Dais Johnston

Film festivals may only be attended by a handful of people, but they can have massive effects on cinema as a whole. Festival reactions can make or break a film, and the word of mouth after a successful screening can do more for a reputation than even the most expensive marketing campaigns. But even more interesting than the movie that sparks universal acclaim is the movie that divides critics, leaving it to the viewer to decide which stance to take.

Anime or manga live-action adaptations are one of the riskiest subgenres out there. Because of the highly stylized, often quite over-the-top storytelling in anime, translating it to the “real world” can easily seem cheesy at best and embarrassing at worst. But when it’s done well, it can bring a whole new audience into the story. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more projects thread this needle, like Netflix’s One Piece or Alice in Borderland.

TV franchises are all over broadcast history. Happy Days launched Mork and Mindy, Cheers launched Frasier, and Law and Order launched an entire Dick Wolf-iverse. Even today, that hasn’t stopped: The Big Bang Theory sparked both Young Sheldon and the upcoming sci-fi series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

As alliances are made, 'House of the Dragon' finally introduces a well and proper villain.

Where each character stands as Tumbleton falls and Ormund falters.

Mike Flanagan, the horror mogul who made several hit series for Netflix, and Stephen King, the prolific writer of countless novels, have formed one of the most trusting relationships in entertainment. After 2017’s Gerald’s Game, Flanagan has repeatedly returned to King’s work, from the Shining sequel Doctor Sleep to the wholesome joy of The Life of Chuck.

'Spaceballs: The New One' has finally revealed its plot synopsis, and it sounds awfully familiar.

Horror movies often hinge entirely on the strength of their villain. From Ghostface to Jason Voorhees, a great baddie with a look that will sell Halloween costumes is a great way to secure yourself a place in horror history. There’s perhaps no better example than Nightmare on Elm Street ’s Freddy Krueger, whose striped sweater, ratty fedora, and a glove decked out in knives proved the iconic look for the slasher series.

In massive franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not everything makes it to production. Projects are announced as being in development all the time, and then that’s the last fans hear of them until they’re eventually shelved years later. But shelved doesn’t always mean canceled, and in rare circumstances, movies or TV shows can be sent back to the drawing board and retooled.

There may be about 150 years between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, but the biggest difference isn’t the setting; it’s the dragons. By the time of Game of Thrones, it was thought that all the dragons had gone extinct — that’s why Daenerys's hatching of her three dragon eggs was so extraordinary.