Entertainment

Now Playing: Mickey 17

Groundhog Day mixed with dark humor and a timely analogy

Published

on

I’m a sucker for short YouTube videos that explore unlikely scenarios using as much science as possible. One of the most popular creators of that genre, simply called What If, imagines an astronaut named Chase landing on all the different planets of the solar system. Naturally, Chase dies horrifically in every scenario. As I’m watching this series, I’ve always thought about how funny it would be to make a story based on that morbid premise. Today, my dreams have come true with Mickey 17, a new film directed by Parasite’s Bong Joon-Ho.

Based on Mickey7, a novel written by Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 imagines an interplanetary expedition to the far-flung icy world of Niflheim. Though the technology is controversial, each expedition is allowed a single Expendable, a crew member whose identity was uploaded into, quite literally, a brick so they can be reprinted over and over again. The Niflheim expedition’s Expendable, Mickey Barnes (played by Robert Pattinson) is already on his 17th life by the time the movie opens.

Bioshock/Fallout: The Movie

True to the director’s style, Mickey 17 blends dark humor with a timely topic. Though the premise resides firmly in the realm of science fiction, the expedition is anything but. It’s headed by failed politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a smarmy egotist with eugenicist ambitions for a future colony on Niflheim, and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), a manipulative player obsessed with turning extraordinary ingredients into sauces.

“Eugenicist ambitions” should give you a clue of who Marshall is meant to emulate in real life. Even his so-called government brandishes an icon reminiscent of a certain taboo symbol used in the 1940s and, to an extent, today. Despite the clear analogy, Mickey 17 does not turn preachy. Instead, it fully leans into how absurd the idea is.

Ruffalo’s performance commands by giving in to how stupid and bumbling the fascistic leader is. With his perfectly engineered teeth and a face you just want to punch, Marshall is essentially more of a narcissistic talk show host than a politician. Collette’s Ylfa emerges as the brains of the duo but falls prey to her own absurdities. She turns everything, including living life, into sauces for food.

If you’ve ever played Bioshock and Fallout, you will find this brand of absurdist totalitarianism familiar. Personally, it’s one I prefer over films that preach. It’s not impossible to teach about the world’s injustices in a language that everyone can understand — humor.

Mickey after Mickey after Mickey

Now, the main premise itself — that is, cloning an individual to undertake perilous tasks — is fascinating. In contrast to Marshall’s absurdity, Mickey’s plight is surprisingly treated with more reverence.

You should still find a lot of humor with Mickey. After all, his situation is just as absurd as Marshall’s. But, if you were expecting a mishmash of Groundhog-Day-esque deaths, you will find Mickey 17 lacking. The film wants to show that Mickey — each Mickey — is his own person.

This is made all the more apparent when Mickey 17, the titular character, survives a normally fatal scenario and meets Mickey 18, his successor. Now, the one rule of Expendables is that two iterations of the same person should not exist at the same time.

With this meeting, Mickey 17 introduces an inciting incident that moves the entire plot forward. In doing so, the film poses questions that a curious mind will likely deviate to: What happens if a lover has two clones of their partner? What happens if one clone has a completely different personality from the other?

The film is only loosely related to the Groundhog Day genre of films, but it’s one of the more thoughtful experiments of its contemporaries, despite being more subdued. It’s a premise that’s worth the price of admission.

Everything falls into place

Despite the character whose name is on the title, Mickey 17 is only one part of this film with multiple branches. You also have the reason why Mickey became an Expendable, his abusive best friend Timo (Steven Yeun), Marshall’s megalomania, and the native inhabitants of Niflheim.

Because the film is fun to experience on its own, I won’t go into every detail here. Needless to say, Mickey 17’s world is dense. Each diverging plot introduces something substantial about this world.

Admittedly, there are times when I wish the film dwelt a little bit longer on certain plots. There is a minute sense of whiplash from following all sorts of plots in one film. However, the film does tie everything together leading into the climax and denouement, albeit a few, especially one major plot, gets relegated to a footnote in the end.

Mickey 17 isn’t as strong as Parasite. But it once again shows Bong Joon-Ho’s chops in directing a genre film that touches on contemporary topics. Plus, the story is good to boot.

Related Topics:

Entertainment

LE SSERAFIM Chaewon flexes Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display

She says the feature is cool

Published

on

March 31, 2026

By

Collage. Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display | Edited image of Chaewon holding a Galaxy S26 Ultra
Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display | Edited image of Chaewon holding a Galaxy S26 Ultra

LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon didn’t set out to show off a feature. But somewhere in the middle of a Weverse live, she ended up doing exactly that. It’s a pretty good flex.

In a clip that’s now making the rounds online, Chaewon shared that she recently switched to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and has been enjoying one specific feature in particular:

“I just changed my phone lately to Galaxy S26 Ultra. And it has a privacy screen feature, right? It’s so cool. You really can’t see anything from the side. I show this to everyone I meet and make them jealous.”

It’s just someone genuinely impressed by a feature — and casually flexing it.

A feature that makes sense instantly

The feature Chaewon is referring to is Privacy Display, one of the headline additions on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

When enabled, it limits the viewing angles of the screen. That way. only the person holding the phone can clearly see what’s on it. Anyone looking from the side gets a dimmed or obscured view.

If you’ve ever used a privacy screen protector, the concept is similar. The difference here is that it’s built directly into the phone and can be toggled on or off, or even set to activate only for specific apps.

It’s a small addition on paper, but one that solves a very real, very common problem — especially if you’re using your phone in public spaces.

Samsung contract renewed?

It’s worth noting that LE SSERAFIM has been using Galaxy smartphones for a while now. That’s likely due to a partnership with Samsung and/or Google.

The music video for their track “Come Over” heavily features the smartphone, along with Google Gemini features integrated into the experience.

Another member, Sakura, also mentioned to fans recently that she has switched phones — from a Galaxy Z Flip to now also using a Galaxy S26 Ultra.


Whether this points to a renewed partnership or just continued preference isn’t something officially confirmed. But moments like Chaewon’s certainly keep Galaxy devices in the spotlight.

It’s easy to imagine the same scenario playing out anywhere — on a commute, in a café, or sitting next to someone who’s just a little too curious about what you’re doing on your phone.

It’s also something we’ve explored ourselves.

In one of our reels, we showed a straightforward demo of how Privacy Display works. We tilted the phone to show how the screen becomes unreadable from the side. In another, we leaned into a more playful skit: someone trying (and failing) to peek at what’s on the screen of the person beside them.


The result is the same. From certain angles, the display practically disappears.

The kind of feature you show off

Privacy Display isn’t the flashiest feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But it’s the kind of feature you end up showing people. Not because you have to — but because it’s surprisingly satisfying to see in action.

If Chaewon’s experience is anything to go by, it’s also the kind of feature that makes people just a little bit jealous.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Forgotten Island is an upcoming film based on Filipino culture

The film features the talents of H.E.R., Liza Soberano, and Lea Salonga.

Published

on

March 26, 2026

By

Despite all the Filipino actors in Hollywood today, it’s still difficult to feel scene in an industry where Filipino stories aren’t as abundant. Now, it’s time for the Philippines to shine. DreamWorks Animation has just released the first trailer for Forgotten Island, an upcoming animated film based on Filipino culture.

Played by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, Jo and Raissa are childhood best friends about to go their separate ways after one decides to study abroad. However, during their last night together, they discover a magical portal that takes them to Nakali, the Forgotten Island.

The island calls itself home to an army of creatures from Philippine mythology including The Dreaded Manananggal (voiced by Lea Salonga). Dave Franco also plays a weredog named Raww.

Besides the presence of all these monsters, the island has an even more dangerous quirk. The longer that Jo and Raissa stay on Nakali, the more of their memories are erased until they eventually forget each other. It then becomes a race to find their way home before they lose memories of their friendship forever.

Supporting the main cast, the film will feature the voice talents of Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Jo Koy, Dolly de Leon, Amielyn Abellera, and Ronny Chieng. It will be made by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the prolific team behind the critically acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Forgotten Island premieres in Philippine cinemas on September 23.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Marvel’s Wonder Man greenlit for a rare second season

The first season holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Published

on

March 24, 2026

By

Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe back? After years of floundering through Phases Four and Five, Marvel Studios is poised to get its mojo back from a flurry of much-awaited Phase Six projects this year, including the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday. And it all started this year with the critically acclaimed Wonder Man. Now, after the success of that series, a second season is officially in the works.

When its first trailer came out, Wonder Man did not look like anything that Marvel Studios has worked on before. For one, it was incredibly grounded, perhaps overshadowed only by Daredevil: Born Again. Second, it was about the reboot of a fictional superhero movie, itself called Wonder Man.

Actor Simon Williams (played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II) wants to energize his career by performing in the upcoming Wonder Man revival from acclaimed director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić). Helping the former is the returning Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who you might remember as the fake Mandarin from Iron Man 3.

Despite how different it looks compared to previous Marvel Studios projects, the series is one of the most acclaimed, currently holding a 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Because of this, Wonder Man has received the green light for a second season, via Variety.

A second season is relatively rare for Marvel Studios with its history of one-and-done series. There are some exceptions, though. Loki, for example, ended its run with a second season. Daredevil: Born Again will air its second season very soon (with a third one potentially in the works already).

SEE ALSO: Marvel’s Wolverine gets a release date

Continue Reading

Trending