Matthew Monagle

Even months before the movie was released, it was pretty obvious that Thor had no real place in Captain America: Civil War. That film was rooted in political intrigue and manipulation of trust; Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is really more of the Mary Poppins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not really worrying so much about the day-to-day and just popping in whenever he’s needed the most. To remain true to the character, there was no scenario in which Thor did not just roll his eyes and head back to Asgard until the whole thing had blown over.

Throughout the production of Fast 8, the cast and crew of the upcoming Fast and the Furious sequel have used their Fridays as a time to share some pretty great photos and video on the movie’s Facebook page. Some of these posts have been behind-the-scenes videos of a shot in progress; others have been footage of the cast involved in charity work in the various countries they have visited. Each post not only suggests the size and scale of the movie, but the impact of the film series on the entire world.

Odds are you’ve probably rolled your eyes more than a few times after hearing Jared Leto’s approach to playing the Joker in the upcoming Suicide Squad. We’ve talked here before about the actor’s refusal to break character and his uncomfortable gifts to his costars; what we should also remember is that Leto’s Joker seems to be the perfect version of that character for Zack Snyder and David Ayer's vision of the DC universe. If Leto’s take on the Joker proves the quiet optimists like me right, DC Films would do well to give audiences a chance to see Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jared Leto’s Joker in action.

If you’re like me, even after all these years, you can still remember everything that happened in The Bourne Identity pretty clearly. It’s when you get to The Bourne Supremacy that things start to get a little fuzzy. I remember an early scene in the second film where Matt Damon’s Bourne and Franka Potente’s Marie are ambushed by Karl Urban’s Treadstone assassin, and then some sort of car chase in an Eastern European city, but that’s about the last major plot point I can keep straight in my head. Was Brian Cox in the second film? Didn’t the third film have some sort of investigative journalist? Did Bourne actually ever get his memory back in the three films? Does The Bourne Legacy even matter at all?

With Suicide Squad only a few weeks away, Warner Bros. and DC Films knew they didn’t need to go big at Comic-Con International this year, only nudge us just a little bit more in the right direction. To that end, their big reveals weren’t new so much as improved: a new trailer cut to emphasize the film’s soundtrack and a new batch of publicity photos showing off the film’s key characters.

If someone asked me to trace my personal development as a cinephile, I’m pretty sure that Mystery Science Theater 3000 would be one of the most important stops along the way. I grew up watching the show; it instilled in me an appreciation for pointless pop culture knowledge as well as an affection for so-called bad movies. Mike, Joel and the bots may have spent their time mocking ’70s and ’80s films, but there was always an undercurrent of good cheer and low-budget kinship that I admired.

Where were you when you first found out that Seth Rogen was making an animated movie about sex-crazed foodstuffs? I don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to say that this will be the kind of moment that defines a generation. Grizzled old men will sit around campfires and tell bright-eyed children wondrous stories about the Before Time, a time when animated movies were for children and food was just a thing you ate. The world is much different now.

If you take a look at the official Power Rangers photos released by Lionsgate to this point, it’s easy to see the pattern they have in mind. First came a group shot of the cast out of costume, then came a group shot of the cast in costume. This past week, Lionsgate released individual character posters on its Instagram channel for each of the new cast members, as well as a new photo of Elizabeth Banks in her Rita Repulsa get-up. I’m not a betting man, but if this pattern holds, I’d keep an eye out for some individualized photos of the Power Rangers costumes before too long

Headed to Comic-Con International this month? Be sure to keep your eyes open: Entertainment Weekly reports that copies this new Doctor Strange poster will be distributed at the convention, which runs from July 21–24. This may not be the announcement of a Doctor Strange panel that a lot of fans are still hoping for, but as far as consolation prizes go, it’s pretty darn acceptable.

With Disney throwing a massive amount of resources behind their new Star Wars property, one of the more interesting things to come out of Star Wars Celebration was the news that Luscasfilm would not shy away from using emerging technologies like virtual reality to tell Star Wars stories. Case in point? A brand new Darth Vader virtual reality experience, which the folks at Entertainment Weekly have written up alongside quotes from the producers and crew.

Remember those dramatic last minutes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Rey landing on a distant planet. A robed figure pulls back his hood to reveal an anguished Luke Skywalker. Rey reaches out, lightsaber in hand, as the camera pulls back and a familiar fanfare starts to play ...

The death of Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens came as a pretty big shock for die-hard Star Wars fans (unless you’re like me and had it spoiled by the random eight-year-old sitting next to you moments before the movie started). And since we barely had a chance to catch our breath before the film moved into the final climactic duel between Kylo Ren and Rey, you can be forgiven for hoping that the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII would circle back to the death of Han Solo and take a few minutes to send the character off right. You know, give us a little closure.