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Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
The weirdest giveaways banks used to offer to customers
In the "Spider-Man 2" movie, there's a scene where Aunt May is denied a bank loan, but then says, "At least we get the toaster." To her dismay, the banker informs her that the toaster requires a deposit of $300 or more. That scene showcases a time (oh so long ago) when banks offered physical items to attract new customers and differentiate themselves from the competition, says 7 odd giveaways from banks Banks and credit unions still offer incentives to bring in new customers or for referring someone, but they're mostly cash bonuses now. 1. Toasters and waffle makers Starting with the classic and the inspiration for the bank scene from "Spider-Man 2," many banks have been known to give away toasters and other home appliance items for opening specific bank accounts. Just to name a few, Jonestown Bank & Trust once gave away waffle makers, and Equity Bank gave out "high-tech" toasters from Revolution Cooking to customers opening a specific checking account. 2. Guns At the northern Michigan bank North Country, depositors could open a certificate of deposit (CD) and get regular interest payments - ya know, how CDs usually work. Or they could get a gun in lieu of interest in the early 2000s. Customers could choose between 100 rifles or 18 shotgun models from Weatherby Inc. when they opened a CD and deposited a certain amount. Aside from firearms, depositors also had the option to go through the bank's "instant interest" catalog and browse other items, such as golf clubs or grandfather clocks. 3. Dolly Parton bakeware Baking from 9 to 5. Nebraska's Jones Bank offered to send new customers Dolly Parton's branded bakeware to new customers who opened either a personal or business checking account. Additionally, existing Jones Bank customers could have also referred someone to be included in the giveaway. 4. Pizza stones Noticing a trend with these items? It's a lot of cookware - and we found more Dolly Parton stuff. Astra Bank is offering a Dolly Parton Pizza Pan if you open its Simply Free Checking account (with a $25 deposit). And it looks like this promotion is still ongoing. There's also a near identical offer from Metairie Bank in California. In 2023, the bank was offering a Sunbeam Pizza Stone Set to existing customers who successfully referred someone or new customers who opened a Metairie Simply Free Checking account (in person). 5. New cars and ponies Taking a break from cookware, we're moving on to some bigger items. One of the most noteworthy giveaways from Wells Fargo was brand-new cars, which customers could win in a raffle at branch openings. In 1957, those attending the opening of a new branch location could enter a raffle to win a Shetland pony at First National Bank of Portland (now Wells Fargo). 6. Vinyls A popular wedding song from the 70s, "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters, was actually written for a bank commercial. Crocker National Bank (now Wells Fargo) used to be known for its business banking services and was struggling to maintain visibility in the retail banking space. To help with this, they filmed a commercial with a couple getting married to the song "We've Only Just Begun," and it became an instant hit. And then, the bank used the vinyl single as a promotional giveaway to new customers. 7. Prize-linked savings accounts Prize-linked savings accounts, sometimes called lottery-linked savings accounts, are similar to traditional raffle games. With one of these accounts, instead of receiving interest, the bank randomly chooses account holders to receive a large cash prize. These accounts aren't very common, but a popular example of this type is from the lottery-focused fintech Yotta. In 2022, a Yotta customer won $500,000 from Yotta's end-of-summer sweepstakes. Why do banks offer weird giveaways? The answer to this question finds its roots in the Great Depression. The Banking Act of 1933 limited the interest rates banks could offer on their deposit accounts. To differentiate themselves, banks decided to stage raffles and giveaways to bring in new customers. Wells Fargo is perhaps one of the most prolific examples of these giveaways and oddball promotions. The bank had many "branch-opening extravaganzas", and it offered a variety of items to bring in new customers and attract crowds, including our previously mentioned pony and car raffles. They also offered smaller collectibles, including coin banks, stuffed animals, purses, sewing kits and calendars. But Wells Fargo never gave away toasters. Bottom line Banks and credit unions still try to bring in new customers with giveaways. But if you're looking for a new toaster or a pony, you're probably out of luck, since most banks now just offer cash bonuses. If you're looking to switch banks, you can still find plenty of new customer bank bonuses, which are often awarded for opening a new deposit account and depositing a certain amount of cash or setting up direct deposit. This story was produced by and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
The 25 best movies of the 21st century, so far, from Spike Lee to ‘Spider-Man'
A quarter of the way into the new century and we've seen triumphant artistic highs from filmmakers both new and old. Our 20th-century masters - Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino - continue to work at a very high level, while mixing with filmmakers who got their start around the turn of the century. (Christopher Nolan, for example, didn't break big until 2000's "Memento.") In looking at the best movies since the calendar flipped to 2000, we've seen deeply personal works that look at modern life and its unique challenges, as well as facets of our humanity that have stayed the same no matter which century we reside in. We've seen great thrillers, hilarious comedies and stark dramas that ask questions and reveal truths about our world and the way we live. How does one go about choosing the best films of the last 25 years? Gut instinct, mainly. The movies below are the ones that immediately stood out when I set about this exercise, the ones that took my breath away on first watch and continue to loom large both in my mind and in the culture. Some I've seen many times, others only once. But the impact they made was real and lasting. There are two lists of honorable mentions at the end, and there could easily be another 100 noteworthy titles just outside of those. ("Spring Breakers," you were so close!) But there had to be a cutoff somewhere, because we've all got other things to do besides read lists. Your list is not going to match mine, but I'd love to hear what movies made yours without hearing that I'm stupid for the ones that made mine. Let's be civil, let's have fun. We're just talking about movies, after all. With that, here's my list of the 25 best movies of the 21st century, so far. Happy reading, happy watching, and hopefully we can reconvene here to add to the list in another 25 years. 25. 'Spider-Man 2' (2004) In the old days, superhero movies were limited to the occasional "Batman" and "Superman" offerings. That all changed with 2002's "Spider-Man," which took the genre to a new level, paving the way for the modern superhero takeover that locked in when the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with 2008's "Iron Man," changing the movie biz as we know it. But if "Spider-Man" set the template, its sequel upped the ante, with some of the most thrilling superhero sequences and richest storytelling the genre has seen to this day. Credit director Sam Raimi for bringing comic books to life and showing what is possible in the art form, and credit stars Tobey Maguire (in his second turn as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man) and Alfred Molina (as mad scientist Doctor Octopus) for bringing the story to life. None of what has happened in the genre happens without "Spider-Man," and "Spider-Man 2" is Spidey at his best. 24. 'The Banshees of Inisherin' (2022) Male friendships are a tough egg to crack. Writer-director Martin McDonagh reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, his stars from 2008's "In Bruges," for this extremely dark comedy, set a century ago on an island off the coast of Ireland, about two friends who are perhaps no longer friends. Rather than continuing their familiar pattern of going to the pub, grabbing a pint and talking about nothing, Gleeson's character decides to cut off the friendship, and maybe a few fingers to help make his point. McDonagh takes this civil war to dramatic heights, and ace performances from Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan add layers of texture to this pensive look at life, legacy and the epidemic of male loneliness. 23. 'Spirited Away' (2001) This utter knockout from director Hayao Miyazaki is a magical, poetic story about youth, nature, beauty and the spirit realm, rendered in thrilling 2D animation and bursting with imagination at every turn. Miyazaki's movies are a universe unto themselves, a portal into an enchanting, mystical state of being, and the effect of watching his films is like being lifted off your feet and taken to another world. "Spirited Away" is like floating and not wanting to come back down. 22. 'Bridesmaids' (2011) The 2000s boys club of comedy, which we will get to in just a second, cashed in on all manner of men behaving badly. What this uproarious comedy proved is that the girls, given the chance, could be just as raunchy as the guys. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudloph and a scene-stealing Melissa McCarthy lead the cast in this wild comedy about friendship, jealousy, and the trappings of money. Director Paul Feig and screenwriters Wiig and Annie Mumolo stage a number of sidesplitting scenes, but "Bridesmaids" will always be best remembered for the image of Rudolph, in her wedding dress, squatting in the street after a bad meal runs through her like a race car. It's a scene that changed bridal parties - and wedding dress fittings - forever. 21. 'Step Brothers' (2008) Will Ferrell went on a phenomenal five-year streak between 2003 and 2008, knocking out a slew of new comedy classics, from "Old School" to "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" to "Wedding Crashers" to "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby." "Step Brothers" was the peak of that run, a surrealist, dopey comedy with Ferrell and his frequent partner in crime, John C. Reilly, constantly one-upping each other as a pair of doofus man-children acting like idiots in a world that somehow tolerated their behavior. The culture soon shifted away from this style of comedy, and director Adam McKay pivoted to more serious fare, but "Step Brothers" represents the absurdly funny pinnacle of a comic style that defined the first decade of the new century. Long live the Catalina Wine Mixer. 20. 'Moonlight' (2016) It's much more than the movie that beat "La La Land" in the best picture race during the biggest blunder in Oscars history. Barry Jenkins' poignant, poetic story about a young man's journey of sexual awakening unfolds over three chapters and features magnificent work from Mahershala Ali, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to the film's young protagonist, as well as Naomie Harris, André Holland and Trevante Rhodes. Writer-director Jenkins is a born filmmaker and this was his breakthrough, and it continues to resonate because of the heartfelt intimacy of its storytelling. 19. 'Inside Out' (2015) Pixar's late 2000s run - the animation innovators released "Ratatouille," "WALL-E," "Up" and "Toy Story 3" between 2007 and 2010 - made the company look untouchable, before "Cars 2" "Brave" and "Monsters University" brought them back down to Earth. But inspiration struck once again in 2015 with this comedy built on the ingenious idea of animating feelings, giving character to the different moods that populate the insides of our heads. Pete Docter and his team brought wonder, imagination and insight into the animation of our collective psyche, helping to normalize the growing conversation around mental health in the process. Plus, it's a really sweet, very funny movie about anger, joy, sadness and all the things we feel on a daily basis. Pixar movies often straddle the line of being for children or adults, and "Inside Out" is the team at its absolute best, getting to have it both ways. 18. 'Donnie Darko' (2001) The world was introduced to Jake Gyllenhaal as angsty teenager Donnie Darko (apologies to those who knew him from "Bubble Boy") in writer-director Richard Kelly's monumentally trippy exploration of the intersection of youth culture, suburbia and interdimensional portals. Kelly manages to satirize the high school experience while giving us an awkward antihero to believe in, and his use of Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" as an introduction to the movie's world set a standard for needle drops to follow. (Similarly, Gary Jules' dark cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" set the mold for every slowed-down cover of a popular hit that would populate every movie trailer for the next two decades, and it still hasn't been topped.) Kelly took the blueprint for teenage coming-of-age movies and gave it a new spin for uncertain times. Out with the old, in with the anxiety. 17. 'Enter the Void' (2009) Talk about trippy: director Gaspar Noé's neon-lit fever dream is a disembodied experience that feels like watching a soul hover over its own body. Set in Tokyo, Noé follows a drug dealer's ascent into the afterlife, framing it as a psychedelic freak-out and a gorgeously fluid work of technical marvel. Noé is a bad boy provocateur whose pretentions often get the best of him, and that happens here as well, but it's such a boldly audacious work that it hardly matters. The bonkers opening titles sequence alone delivers a bigger jolt than most movies in their entire runtimes. 16. 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' (2019) In writer-director Céline Sciamma's romantic period drama, passion simmers like a kettle boiling over. In 18th-century France, Marianne (Noémie Merlant) arrives on a small island to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is soon to be married. But she's a restless subject, and her hesitancy to pose for the painting is rooted in her reluctance to be married off per her family's wishes. Meanwhile, the more time the pair spends together the more their connection grows, lust and forbidden love spilling over into obsession. Sciamma and her actresses create a work of deep intimacy, and cinematographer Claire Mathon shoots her subjects like she's seating them for a painting of her own. It's a work of art that belongs in a museum. 15. 'Frances Ha' (2012) Writer-director Noah Baumbach's creative collaboration with Greta Gerwig began with 2010's "Greenberg" but fully blossomed in this daffy comic drama, which is singularly built around Gerwig's ineffable charms. Gerwig plays Frances Halladay, a New York dreamer who's too old to be as flighty as she is but too young and idealistic to have been beaten down by the world; "Frances Ha" is a dizzyingly delightful showcase for Gerwig and allows her to shine like a diamond. She went on to become an auteur in her own right (see "Lady Bird"), her partnership with Baumbach would blossom into a marriage - the pair was married in 2023 - and they'd go on to collaborate on "Barbie," one of the most successful movies of all time. Their creative bond was sewn on "Frances Ha." 14. 'Bowling for Columbine' (2002) Rabble-rausing director Michael Moore took on the hot-button issue of gun control in his fire-breathing 2002 documentary, which came as school shootings were starting to become an unfortunate norm in American society. Moore took on the subject with his trademark mixture of wit, wisdom and humor, presenting an issue that should have been common sense but still remains heavily debated today. "Bowling for Columbine" even presents Marilyn Manson as a voice of reason, so OK, not all of it has aged gracefully. But it remains a seminal work that, if anything, proved itself to be way ahead of its time. 13. 'The Irishman' (2019) Ah, the Scorsese slot. This list was kept to one entry per director, and there's no way Scorsese wasn't going to be a part of the mix. The question was whether to go with the ridiculously entertaining "The Wolf of Wall Street," the wrenching "Killers of the Flower Moon" or the mournfully soulful "The Irishman," and this felt like the most meaningful of the three. "The Irishman" takes stock and looks back at a life lived doing dirty work, and where it lands you in the end. The answer is an empty room, as is seen in the movie's deeply haunting final moments. Scorsese, 82, has barely slowed down, and he could have another 10-plus years of filmmaking in him. (Clint Eastwood is 95 and is still going strong.) But when it's all said and done, "The Irishman" will stand out as his grand late-in-life masterwork, the one where the gangster life he's returned to so many times comes calling for answers. 12. 'Inception' (2010) Christopher Nolan made this mind-bending action extravaganza in between two "Batman" movies, which is kind of like Coppola taking a break from "Godfather" films to make "The Conversation." Leo DiCaprio leads a stellar cast in a film about thieves, dreams and the nature of ideas, fertile ground for a heist movie that takes place across several planes of reality. Nolan's visuals are incredible - cityscapes fold in on themselves - and he presents a challenging narrative that can still be confusing over umpteen watches. It sure beats the alternative, movies that look flat and don't challenge viewers and don't have anything to say. Still thrilling, still grandiose, still visionary, "Inception" rules. 11. 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001) The jukebox musical as iPod stuck on shuffle, before there were iPods and before shuffling was a concept. Baz Luhrmann's red-drenched musical masterpiece is absolutely out of its mind, with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" blasting in a club in 1900 Paris, 67 years before Kurt Cobain was born a half a world away. Luhrmann throws everything at the camera and fills the frame with so much noise that it's like the movie is daring you to resist it. Do so at your own peril. "Moulin Rouge!" earns its exclamation point by absolutely going for it at every moment, and Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are forever minted for strapping in, fully committing and going along for the whole crazy ride. 10. 'La La Land' (2016) Writer-director Damien Chazelle's movie musical is an ode to the movies, Los Angeles and love itself. It leaps off the screen with bold visuals and the wonderful chemistry between stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, but it might have been simply an exercise in technical mastery had it not had the chutzpah to deliver a stark ending that pulls the rug out from underneath the viewer. Sometimes love isn't enough, sometimes external forces are at play, and sometimes life doesn't work out the way it does in the movies, and that is "La La Land's" masterstroke. Any movie can serve up a happy ending, but it's the poignancy of the downer ending, and what it says about love, that takes this movie from simply great to an all-time classic. 9. 'Mulholland Drive' (2001) Another Los Angeles-set story, but David Lynch's noir is the inverse of "La La Land's" sunny dreamscape. The maestro looks at the dashed dreams of Hollywood in this puzzle box mystery thriller, which was originally envisioned as a TV pilot but later reconfigured into a standalone movie. It's Lynch's grand ode to the seediness of his adopted home, a place where dumpster monsters dwell and weird cowboys come calling and clubs feature lip-syncing performers who faint before your very eyes. More than 20 years later, its mysteries still envelop viewers, and Naomi Watts' performance - her Stateside breakthrough - continues to astonish. And with Lynch's death earlier this year, "Mulholland Drive" is perhaps the greatest key to his universe that he left behind. 8. 'Paddington 2' (2017) The world would be a better place if we all lived by Paddington's playbook. The lovable, adorable British bear is our host for this lovely follow-up to 2015's "Paddington," where the marmalade-scarfing gentle soul is sent to prison after he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. No matter, he's soon got the prisoners marching to his drum, as writer-director Paul King creates a world of wonderment, whimsy and British charm that serves as an antidote to so much of the cruelty of today's world. And Hugh Grant is simply smashing as Phoenix Buchanan, the story's villain, a role he was utterly born to play. 7. 'School of Rock' (2003) Director Richard Linklater loves his pet projects. He followed up his '90s romance "Before Sunrise" with a pair of sequels that show how youthful love and attraction shift over the years. He spent over a decade making "Boyhood," following his cast as as they aged in real time. But in "School of Rock," his pet project is Jack Black, and he dials into Black's manic, childlike, rock demon essence better than any filmmaker before or since. "School of Rock," which was written by Mike White, is essentially a silly comedy about a substitute teacher who poses as someone else and teaches his students to play instruments. But what Linklater conjures out of Black transforms it into a heartwarming comedy about youth and belonging, and he makes it a towering testament to the sheer power of rock and roll. It rocks. 6. 'You Can Count On Me' (2000) Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan's debut feature stars Mark Ruffalo, in his breakthrough role, and Laura Linney as a pair of grown siblings dealing with life's never-ending series of difficulties. Linney plays a loan officer at a small town bank, Ruffalo plays a drifter who can't stay out of trouble, or his own way. Both are reeling in their own way after the death of their parents, who died in a car crash when they were children. Lonergan tells a tender story of family and forgiveness, and Ruffalo and Linney are golden together as a brother and sister dealing with what life has thrown at them the best they can. 5. 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' (2019) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt lead Quentin Tarantino's late '60s Hollywood odyssey, as the filmmaker explores the dark side of the Summer of Love and the burgeoning dawn of a new American era. Tarantino's dialogue crackles and he captures Pitt in what may be a career best role, as a who's who of young Hollywood (Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Mikey Madison, Maya Hawke, Margaret Qualley) springboard to big careers in the movie's wake. "Kill Bill" was Tarantino's action epic ("Vol. 1" remains a note perfect film) and "Inglourious Basterds" has him playing with history like he's moving around pieces on a chessboard, but "Once Upon a Time" is Tarantino firmly in his element, relaxed and cool, and having a ball. 4. 'In the Mood for Love' (2000) Rarely has a movie been as punch drunk on its own sense of romance as Wong Kar-wai's stunner, about a pair of neighbors in Hong Kong in the early 1960s who come to realize their respective spouses are having an affair with one another. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are the two neighbors, and their sense of yearning and the romantic tension between them is almost unbearable, as Shigeru Umebayashi intoxicating "Yumeji's Theme" repeats on the soundtrack like it's scoring their lives. The movie has a keen sense of style (Cheung's dresses alone are worthy of their own coffee table book), mood and longing that have lingered for years and will continue to for many more to come. 3. 'The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001) It starts with "Hey Jude," which was sort of like writer-director Wes Anderson pointing to the fence and calling his shot. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is Anderson's third film, and it came as he was still developing his sense of diorama-like visual presentation, which hadn't yet fully taken over his productions. Anderson fixes his eye on a New York family, led by Gene Hackman's Royal Tenenbaum, whose failings as a father have cast a pall over his children (played by Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller and Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays his adopted daughter). Anderson tells a large, sweeping story on an intimate scale and locks in on his theme of family, particularly errant fathers, that continue to drive his work. 2. 'Lost in Translation' (2003) Sofia Coppola's second film, after 1999's "The Virgin Suicides," is a dreamy romantic drama about a drifting actor (Bill Murray) and a young bride (Scarlett Johansson) who meet at a hotel in Tokyo and spend a few days getting lost together. Their connection is undefined, but they are drawn to one another, if only for this fleeting time under these odd circumstances, where they're both far away from home and feeling a sense of loneliness and isolation. Coppola captures that feeling of otherness, of feeling out of place in a foreign land, and Murray and Johansson are magic as the mismatched pair, who complete something within one another. The moment they share at the end of the movie when he whispers in her ear is a great unsolved mystery of film (what'd he say?!). But it's not what he said that matters, it's the feeling of the moment they share as their time together comes to a close. 1. '25th Hour' (2002) Only a New Yorker as tried and true as Spike Lee could create the one true 9/11 film, and all these years after the tragedy, the only one that matters. Lee sets his story in the wake of the attacks, and they hang over the movie like a storm cloud. Edward Norton plays a drug dealer during his last day of freedom before going off to do a seven-year prison bid. He gets together with his pals (played by Barry Pepper and Philip Seymour Hoffman) for one last hang, and spends time with his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) and father (Brian Cox). Norton, still in the zone as one of his generation's best actors, gives a captivating, full bodied performance, but it's Lee's depiction of New York, bruised but not broken, that still delivers chills. He's in the debris, shooting down into the empty site where the Twin Towers once stood tall, and his fury can be felt emanating through the screen. It's a breathtaking achievement in artistry, the initial gut punch from his can still be felt today, and no film has achieved the same level of impact since. Just missed the cut: "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (2006), "Michael Clayton" (2007), "The Tree of Life" (2011), "Sexy Beast" (2000), "There Will Be Blood" (2007) 10 more: "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022), "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2010), "The Florida Project" (2017), "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012), "The Descent" (2005), "The Act of Killing" (2012), "First Reformed" (2017), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), "Oldboy" (2003), "mother!" (2017) Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Metro
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What's the best superhero game?
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – the ultimate superhero game? (Sony Interactive Entertainment) The Thursday letters page hopes Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet has a sense of humour, as another reader calls for Star Wars: Battlefront 3. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Binary choice An interesting article about Superman in video games, but I have a hard time imagining that anyone will bother trying to crack the concept when there are easier heroes to put into games. It is still amazing though, how there still aren't that many superhero games in general, even though the peak of the MCU has been and gone. So the question I'm going to ask, of which is the best superhero game, has far fewer options than there really should be. Personally, I think it's probably Midnight Suns, but if we limit ourselves to action games it's really only down to Batman vs. Spider-Man. I would say that Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are much better games than any of Insomniac's Spider-Man games, even though Insomniac rip-off so much from the Batman titles. However, I'd also say that Spider-Man 2 is a better superhero game, in that it gets the character exactly right in terms of character and what he does. The problem with the Batman games is that they're all set in enclosed spaces and even by the time you get to Arkham Knight, everyone's been evacuated from Gotham, so there's no civilians and you don't get to prevent any random crimes, which you absolutely should be doing in a Batman game. I always figured that was a technical limitation but since we've never had a proper sequel the problem has never been solved. Archie Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Unknown success Interesting article about game sales and how it's difficult to tell whether a game is a hit nowadays, or at least not until many months since it was out. I say this because I'm curious right now as to how Death Stranding 2 is doing. I loved it but it is clearly not a cheap game to make, and I don't know anyone else that's played it and I don't remember anyone writing into the Inbox about it. I see some talk of 1.4 million sales in June, but that doesn't seem very much. Not for a game like that. I know that GC said 1 million is considered the bear minimum for a hit but it's dependent on budget. So what does Death Stranding 2 have to do to break even? We usually know that for a movie but never for a game. It's frustrating. I hope the game has done well enough that Kojima won't be impacted but we probably won't know unless something really bad happens. Damdon Quick turnaround A surprisingly interesting set of results for US game sales in May. I certainly didn't get the impression Elden Ring Nightreign did all that well and it's almost funny how Switch 1 sold 44% less than last year and it still outsold the Xbox Series X/S. How they think they're going to come back from that sort of performance in the next generation I don't know. But I do know telling us that the killer app is AI isn't going to work. Love to see the revival of Star Wars Battlefront 2 too. I'm not sure if it's quite extreme enough for EA to make a sequel though. Even if they started right now it'd take them something like five years to make a new one and whole knows what stay the games industry or Star Wars will be in by that point. Mind you, it was only two years between Battlefront 1 and 2, which is very short nowadays, so maybe they can make it quicker if they use the same tech. Maister Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Remaster masters I try to support games and studios I really appreciate with day one buys and think I'll be doing that with Nightdive Studios' System Shock 2 25th Anniversary Remaster, with its slightly delayed release on console on the 10th of this month. I'm on board with and think they do an excellent and thoughtful job of their manifesto of 'bringing lost and forgotten gaming treasures back from the depths.' I have played System Shock 2 before but will relish a fresh playthrough but have really enjoyed for the first time Powerslave Exhumed and Killing Time: Resurrected from Nightdive Studios. There's so many games I'd love them to take on, like Deus Ex, that maybe might happen if this release does well. Simundo GC: They're definitely the gold standard when it comes to 90s era Western games. Lite preference Spoken to a couple of gamers in real life and one doesn't think there will be Nintendo Switch 2 Lite. I am banking on it. No way am I fetching this version of Nintendo Switch 2. Battery issues, weight, and a myriad of little things not quite right… see YouTube. Games full price around £70 for download keys, maybe if physical. I only want one game, Fast Fusion? I missed out on Fast RMX – a super rare game for Switch 1. I hope Nintendo see the complaints and do what they did with original Switch and make a Switch 2 Lite version, please. Thank you Metro for airing, this so to speak. Simon GC: What battery and weight issues? And no game-key game is £70. Lighten up Won't playing The Last Of Us Part 2 in chronological order mean the flashback at the museum is the first scene? Isn't that going to be really weird? Not that I'm likely to play the new mode. I really liked both games at one point but they feel so overexposed nowadays that I'm just tired of hearing about it, to the point where I don't even know if I'll watch season three of the show. Season two changed a lot of stuff that didn't seem to make any sense, but its biggest problem is that it was so boring. I think it's going to be a mistake dragging the second game out for three seasons, even if it is a longer story overall. I really feel Naughty Dog needs to move on from The Last Of Us and just make something with a little optimism for once. Even the last Uncharted was kind of grimdark, with no supernatural stuff. They need to cheer up a bit, or more importantly try to cheer us up. I don't need to know that the world and everyone in it is awful, I need hope that maybe they're not. And no, the ending of Part 2 does not count towards that. I'm not sure what Intergalactic is about but I hope it's more about fighting robots with not-lightsabers than banging on about religion and faith. I'm not asking them to go back to Crash Bandicoot, but there has to be a middle ground between than and the ultra seriousness of The Last Of Us. Kubert Proper strange Every time it gets pointed out that Valve hasn't made a 'proper' game since Portal 2 it seems so weird to me. I remember 20 years ago when they were being described as the best game developer in the world and the 'Pixar of gaming.' Now I doubt anyone under 30 even realises they used to make games. What saddens me most is it shows Valve were just making games to pay the bills. If they were doing it for the love of the art, they would've carried on even after they made their billions with Steam. I guess sitting around counting your money is more fun? Rascar The lost generation I'm going to be honest here and say that I think the general dislike of the Wii is perfectly justified. I don't think anyone hates it but for me it was the least generation by far for Nintendo. If it wasn't for Super Mario Galaxy there'd barely be anything worthwhile on the whole console and ironically that one sold quite poorly compared to rubbish like New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I guess Mario Kart Wii was okay, since motion controls couldn't ruin that, but Zelda: Skyward Sword was awful and all the new Nintendo franchises were junk like Wii Sports. That game is definitely an important milestone for gaming but it's horribly shallow and barely even pretends to be anything other than a tech demo. I don't hate the Wii, but I do consider it a non-entity that I have no interest in. It was important in terms of getting Nintendo back on top of the game, and no longer bleeding money, but as a console with a lot of enjoyable games… I'd much rather have a N64 or GameCube (I would say or a Wii U but I'm not going to lose credibility by stretching my point too far). We can see today how little Nintendo has kept from that era. A few motion controls in the odd party game and gyro aim. That's it. PlayStation and Xbox don't even have that, so you can easily say that the Wii had no lasting impact on gaming, and it's hard to prove you wrong. Strange that it was the number one selling console of its generation and the Xbox 360, which was the most innovative, did the worst. You could maybe argue that Wii opened up the idea of making games for non-gamers but I'm not sure even that had any lasting impact, beyond mobile games – and they were more influenced by the DS. Tony T. Inbox also-rans Anyone upset about Codemasters not making rally games any more should take a look at this purposefully old school game. Looks great. Edrona I notice there's only a small number of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review out so far and they all seem to be America. Did you not get sent a copy, GC? Ansel GC: We have one now, but it arrived late. Given how there are no UK reviews yet, everyone else seems to be in the same boat. Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will Wii games come to Nintendo Switch 2? Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: What will be the setting for GTA 7? Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: What will be the first Mario Kart World DLC?
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Superman Early Twitter Reviews: David Corenswet starrer opens to mixed reviews; Fans heap praise while critics call out 'overcrowded cast and cartoonish' tone
Superman is finally flying back into theatres this weekend, and as expected from a James Gunn reimagination, it's stirring up plenty of strong feelings. The film, which marks David Corenswet 's debut in the iconic red cape, opened to a wave of varied reactions online and from critics. Going by the early reactions, audiences were left divided over whether the new DC Universe entry flies high or crashes under its own ambition. Fans Say Superman "Absolutely Soars" Social media lit up with praise for 'Superman', with many celebrating it as the bold, hopeful reboot the franchise desperately needed. '#Superman absolutely soars!' one viewer tweeted and added, 'An awesome achievement & hopeful balm, honouring past iterations (cinema & comics) while cutting its own path. Corenswet has that heroic shimmer. Hoult is delightfully diabolical. Brosnahan brims w/ vim & vigor. Krypto's adorbs. ' Fans have been particularly charmed by the film's emotional core and vibrant tone. '#Superman is thrilling and earnest,' another user wrote, calling it 'a comic book brought to life." Others also hailed James Gunn for asking "intriguing questions about heroism and self-actualization, alongside wildly creative uses of Clark's powers." A number of viewers also praised Gunn's direction, with one user comparing the experience to superhero cinema at its most inventive, 'James Gunn's SUPERMAN is the comic book movie I've been waiting to see for decades. Bold, playful, and beautifully made — like Raimi's Spider-Man 2 with a modern edge.' Corenswet's take on the Man of Steel is being hailed as a definitive portrayal, with one fan declaring, 'David Corenswet is SUPERB, a #Superman for all seasons.' Meanwhile, Nicholas Hoult 's Lex Luthor is being positioned as one of DC's finest villains. 'Nicholas Hoult delivers a phenomenal Lex Luthor — cold, charismatic, and menacing — one of the best villains DC has EVER brought to the screen.' And it wasn't just the boys getting all the love. Rachel Brosnahan 's Lois Lane drew unanimous applause, with a post reading, 'Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane is generational casting btw. She ate up this whole movie. If you love Lois? Like if you're a Lois Lane fan? MANNNNN… you're in for a treat. It's her movie just as much as Superman's.' Critics Say It's Overstuffed and "Too Cartoonish" Despite the glowing reactions, Superman hasn't escaped criticism. Several reviewers and fans pointed out major flaws — from an overcrowded cast to tonal inconsistency — that prevent the film from truly taking flight. 'Just got out of my Superman screening and man… I can't believe I'm gonna say this but Man of Steel was better,' one disappointed viewer wrote. 'This felt like a zero-stakes Saturday morning cartoon. Not enough Superman… too many side characters.' That critique echoed across other reviews as well, with one tweet noting, 'It's definitely not perfect. It does feel a bit crowded, with too many characters and not the clearest story. Some parts are kind of too cartoonish.' Another viewer lamented the film's pacing and structure, 'SUPERMAN is weighed down by a needlessly convoluted plot, bordering outright muddled, and a mix of tones that never quite settles. While its spectacle is engaging, Corenswet's performance is the real stunner… Hoult is good but underutilised.' Even some who enjoyed the film admitted its flaws, 'Had an absolute blast with SUPERMAN! It's overstuffed and messy, but it's always fun. This is the most comic-booky version of Superman we've seen on the big screen… High-energy and very silly, with its heart in the right place.' A common refrain among mixed reviews was the desire for more focus on Clark Kent himself. '#Superman needed A LOT more Clark Kent for me,' one fan wrote. 'And sadly, not convinced on this Lex Luthor :( I'm hoping a rewatch will amplify the good over identifying other things I do not like." James Gunn's Superman is being hailed by most as a bold and heartfelt reboot that reaches for the stars. For many, it hits the right emotional beats and injects fresh life into the superhero genre. But others see it as a chaotic, overambitious mix of tones and ideas that falls short of the clean storytelling and focused character work fans were hoping for. Superman releases in cinemas on Friday, July 11.
Metro
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Insomniac Games rumoured to be working on three games – but what are they?
The creators behind Ratchet & Clank and Marvel's Spider-Man are said to be juggling three games at once, and only one has been announced so far. The PlayStation 5 might be a disappointment when it comes to Sony exclusive games, but one first party developer has definitely not been letting the side down. Since the PlayStation 5's launch in 2020, Insomniac Games has released three games on the console – cross-gen title Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The studio is currently working on another PlayStation 5 exclusive in Marvel's Wolverine, which was announced back in September 2021 but still doesn't have a release date. However, it seems this project is only one of many titles currently in development at the studio. According to a rumour on Reddit, derived from a LinkedIn post from an employee at the studio, Insomniac is working on three games in total at the moment. The studio, which employs around 520 people (two or three times the size of most other AAA developers), has worked on three games simultaneously in the past – so this isn't as unlikely as it sounds. Former project director Erin Eberhardt, who left the studio in September 2023, confirmed in July of that same year that an unannounced game was in development at the studio, along with Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. We still don't know what this unannounced game is, or if it was shelved, but an Insomniac leak from December 2023 outed the studio's future slate, at that time, up until 2031. This included a Venom spin-off slated for autumn 2025, Wolverine for autumn 2026, Spider-Man 3 for autumn 2028, a new Ratchet & Clank for autumn 2029, an X-Men game for autumn 2030, and an unspecified new IP in 2031. More Trending While it's likely these plans have changed since then, perhaps the biggest question is if the Venom half-sequel, which was slated for this year, still exists. A side mission in Spider-Man 2 appeared to set up Carnage for a future title, but it's unclear if that symbiote story will roll out over a half-sequel like Miles Morales or the inevitable Spider-Man 3. It was reported by VGC that Spider-Man 2 only used 10% of the dialogue that actor Tony Todd recorded, which may be an indication that a half-sequel was at least planned. Todd sadly died in November last year, so if he didn't already record absolutely everything Insomniac needed that would cause great problems for a future Venom appearance. If the Venom game has been axed, the third title could be Ratchet & Clank. However, considering Spider-Man 2 sold significantly more than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, at over 10 million sales versus around four million, Sony might be pushing for more Marvel titles from the studio. If Wolverine is still slated to come out in autumn 2026, we could see more from the title later this year. So far, we've only seen cinematic trailers, with gameplay still yet to be revealed officially. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Here's every game cancelled by Xbox after devastating job cuts MORE: Xbox bosses loved a game so much they canned it and sacked all the developers MORE: The 10 best video games of 2025 so far – half year report
