Entertainment

Now Playing: MI7, Hijack, Rurouni Kenshin

Some recommendations for your consideration

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Hijack | Mission Impossible 7 | Rurouni Kenshin 2023
Hijack | Mission Impossible 7 | Rurouni Kenshin 2023

It’s been a while since I wrote one of these. Partly busy, partly I didn’t really feel like talking about the content I’ve been consuming of late. So, why now? Just scratching a writing itch really. Without further ado, here are some movies, shows, and even music you can check out right now. 

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (Cinemas)

I was pleasantly surprised to get a premiere invite for this one. Can’t call myself a Mission Impossible diehard fan. It’s just one of those franchises that you inevitably check out when it’s showing. 

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 will have you at the edge of your seat during its entire run time. The action is high octane and the tension is palpable. It further cements the franchise as THE blueprint for modern action flicks. It’s definitely one of those movies that you HAVE TO see on the big screen.

Some quick thoughts: 

  • It’s almost like an “Age of Ultron” story in a non-superhero setting. 
  • There’s a sequence that screams Uncharted 2. 
  • I might be in love with Hayley Atwell now.

Hijack (Apple TV+)

I subscribed to Apple One/Apple TV+ this year mainly for Ted Lasso Season 3. Sadly, I fell off that show after three episodes. This past week, I wanted to pick up Lasso again but instead, I played Hijack starring Idris Elba and it’s been a ride. 

Hijack is a mini-series(?) of only six episodes. It’s about a plane flying from Dubai to London getting, well, hijacked. Much of the story is told through the point of view of Elba who is onboard the plane. As of writing, we’re four episodes in and I am honestly surprised how they’ve been able to hold my attention for this long on a premise that usually can be wrapped up in the run time of a 1990’s movie. 

It’s a thrilling watch and one that I highly recommend. 

Rurouni Kenshin 2023 (Prime Video)

It’s wild that I’m writing about this after only having watched a single episode. But Rurouni Kenshin (or Samurai X as I knew it growing up) is a beloved title. 

My brother, who is an avid fan of the franchise, quickly messaged me about it and commented on how he preferred the soundtrack from the 90s anime. Can’t help but agree but that might just be the nostalgia talking. 

Animation and art style-wise, it’s too early to judge. I personally hold the late 90s animation and art style at a pedestal, and the almost plasticky look on this 2023 version isn’t resonating with me as much. But I’ll keep watching, of course. 

Animé to check out 

I have fully reverted to weeb mode in 2023. Most of the shows I’ve watched are animé. They’re easy to digest and are just my comfort zone in what has felt like a busier year than usual. That said, here’s a quick list of animé I’ve seen and/or I’m seeing this year that you should check out. 

  • Trigun Stampede
  • Oshi No Ko
  • Mashle
  • Hell’s Paradise 
  • Jujutsu Kaisen S2
  • Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War S2 
  • Kimetsu No Yaiba S4 
  • Tengoku-Daimakyo

Some of these I’ve dropped,  others I’m in the middle of watching. All them, I feel, are worth checking out. 

Last song syndrome 

While we’re at it, might as well share with you the songs that have been on loop for me lately. These are new additions to my odd mix of K-Pop, R&B, Pop Punk, J-Pop, J-Rock, OPM, and Alternative Rock rotation.

  • “Do Not Touch” by MISAMO 
  • “Marshmallow” by MISAMO
  • “Strawberry Soju” by Jesse Barrera 
  • “Deja Vu” by Jesse Barrera
  • “You” by Rangga Jones and Tengy 
  • “Thirsty” by aespa
  • “Express Moon” by Jo Yuri
  • “love you twice” by Huh Yunjin
  • “Sugarcoat” by Natty
  • “Flower” by Johnny Stimson 
  • “Just Friends” by Estelle Fly
  • “Idol” by YOASOBI
  • “friend zone” by Morgan Jay
  • “Tsuki wo Miteita” by Kenshi Yonezu (Final Fantasy XVI theme)

Fast Forward

Naturally, there’s plenty of entertainment on the horizon that’s worth checking out. Listing here the ones that: I’m interested in, seems to be popular mainstream, and stuff we’ve received press releases for. 

  • Oppenheimer (Cinemas, July 21)
  • Barbie (Cinemas, July 21)
  • Blue Beetle (Cinemas, August 16) 
  • Wonka (Cinemas January 8, 2024)
  • Psycho-Pass: Providence (Cinemas PH, July 26)
  • The Witcher Season 3 (Netflix, July 27)
  • The Uncanny Counter S2 (Netflix, July 29)
  • Ahsoka (Disney+,  August 23) 
  • “Killin Me Good” – TWICE Jihyo Solo Debut (August)

Entertainment

1st teaser trailer, details for Death Stranding Isolations series unveiled

Animated series to debut on Hulu on Disney Plus

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A new teaser trailer for the upcoming Death Stranding Isolations series on Hulu on Disney+ has been revealed.

The upcoming animated series is set to debut in 2027. It is set in the world of Death Stranding immediately after the game’s protagonist Sam reconnects the continent of North America via the Chiral Network.

The series will tell a completely new story separate from that of the video games. The narrative will focus on a young man and woman as they set off on an adventure.

As America is reborn from the ashes, the renewed connections that bind it together bring about new and unforeseen consequences.

In this tumultuous new landscape, there are some who walk a different path to the one chosen by Sam and his Bridges comrades.

One is a wise old man who connects people through a method that defies all reckoning. There is also a female soldier ensnared in a cycle of war and destruction.

Moreover, there is a boy who seethes with rage at the absurdity of his life, and a girl who chose to sever all ties with the outside world. Fate has other plans for her, however, and chance encounters see her launched headfirst into a world she does not recognize.

Death Stranding Isolations is written by Tow Ubukata (Activator, Bone Ash, Project Darkness) and directed by Takayuki Sano (Jujutsu Kaisen 0 – The Movie, Attack on Titan The Final Season).

The series is animated by E&H production (NINJA KAMUI, BULLET/BULLET, the Magic Knight Rayearth Television series 2026) with original character design by Ilya Kuvshinov (Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, The Wonderland).

The series is executive produced by Hideo Kojima and produced by KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS.

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Entertainment

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 now streaming, Cyberpunk 2077 update coming

Edgerunners returns to Night City

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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is now streaming on Netflix, with all 10 episodes available to watch. CD PROJEKT RED and animation studio TRIGGER have also announced a new update for Cyberpunk 2077, bringing content inspired by the anime to the game.

The Edgerunners 2 Update (Update 2.5) launches on October 22, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A Nintendo Switch 2 release will follow shortly.

Edgerunners returns with a new cast

Set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 tells a standalone story through an entirely new cast of characters. The series follows a veteran edgerunner, a young cinephile, a chrome-obsessed delinquent, and a Snake Nation netrunner as their stories explore vengeance and redemption in Night City.

Director Kai Ikarashi leads the new installment, with Kanno Ichigo serving as lead character designer. Masahiko Otsuka returns as a collaborator, while Bartosz Sztybor serves as showrunner, story writer, and producer.

Both Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 are available exclusively on Netflix.

Cyberpunk 2077 gets a new update

CD PROJEKT RED announced the Edgerunners 2 Update alongside the anime’s premiere on October 20. The free update will introduce new items and features to Cyberpunk 2077, including content inspired by the new series.

The update launches on October 22 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. CD PROJEKT RED has yet to announce the Nintendo Switch 2 release date beyond confirming that it will follow shortly.

The studio will reveal more details during a special episode of REDstreams on October 21. The broadcast will air on Twitch, YouTube, and Steam, with official patch notes scheduled for release on the same day.

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Entertainment

Now Playing: Clayface

Finally, a supervillain story worth watching.

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The thing about supervillain movies is that they rarely let their villain be a villain. From Venom to Kraven the Hunter, they’re contrarian dreck that reframe a mass murderer as a “misunderstood anti-hero” who’s overshadowed by a corny do-gooder. Boo hoo. Thankfully, Clayface got the memo to not do that, even if it came pretty close.

Clayface reimagines how rising actor Matt Hagen becomes one of Batman’s most (literally) monstrous enemies. Here, Matt is horribly disfigured by gangsters then abandoned by his friends. He finds hope in Dr. Caitlyn Corr’s genetic experiments, but loses his body, mind and soul as her miracle cure enables his worst impulses.

Basically, Clayface is everything Joker failed to be. It’s a sympathetic origin story for a twisted Batman villain, but it doesn’t make excuses for them. If Joker scapegoats Arthur Fleck’s madness and anarchy on the nebulous enemy that is Society the way an aimlessly rebellious teenager would, Clayface throws all the blame and consequences on Matt — and Matt alone.

I like how Matt’s story is a tragedy of his own making. He wasn’t always evil, and he really was wronged by scum. Worse, his identity is cracking, which is a bit of psychological torment that I wish the movie dwelled on more. And yet, he always had a way out. He just keeps choosing the cruelest and greediest options instead.

This is the kind of agency most supervillain movies — or any movie about a juvenile anti-hero fighting The System, really — lack, but Clayface has an abundance of. There was a moment I thought that the movie would still side with Matt despite everything he’s done, only for him to cross a line. In the end, he can only blame himself when he loses everything and everyone.

However, I was let down by Clayface’s violence. There’s blood and guts, alright, but they’re too inconsistent. For every morbidly satisfying disemboweling or close-up of a nasty scarring, there’s a moment where the movie cuts away from these too early. I lost count of how many times Clayface jumped to the next scene before really letting blades sink into flesh, or how many of Matt’s kills were done offscreen. 

Minus the pivotal deaths, the kills are also not as diverse as I’d hope from a killer powered by Play-Doh and imagination. It’s just variations of stabbing and bludgeoning. My issue isn’t a lack of brutality, but that this reluctance to push it further or just show it gives the well-built tension a lackluster payoff. A movie about superpowered revenge in one of fiction’s vilest hellholes should be more depraved and creative.

To be fair, this is more the fault of the movie’s constraints, not a lack of skill or thought. Effects cost time and money that Clayface clearly didn’t have a lot of. This would also explain why Matt is limited to identity theft not by molding himself, but via clever camera work. For what it’s worth, I see and respect the smart workarounds the movie found to deliver the dread. 

Still, I like Clayface. It’s the rare supervillain movie that’s self-aware and honest about its darkness. It humanizes its villain, but commits to their monstrosity while rejecting forced redemption. It’s also a grisly thriller that works on its own merits, yet complements DC Comics’ latest growing cinematic world. That said, Batman can’t arrive sooner to beat Matt’s melted face in.

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