 and takes place 12 years after the events of the first book. Messiah follows Paul dealing with his unintended heroism and internal struggles after being named the “messiah” for the Freeman and marrying Princess Irulan.

“If I succeed in making a trilogy, that would be the dream,” Villeneuve has said. “Dune Messiah was written in reaction to the fact that people perceived Paul Atreides as a hero. Which is not what he wanted to do. My adaptation is closer to his idea that it’s actually a warning.”

Release Date

It will likely be a while until we head back to the sand. Villeneuve has said that he wants to take his time when it comes to the next film “I want to take the time to do it. And I think it would be healthy that I don’t go back necessarily in the desert right away, that I make a little detour, maybe,” he told Collider. “But honestly, I don’t know what my future is right now, which I love because I worked the past six years nonstop. It’s a blessing, but I need that. It would be nice to make sure that if we do Dune: Messiah, I want to make the best movie ever, so I want to just take my time.”

The first film took place over four months, but was delayed by COVID. The second film took roughly five months, though that release was also delayed due to the Hollywood Labor disputes. It could definitely be years until we see that sand again.

Trailer

Obviously, there is no trailer just yet. Instead, you can watch Timothee Chalamet’s long-lost audition:

Women are not mysteries. That argument has been made dozens of times to many well-meaning men complaining they simply can’t grasp the mechanics of existence when it comes to the fairer sex. They never seem to get it, instead complaining that our minds are enigmas, our emotions uncontrollable, our bodies ticking time bombs in need of more governance. We’re even jokingly told we hail from a different planet, as if our natures are so alien, that they chart separate elliptical paths.

Women are not mysteries, and nor should our bodies be.

Maybe that’s why films like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things felt so revolutionary, so shocking when audiences saw them last year. One was a fuchsia-soaked existential crisis in commercial doll form, the other a steampunk feminist Frankenstein. But both, oddly enough, gave us a liberating depiction of the female body – its hungers, its flaws, its perfections, its power. In a medium like film, a woman’s body has rarely merited three-dimensional thought. It’s been a tool for pleasure, sure. A battleground, a punching bag, a seductive weapon, a maternal incubator, but rarely has it served as the main character of its own story. And yet, the body is what drives much of the discovery in both Gerwig’s and Lanthimos’ “coming of consciousness” films.

For Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) — a natural-order-flouting experiment conceived by a brilliant, tortured scientist who answers to the name God (Willem Dafoe) – that discovery begins, as Eve’s did, with an apple. With her childlike brain inhabiting the reanimated body of her dead mother, Bella spends the earlier parts of the dark comedy jerking and stumbling through a posh London mansion, breaking dishes, soiling herself, and wobbling her way to adulthood. When she uncovers the bliss of sexual pleasure via a flesh-covered fruit at her creator’s dinner table, she finds happiness. Her body is what informs her of a key aspect of human existence, something that becomes all the more confusing as she’s shamed and restricted from indulging in the masturbatory act again.

When she’s offered freedom by the soft-bellied cad, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), Bella seizes her chance to question her body further, asking its limits as she “furiously jumps” – a phrase used to convey her naïve understanding of penetrative sex –her way across continents, sampling from an orgasmic buffet of positions and partners, much to the dismay of her original paramour. But Bella’s body doesn’t simply stop once it receives its carnal education. Her insatiable appetite expands, to Portuguese pastries rebelliously stuffed in her yawning mouth, to flailing limbs interpreting the strange, pulse-pounding sounds of a ballroom dance, to the flurry of words in philosophy books, to the social injustices wrought upon those deemed different or less than. In Poor Things, Bella’s body is both a sponge, absorbing the joys and horrors of life, and a tool she uses to dismantle the invisible, patriarchal shackles meant to “protect” and “save” her from her own debased nature.

Gerwig’s treatment of the body is less salacious and more subtle. The concept of death, the idea that the body may one day die, is what sparks Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) transition from blissful ignorance to a sobering reality. When gravity grips her perfectly arched feet, her matriarchal utopia is thrown into chaos. She experiences physical pain, perhaps for the first time, as she tries to contort her disgustingly flat appendages into her beloved heels. She begins finding imperfections in her form – her breath that stinks, her hair that knots, her thighs that carry fat deposits called cellulite. Gerwig uses a glossed-over form of body horror to push Barbie out of her comfort zone, dropping her in Venice Beach in a brightly-colored leotard that pulls the leering, objective focus of men. It’s here – with her body on display, being consumed for other’s entertainment and enjoyment – that Barbie begins to suspect the real world is not a perfect mirror for the safe, nurturing environment she’s cultivated in Barbie Land.

“I feel kind of ill at ease, like I don’t know the word for it but I’m…conscious, but it’s…myself that I’m conscious of,” Barbie innocently tells Ken (Ryan Gosling) to which he enthusiastically replies, “I’m not getting any of that. I feel what can only be described as admired but not ogled. And there’s no undertone of violence.”

“Mine very much has an undertone of violence,” Barbie clarifies.

It’s a darkly comedic moment, one meant to land more with female viewers than anyone else. The threat of bodily harm is one that hounds every woman. It can dictate our daily habits – from how late we stay out at night to what we carry in our bags to who we accept help from. Our bodies are constantly judged – if not by others, then by ourselves. Did I cover up too much? Did I not cover up enough? Did I send some kind of signal? Did I not pay enough attention? Did the way I look, speak, or act somehow invite that dangerous attention? It’s maddeningly unfair, a woman’s reality, which is why it feels so cathartic to laugh at Barbie’s naivete in this scene. Here’s a gorgeous woman learning, for the first time, that her beauty doesn’t just belong to her as her himbo sidekick skates merrily along, completely oblivious and all too happy to reap the rewards of their reversal of circumstance.

That communal relief of being seen is what helps the film’s final scene – Barbie’s first trip to the gynecologist – land so perfectly. Despite being controversial among some swaths of audiences and critics, Barbie’s never more relatable to female viewers than when she excitedly arrives for her appointment, believing it to be a wondrous right of passage. She’ll learn the uncomfortable truth soon enough, but again, it’s the body and how womanhood means constantly learning about it, taking care of it, listening to it, and accepting it, that pushes Barbie to take this next life step.

Connecting with the body is what empowers both Barbie and Bella in their respective journeys. Bella’s stint at a Parisian brothel helps her to understand power dynamics as she fights for her right to say yes and when during her many sexual encounters. She discovers what pleases her, what doesn’t, and most importantly, why that knowledge is so threatening to men like Duncan and her estranged “husband,” a man eager to rob her of bits of her anatomy to better control her. Without a clitoris, without pleasure, perhaps she will shrink herself, but Bella’s body has already realized it’s not simply sex that makes her happy – it’s freedom. To choose, to hunger, to consume, to taste, to feel, to experience. And while her anatomy acts as a key to unlocking the larger world, Barbie’s evolution from artificial to organic teaches her about herself – her desires, her abilities, and her purpose.

In demystifying the female body, Gerwig and Lanthimos buck a troubling cinematic trend – one that’s sterilized some of the messier parts of being human. Movies and TV shows are constantly being criticized for sporting too much sex, superfluous nudity, or for putting bodies on display. Some do so needlessly, warranting that pushback. But if we ignore the body – especially the female body – in stories meant to confront stereotypes and challenge societal conventions, we lose a key element of womanhood. Worse, we relegate the female body to something unknowable, devaluing it, and making it easier to misunderstand, misdiagnose, and misuse.

Both Barbie and Poor Things know that there’s power in the female body. It’s time we own it.

The title of Renaissance: Act II has finally been unveiled. It was quite clear which sonic direction Beyoncé was heading in, based on the album’s lead singles, “16 Carriages” and the chart-topping “Texas Hold ‘Em.” But just to validate the public’s speculation, today (March 12), Beyoncé broke the internet by formally announcing the forthcoming project’s name — Cowboy Carter.

With the name and release date now known, there are still a few questions remaining. Will she launch another tour solely for this project? That remains unclear, but what the public does know is that there are bound to be a bunch of goodies (including physical copies of the album) available soon. Continue below for further details.

Will Beyoncé’s New Album ‘Cowboy Carter’ Be On Vinyl?

So, will the Beyhive have a chance to snag a copy of the upcoming project for the record player? The simple answer is yes. Well, at least while supplies last.

Beyoncé’s album, Cowboy Carter, is sure to hit streaming platforms on March 29. However, in the past, the singer has been very selective about which platforms grant access to her discography. In fact, just last year, she finally cleared her 2013 song “Grown Woman” off her self-titled album to be available on streaming. So, to avoid those exclusionary decisions, fans opt to purchase the physical copy of Beyoncé’s albums.

Each vinyl retails for $34. According to the description of each item, these records are an exclusive one-time pressing only available through Beyoncé’s website. It is important to note that the vinyls will only be shipped to the US and Canada. Vinyls are slated to ship starting on March 29, the album’s confirmed release date. Find more information here.

For years Dev Patel has been floated as a potential candidate for the next James Bond. With his directorial debut, Monkey Man, the actor has made it clear that he has far more up his sleeve than being a stuffy British spy.

Thanks to a hard-hitting trailer and feverish word of mouth coming out of SXSW, Patel looks to have delivered the next evolution in action cinema. In addition to directing and starring in Monkey Man, Patel also developed the story, making the film something of a passion project for the actor. Based on early reactions, it shows in every frame and brutal punch.

Here’s everything we know about Monkey Man including when you can catch it in theaters and another look at the badass trailer in case you missed it the first time around.

Plot

Described as John Wick in Mumbai, Monkey Man marks Dev Patel’s directorial debut as well as his first turn as an action star in this brutal fighter inspired by the legend of Hanuman.

According to Hindu mythology, Hanuman was a fierce monkey god who commanded his own monkey army that performed heroic feats and battles across India where he’s still worshipped to this day. Hanuman also stars in his own wildly popular series of comic books, but Patel has chosen to take the legend to a much more bloody and gritty place as the actor/director dons a monkey mask to pummel the ever-living crap out of his opponents.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

According to early reviews coming out of SXSW, Monkey Man is a brutal experience that’s quickly cementing Patel’s credentials as both an action star and director.

“Dev Patel comes out swinging, stabbing, and pulverizing in his hard-hitting debut,” Matt Donato wrote. “Dev’s adoration of action cinema shines as clear influences meld with his fiery storytelling.”

“MONKEY MAN is brutally violent, against the villains, but also against the hypocrisy of religion, the tyranny of caste, and the oppression of a corrupt government,” writes Josh Hurtado. “Dev Patel nailed it, bloody as hell and intense as f*ck.”

Cast

In addition to Patel, the Monkey Man cast includes Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher, and Makarand Deshpande.

Release Date

Monkey Man slams into theaters on April 5 thanks to producer Jordan Peele, who was so blown away by Patel’s directorial debut that he swooped in to give it a wide release.

Trailer

You can watch the official trailer for Monkey Man below:

Monkey Man hits theaters on April 5.

Beyoncé is officially welcoming fans to the Cowboy Carter era. The star made the announcement simply by changing her website’s homepage today, which features a saddle and a sash that bears the album title’s name. Considering it had been previously dubbed “Act II” as a follow-up to Renaissance, there’s certainly a lot of excitement now that she’s confirmed the clear country inspiration.

Along with the official announcement of the album title, Beyoncé added some new merch so fans can get prepared.

Here’s what to know about how to pick up a new item (or many!) from Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter collection.

How To Buy Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Merch

Beyoncé’s new merch for Cowboy Carter is currently available for purchase simply by accessing the “Shop” section at the top of her website. Once there, she offers a few different options. There are two box sets at the moment. One is a white t-shirt with an image of her posing in a cowboy hat, and on the back, it has “Cowboy Carter” in a vintage Marlboro-style font. This also has “Radio, Texas” and “100,000 Watts Of Healing Power” in a smaller type on the bottom of the shirt’s back.

The second shirt set option is a white and red ringer tee. This time, it has “Cowboy Carter” on the front in red, with a cutout image of Beyoncé posing with two finger pistols. The back of this one says, “Act II Cowboy Carter.” Both box sets are $40 and include a CD copy of the album with the respective shirt.

Other merch available in her store includes three limited vinyl copies in red, white, and blue for $40 each and two CD options for $12 each.

More information can be found here.