Weird Mind News Room Episode 108: March 17th - 23rd

 *Heigh Ho, Media ramble time we go*

Hello again to all of your wonderful people again to once again to the next installation of the Weekly series of Weird Mind News Room and of course like always this week we will talk on all of the new releases of the week, some of the trailer highlights and a variety of stories for the section of News. But let's go off to work we go (and hopefully will be a bit more emotionally stable this week) and lets talk on all things media for this week.

New releases and the 5 mixed opinions

Movies

Snow White

On the first to the new releases of the week is the film of this year that has seen a lot of controversy, some that at this point now feels a little over the top for a bit of it or taken a little out of context (but still have a bit of a problem overall with some bits is with the newest return to the endless stream of films in the world of the live action remakes and this time we go back to the original film that started it all as after a bit of time and delays we have finally gotten the release of the Disney Live action remake of Snow White. The film will tell a new take on the original story of Snow White, seen as the fairest of the land, escaping into the woods to avoid the tyranny of her evil step mother the Queen from killing her and becoming the fairest of the land. She soon comes across a cottage that is home to 7 dwarves that take her in and protect her from harm and in the basis of a new focus will soon see her, the dwarfs and a group of bandits led by the charming Johnathon to return to the kingdom and free it from the Queen's Reign. Reception on this title has not been the most well recieved but more of a mixed reception as while praise has been given to the lead performance of Rachel Zegler, some elements of the adaptation and on the music and songs of the film, it has been criticized for its uncanny CGI, messy structure that feels like multiple stories at once and for the performance of Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen (a staple that is questioned for her acting as to how she ended up with a Star on the walk of fame this week) but I can see the case that this film is not going to be for everyone and more for young kids, girls and families more then anything and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.

Flow

The next release of the week would be I believe one of the last films of the Award Season to be released and one of the big winners that helped to bring some appeal and focus for one of the countries this was created in and one I have been looking forward to watching and will see a small little cat goin on a bit adventure as we have finally gotten the release of the all new animated film of Flow. This dialogue free film follows Cat, a solitary animal, who's home one day gets devastated by a great flood, but soon finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will soon have to team up with them despite their differences. Reception on this title has been universally acclaimed with praise to its animation all done in a free animation program, its story, even with no dialogue and its mature themes and characters and was a strong win and contender for animated films of last year and this year and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch this new film out now as well in cinemas.

Y2K

It is however not the only film to be released this week that stars the performance of one Rachel Zegler as we have a new title coming to us from A24 with a film of a concept that we all feared back around 25 years ago but this time being more of a threat as we head to a new fear era of a new century with the new film of Y2K. The film follows 2 high school juniors who decide to crash a High School new years eve party in 1999, but will soon find themselves fighting for their lives when the terror of Y2K becomes a reality and all the machines rise up against humanity. Reception on this one has seen a bit of a mixed appeal as well too as while the concept and ambition is seen in the film itself, the film struggles a little in its tonal mix to provide much of a comedy material or of a coming of age story in there as well but could become one of those underrated gems in the future and if you want to party like its 1999 again then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.

Alto Knights

The last of the films for this week is with another movie that brings us back to the realm of the gangster film, one that provides the appeal of the mob and a return of an iconic actor playing a role that fits his iconic movies but not just in one perspective but 2 as we have the all new mob crime film of The Alto Knights. The film is set in 1950s New York and sees De Niro play both notorious Crime Bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese who vie for control of the city streets. One the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that reshapes organized crime forever. Reception on this film as well of this week as also being a little bit mixed as while the idea on De Niro playing off himself as some of the famous crime bosses of the past in concept, the execution feels a little lacking and could've had a lot more potential but just been bogged down by cliche mob movie tropes, but if you want to check it out for yourself then you can check it out for yourself as it is also out now in cinemas.

Video Games

Assassins Creed Shadows

The last of the new releases of this week is the only game release of this week that I am aware of and one of the big releases of this week and one of the anticipated games of the year as we return to the past to the realm of the age old battle between a secret organization and those that choose to take control in the open as the age old battle of Assassin's and Templars takes its place in a long requested time period as we have the newest entry of the long running series of Assassins Creed Shadows.  The new game will be set in the backdrop of late 16th century Feudal Japan (a setting that has been a fan demanded area since the series inception) and will see you take on the role of Naoe, a female Shinobi (or Ninja) and Yasuke, an African samurai as you restore peace and order to the lands against the tyranny and bloodshed of the Sengoku period. Reception on the title itself has seen some decently well recieved reception with many seeing it as a favourite and successful of the series with praise of its visuals and of its main playable characters, though some of the story elements and a feeling of lack of content in the game has seen a focus of the issues from the critics but it has been the most successful of the entries in a long time and if you want to play it for yourself, you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with an IOS port coming sometime soon (and maybe even a switch 2 port, who knows).

Waiting on a trailer

Happy Gilmore 2

On the first of the trailers for this week is bringing us to the realm of the fairways, the method of getting the swings and the right club for the shot and when things seem a bit stressful that it may be best to go to your happy place, as after nearly 30 years since they first swapped the ice rink for the fairways, he is back to prove that he still got it as we have recieved the first trailer for the upcoming sequel for Happy Gilmore. The film sees Gilmore make a return to the sport that he first stumbled into over 30 years ago and looking to get back out on the course but things will not be as simple as he will soon be dealing with his own anxieties, all new professional golfers and a return of his old rival of Shooter Mc Gavin. So its a case that you can say that the likes of doing a sequel 30 years later from its original can be a bit of a mixed appeal that sometimes work and sometimes don't but I feel that it may have some appeal of the original that for what its worth is a good movie and I feel that this could be something that people may enjoy and I will give it a watch with interest in due time and we do not have to wait long on it either as we will be hitting the fairways of Netflix from July 25th.

Pixar's Elio

As for the 2nd of the trailers for the week is taking us deep into the realm of animation and also to the form of the deep reaches of space as while the case that we may call out to the far reaches of space in hopes of getting a response back, it seems in this case someone did and the one we send may not be the most qualified but will try his best as we head to the realm of Pixar for an all new intergalactic adventure with the newest trailer for their new original film of Elio. The film will follow the titular Elio, an 11 year old with an obsession with aliens and a very active imagination. So, when he is beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio's all in for an epic undertaking where he is mistaken as the leader and ambassador of Earth, form new bonds with eccentric Alien Lifeforms and also navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions. Its a case that people seem to give a case that Pixar has lost a little of its appeal and edge in terms of its original projects or just say that the company focuses on sequels but its a case that it is more of the parent company demanding that and I see the case that the studio still has an appeal and works very well in the focus of originals or sequels and I see this one having some very appealing visuals, will have a main lead that can be relatable (and may also be a case that he is a main lead that may be more on the spectrum and we can respect and appreciate that (I know plenty of people that care and love deeply that may be on the spectrum but still see them as being amazing and show they are too especially one important person to me)) and its a case it gives me some classic Pixar vibes to it still and I am looking forward to checking this one out and its a case we do not have to wait too much longer for it as the newest title will be making the call into cinemas from June 20th.

Ballerina: From the world of John Wick

The final trailer for this week is in a focus of returning to a world full of under the table assassinations, justice, fine tailored suits, blood pacts, using many different everyday items to take someone down and a case of guns..... lots of guns as we return to the world of the Baba Yaga but this time in the focus of another member of this world of assassin's as we have recieved an all new trailer for the upcoming spin off from the world of John Wick with Ballerina. The film will take place in between Chapter 3 and 4 of John Wick and focus on Eve Macarro (Ana De Armas) a Ballerina-Assassin who trains under the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma and will use these skills and expertise to hunt down those responsible for the death of her family and with the help of a certain few familiar faces including one Baba Yaga. So it had been a bit quiet on this end for this spin off as I was so interested un learning more about this film and the case of someone I know also being very excited and interested in this film as well and seeing this more and more in focus and expanding out the world established by this franchise really appeals to me as it is seen with every John Wick entry that they got better and better and I feel this one will be no exception (and if the case that hopefully we can still go see this one together too) but I am all for checking this one out real soon as the film is not too far along now and be hitting cinemas from June 6th.

Magic News Stories on the web

2D animation may be coming back and a court trail may go ahead

So the first of the stories for this week have 2 little topics and focus that relate to a focus of an art style of film and projects that have not been really overly seen in quite a long time and the news that we got from this week is a bit more of a positive outcome in terms of its focus but lets delve into what those topics are.

This first one I will keep brief but it seems that a story has been rumbling around since earlier this week that Disney has been considering to be going back to make some new films in the classic style of 2D animation to revive the style and bring some appeal to their movies. The basis on this does seem like a good idea as I feel that yeah the 3D animated films can be good from them but I would like to see a return to the realm of that 2d animation style that you can do so much more zanniness and elaborate aesthetics with compared to 3D animation and it was seen in the case of that appeal with the last project to have that style being the Once Upon a Studio short film that while it did have 3D characters in the short, it did consist of a lot of the classic 2D animated characters of the past in there as well and felt it was well worth a return to the realm that brought them a lot of acclaim and appeal to become a massive animation studio that they once were. There is a little bit of a caveat about returning to this as they did recently just shelved the Tiana series that was going to be 2D animated so it goes against the choices they want to do here but maybe that series could be reworked to a film like they did to the Moana series into the recently released sequel, but hopefully there is a promise to it and we do see a return to this animation realm.

Speaking of elements of 2D animation, we go from Disney over to the studio that just seems to be against any type of animation at this point as we are talking about Warner Bros, the franchise of characters that have been around for nearly 100 years and another project film that has been a bit of a rollercoaster for release as we are talking on the Looney Tunes and specifically a certain courtroom battle. So its no stranger that Warner Bros says they are the only true storytellers left in this industry but I doubt that is an accurate statement as they seem to make so many dumb decisions and put those creative ideas in a vault and just do it for the greed of Money and we have seen it with other projects already from them like the Batgirl Movie, Scoob Holiday Haunt, literally a good amount of the Looney Tunes cartoons from their streaming service this week and in the focus of one that has been on the fence of confusion for release with the film of Coyote vs Acme. Since around November 2023 the topic of this live action animated hybrid film has been unclear as to will it be released as it was discussed they were shelving it for tax write offs and then some lawmakers called them out and nearly put them in their own lawsuit about it and then they have for the last few months been considering selling it to another production company but they were being a little stingy in what they want when some companies were offering some strong and modest offers for it and cause of it it went down a little in terms of having a chance, but a new hope may have come along and could see it let this trial go ahead after all this time. On Wednesday this week, some news have reported that Warner is considering to sell the distribution rights of Coyote vs Acme to Ketchup Entertainment which makes the most sense as it was this studio that helped to release the recent and first fully animated 2d Looney Tunes film of The Day the Earth Blew Up (which I am still waiting for a release date confirmation over here) and seeing that it has done well from word of mouth, appeal and bringing hope back (I mean I even got followed by the voice actor who currently voices Bugs, Daffy and Porky among others) and if it works out that we will see it get a release of this film in 2026. At the moment it is not fully finalized but I do hope it will see it release and it will get the love, the views, respect for the film and will show Warner in the process that their decisions have been really dumb decisions and can make amends to not lose even more money (or get someone else at the head to make the better decisions)

But what do you think of these stories, do you see the likes of 2D animation films making a comeback and would you want that as well and do you see Coyote vs Acme get released and will you see it? Let me know what your thoughts are on it down below.

Disney Returning back to some culture for 2 follow ups

We are not fully moving away from Disney just yet as we return to a focus of the announcement of 2 projects that have a connection with a different culture again with one being accidentally announced from an actor and another from the studio itself but I will talk about it now in this next section.

So the first one that we got some word about getting a follow up to in terms of projects was that Disney seems to be really into the realm of successful films of recent memory getting sequels as it was accidentally revealed by actor John Leguizamo that they are making a sequel to Encanto. So it is a case that I have only watched the first one for the first time this year and I thought it was charming and had a good story with some issues and all but felt it worked as a contained story that I really don't know what they could add to the story, unless the case they give some of the other members of the casita a bit of a focus as it was just mainly focused on Mirabel, the Abuella, Isabella and Bruno and Luisa to an extent so there was a few other members of the family that don't really have much to provide from the original but maybe they can develop them more or add something to it that will appeal to a good story (and also get Lin Manuel back for another batch of songs) but as of right now I do not know what they can do with a follow up but I am sure we will learn about it in due time.

But keeping to that culture, it was not the only film in the Latin America region getting a follow up and this one was announced by the company that we are getting a sequel to the Disney Pixar film of Coco with a focus of a release aiming for 2029. Now it is a case it is supposedly in the early stages of production (allegedly) but I feel in a case that this was a decision that was made by Disney for Pixar to make it but maybe I am wrong given that most of the original production team and director are coming back for the follow up and besides that we have no idea on the plot for this, could be an older Miguel returning back to the land of the dead to rescue his kid from the return of Ernesto or maybe trying to find the love for music again after giving it up after so long but it is many to speculate for the moment. I do see the case that the likes of a follow up for this does not seem necessary as the original felt like a singular story that worked great on its own but I have been surprised by Pixar with their originals and sequels so it could be an appeal. It does feel a bit underwhelming that they release a trailer for their new original a day before this announcement and may affect that films appeal but I hope people will go out to see the new film when it does come out and show the love to original as well as the sequels when they can but we will see how this project comes along in due time.

But what do you think about these 2 sequels to come from Disney, do you see these working out or do you see they could've done some new stories or what Disney or Pixar films do you see working better for a follow up? let me know what you think down below.

Put the traps away, the lady's soon away and the cat will soon play and a Reddit Thread film made

The 3rd story focused for this week is the usual array of some release date changes as well as the discussion of a new film announcement and a possible cancellation of a project as well but we will get into those ones now.

So the first one I will focus on is with the discussion about the possible cancellation as it seems that the deadly traps and wanting to play a game may not be in the cards as there is a bit of a discussion that the planned 11th film in the Saw franchise may have been cancelled. According to some insider sources, the film has had a script written and ready to go but it has been down to internal squabbling at Lionsgate that has seen it getting setbacks from an initial September 2024 release, to not starting production or even a confirmation on the outcome of the script itself. The film is project for release for late September this year but it may seem like it is too much of a stretch to see it release then or even at all. DO I see it get a release eventually, I don't know, I feel with the critical success of the 10th film and its decent box office that it might come back in the future if production can resume or get started but as of right now it is unclear and if any word comes up about it I will notify in a later episode.

So on the base of release date changes, we have 3 films that saw a change in their date with the first being the newest film from Paul Thomas Anderson that has a new title of One Battle after another. The film got a small teaser confirming we are getting the full trailer for this next week but also confirmed it will get about a 2 month delay to September 26th this year from its original August 8th release which I guess is for some slight fixings on production and everything else but could just be for a better chance of a box office or award season film but I guess we can see about it overtime and check out the film from its trailer next week.

Seeing that film delayed caused a knock on affect of another film from Warner and this is with the planned new film from Maggie Gyllenhaal with the Bride getting delayed from its September 26th release and now will be releasing on March 6th 2026. I had wondered if we were going to see any footage or trailers for this at any point soon but it is a case we know it will be a bit more time before we see it but I give some hope that this will turn into something very entertaining and may appeal in a possible quiet period for this release and hopefully will be another great film of the man made monsters like the other film that Del Toro will release this November but we can also see in due time.

The last of the release date changes is the only known animated film that Warner Bros currently has in the pipeline and that is their own new take on a Dr Suess story as we got word that the planned 3d animated film based on The Cat in the Hat is getting a slight release change of being moved up by a week from March 6th to February 27th 2026. Most of this film I have not heard much about besides the case that Bill Hader is voicing the cat and I do hope that it will have its more faithful take on the book and not overly messy or missing the point of the original adaptation but I can guess we can see closer to release when we get some new looks at the actual film in motion and see what the plot will focus on and could be a faithful adaptation, one that ends up being a mess of pop culture or even the uncanny valley nature or iconic comedy of the 2003 live action film but I guess we will find out in due time.

The last story that I have for this week is the announcement of a new project based on a story from the internet as it was discussed earlier this week that actress Sydney Sweeney is producing a starring in a true short story known as I pretended to be a missing girl that was posted on Reddit about 4 years ago about a woman named Abby who pretended to be a missing girl named Mikaela Murray who suddenly disappeared on the night of her 18th birthday and decided to pretend to be the missing girl in order to have a home and other things as well. So I have read a little of the story myself before writing this and it gives off a vibe that its going to have a bit of a Gone Girl type narrative to it all and I feel it could have an interesting outcome to the narrative and overall story and hopefully it will be more of a Zola like outcome story rather then a retelling of a Dear David type story but I guess we can find out in due time about this project itself too.

But with all of them I would like to know your thoughts about these release date changes, do you see a new Saw movie happening or being cancelled there and then and will you be checking out this new story based on a Reddit Thread? Let me know your thoughts below and we can discuss them there. 

The Host of the most will be back again

This final story is just going to be a little quick announcement from this week and this is in relation to an event that is another year away but in the case of back on Monday, it was announced that Conan O'Brien has been announced to be hosting next years Oscars after a successful award show just a few weeks ago and personally I think it is a top choice, he does have a lot of charm and can really make a show or presenting look easy and entertaining so I feel it is another good approach for another Oscars award show with him at the helm and I am intrigued to see what will come from the nominations for next year and what jokes and comedy will come along with it.

But I want to know your own thoughts on this, are you happy with Conan hosting the Oscars for another year or who would you choose as the host instead for the next Oscars? Let me know your thoughts and choices down below in the comments.

And with all of that, this brings it to the end of the 108th edition of Weird Mind News Room and I hope you enjoyed this array of rambles for another week of all things media. Let me know your thoughts on all that was discussed or released this week down below and as always I hope you all stay being wonderful people and have a great day every doing many great things and I will see you all in the next episode :)

Take care, Keep being you, Signing Off 

Sam H :)