Plot: Moon is a curious young owl who unexpectedly finds himself stuck in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Plaza. In his attempts to escape the bustling city, Moon befriends a lost little girl named Luna. Together, they embark on a heartwarming adventure, discovering the magic of the holiday season and forming an unlikely bond as they journey back home to their parents.

Review: Alfonso Cuaron is as adventurous a director as a producer. While his name has been big this year thanks to the masterpiece that is the Apple TV+ series Disclaimer, Cuaron has lent his backing to the third short film in a trilogy for Disney+. Following 2022’s Le Pupille and last year’s The Shepherd, Cuaron enlists director David Lowery to wrap the Christmas-themed collection of shorts with An Almost Christmas Story. Boasting a distinct look and the vocal talents of John C. Reilly, Natasha Lyonne, and Jim Gaffigan, An Almost Christmas Story is a beautiful fable that clocks in at less than thirty minutes but is packed with enough heart to fill a full-length feature.

Based on a story by Alfonso Cuaron and Jack Thorne, An Almost Christmas Story follows a young owl named Moon, a troublemaking little bird. Voiced by Cary Christopher, Moon is an impressionable youngster who causes mischief despite his best intentions, much to the chagrin of his father, Papa Owl (Jim Gaffigan). When Moon causes damage to their home in the forest, Papa goes off to find a new nest, leaving Moon to look after his little sister. But, when Moon gets stuck in a tree headed to New York City, he must figure out how to get home. While in the city, Moon meets a dog named Dave (Alex Ross Perry), a pigeon named Pat (Natasha Lyonne), and some others voiced by Phil Rosenthal, Mamoudou Athie, and Gianna Joseph.

Moon also meets a young girl named Luna (Estrella Madrigal) with whom he forges a bond. The two explore some of New York and try to help each other find their way home. Along the way, they encounter a folk singer, voiced by John C. Reilly, who imparts a message for the holidays that connects directly with Moon and Luna. Over a very short time, the owl and child realize something about what Christmas means with a message that is less tied to the titular holiday than it is to the entirety of the Yuletide season. Some beautiful moments showcasing an animated New York landscape and a couple of intriguing sequences give this short a boost of action.

John C. Reilly performs the songs in the short as his folk singer character works as both a part of the story and a narrator. The songs written for An Almost Christmas Story are called “It’s Christmas Today” and “The Spirit of Christmas” and both are traditional sounding while also feeling new. Reilly has always been passionate about music, and his voice adds a nice touch to the already sweet short film. Reilly’s songs are accented by a nice score by Daniel Hart. It helps that all voice actors here deliver subdued performances without one going too broad. Jim Gaffigan is subtle as the concerned father owl, while Natasha Lyonne and Phil Rosenthal have their trademark New York accents on full display without venturing into being too cliche.

What stands out in this twenty-one-minute short is the unique animation style that looks like wood carvings come to life. The close-ups of the various animals appear almost to be homemade decorations that come to life, with the background characters looking like two-dimensional cutouts used to fill in the scenery. Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Enola Holmes) and director David Lowery wrote the script. Lowery has made some films for Disney, including 2016’s Pete’s Dragon and 2023’s Peter Pan & Wendy. The filmmaker has also created unique films ranging from Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and A Ghost Story to the acclaimed The Green Knight. Lowery has an eye for ethereal and haunting visuals, which in An Almost Christmas Story gives the film an other-worldly feel that is also very familiar and comforting.

An Almost Christmas Story is a beautiful little film that feels like a hand-carved ornament you would put on your tree this December. It is intricate and delicate but rich with emotion and feeling. Many feature-length films struggle to imbue the audience with the warmth I felt watching An Almost Christmas Story. As a companion to Le Pupille and The Shepherd, An Almost Christmas Story is my favorite of the three and a shoo-in for consideration during the award season. It’s worth checking out even if you are not in the holiday spirit.

An Almost Christmas Story premieres on November 15th on Disney+.

John C. Reillly

GREAT

8

The post An Almost Christmas Story Review: David Lowery and Alfonso Cuaron deliver a beautiful animated holiday fable appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: Moon is a curious young owl who unexpectedly finds himself stuck in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Plaza. In his attempts to escape the bustling city, Moon befriends a lost little girl named Luna. Together, they embark on a heartwarming adventure, discovering the magic of the holiday season and forming an unlikely bond as they journey back home to their parents.

Review: Alfonso Cuaron is as adventurous a director as a producer. While his name has been big this year thanks to the masterpiece that is the Apple TV+ series Disclaimer, Cuaron has lent his backing to the third short film in a trilogy for Disney+. Following 2022’s Le Pupille and last year’s The Shepherd, Cuaron enlists director David Lowery to wrap the Christmas-themed collection of shorts with An Almost Christmas Story. Boasting a distinct look and the vocal talents of John C. Reilly, Natasha Lyonne, and Jim Gaffigan, An Almost Christmas Story is a beautiful fable that clocks in at less than thirty minutes but is packed with enough heart to fill a full-length feature.

Based on a story by Alfonso Cuaron and Jack Thorne, An Almost Christmas Story follows a young owl named Moon, a troublemaking little bird. Voiced by Cary Christopher, Moon is an impressionable youngster who causes mischief despite his best intentions, much to the chagrin of his father, Papa Owl (Jim Gaffigan). When Moon causes damage to their home in the forest, Papa goes off to find a new nest, leaving Moon to look after his little sister. But, when Moon gets stuck in a tree headed to New York City, he must figure out how to get home. While in the city, Moon meets a dog named Dave (Alex Ross Perry), a pigeon named Pat (Natasha Lyonne), and some others voiced by Phil Rosenthal, Mamoudou Athie, and Gianna Joseph.

Moon also meets a young girl named Luna (Estrella Madrigal) with whom he forges a bond. The two explore some of New York and try to help each other find their way home. Along the way, they encounter a folk singer, voiced by John C. Reilly, who imparts a message for the holidays that connects directly with Moon and Luna. Over a very short time, the owl and child realize something about what Christmas means with a message that is less tied to the titular holiday than it is to the entirety of the Yuletide season. Some beautiful moments showcasing an animated New York landscape and a couple of intriguing sequences give this short a boost of action.

John C. Reilly performs the songs in the short as his folk singer character works as both a part of the story and a narrator. The songs written for An Almost Christmas Story are called “It’s Christmas Today” and “The Spirit of Christmas” and both are traditional sounding while also feeling new. Reilly has always been passionate about music, and his voice adds a nice touch to the already sweet short film. Reilly’s songs are accented by a nice score by Daniel Hart. It helps that all voice actors here deliver subdued performances without one going too broad. Jim Gaffigan is subtle as the concerned father owl, while Natasha Lyonne and Phil Rosenthal have their trademark New York accents on full display without venturing into being too cliche.

What stands out in this twenty-one-minute short is the unique animation style that looks like wood carvings come to life. The close-ups of the various animals appear almost to be homemade decorations that come to life, with the background characters looking like two-dimensional cutouts used to fill in the scenery. Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Enola Holmes) and director David Lowery wrote the script. Lowery has made some films for Disney, including 2016’s Pete’s Dragon and 2023’s Peter Pan & Wendy. The filmmaker has also created unique films ranging from Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and A Ghost Story to the acclaimed The Green Knight. Lowery has an eye for ethereal and haunting visuals, which in An Almost Christmas Story gives the film an other-worldly feel that is also very familiar and comforting.

An Almost Christmas Story is a beautiful little film that feels like a hand-carved ornament you would put on your tree this December. It is intricate and delicate but rich with emotion and feeling. Many feature-length films struggle to imbue the audience with the warmth I felt watching An Almost Christmas Story. As a companion to Le Pupille and The Shepherd, An Almost Christmas Story is my favorite of the three and a shoo-in for consideration during the award season. It’s worth checking out even if you are not in the holiday spirit.

An Almost Christmas Story premieres on November 15th on Disney+.

John C. Reillly

GREAT

8

The post An Almost Christmas Story Review: David Lowery and Alfonso Cuaron deliver a beautiful animated holiday fable appeared first on JoBlo.

 Poetry Comics Month, Day 12: Repetition

The Alien franchise is set to continue on the small screen with an “FX on Hulu” TV series called Alien: Earth, from Fargo creator Noah Hawley. The show began filming in Thailand last year, then had to halt production after a month due to the actors strike. Filming resumed earlier this year and wrapped a few months ago – and now the first footage has been unveiled! This footage can be seen in the embed above, a video Disney+ released to celebrate five years of their streaming service and to give a preview of the shows that will be reaching Disney+ and “Hulu on Disney+” in the next year (so Alien: Earth could be described as an “FX on Hulu on Disney+” project), as Hulu is streaming in the Disney+ app for Bundle subscribers in the United States.

Of course, Alien: Earth isn’t the only show featured in this promo video. We also get a look at FX’s The Bear (Season 4), Andor (Season 2, streaming April 22nd), Hulu’s Chad Powers, Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again (streaming March 4th), Hulu’s Good American Family (formerly known as Orphan), Goosebumps: The Vanishing (streaming January 10th on Disney+ and Hulu), Marvel Television’s Ironheart (streaming June 24th), Hulu’s Paradise, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Season 2), Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (streaming December 3, 2024), and Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 6).

One of the first things we heard about the Alien TV series – and one of the most surprising things about it – is that it will be set on Earth (thus the title), a couple of decades before the events of the first movie. FX chairman John Landgraf has said the show will take place “right near the end of this century.” According to Deadline, the setting puts it “a few years before Prometheus,” which Hawley has previously said he has chosen not to acknowledge. Hawley decided to set the show on Earth because “The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of ‘What happens if you can’t contain it?’ are more immediate.“ Variety noted that the Alien TV series will “explore the formation of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the race to create android life.”

Alien: Earth has the following synopsis: When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.

Chandler’s Alien character is the meta-human Wendy, who has the body of an adult, but the brain and consciousness of a child. Her co-stars include Essie Davis (The Babadook) as Dame Silvia, Alex Lawther (The End of the F*cking World) as a soldier named CJ, Samuel Blenkin (Black Mirror) as a CEO named Boy Kavalier, Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as a character named Slightly, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as a character called Tootles, and Timothy Olyphant (Justified) Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Wendy. Babou Ceesay (Guerrilla), Jonathan Ajayi (Wonder Woman 1984), Erana James (The Wilds), Lily Newmark (Sex Education), Diêm Camille (Washington Black), Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones), Moe Bar-El (The Peripheral), and David Rysdahl (Fargo season 5) are in the cast as well, but no details have been revealed about their characters. Sandra Yi Sencindiver of Foundation will be playing “a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation” in multiple episodes, and her role could be expanded as the series continues.

What did you think of the Alien: Earth footage featured in the Disney+ promo, and of the footage from other shows? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Disney unveils the first Alien: Earth footage in 2025 promo video that also features Marvel, Star Wars, & more appeared first on JoBlo.

Another new showreel of Disney Plus’s upcoming shows has appeared, and alongside new glimpses of Daredevil, Ironheart and Alien: Earth, the first ever footage of Andor season 2 can be seen.

Read more…

Another new showreel of Disney Plus’s upcoming shows has appeared, and alongside new glimpses of Daredevil, Ironheart and Alien: Earth, the first ever footage of Andor season 2 can be seen.

Read more…

There have been some exciting reveals coming out of D23 Brazil this past weekend. Most notably, Marvel Studios would release new trailers for the upcoming movies in the MCU slate — Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. Captain America: Brave New World would give fans an even more extended look at Harrison Ford’s President Ross as he turns into the Red Hulk. And the Thunderbolts* trailer would show off more of the dynamic between the team as the new look featured a good chunk of a chase scene, where our anti-heroes are being pursued by mysterious military vehicles, and Bucky Barnes comes to their rescue.

Deadline is now reporting that MCU head Kevin Feige has teased some additional information from this past weekend. He tells the Brazilian website Omelete that despite the news of the Blade reboot being taken off their calendar, the studio is still “committed” to the project. Feige explained,

We love the character, we love Mahershala’s version of him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know. You’re up to date on what’s going on. But I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU.”

Additionally, with the premiere of the Disney+ series Agatha All Along, many were wondering about the whereabouts of Scarlet Witch. Feige would also cryptically address this matter as he say, “Since then (Agatha), there have been a lot of questions about Wanda on fans’ minds… So all I can say is that we’re excited to find out when and how the Scarlet Witch might return.” He would also confirm that there are no current plans to bring Miles Morales’ Spider-Man into the MCU, but he does say, “I hope that, shortly after that (Beyond the Spider-Verse), he can enter the MCU in live-action.”

There may be extra multiverse branch projects brewing at the studio as well, since Ryan Reynolds claimed that Marvel has been obsessed with Channing Tatum’s Gambit since his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine. Reynolds would explain, “I honestly don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they’re obsessed with him in that role. It’s kind of like the same situation I went through. Once you show that it works well, that’s really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action.”

The post Kevin Feige says the Blade reboot is still alive appeared first on JoBlo.

SPOILERS: This article will contain spoilers for the newest episodes of Yellowstone, particularly the fate of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

With the release of the second half of season five of Yellowstone, fans finally learned what became of John Dutton following the seemingly endless disputes between portrayer Kevin Costner and the suits. Even if you haven’t had a chance to see the premiere episode, it seems like everybody now knows. But one who hasn’t exactly learned — not firsthand, anyway — was Costner himself. As he revealed on The Michael Smerconish Program (via Deadline), “I didn’t see it. I heard it’s a suicide, so that doesn’t make me want to rush to go see it.”

Kevin Costner went on to elaborate as to what went down behind the scenes of Yellowstone and why he was ultimately written out. “I didn’t really have to leave anything behind. There were the gaps that were there. There was contractual things that would allow for both things to be done, but because both things were contractual, you had to make room for the other thing. There was room, but it was difficult for them to keep their schedule. It seemed to be, it was just too difficult for them to do it. There was the time there, what happened, you can deal with it. But no one, I didn’t leave. I didn’t quit the show. Okay? I had made a contract to do all three. There was a contract in place to do all three. And within about an eight-month period, two more different kind of contracts were being negotiated. Not at my request, but at their request to try to do things.” Costner said that once things went too far, he knew he had to ride off into the sunset.

At a certain point – and much longer than learning about the fate of John Dutton – Kevin Costner said he would return to Yellowstone if the circumstances worked out. With Dutton being killed off, it’s a guarantee now that this won’t happen. On the bright side, it did let him explore the western genre in a more epic form, further developing his Horizon saga.

How do you feel about the way John Dutton was killed off on Yellowstone? Was it a cheap end for Costner’s character or did it work?

The post Kevin Costner is in no rush to see the new Yellowstone season but knows about John Dutton’s fate appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.

Review: Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune has proven that once considered unadaptable, Frank Herbert’s novels could make for critical and commercial successes in the right creative hands. With the first film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Dune: Part Two destined for the same honor, the franchise’s future has never been more in the zeitgeist. Seizing the opportunity to explore other formats and media, Warner Bros and HBO have developed Dune: Prophecy. This prequel series explains the origins of the mystical sect seen in the films known as the Bene Gesserit. Chronicling the familiar Houses of Harkonnen, Atreides, and Corrino, Dune: Prophecy takes a cue from series like Game of Thrones to explore the palace intrigue of royal families, commoners rising through the ranks, backstabbing, and destiny to deepen the mythology of Dune beyond the planet of Arrakis.

Having seen four of the six episodes that comprise the first season of Dune: Prophecy, I am torn about how this series fits alongside the feature films. As far as plot elements, Dune: Prophecy shares a lot in common with the Games of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, as both series namecheck ancestors of characters from the main series while dramatizing events that are key to the events of the films set in the distant past. As fans of the Dune novels know, one hundred centuries before the first book, a war was waged between the humans and the thinking machines that were destroying them. Dune: Prophecy picks up one hundred and sixteen years after that war, The Butlerian Jihad, as House Corrino has taken control of the Imperium. Familiar Houses like Harkonnen and Atreides exist but are lesser compared to the major families. Much of this series is set at the seat of the Imperium, where Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) rules alongside his consort, Empress Natalya (Jodhi May). Javicco is preparing his daughter, Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), for indoctrination into the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit and marriage to forge a bond with House Richese. This comes when soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) returns from Arakkis with a message for the Emperor.

The first episode of Dune: Prophecy sets the foundation for how Reverend Mother Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) shape the next generation of Truthsayers to control the various Houses behind the scenes. We meet young Sisters, including Theodosia (Jade Anouka), Emeline (Aoife Hinds), Lila (Chloe Lea), and more, as they learn the ways of the Sisterhood while questioning the potentially dangerous leadership of Valya and Tula, which unfolds via flashbacks to how they gained control of the Bene Gesserit. We also see how a shocking event at the end of the premiere episode puts Emperor Javicco’s control at risk and how Desmond Hart plays a key role in what is to come. The atmosphere of the series feels more opulent than the setting of Arrakis, as the Emperor lives on Salusa Secundus, a planet briefly seen as training grounds for soldiers in the Dune films. On Salusa Secundus, we see the nightlife of the aristocracy, which involves nightclubs teeming with spice usage and lots of sex. We also visit each House’s home planet, ranging from forested (Atreides) to frozen (Harkonnen).

The lack of technology is seen briefly in a sequence showing the downfall of machines with robotics factoring into the plot. There are also connections to the Dune films as we see swordmasters using training shields, some shots of massive sandworms, and the mind-controlling skill known as The Voice by the Bene Gesserit. There are also references to elements from the sequel novel, Dune Messiah, that I will not spoil here as it is a major plot twist. Needless to say, there is a lot to unpack in this short season, and by the fourth episode, I am still unsure how they will pull it all together with just two chapters remaining. I can say that fans of the prequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Andersen, both of whom are credited as executive producers on Dune: Prophecy, will find a lot of changes from the published books. Like HBO’s adaptations of George R.R. Martin’s novels, this series draws the books’ main timeline and plot points and includes many characters from them. It also has new creations that are original to this series and expand on elements from the thirteen prequel books.

Some of the elements of Dune: Prophecy are intriguing, such as the skill shown by Desmond Hart, which has no equivalent in the book series. The power hierarchy within the Imperium is interesting, but what we see inside The Sisterhood is far more interesting than the palace intrigue and political conversations between the established Houses we know by name and the multiple new families you have to try and keep straight. The Harkonnens are much different than the bald, powerful empire seen in the films, but knowing they are monsters makes it hard to root for them here. Equally, the similarities between this series and Game of Thrones purely from a structural standpoint make this series feel a bit derivative rather than an interesting foray deeper into the mythology of Dune. Travis Fimmel does some interesting work as the standalone character in the story, while Mark Strong feels like he is sleepwalking through his character. Emily Watson and Olivia Williams have an intriguing dynamic in their story arcs, but they do not have enough time to work together on screen.

Director Anna Foerster (Westworld, Outlander) helmed the first episode and the final two, with John Cameron (Severance) helming the second episode and Richard J. Lewis (Westworld) helming episodes three and four. None of these three directors are anywhere close to the visual grandeur of what Denis Villeneuve brought to the Dune films, making Dune: Prophecy feel smaller than the films that bring viewers to this story. Alison Schapker (Fringe, Lost, Westworld) serves as showrunner after co-creating the series with Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor), and the pair manages to give the female characters their due in a show that previously carried the subtitle The Sisterhood. Scott Z. Burns and Dune co-screenwriter Jon Spaihts are credited as executive producers, while Villeneuve is not. Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front) does not come close to Hans Zimmer’s memorable score but does lend some gravitas to the series.

Dune: Prophecy is a well-made series with high production values and a solid cast of veterans and newcomers, but it cannot help but feel like a replica of Game of Thrones set in outer space. With a limited run of episodes for the first season, I expected more from this series, which spends each episode too heavily reliant on characters talking to each other rather than providing a compelling argument for telling this story rather than other periods from the ten thousand years before Paul Atreides arrived on Arrakis. Frank Herbert’s novels were not shy from sexual content and focused heavily on conversations about political action rather than actual action, so Dune: Prophecy does not stray far from the source material. However, audiences flocked to HBO’s Game of Thrones because it was compelling, interesting, and a unique world to visit with characters to root for. While Dune: Prophecy certainly has the potential to achieve the first two, none of these characters are worth caring about. If you loved the Dune movies, this is worth watching to learn more background instead of reading thousands of pages, but it is not nearly as interesting or entertaining as the feature films.

Dune: Prophecy premieres on November 17th on HBO.

Dune: Prophecy

AVERAGE

6

The post Dune: Prophecy TV Review: The prequel series dives into the mythology of the sci-fi franchise appeared first on JoBlo.

December 2025 may feel like an eternity away, but with just over a year out, you know we’re going to be getting all sorts of news and teases for one of the most anticipated films of next year: James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. Fresh out of the D23 Expo in Brazil comes some concept art that gives us an idea of what we can expect.

Some of the highlights of this year’s D23 Expo included trailers for MCU films like Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts. But we all know that Avatar: Fire and Ash will be the one that dazzles us all the most next year. So at this point, really anything related to the film will be much welcome. You can check out some of the revealed artwork below:

Not surprisingly, the work is stunning looking, and considering just how much commitment James Cameron gives to these films (and pretty much everything else he wants to involve himself in), we know we’re in for a visual feast and probably yet another Best Visual Effects win at the Oscars to go with the series’ other two. That we won’t have the excruciatingly long wait between films that we did with the first Avatar and 2022’s The Way of Water only helps in our anticipation.

As for the very George R.R. Martin-sounding title of Fire and Ash, James Cameron noted just why it’s key to the film and development of his world. “It took a long time to come up with a title that I felt resonated with what’s in the film. I don’t think I could say too much about it until you actually see the film and you see what it means, but if you think of fire as hatred, anger, violence, that sort of thing, and ash is the aftermath. So what’s the aftermath? Grief, loss, right? And then what does that cause in the future? More violence, more anger, more hatred. It’s a vicious cycle. So that’s the thinking.”

You can check out more of the concept art for Avatar: Fire and Ash on the official D23 X page. The film comes out on December 19th, 2025.

What do you think of the art for Avatar: Fire and Ash? Where does it rank on your list of most anticipated films of 2025?

The post Avatar: Fire and Ash concept art teases future of Pandora appeared first on JoBlo.