Category: Entertainment

The famed booth from the concluding episode of “The Sopranos” was successfully sold on eBay for $82,600 on March 4th, according to the auction website. The auction, which attracted 238 bids, featured the original booth where the Soprano Family was situated during the iconic final scene.

The booth, complete with both seats, a table, and a divider wall featuring the plaque “Reserved for the Sopranos Family,” was listed for sale by the owners of Holsten’s Ice Cream in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Their decision to part with the famous booth was prompted by ongoing renovations at their ice cream shop, citing the need for an upgrade due to the compromised integrity of the over 60-year-old furniture.

In a recent post, the owners expressed their reluctance to bid farewell to the beloved booth but stressed the necessity of the upgrade. The buyer is responsible for collecting the items from Bloomfield, and it’s important to note that the sale does not include the jukebox, as mentioned on the auction website.

“The Sopranos,” a crime drama created by David Chase, premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999, featuring the anxiety-filled mobster Tony Soprano, portrayed by the late James Gandolfini, and his wife Carmela, played by Edie Falco. The much-debated finale aired on June 10, 2007, leaving the audience in suspense as the Soprano family gathered at a diner while Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played. The scene concluded abruptly with a black screen, and David Chase has never disclosed the fate of Tony Soprano in that final moment.

Go just a few years back and K-dramas and Korean film was a healthy but niche film and TV genre. Then along came Netflix’s Squid Game which currently sits as Netflix’s most viewed show (based on the first 91 days on Netflix).

Since Squid Game’s massive success, K-dramas have gained even more popularity in the U.S and across the world. This coincides with increased interest in foreign films and media. The amazing success of the small budget Japanese film Godzilla: Minus One is one example of this growing interest.

Her comes the big question for both fans of Korean media and those simply looking for well made entertainment. What do we have to look forward to in 2024?

I you want to see a list of upcoming Korean films and K-dramas, check out this site.

I saw “Dune: Part Two” last week and I was not disappointed.

As both a sequel to the first part and as a movie on its own, it did excellently. The first thing to mention is the stunning cinematography and visuals. This along side the deep, booming, sound design and amazing score by Hans Zimmer brings such an impactful presence to the story, world, and characters.

Overall the acting was good. The set design was excellent. And they did a good job of taking a fairly long second half of the book and condensing it without sacrificing much of the story. They might have overdone the dramatic slo-mo entrances a bit, but they were still pretty cool.

Dune’s opening weekend had a Domestic box office of $82.5M and a International Box office of $100M bringing Dune to a very strong $182.5M box office total. That number is just shy of Dune: Part Two’s entire budget, which is estimated to be $190M. This is very impressive, particularly when compared to many recent action movies that have struggled or failed to recuperate their budget during their runs in the theater.

I normally do not like it when movies lack color and the saturation is turn way down leaving everything drab and dirty looking. However, it is not out of place in Dune, both because of the setting and because of the thematic elements of the books. Being a desert planet, it does not have many colors outside of shades of orange and yellow, which makes sense. Thematically, the books are on the darker side, so the color de-saturation did not seem out of place and I thought it was a good choice.

Like the first part it is a long movie, with a runtime of 2 hours and 46 minutes. However, they do a good job of not letting it drag. I noticed the length a little more than watching the first one, but I did not find myself getting bored or hoping it would end soon.

Were the movie faltered for me was with some of its deviation from the book. Particularly where it came to the character of Chani (played by actress Zendaya). Some of the movie’s general changes were understandable, and others quite necessary to insure a smooth pacing. However, when it came to the character of Chani, she felt somewhat out of place and was more in line with what you would expect from a teen action drama film or book from the 2010’s.

Despite my small criticism, the film was otherwise exemplary. I think it will be hard for anything else this year to top it and I would certainly recommend it!

If you like action, Sci-Fi, or just good films this is one you will probably not want to miss out on.

Marvel Studios revealed the cast for its new “Fantastic Four” movie in a straightforward manner on Instagram. The Valentine’s Day announcement introduced Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the stars of the film. The post identified Pascal as Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Quinn as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch).

The film, directed by Matt Shakman, is set to release on July 25, 2025. Notable previous casts for “Fantastic Four” films include Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis in 2005 and 2007, and Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell in 2015.

Tom Cruise has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to produce and develop theatrical films, as announced in a news release on Tuesday. The collaboration aims to create both original and franchise films starting this year. Warner Bros. Discovery, expressed enthusiasm about working with Cruise and stated their goal of restoring the studio’s former glory. Cruise, known for his roles in iconic Warner Bros. films, shared his excitement on Instagram.

While the announcement didn’t provide details on specific projects, Cruise has a history of collaborating with Warner Bros. on films like “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” Cruise has been a vocal advocate for the theatrical experience, encouraging audiences to support theaters amid the pandemic and the popularity of at-home streaming. Notably, his involvement in “Top Gun: Maverick” was credited by director Steven Spielberg as potentially saving the entire theatrical industry. The sequel achieved significant success, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film in North American history, earning nearly $1.5 billion worldwide since its September 2022 release.