Tickets to see Disney and Pixar’s highly anticipated animated adventure TOY STORY 5 in theaters are on sale now wherever tickets are sold.
Plus a final trailer was released today featuring Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the gang as they reunite on a mission to confront Lilypad, a new smart tablet with her own ideas about the best way to help their kid Bonnie make new friends.
Joining the voice cast is genre-defying, multi-platinum global recording artist and 6x GRAMMY® Award winner Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – known professionally as Bad Bunny – who has a voice cameo in the upcoming film as the new character Pizza with Sunglasses. Effortlessly cool and mysterious, Pizza with Sunglasses is a member of a small but mighty community of forgotten toys that live in an abandoned backyard shed.
Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actor Alan Cumming (“The Traitors,” “The Good Wife,” “Cabaret”) has also joined the voice ensemble in a cameo as Evil Bullseye – Bullseye’s playtime alter ego in the new film. While Woody’s trusty steed still lacks the power of speech in the world of “Toy Story,” Cumming provides Bullseye’s voice during a funny playtime sequence in the film.
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s TOY STORY 5, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?
TOY STORY 5 is directed by Academy Award® winner Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Kenna Harris, produced by Lindsey Collins, p.g.a., and written by Stanton and Harris from a story by Stanton.
The film features an original score by Oscar® winner Randy Newman, who returns to score his fifth “Toy Story” feature. TOY STORY 5 is rated PG and releases exclusively in theaters June 19, 2026.
L to R: Emily Blunt is Margaret Fairchild and Josh O’Connor is Dr. Daniel Kellner in DISCLOSURE DAY, directed by Steven Spielberg.
If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to eight billion people. Today is … Disclosure Day. Directed by Steven Spielberg, DISCLOSURE DAY opens in theaters on June 12.
To play meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, Spielberg turned to Emily Blunt, star of the blockbuster horror franchise A Quiet Place and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for Christopher Nolan’s 2022 epic Oppenheimer.
In the film, while not a sequel to Close Encounters (sorry, Internet), DISCLOSURE DAY harkens back to it with a story that deals with a specific, recurring theme in the cultural lore of “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (or UAPs, the preferred new century term for UFOs): efforts by the government to conceal the truth about it or discourage interest in it.
But just last week, “The Department of War released the second tranche of records under PURSUE. The first tranche was released on May 8, 2026. The second tranche, released on May 22, 2026.” https://www.war.gov/UFO/ Check out the amazing videos and decide for yourself.
As audiences get closer to the opening of the movie, Universal Pictures dropped today a featurette with Blunt’s take on the film.
Blunt was immediately drawn to Margaret’s personality and her grounded heroism. “Margaret is someone who just leaps off the page,” Blunt says. “No pun intended, but she is the full weather system of a character, who experiences a full weather system of life. She’s unpredictable—and she is in a situation where she is way over her head. Those are my kind of heroes, ordinary yet interesting people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, struggling to keep their head above water as they search for answers that provide a way out of their predicament. She just felt so human and relatable and surprising; she is just not someone you would expect to be able to do what she does in the film, but you can also believe she is capable of rising to the moment before her.”
What moved Blunt the most while making Disclosure Day was collaborating with Spielberg on a movie steeped in his signature values and ideals. “I think Steven walks into every day with great hope,” Blunt says. “He has faith in humanity and in our shared destiny and it is all infused into every movie he makes. His constant encouragement to keep looking up, in the many ways that can mean, is very poignant. I think if we could all possess his hopefulness and expansiveness there would be huge rewards for everyone and for our world.”
TIFF invites audiences to explore time, dreams, and bold new worlds through two upcoming marquee series at TIFF Lightbox: Christopher Nolan: Grand Designs (July 8–August 20) presented by Air France, and a fall anime series titled Drawn Universes: Visions in Animation guest-curated by acclaimed Japanese director Masaaki Yuasa. Presented ahead of this summer’s premiere of The Odyssey, the Nolan retrospective celebrates the Oscar-winning, self-taught filmmaker with screenings of his work, exclusively on 35mm and 70mm film.
Nolan made his directorial debut with Following in the Discovery section at TIFF ’98, and he last returned for TIFF ’17 with a special screening of Dunkirk in celebration of IMAX’s 50th anniversary. To launch the TIFF series, The Ringer and Spotify’s The Big Picture will host a live recording of their podcast at TIFF Lightbox with Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins, marking the first time an episode will be recorded in Canada.
“The marquee series at TIFF Lightbox was envisioned to present big artists and ideas that capture and shape popular imagination,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “Christopher Nolan is one of the most influential voices in contemporary cinema today where each new film is a cultural event, while anime continues to explode as an art force shaping global entertainment across mediums. These programmes offer audiences of all ages a compelling look at the scale, creativity, and innovation that define film today.”
“We’ve enjoyed many hours of lively conversation around Christopher Nolan’s films, so we’re thrilled to join TIFF for this summer’s series,” said Fennessey and Dobbins. “We can’t wait to bring our show to Canada for the first time to record a very special episode and screen one of our Nolan faves, Tenet, for Toronto movie lovers.”
INTERSTELLAR
Christopher Nolan: Grand Designs
July 8–Aug 20, Presented by Air France
Christopher Nolan: Grand Designs anchors TIFF’s summer programming with multiple screenings of all 12 of Nolan’s directed features, including many presented in stunning 70mm in Cinema 1, the Lightbox’s largest and most technically advanced cinema. Alongside the films, TIFF’s marquee series features a lineup of special guests and events, beginning with The Big Picture’s live podcast recording on July 8, followed by a deep dive on Tenet (July 9) with co-hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins.
Additional programming includes a Silver Screenings presentation of The Right Stuff (July 24), a film Nolan cited as one of his favourites, preceded by an in‑cinema talk from a space exploration expert along with a free pop‑up planetarium activation in the Lightbox atrium, which will also be available ahead of each screening of Interstellar; these events are all presented in partnership with Space Place Canada and Astronomy in Action. A Quote Along screening of Barbie will take place directly before Oppenheimer (July 18) as a playful nod to the Summer of 2023’s “Barbenheimer.” Rounding out the lineup is the free and interactive Introduction to Film Formats event (July 12), which will explore the art and craft of analogue film, programmed in collaboration with IMAX. For more information, visit tiff.net/nolan.
Nolan Films & Events:
July 8, 7pm: The Big Picture: Live from TIFF Lightbox July 9, 7pm: Tenet (2020) in 70mm, with Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins July 10, 6:30pm: Memento (2000) in 35mm July 11, 4pm: Following (1998) in 35mm with guest Adam Nayman July 12, 3pm: Oppenheimer (2023) in 70mm July 14, 6pm: Tenet (2020) in 70mm July 16, 6pm: The Prestige (2006) in 35mm with Scott Hammell, magician and stunt artist July 17, 6pm: Following (1998) in 35mm July 18, 4pm: Oppenheimer (2023) in 70mm July 19, 3pm: Memento (2000) in 35mm July 19, 7pm: Tenet (2020) in 70mm July 22, 7pm: Oppenheimer (2023) in 70mm July 25, 3pm: Inception (2010) in 35mm, with a pre-screening discussion with Nolan author and journalist Dan Jolin July 26, 3pm: The Prestige (2006) in 35mm July 28, 6:30pm: Insomnia (2002) in 35mm July 31, 6pm: Batman Begins (2005) in 35mm August 1, 6pm: The Dark Knight (2008) in 35mm, with recorded introduction by Academy Award–winning sound designer Richard King August 2, 6pm: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in 35mm, with recorded introduction by Dan Jolin August 6, 6:30pm: Inception (2010) in 35mm August 7, 6:30pm: Interstellar (2014) in 70mm August 8, 3pm: Batman Begins (2005) in 35mm August 9, 4pm: Interstellar (2014) in 70mm August 12, 6pm: Dunkirk (2017) in 70mm, with recorded introduction by Dan Jolin August 14: 6pm: Insomnia (2002) in 35mm August 15, 3:30pm: The Dark Knight (2008) in 35mm, recorded introduction by Academy Award–winning sound designer Richard King August 15, 8pm: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in 35mm, with recorded introduction by Dan Jolin August 16, 4pm: Dunkirk (2017) in 70mm, with recorded introduction by Dan Jolin August 18, 7:30pm: Interstellar (2014) in 70mm August 20, 5:30pm: Dunkirk (2017) in 70mm preceded by Nolan Trivia, presented by Air France
Tickets for Christopher Nolan: Grand Designs July programming will be available for TIFF Members on Thursday, June 11 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, June 12. Tickets for August programming will be available for TIFF Members on Thursday, July 16 at 12pm, and to the public on Friday, July 17. To learn more, visit tiff.net/join.
A24 has released a new video narrated by Hugh Jackman for director Michael Sarnoski’s (A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE) upcoming film THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD.
Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood (Jackman) finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.
Also starring Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett and Noah Jupe, THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD opens on June 19th.
This has the same vibe as ROBIN AND MARIAN, the 1976 film that provided a somber, middle-aged sendoff to the legendary figures of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Directed by Richard Lester and written by James Goldman, the movie stripped away the traditional youthful bravado of the characters to look at the human reality behind the myth.
The below-the-line artists include Director of Photography Pat Scola, ASC, Production Design by David Lee, Editing by Andrew Mondshein, ACE, Costume Design by Lorna Marie Mugan and Music by Jim Ghedi.
My favorite curmudgeonly police detective, played delightfully by Corinne Masiero, once again drives her old jeep all over France, solving crimes beyond the ken of the local gendarmes in “Captain Marleau: Season Five”. As we’ve come to expect, she’s dressed in the same shabby outfit (although she switches among three plaid shirts, rather than sticking with only one), making our Lt. Columbo look like a GQ model, as she brashly wades through colleagues, suspects and witnesses with a stream of sarcasm that Dr. House could only dream of achieving. She’s rude and crude by design, since annoying others works so well as an investigative technique.
Here’s a link to prior seasons’ coverage, for those who seek a refresher. It’s not as essential as in most other series reviewed here, since each 90-minute episode is a new crime in a new locale, with very little plot carryover, or return of supporting characters.
Season 5 blesses us with the bounty of 10 episodes of La Capitain doing her thing with her usual tactics. Her disdain for the rich and powerful, whether her superiors or her suspects, is proudly flaunted in their faces. They hate it. Fans of the show love it. The most exotic of the new batch is the first, which begins with the disappearance of a stripper from the local Club Follies. Nobody gets nekked, but Zahia Dehar’s opening number before her character goes missing is quite a treat.
In the second, a town’s local hero who saved the sawmill that provides the bulk of its economic base may not be the good guy everyone believes him to be. Next, a porcine crime boss turns states’ evidence, putting Marleau in the unusual position of preventing a murder, rather than solving one. Next comes upheaval and suspense when the daughter of one of a group of old school chums announces she’s marrying her dad’s bestie. Then one of the guys gets blowed up real good in a boat belonging to another, raising questions as to who was really the target, along with the usual tangle of motives and suspects.
Then we get a murder among the circle of friends and supporters of an exiled African president who is angling to get back in power, unseating his brother what done him out of the top dog spot. Besides the basic whodunnit, part of the suspense here is whether we should root for him to return home, or if his brother may actually be the lesser of two evils. Next comes the surprise of Marc Ruchmann, who co-stars in the comedic mystery series that was reviewed here last week, “Family Detective”, getting bumped off in the first five minutes. His character wanted to sell the family glove factory, despite the objections of his domineering mother. The conflict opens up a can of worms over Catholic/Protestant enmity that has long divided the community. Naturally, that sets up both sides to be zinged by atheist Marleau’s delightfully (to us, not them) caustic wit.
A local annual dance festival faces derailment when one of the organizers involuntarily becomes permanently horizontal (betcha can’t get more euphemistic that!). The diva who runs the show winds up in the middle of a swirl of family psychodrama that may, or may not, explain the murder du jour. This one is arguably the soapiest of the lot. That’s followed by the killing of a rather bitchy, but well-intentioned, social worker who’s setting up a lakeside center for troubled youth. Character and conscience can come from canoeing, supposedly. This foils the plans of a neighboring hotelier to salvage his failing business by offering aquatic activities that would have required owning that same chunk of primo shoreline.
Number nine revolves around an old monastery, now being run as a trade school for young adults with problematic histories. It’s overseen by an ancient quasi-religious order of good Samaritans called the Companions of the Work. But if all went smoothly, there wouldn’t be a murder to solve, would there? The victim is an aspiring locksmith whose efforts draw the wrong kind of attention. In the season finale, a murder occurs in a town bubbling over with protests. They’ve long thrived on the ferry that connects them to the opposite shore of a lake. But a rich guy wants to build a bridge that would replace it, speeding up thru traffic at the expense of all the local merchants who rely on the wait times for much of their business.
As regular readers know, Marleau is one of my favorite characters among all the Eurofare I’ve covered in the past decade, or so. Even so, I encourage you to spread out the viewing of these ten 90-minute episodes. Her singularly entertaining shtick can lose some of its entertainment value when received in too many back-to-back doses. There’s no downside to waiting, since each crime takes her to a new locale with a different cast of cops and residents. You don’t need to recall the details of what she done before to enjoy what she’s doin’ now.
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
CAPTAIN MARLEAU, premieres May 26, 2026 in the U.S. and Canada on MHz Choice.
The long-running Austrian police procedural “SOKO: Linz” follows a special unit of the Linz police force dedicated to major crimes. SOKO is a shortened form of Sonderkommission, which means “special investigative team”. The tone of these shows is similar to our “Law and Order”set of series with rather somber, matter-of-fact scripts, spending relatively little time on the personal lives of the protagonists. This is one of several SOKO series, each set in a different city with a different set of cops, like Germany’s “Tatort” or our own “CSI” franchises.
The lead detectives are Johanna (Katharina Haizinger) and Ben (Daniel Gawlowski). Their boss is Nele (Anna Hausberg). Their youngest member is Aleks (Damyan Andrev) who provides a dimension of enthusiasm to the efforts of the veterans. Medical examiner Richie (Alexander Pschill) adds some eccentricities to the mix. Each hourlong episode is a separate crime, with virtually no carryover. The first involves the murder of a woman the German police sent to Linz under their witness protection program. The mystery is whether she was killed in retaliation for her testimony there, or due to something that went wrong in her new life and identity. The second revolves around the fate of one who designed software for a super-pervasive facial recognition program that he now regrets, since it might invade way too much privacy if it reaches the wrong hands. Maybe not so good in the right hands, either. Frankly, this one confused me a bit, but tech is mostly out of my wheelhouse. The third dives deep into social issues of international dug and human trafficking, including baby-selling, in a morally complex set of events.
Among the other eight sets of murders for our little team to unravel, a brilliant student in cutting-edge AI is bumped off just before leaving for a big-time job in the US. A new murder in the stye of a convicted serial killer raises questions as to whether it’s a copycat, or proof that they jailed the wrong guy. The next stiff is the much younger hubby of a rich middle-aged woman, found on one of the boats he sells. That’s followed by the murder of a renowned classical conductor/cellist on the eve of a concert that could make or break the careers of the students comprising his chamber quartet.
My favorites begin with a Nazi hooligan found dead at a bus stop, involving the plight of a family who tried to quit the gang, only to be harassed for years. The last begins with the killing of a woman who’d opened a pole-dancing studio to empower women who had been stuck in abusive relationships. As one might expect, that didn’t set well with many of the locals for “moral” or chauvinistic reasons.
All the scripts are solid. The lead characters are easy to like. This is the first of four seasons that have already aired abroad, and are likely to continue. Since the episodes are stand-alone crimes, they can be watched at leisure, with no advantage to bingeing. I’d expect more of the existing 49 episodes to follow these to our side of the Atlantic in due course.
RATING: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars
“SOKO Linz: Season One”, in German with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice on May 26, 2026.
Prime Video’s global hit series, THE BOYS, concluded its final and fifth season with an explosive final chapter. Season Five of the multi-Emmy Award-winning series premiered on April 8, culminating in the unforgettable series finale on May 20.
In the final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. Big stuff’s gonna happen.
THE BOYS reunites composer Christopher Lennertz with the series’ creator Eric Kripke, creator and producer of CW’s Supernatural, which Lennertz scored since the show’s inception in 2005, and for which he received an Emmy nomination. The duo also worked together on the NBC series Revolution.
The Emmy-winning composer and I have been having conversations about his various projects since 2014, starting with THINK LIKE A MAN, the TV show “Galavant” and in 2015 with THE WEDDING RINGER, RIDE ALONG 2 and the TV show “Marvel’s Agent Carter” and in 2019 when THE BOYS first came on the scene.
Prior to the airing of THE BOYS series finale, Lennertz and I discussed what’s been happening since we last spoke, the Emmy win, working in the Vought Cinematic Universe (VCU) world and his latest movie Tim Story’s latest comedy 72 HOURS (2026).
SPOILERS AHEAD – – – SPOILERS AHEAD
Antony Starr (Homelander)
We Are Movie Geeks: We’ve spoken 3 times previously. One time you’re doing Agent Carter, and then you’re composing for Gallivant, and then you’re doing movies with Tim Story, and THE BOYS during this whole time.
I gotta say. I watched last night’s episode of THE BOYS. How cool was it that you got that brilliant shout-out in the episode?
Christopher Lennertz: That was awesome. I didn’t even know they were doing it until we first spotted the episode. I knew it last night, but when we first started working on the music, they didn’t tell me, and it came up, I was like, oh my god, so great, so fun. And to have Daveed Diggs say it was so fun and great.
We Are Movie Geeks: I know, right? And I had the closed captioning on, and there it is! And secondly, congratulations on that Emmy win last year for “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas.”
Christopher Lennertz: Thank you. It was amazing. It was so fun and silly. It really was.
We Are Movie Geeks: It was great, and then they posted it on YouTube, which was even better. Did you immerse yourself in going to ice capade shows to really get a vibe going?
Christopher Lennertz: I didn’t go to them, but I watched a ton of them online, and yeah, I really did a lot of homework on that one. It was very funny to try to make it as legit, sort of like, Disney on Ice as we possibly could.
We Are Movie Geeks: That was great, that was great. So once again, you and Eric Kripke, you’re doing another series to the bitter end, and it’s been, like, what, 30 years?
Christopher Lennertz: More than 30 years. We met in 1995, no, 1992, and I think we did his first student film, that we did together, was in 1993, so 33 years since we started working together. Isn’t that insane?
We Are Movie Geeks:That’s amazing. I love that, because I was watching Deadline’s, Sight and Sounds, and you were talking about that, and it has been 30 years.
Christopher Lennertz: We both had hair back then.
Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell), Karl Urban (Billy Butcher)
We Are Movie Geeks: How crazy has it been working on THE BOYS from when it first started, and when you and I were first talking about it to where it is now, because when we were talking about Season 1, you were talking about wanting to use lots of drums, and metal, and trash and stuff, and broken symbols, and all this noise and feedback. So, where you started and where it is now, did you change anything?
Christopher Lennertz: I don’t think we changed anything, I think we added a lot of stuff, I think, and especially this last season, because, you know, I think you’ll still hear a lot of the broken instruments, and you’ll hear the trash, and you’ll hear feedback and things like that, especially to represent Butcher and our boys, our heroes. Homelander’s theme on this violin was gonna be such a big part of the show, and really represent his descent into just mania, and just insanity, and to have his, like, the inside of his brain be represented by that. But we also didn’t know we were gonna end up doing this thing where we, every year, we do, you know, a couple of original songs that are really fun satire and parody, and I was gonna get to work with you know, half the cast, to sing them, and to be able to write songs for the cast to sing. That was something that didn’t start until Season 2, and has been such an amazing surprise.
We Are Movie Geeks: I love how, over the five seasons, there’s been a lot more use of orchestra, and I think one of my favorites of this season, also, is, the song, “Faster”. Did that come from another season?
Christopher Lennertz: Yeah, so there was the rap version of Faster that Jesse actually did in Season 2, so that when we knew that A-Train was gonna die, Eric sent me a note, and we’re like, oh, we have to do a funeral gospel version of Faster. So yeah, it was really fun to be able to do that and take it in a very different direction.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’m hearing a lot of orchestra, but there’s a lot more of those non-conventional choices of instruments. Did you and co-composer, Matt Bowen, make a conscious decision? Was that something that Eric said he wanted? It works really well.
Christopher Lennertz: Yeah, thank you! I think it really was, you know, I think the show sort of told us what to do, and one of the things that we were surprised about, and we knew that things were gonna be big, because it was the last season, it was season 5, but what we really weren’t prepared for was how emotional a lot of it was gonna be. I knew that we’d probably see a lot of death, but, you know, but starting in episode 1 this year, we lost A-Train, and then we lost Firecracker, and Black Noir, and, every time you start to realize, oh my god, there’s a lot of emotion here, you know, and obviously last night, she died.
So to be able to go through that, you kind of need the orchestra to come in and tug on your heartstrings. The orchestra can do something with both emotion and scale to say we’re approaching the end, and you’re saying goodbye to characters you love, and this is getting big. You know, and that’s something that, you know, it’s harder to do that with a guitar or a bass. It’s easier to do that with, you know, the grandeur of an orchestra, and really do that kind of thing. As we got into this season, Matt and I really knew that, you know, we were going to do more orchestra than we normally do. But really, especially in the last two or three episodes, it’s become sort of much more orchestral than it ever was before. And I think it’s because the show warrants it, the story warrants it.
Kimiko Miyashiro (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Capone)
We Are Movie Geeks: it’s great. It’s impactful. I mean, I’m watching Frenchie Die last night, and I was like, oh no, oh no, and here comes the orchestra, and the strings, and everything else. It was really sad. It was, like, the worst part of all five seasons.
The first season, the first few seasons, you were the sole composer, and now you’re working alongside your co-composer, Matt Bowen. I mean, that cue for the last diabolical dance, which I was listening to yesterday, is perfect.
Christopher Lennertz: Thank you.
We Are Movie Geeks: What is that like?
Christopher Lennertz: Matt and I had been working on other things together. He’s worked on some movies with me, and he comes from the world of being a real record producer. He’s really great at playing lots of instruments, but also, you know, comes from more of a rock background, whereas I have more of an orchestral specialty. And so he was involved from the beginning, producing a lot of the rock stuff.and a lot of the punk vibe of the show. He was starting to come up with so many great things, and became so integral to the show that, when they greenlit Gen V, and we started working on Gen V, and we knew that it was gonna go into a situation where we were gonna just be doing episode after episode after episode, going from one show to the next.
And then now, obviously, going to Vought Rising coming up, we’re gonna do the same, we talked to Kripke, and I said, look, Matt’s been on this, you know, sort of from the beginning, and he’s really started writing with me on a lot of things and great music, so, so can we just, you know, bring him in on the team and have him make sure that we have, you know, because we’re doing so many shows, back-to-back. I was like, oh, this way we’ll be able to make sure that we, you know, that we’re here for whatever you need, and also, he’s brilliant, and he’s really good at some of the things that I’m not great at. He plays cello, and he plays, you know, he plays, you know, violin, and I don’t play violin at all, so, it’s really helpful to have both of us involved, and we’ve sort of gotten into the world of the VCU and the show with Eric that I think we just all get what it’s supposed to sound like, and we’re all sort of one big family now, which is really great.
We Are Movie Geeks: I love that it’s called the VCU now. I love that. When I was watching that interview on Deadline on YouTube, the sound and screen, it’s a lot of fun. It was really fun watching the two of you, you know, talk about the show and the music.
We Are Movie Geeks: Tell me about, then, the process of composing for not only THE BOYS, but GenV, which was its own thing, and now you’ve got VOUGHT RISING.
Christopher Lennertz: You know, they’re all in the same world, and so they needed to relate somewhat. It was a much younger cast in Gen V, they were in college, there was definitely a stronger female lead presence, which were really amazing, like Marie, and we knew that they needed more of that sound, and so we had more vocals involved, and it definitely had more electronics involved than the boys would have had. But it definitely also lived in the same world. There was, you know, dissonance and feedback and tension. And then it’s gonna be interesting to see what we do with Vought Rising, because we do have themes that carry over now, because we’ve got Soldier Boy, we’ve got Stormfront.
You know, so there are themes, and we actually introduced a new theme this season for Bombsite. Once we go back, you’ll hear the Bombsite theme as well, which is really cool. There is some cross-pollinization of themes, but also, it takes place in the 50s, we’re just starting it, so I’m not exactly sure how much of that period music sound will be in there. My guess is it’s still gonna live very much in the world of boys-related stuff, and it’s gonna have the same kind of shock and blood and violence and gore and stuff that THE BOYS has, I’m sure. So I’m sure there’ll be dissonance and there’ll be tension, like there always is, but I’d like to think there’s gonna also be an expansion into the 50s of that kind of thing to, you know, to hopefully, you know, give it its own voice, but yet feel like it belongs in the whole universe.
We Are Movie Geeks: What can fans of the boys and Gen V expect from VOUGHT RISING? It sounds like there’s going to be that kind of Flavor of the 50s, but not too far removed from what people have been listening to the last five seasons.
Christopher Lennertz: We haven’t finished any episodes yet, so I’m not sure how it’ll end up, but I do think when it comes to things that are in the same world, fans have an expectation that they want to feel like it belongs, and whether that’s like, James Bond, you want to hear that guitar, you want to hear the brass, and so I think with anything, when you’ve got a world that you’ve created that people love, you want to make sure you give the fans what they want, but also in a new way, and that’s probably what I think we’ll end up doing.
We Are Movie Geeks: Getting a little way from THE BOYS. You’re also working with Tim Story again.
Christopher Lennertz: I am, we actually just finished a little bit ago, we finished 72 Hours, which is a Netflix movie.
We Are Movie Geeks: What is this, your 9th, 10th collaboration with him?
Christopher Lennertz: That was my 9th movie with Tim. It’s awesome and he’s just the most lovely human. Both he and Eric are my two favorite, long-time collaborators, and, they love making really fun entertainment that people can get lost in. And Tim just knows how to make a fun, funny movie, and especially when he and Kevin get together, it’s just always gonna be fun. This one’s cool, because it’s got a bunch of the young, really great new Saturday Night Live stars in it, Marcelo and everybody else, so it’s gonna be really cool, sort of the next wave of big-time comic actors are in this movie, which is great.
We Are Movie Geeks: You and I, we spoke about Think Like a Man 2, we also talked about Ride Along, and the trailer for 72 hours, it’s actually really funny. I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun.
Christopher Lennertz: It comes out in July, so I hope everybody loves it.
We Are Movie Geeks: After that, what do you have on the horizon?
Christopher Lennertz: Nothing I could talk about specifically, necessarily, but, you know, I have been, because of THE BOYS’ songs and everything else, like, I’ve really gotten caught by the bug of songwriting, and especially musical theater songwriting, so I am working on a show for Broadway, which I can’t tell specifically about, but it’s really great.
I did the Rogers musical for Disneyland when it was out a couple years ago. I did all the new songs for that, and then writing songs for THE BOYS and having superheroes sing theatrical songs, it might be a world that I would like to be pigeonholed in. If I can be the superhero slash sci-fi Broadway songwriter, I would be happy to be that person. I’ve got something up my sleeve, which is fun, and the fact that we got to do a song with Daveed Diggs from Hamilton this season was a dream come true for me. Hamilton’s one of my absolute favorite shows, and Daveed is a legend. And to be able to write it with him was unbelievably fun. He’s brilliant, and as cool as you could imagine. And yeah, to be able to write that, and singing about Homelander being God is so ridiculous, and then having, like, angels twerking, and it’s so ridiculous.
We Are Movie Geeks: That was a crazy.
Christopher Lennertz: Yeah, but it’s so Kripke. After the Emmy last year, everyone knows that I love writing songs, and they’re more open to me writing more songs within the actual movies and the shows. I’d love to write something for one of Tim’s movies, I’d love to write a song for that, and, who knows, there just might be a song in Vought Rising, too, or two, maybe. So we’ll have to see and wait and see.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’ve been re-watching Supernatural, showing my husband, who didn’t see it on its initial run. I watched it from the start when it first began, so this is my third time watching it.
Christopher Lennertz: Good, right?
We Are Movie Geeks: Oh my gosh. That show, just perfect, still just amazing. And to have them show up in THE BOYS!
Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, and Misha Collins as Castiel on Supernatural – Credit: Jack Rowand/The CW/Everett Collection
We Are Movie Geeks: So lastly, what can fans expect from the finale, from THE BOYS?
Christopher Lennertz: There’s a lot of orchestra in it, there’s a lot longer, big cues, which was really fun to write. Plus a huge buildup at one point in the show, and, normally queues on THE BOYS are a minute to two, three minutes long, and there was a queue that’s 9 minutes long. In the finale, there’s big, dramatic music that usually means that really important stuff is happening, so I will say that I think people are gonna be like. It doesn’t pull any punches, we’ll put it that way. I hope people like it. And I think, It’s got stuff that’s gonna move people, but it’s also got stuff that might put people’s jaws on the ground. I think they’ll be surprised.
We Are Movie Geeks: Chris, thank you again. Thank you, for sitting down and having this conversation.
Christopher Lennertz: You too. Thanks, Michelle, appreciate it.
So now it’s truly beginning to feel like the Summer movie season has really started in earnest. That’s because we’re finally returning to that galaxy “far, far away”. Now, I know that the last few Disney/Lucasfilm entries have been released in the Winter (always too late to be considered for any awards from the critics’ groups). But that wasn’t the case back in the glory days of the original trilogy (or episodes four through six, for the “hardcores”), when they’d be in theatres at the start, or near the Memorial Day holiday weekend every three years (77′,80′,83′), respectively. And can you believe that it’s been seven years since the last Star Wars theatrical release? Oh, this one’s not another “episode”, nor is it a sequel or prequel in the movie series. Rather, it’s the continuation of an incredibly successful streaming series that debuted seven years ago on Disney+, which is “SW-adjacent.” So let’s put our “X-Wing” in reverse to arrive only a few years after the events of RETURN OF THE JEDI for the big screen debut adventure of STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. Hurry along now, for “this is the way”…
Indeed, the Imperials were soundly defeated in the finale of JEDI, but a few of those “bad apples” are still slithering about, trying to “shake down” planet systems in order to rebuild the Empire. That’s what is happening in this story’s opening sequence. Lucky for the good guys of the New Republic, they have hired former bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a member of the Mandalorian order, to track down and hopefully capture (for intel) these baddies. Oh, and he’s not a “lone wolf”. Din is aided by his trusty co-pilot Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios (voice of Steve Blum) and his ever-present “ward”, the toddler Grogu, part of the race that spawned the legendary Jedi master Yoda. At the mission’s end, the trio travels back to the new “rebel base”. There, Din meets with his “liaison”, Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), who tells him that this last gig got “messy”. And yet, she has a new mission for him: find a mysterious missing Imperial “high honcho”. Unfortunately, the only “lead” rests with members of the Hutt crime syndicate. Their price for the info: the rescue of the “kidnapped” son of the late Jabba the Hutt, Rotta (voice of Jeremy Allen White). After meeting with the Hutts, Din and company travel to the planet Shakari, where Rotta is far from being a prisoner. He’s a celebrated, adored gladiator in a high-stakes fighting pit. Yes, he doesn’t want to be rescued. This lands Din in that pit, and he eventually fights for his life back on the planet Nal Hutta, due to a big double-cross by the Hutt twins. Now, he needs a rescue, and his only hope is tiny Grogu and his band of even tinier Anzellan mechanics. So, will the Force be with them?
It’s a bit challenging to talk about the cast since the lead characters in the title are a man whose face is hidden under a helmet (for most of the runtime) and a…puppet (with a few CG enhancements). Still, Pascal projects a great physicality to the story’s main hero. especially in the intense combat sequences (he can move in that armour). Plus, he has an interesting “laid-back” cadence as Din barely raises his sometimes snarky tone, making his urgent commands and threats more dramatic. But, not to fret, we do see his “mug” for a few minutes. And big kudos to the team of “trainers” that guide Grogu in his often (too many for some) adorable escapades. White is also quite compelling as the conflicted Rotta, who quickly forms a bond with Grogu while resisting the efforts to return him to his “loving family”. The role of Ward should certainly “cement” Weaver is the “queen of science fiction fantasy,” though she is again relegated to being a “boss lady” until the big finale has her back in action, satisfying her many fans. Another human-like character is given an effete, menacing snarl by Jonny Coyne as the scheming Lord Janu. As far as the other alien “beastie”, the big “scene stealer” may be filmmaking icon, Martin Scorsese, as a very nervous, streetwise food vendor named Hugo, whose four arms really help him to “multi-task” in his cramped cooking space.
Putting this all together is series co-creator and director Jon Favreau, who also worked on the screenplay with producer/co-creator Dave Filoni, along with Noah Kloor. They crafted a largely effective expansion of the streaming show’s themes while giving these new exploits a much larger “canvas”. It’s visually stunning, from the exotic alien worlds to the often deadly and dangerous new alien creatures. In the big action arena, multiple beasties attack Din and Rotta, but many had a familiar look as I realized that this was an “homage” to that 3D holographic chess board from the original STAR WARS (y’know, “Let the Wookie win”). There’s also a massive, scary, and somehow beautiful snake/sea serpent that is perhaps the most formidable challenge to the heroes, though it will gobble up anyone. And, oh, those action set pieces that combine “super-heroics” with lots of John Wick-style brutality (Din blasts again for “good measure”). SO, fans get lots of “zap” for their time and money, especially in the pricier IMAX format, for which it was “forged”. And yet it somehow feels too long, with a lengthy lull as Din heals, which derails the pacing’s momentum and diminishes what should be a rousing final act. I hate to be a “party-pooper”, but the cutaways to the ‘so adorable” antics of Grogu and his mechanic buddies feel lifted from a frothy kiddie flick from decades ago. Plus, we really need to see more of Pascal, which Favreau avoided in his two IRON MAN movies (Tony has much more “face time” than his armored avenger). And this could very well have been a multi-episode arc in a new season of the streaming show. Technically, it’s top-notch, but Summer movie blockbuster fans may feel adrift in the cosmos by the sci-fi fantasy frivolity of the dynamic duo in STAR WARS: THE MANDALRIAN AND GROGU. Now somebody remove that lil’ green guy from the concession counter…
3 Out of 4
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU is now playing in theatres everywhere
Here’s a first look at the upcoming film LUCKY STRIKE.
Inspired by true events,LUCKY STRIKE tells the story of one soldier trapped behind enemy lines during the last major German offensive during WWII, what will become known as The Battle of the Bulge. Armed only with his Motorola SCR-300 radio, a new technology only battle-ready near the end of the war, he must use his wits and spy craft to thwart the advancing Nazi Panzer army and find his way back home.
The film reunites director Rod Lurie, producer Marc Frydman and star and producer Scott Eastwood following their acclaimed film The Outpost.
Amazing how much he looks like his father, Clint Eastwood, seen below in KELLY’S HEROES.
The cast includes Scott Eastwood, Colin Hanks, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Taylor John Smith.
Roadside Attractions and Saban Films will release LUCKY STRIKE nationwide in theaters on June 26, 2026.
In MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
The early reactions have been stellar!
#MastersOfTheUniverse director Travis Knight has a genuine reverence for all the incarnations of the He-Man character the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE action figures, animated & cinematic iterations. Easter Eggs are incorporated with craft & care. I got a little misty at 1 point.
Masters of the Universe is everything this ’80s kid wanted and more. It’s gloriously campy, wildly entertaining, and nonstop fun from beginning to end. Travis Knight completely understood the assignment and delivered exactly what fans of this franchise have been waiting for.… pic.twitter.com/QrbYzSO1oO
I was excited going into Masters of the Universe—big sucker of sword and sorcery, Frank Frazetta myth here—and I was JUBILANT coming out. A massive crowd pleaser, the kind of movie that electrifies every 12 year old to keep dreaming of adventures. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/CQAhIpQKFx
The film starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, featuring Kristen Wiig with Jared Leto and Idris Elba is in theaters June 5.
It was a Powerful night at the Masters of the Universe premiere in Los Angeles. ⚔️ Only in theaters June 5. Get tickets now. pic.twitter.com/cL6qrcvZHg
— Masters of the Universe (@mastersmovie) May 19, 2026
Lakeshore Records has released the first single taken from the forthcoming Masters of the Universe—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
The double sided single, “Eternia,” with music by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning composer Daniel Pemberton (Project Hail Mary, Spider Man: Across The Spider-Verse) and featuring guitar legend Brian May is an exhilarating theme to the highly anticipated sci-fi fantasy film kicked into epic gear by May’s singular fretwork—played on his iconic “Red Special” handmade guitar that has been featured on almost every Queen record ever made. The full score album will be released on June 5.
Notes Pemberton: “While there are many spectacular things about Masters of the Universe, one of the things I am so happy to share is we have one of the greatest icons in the history of modern music playing on this score. Arise Sir Brian May.
The music of Queen was a huge influence on how I approached this movie – their amazing ability to mix flamboyant theatrics, bombast and style with a real heart, emotion and sincerity was everything I was hoping to achieve on this soundtrack. The Queen scores to films like Flash Gordon and Highlander for me felt truly groundbreaking in their approach and that attitude was something I felt modern cinema needed to experience again. So when we reached out to Brian and he was excited to come on board it really felt like a dream come true for both myself and our wonderful director Travis Knight.”
