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Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Defeating inner villains
For someone who had sworn off Marvel films (minus some reluctant watches every now and then), I wasn't sure what to expect as I walked into the theatre to watch Thunderbolts*. To tell the truth, I was busy juggling a cup of soft drink and a tipping bucket of popcorn to do a last-minute rundown on my expectations. It didn't help that my brother and I had just missed Marvel's fanfare intro while we had yet to find our seats in the dark. I blame his consistent underestimation of his tardiness. But we made it. Just in time to see Yelena Belova - who we'd first met during a Covid-friendly, indoor screening of Black Widow — in the middle of two death-dealing missions. I'll avoid sharing the first one to curb spoilers. The second, and arguably the harder one, was her long-awaited challenge to please a tough crowd of MCU fans. Here's where I'll offer mild spoilers: Yelena succeeded, and so did her team of misfits. 'Misfits' is, perhaps, a loose term. 'Companions' seems more fitting, more grounded in what the film is all about - sticking together. For some, the idea of misunderstood anti-heroes triggers an automatic eye roll, since complexity seems to be out of fashion in a simple-minded, brainrotted era of human existence. But that is exactly where the appeal of this film lies. We've seen these characters before. Better yet, we've seen them fail. We've seen them at their worst. So how do they bounce back, if at all? Better than the retirees? Before Thunderbolts* could even influence my judgements, the superhero tentpole took me on a nostalgic trip. It reminded me of my long-running qualms about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hot and maybe indigestible take, but our original Avengers hardly felt like friends, or even a squad united by shared motivations safe for saving the world. Maybe that's a good-enough reason to team up for some, but it is hardly sufficient to keep a motley crew tied together. Aside from some signature MCU humour and the only woman in the team suggestively approaching almost every man, there were no emotional strings connecting all six of the original Avengers. Some might argue that it was never smooth-sailing for our heroes, that we got a literal civil war out of it. But if one can't imagine a weighty conversation between Natasha and Thor, then that begs the question of why we even got a scene of a bench being hurled into oblivion in Avengers: Endgame. So here's what Thunderbolts* does better. It didn't need to shoehorn friendship into a group that only had space for hostility. Boasting an accidental lineup of defective heroes, it never set out to create a billboard-friendly dream team - one that looked so good as a concept that it outranked futile things like a meaningful connection or a common purpose. No, Thunderbolts* nurtures imperfection like it's a battle scar, something that's not worth romanticising but sticks with you as a reminder of your pain anyway. It is a film about flawed people who make flawed choices that land them in flawed circumstances. Instead of role models, it gives you weapons learning to become human again. But weapons fire bullets, draw blood, and rein carnage. They may be used in defense, but they don't promise kindness. That's the point of Thunderbolts*; you can't expect safety until the magazine is empty, until everything is out. And that's exactly what our anti-heroes struggle with: letting go. This failure, ironically, is what also brings them closer. Like a forced group therapy session. Because we all have to face our monsters eventually. And no, Avengers: Endgame, a slap over a panic attack is not the way to set off a massacre survivor's healing process. Thunderbolts* fixes that, along with many other things. In fact, the film is a star-speckled bandage over an MCU fan's bruising, superhero-loving heart. And the best part is, it's an easy fix. No over-complicated plotlines or supervillains, no extravagant invasions from space, just a battle of the mind. A war to win back one's lost self-preservation. A story for everyone You know a superhero film has done a good job when you can't pick a highlight. The narrative of Thunderbolts* unravels as gracefully as it is weaved, letting the audience grasp the twists of each thread. It is especially a treat if you've seen all those threads on different dresses before. Each character represents an aspect of a mental low that hits where it hurts. There's Florence Pugh's Yelena, who is a crushing personification of denial and its eventual outburst. Then there's her father, David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov, who buries his emotions much like his daughter, though under the dregs of long-lost glory. If you remember the fate of Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr in Ant-Man and the Wasp, you'd already be devastated to learn from the trailer alone that she's back to doing what she was running from, being a heart-rending reminder of how cruel a relapse can be. Then there's Wyatt Russell's John Walker, who hides behind expired grandeur to ward off his self-esteem issues. And how can we forget Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, who has been a faithful reminder that broken people can indeed fix themselves if they wish to regain stolen control? In contrast, Lewis Pullman's standout debut as Robert "Bob" Reynolds is a show-stealer in its own right for portraying emotional alienation for what it is - an abyss that lures the sufferer away from the point of return. With the characters mapped out like this, it's easy to trace the lines that connect them all and even easier to see where they intersect. They shouldn't work together, they don't even want to, but they can't deny that they see each other for what they are. And maybe, as they navigate these uncomfortable reflections, they finally put an end to the battles they've been fighting the longest. While Thunderbolts* had many expectations to live up to, it ended up setting a precedent for future MCU films. It proved that a worthwhile superhero film need not strive for higher than it can deliver. Sometimes, the answer is not to think outside the box, but to look within and see what it's been hiding. That may as well be the untapped potential of superhumans who are trying to save themselves before they can save the world.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Deeper Look at the Vacation Destinations in The White Lotus
It seems like everyone is talking about the murder mystery series The White Lotus these days. We understand the obsession as we, too, have been on the edge of our seats every Sunday night when a new episode drops on HBO Max. The third season, set on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand, is preparing to wrap, bringing us closer to discovering which of the eccentric characters gets killed and by whom. (Is it the monkeys? Several online threads support the theory that the cute but dangerous monkey troupes are the gun-holders teased in the first episode.) Creator and director Mike White has made it a game for viewers to pin down the victims and suspects among groups of well-to-do vacationers and the high-end resort's staff and has slipped in some uncomfortable scenes to keep us stirring. (Yes, we're talking about the incest storyline that's been blowing up the Internet.) We won't spoil any more for those who've been sleeping on The White Lotus train (psst…there's still time to binge before the April 6 finale!). Instead, we'll highlight the breathtaking locations featured in the show's three seasons, plus how the term 'set-jetting' has taken on new life thanks to the popular series. When we were first introduced to The White Lotus in 2021, the series took place in Wailea, perched on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It follows several groups of upper-class vacationers during their getaway at the fictitious The White Lotus resort and their interactions with the staff and each other. As we said, we won't spoil the ending, but we will shout out the star-studded cast, which includes Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Alexandra Daddario, Syndey Sweeney, and Lukas Gage, to name a few. Since filming was during the 2020 pandemic, the cast and crew hunkered down at the five-star, five-diamond Four Seasons Resort in Maui, which was turned into The White Lotus, according to Vox. 'HBO came to me and was hoping I could come up with some idea that was Covid-friendly, and in one location, and at the time, I was like, 'How do I get out of L.A. and go somewhere that's not like punishing?'' White told The Hollywood Reporter at the series' premiere in July 2021. 'I was like, 'Maybe we can do a show in a posh hotel?'' White, who also wrote the screenplay for memorable films like School of Rock (2003) and, more recently, Despicable Me 4 (2024), as per his IMDB profile. 'That was kind of the initial idea, then I thought there's something I've always wanted to write about the leisure world and people trying to escape their lives and then ending up being more stuck in a crucible.' While the series immediately caught fire on the streamer (though Season 3 nabbed the show's best ratings ever, with Episode 6 raking in 4.2 million viewers when it aired via Forbes), it has also done wonders for the locations' tourism. According to the Junior Account Executive of Four Seasons Resort Maui, Clarissa Martinez, the hotel experienced a 425 percent year-over-year (YOY) increase in website visits and a 386 percent increase in availability checks during the show's first season, in what's being called 'The White Lotus effect.' 'We've seen remarkable sustained interest in Four Seasons Resort Maui since The White Lotus first aired, reflecting both the series' status as a pop culture phenomenon and the rising set-jetting trend,' Martinez told us via email. 'Travelers are increasingly drawn to experiencing the authentic locations behind their favorite shows, and Four Seasons Resort Maui offers that perfect intersection of television history and luxury hospitality.' She also credits the hotel's rise in tourists to the time that the show aired, as travel restrictions had started to ease, and more people sought to get out of town. However, filming was a treat for the Four Seasons staff as well since they remained on the grounds throughout the duration, which happened during the hotel's temporary closure due to coronavirus. Martinez shared insights into the filming process, telling us that 'the property itself and the destination of Maui felt like another character on the show' and that the former resort manager, Robby Delaney, even briefly appeared in the Season 1 finale. 'Its widespread appeal was felt by so many as we all were experiencing a bit of 'armchair travel' and wanderlust was in overdrive while all of us were still grounded and travel restrictions had not yet eased, so to live vicariously through this cast of characters in a beautiful destination such as Maui was too appealing to resist! The perfect hotel dramedy for this era!' Martinez also touched on The White Lotus's prominent Pineapple Suite, which Jake Lacy's character made a big stink about having to stay in with his new wife (Daddario) instead of the Honeymoon Suite his wealthy parents originally booked. 'We still get a lot of guests who joke about checking into the fictional Pineapple Suite. However, there is no Pineapple Suite,' Martinez clarified. She then shared that HBO transformed their $29,000-a-night Lokelani Presidential Suite, which includes 7,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space, a private garden with firepits, three bedrooms, two living rooms, and a museum-quality art collection, for the scenes featuring the luxury suite. Additionally, Martinez said many of their oceanfront accommodations made it into the show, including their Elite Suite, known as The Palm Suite in the series, and their other presidential suite, The Maile, which also costs a whopping $29,000 a night. According to the Four Seasons Resort Maui website, other rooms are as low as $815 per night. Season 1 of The White Lotus received such an overwhelmingly positive response that it's not surprising that the show was renewed for a second season just weeks after its premiere (via Variety). However, White changed the setting and cast while keeping the same who-done-it premise. The season aired in October 2022 in Taormina on the southeast coast of Sicily, Italy, in another one of The White Lotus resort locations. Coolidge and Jon Gries reprised their characters while their castmates (Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Leo Woodall, Michael Imperioli, and Haley Lu Richardson, among others) were all fresh faces on the Italian getaway. The cast again occupied a Four Seasons Resort (San Domenico Palace)-turned into the fake The White Lotus, offering views of the Ionian Sea, Mount Etna, and an ancient amphitheater, according to The Guardian. The outlet also stated in a December 2022 article about the famed location that it initially became a hotel in the 19th century, hosting countless big names, such as Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Oscar Wilde, before becoming a Four Seasons Resort in July 2021. The cost of these rooms is around $1,600 per night, as per the Four Seasons Resort website. Other European hotspots featured in the show, reported by The Guardian, are the town of Noto, which Plaza and Meghann Fahy's characters ventured to in one episode, and their stay at Villa Tasca in Palermo. And Cefalù was seen at the beginning and end of Season 2 when showing the hotel beach. We spoke to Tim Hentschel, co-founder and CEO of HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company, who shared how the show has impacted travel bookings for the area. 'Taormina saw bookings increase by 500 percent for the year of release as well as the year of filming,' Hentzchel revealed. 'We expect similar growth in Koh Samui for season 3 of The White Lotus.' He also mentioned that each location seen in the show 'has its unique appeal,' which the series has accurately portrayed. We kicked off this piece noting the hype around Season 3, and many are awaiting details about Season 4, which is rumored to take place again overseas. (HBO programming executive Francesca Oris told Deadline in February 2025 that the fourth season will most likely be in Europe, despite fans' pleas for a Norwegian, cold-weather destination.) But back to Season 3, which is centered at The White Lotus's wellness resort on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. Condé Nast Traveler highlighted the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, where the series' third installment is filmed, in a February 2025 article. They noted that the five-star resort covers over 40 acres of former coconut plantation, and the cast again stayed at the hotel during filming. The hotel's Koh Thai Kitchen restaurants are also heavily featured for much of the breakfast and lunch scenes, while dinnertime was generally at the Tai Khai restaurant at the Rosewood on Phuket hotel. The outlet also reported that the hotel bar scenes were filmed at a third location, the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort. The spa was also filmed at that hotel, as was the temple at Wat Pu Khao Thong. Parker Posey, who plays stuck-up rich woman Victoria Ratliffe, who is vacationing with her family, has given fans insight into the unbearably hot weather in Thailand and the measures she's taken to stay cool. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in March 2025, the actress revealed, as per People, that she kept a 'Ziploc baggie of ice' between her legs while cameras were rolling. 'It was so hot in Thailand, you know what they said at the Elephant Sanctuary? There are three seasons in Thailand – hot, hotter, and hottest,' she said before sharing her cool-down method. Still, Posey admitted that she and the cast adored Thailand, which several of them made clear in their heartfelt social media messages following the fatal 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28. Other cast members include Walter Goggins, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Natasha Rothwell, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. The White Lotus wasn't filmed in Myanmar, the epicenter of the natural disaster, but production still offered their 'deepest sympathies' in an Instagram post. Production mainly occurred in Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok, as noted by Us Weekly. For those interested in staying at the infamous Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, prices range from $1,900 to 12,000 per night. What's become increasingly intriguing is Hollywood's influence and creation of 'set-jetting,' which refers to the influx in bookings for destinations seen in movies and TV shows. The White Lotus has been a big culprit in getting fans eager to travel to the tropical getaways showcased in the series, and the travel industry is ready. 'This is a short-term boom,' Hentschel assured. 'Fame is fickle, and the next big thing will be here soon.' He continued: 'However, if the hoteliers don't overprice their products and invest in staff to provide a great service, the word-of-mouth benefits will last a long time. If they don't invest in their product to cope with the jump in demand and hike up prices, they will damage their brand.' Hentschel further explained how the industry is handling 'The White Lotus effect' and staying on top of the higher demand thanks to the show. 'One of the hardest parts of hospitality is managing these peaks and troughs of demand,' he shared. 'Well-trained staff stretched to the quitting point or doing nothing expensively is something our industry always has to manage. Investments in tech and people, and not being too greedy, will help create sustainable growth.' Although we'd like to believe that The White Lotus is the only series influencing travel since that's the hottest show on TV right now (figuratively and literally, according to Posey), Hentschel reminded us that many other on-screen productions have attracted visitors to certain destinations. 'Making films in great destinations has attracted tourists for years,' Hentschel pointed out. Highlander (1986) brought people to Scotland, The Lord of the Rings (2001) is credited with increasing the annual tourist influx to New Zealand by 40 percent, from 1.7 million in 2000 to 2.4 million in 2006.' As for The White Lotus, we'd add any of these locations to our travel bucket list, but hopefully, the dangers written for the show don't follow. This aarticle originally appeared on Travelbinger and has been republished with permission.
