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Geek Tyrant
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Review: PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS is an Ultra-Violent, Visually Striking Evolution of the Franchise — GeekTyrant
Predator: Killer of Killers is an absolute blast! It's brutal, beautifully animated, and emotionally rich in ways I honestly didn't expect going in. This thing does not hold back. From the opening scene to the final surprising frame, the movie barrels forward with a savage intensity that makes it feel like you're being hunted right alongside its characters. The violence is unapologetic, the action is jaw-dropping, and the whole experience feels like someone finally decided to let the Predator franchise be as bold, artistic, and brutal as it was always meant to be. What really hooked me, though, were the three distinct stories that make up this anthology. Each one focuses on a different warrior throughout history. 'The Shield', 'The Sword', and 'The Bullet', and they're all three are not only packed with killer action, but also grounded in emotional stakes that give the chaos weight. Whether it's the Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, the ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, or the WWII pilot staring down cosmic death in skies, the writing never skimps. I found myself fully invested in each of them, not just for how they fight, but why. The character development across the anthology is strong, especially given the limited runtime for each segment. There's a sense of intimacy in the awesome storytelling, even when the action ramps up to an eleven, that makes each chapter feel personal and mythic at the same time. Each of the settings feel immersive and meaningful to the story being told. These aren't just action vignettes, they're reflections of the characters and the cultures they come from. Then there's the incredible animation. Director Dan Trachtenberg explained that the style was inspired by the concept art from the live-action Predator films, and you can really see it. It has this rich, painterly quality that gives it a kind of storybook-for-grownups look. The action in the film is stylized and theatrical, like you're watching a violent ballet unfold in slow motion… before it all explodes in blood and flame. Each segment feels like a visual poem about death and survival. There's an badass elegance to how they're built with tight structure, great pacing, haunting atmosphere, and then the Predators show up and wreck everything in the most spectacular fashion. The final act, where all the stories tie together, is where the film kicks into a whole new gear of awesomeness. The ending is one insane, fist-pumping beat after another, and it was incredibley greakin' amazing! I also love how the movie expands the Predator universe. This isn't just another cat-and-mouse hunt. Predator: Killer of Killers takes the core idea of a Predator hunting the fiercest warriors and uses it as a lens to explore humanity… our pain, our pride, our violence. It respects the lore while pushing it into new, exciting territory. If this is where the franchise is headed, I'm all in. Let Trachtenberg run wild with it for as long as he wants. Honestly, I wish I could've seen this on the big screen. It's just too damn cool to be confined to a streaming service. Between the jaw-dropping animation, the emotional storytelling, and the sheer scale of its ambition, Predator: Killer of Killers isn't just one of the best Predator films, it's one of the most artistically awesome entries in the sci-fi action genre.
Geek Tyrant
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
ARCANE Writer Teases Spinoff Exploring Motherhood and Aging Heroes: 'What Happens When Vi and Caitlyn Are Older?' — GeekTyrant
Ever since Arcane Season 2 wrapped up with a bang, fans have been wondering about what's next for the franchise. While Riot Games and Fortiche are playing things close to the chest, writer Amanda Overton just dropped an intriguing hint at where a potential spin-off could go… emotionally and thematically. Overton, who helped shape the scripts for both seasons of the hit Netflix series, recently opened up about how her personal life is shifting the kind of stories she wants to tell next. She told ScreenRant: 'I wasn't a mother when we were writing season 1 and 2, and now I am. And I was like, 'There is so much more to explore in terms of motherhood, or how phases of life shift.'' That life perspective could open the door to a very different kind of Arcane story, one less focused on rising conflict and more about the evolution of the people who've already fought their battles. Overton added: '[I'd be interested in] older characters – what happens when Vi and Caitlyn are older, and now they're adults, and what choices do they make?' It's an interesting pivot, especially considering how Arcane Season 2 ended with Piltover reeling from Ambessa's invasion, Viktor's time-bending technology shifting the tides, and Vi suffering heartbreaking losses with Vander and Jinx. But a quieter, character-driven follow-up could be exactly what the series needs to deepen its emotional resonance. Meanwhile, showrunner Christian Linke is keeping things a bit more grounded. In the same interview, he said: 'I think, for now, it's a moment for us to take a step back [and] look at the whole map, if you will.' That cautious tone is a shift from the immediate post-finale energy, when fans expected multiple new projects to go into development. In fact, things got so speculative that Riot co-founder Marc Merrill had to clarify things on X: 'To clarify, he didn't say 3 separate shows – said exploring 3 regions. We are exploring a bunch of different shows (and games).' Still, fans hoping to return to Runeterra are going to have a wait a while. When previously talking about the future of the franchise, Linke made it clear: 'Yeah, it takes time – depending on if it's a series or a movie. We're exploring both in many, many directions. A lot of it comes down to finding the right people, the right vision, the right idea, the right story. 'That'll take years, and once we have confidence that something's happening, we'll talk more about it." For now, both seasons of Arcane are streaming on Netflix. As for what's next, older heroes, motherhood, new regions, or maybe all of the above, I'mlooking forward to seeing what's next.
Wall Street Journal
30-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Family Dynamic' Review: Sibling Opportunities
President Obama didn't want to go. He was returning home to Chicago in 2012 to deliver a speech at Hyde Park High School, and his schedule was already jammed. I was Chicago's mayor at the time, and leaned into my reputation for being lousy at taking 'no' for an answer. 'Mr. President,' I said, 'I served for a long time as your chief of staff, and I'm allowed one ask—this is it.' Begrudgingly he agreed to participate in 'Becoming a Man,' a program to connect at-risk youth with male mentors, five days a week, for three hours each day during the school year. He was taken in. The program partly inspired his second-term initiative 'My Brother's Keeper.' 'Becoming a Man' came frequently to mind as I was reading Susan Dominus's 'The Family Dynamic.' Ms. Dominus, a writer for the New York Times Magazine, begins with a provocative premise. For all the attention society invests in understanding the role parents play in shaping their child's life, we pay comparatively little attention to the effect of the household as a whole—specifically whether a child with siblings is the firstborn, the youngest or falls somewhere in the middle. Ms. Dominus presents us with a series of family stories (with a passing reference to mine) and explains what the latest research tells us about how human character is shaped by a person's unique family structure. Much of Ms. Dominus's account confirms truths that ordinary people know instinctively: that children are shaped by the place they occupy in their extended family, that it matters if children are encouraged to try new things and admonished when they fail, that children flourish when they feel secure at home and wither when they don't. And yes, much is determined by birth order. I once complained to my mother that she loved my older brother, Ezekiel, more than me, to which she replied, in what I wasn't sure was a joke, 'No, I hate you all equally.' What's remarkable is that, in the political circles in which I run—that is, among Democrats—you can't discuss these topics openly and honestly. When, as mayor, I delivered a public-safety speech that touched on fatherhood and male role models, the activist community denounced me. Many on the left also criticized President Obama when he focused on the scourge of paternal absence. Ever since the furious reaction to the Moynihan Report 60 years ago—in which Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then serving in the Johnson administration, concluded that black poverty was largely a result of family breakdown—many on the progressive left have tried to steer all conversation about disparate outcomes to questions of economic inequality and institutional racism. These realities play a critical role, for sure. But the family, as Ms. Dominus demonstrates, is the fundamental factor.
Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Gone One review — a tender twist on the woman-goes-hiking film
This tender and rewarding debut from India Donaldson, the daughter of Roger Donaldson, the director of No Way Out and Cocktail, is instantly one of the great 'women go hiking' movies. You know the drill — woman treks into the wilderness in order to grapple with a personal crisis that will be sublimated into a conflict with the environment and resolved by the closing credits. Think Reese Witherspoon in Wild, Mia Wasikowska in Tracks and Sheila Hancock in Edie. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews This film, however, is all dramatic subtlety and delicate character arcs, eschewing formula at every turn. The main draw is a star-making turn from the 20-year-old newcomer Lily Collias, who plays
