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Thursday Edition | May 28, 2026 |
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When a movie or TV show experiences unexpected success, it’s normal to immediately wonder what differentiated it from all of the many other attempts to find an audience. Why did this particular story connect with viewers where others hadn’t? Today’s newsletter explores that scenario both with the Prime Video series Spider-Noir as well as the breakout horror phenomenon Obsession. |
Was it the involvement of Nicolas Cage, the compelling noir mystery, or the performances of Lamorne Morris and Brendan Gleeson that made this particular Spider-Man spinoff so good? Was it simply the correct cultural moment for Obsession’s central conceit of the lonely male to bring audiences to the theater in droves? And on the flip side, what does the middling performance of The Mandalorian and Grogu mean for the future of the Star Wars franchise? |
Are fans just fickle, or is there a discernible secret to success? It’s Hollywood’s eternal struggle! |
— Michael Ahr, Newsletter Editor |
IN THIS ISSUE |
Our review of the streaming series Spider-Noir 🕷 Some thoughts on how Obsession took the country by storm 💗 Analysis of The Mandalorian and Grogu’s box office performance 🎟️ …and more!
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Photo: Aaron Epstein | Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC |
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TV |
Spider-Noir Review: Spider-Man Does Whatever Bogie Can |
Spider-Man’s first TV series may have seemed to some like a disposable lark at best and an IP-grubbing overextension at worst. We should have known better. Spider-Noir is a delightful bit of hard-boiled television, faithful to both its roots in comic books and film noir, while forging its own identity. Nicolas Cage truly channels Humphrey Bogart in his role as Ben Reilly, a washed-up former crimefighter in post-WWII New York investigating an arson and discovering deeper secrets along the way. The superhero stuff is there, but it’s the sharp dialogue and moody atmosphere along with Cage’s performance that really make the show. |
Our review highlights standout supporting turns from Lamorne Morris and Brendan Gleeson as well as the unfolding mystery paced to keep us watching, particularly for the twisty final chapter. There are a few stumbles when the show drifts into mad-scientist territory, but in the end Spider-Noir comes across far smarter, stranger, and more stylish than anyone expected. For the most part, the show stands on its own, reminding us not just about the fun of superheroes but about the gloomy pleasures of film noir. |
Read more » |
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Photo: Universal Pictures |
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MOVIES |
Obsession’s Mega Success Speaks to the Exhaustion with ‘Lonely Male Epidemic’ Online Culture |
The success of Obsession goes beyond its box office performance, although it certainly had plenty of that. The audience likely also showed up in droves because of the film’s cultural relevance, given how writer/director Curry Barker seems to be communing with the increasingly online moment his film’s released in. The film’s unsettling premise manages to deconstruct the Internet’s nice guy fantasy, as well as the other delusions of those who entertain it, particularly in its modern online manifestation as the “lonely male.” |
Obsession follows Bear, a painfully awkward guy whose wish for his best friend Nikki to “love him more than anything” turns horrifyingly literal, allowing the film to weaponize familiar rom-com tropes by twisting them into something deeply disturbing. The film’s ending may be one of the most upsetting in years, but more than just being a scary movie, Obsession has perhaps struck a nerve because it forces audiences to confront how self-pity, entitlement, and fantasy can curdle into something monstrous, leaving them utterly shaken and compelled to spread the word. |
Read more » |
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MOVIES |
The Mandalorian and Grogu Box Office Confirms New Reality for Star Wars (and It’s Not Bad) |
On its face alone, the box office earnings for The Mandalorian and Grogu in its opening weekend are pretty good for a Memorial Day release in the 2020s. But the question surely gnawing at longtime Lucasfilm fans and Disney shareholders is: are the numbers good enough for a Star Wars movie? Follow along as we break down how this qualified success could work for the future of the franchise, as long as producers keep in mind a few caveats explored in the full article. |
Remember that Solo: A Star Wars Story, which posted similar numbers back in 2018, was treated like a full-blown crisis at the time. But this might simply be the new normal for Star Wars: smaller theatrical expectations with reliable audiences and a bigger focus on younger viewers who grew up with Disney+ shows instead of the original trilogy. The Mandalorian may have become the franchise’s bridge to Gen Alpha, leading to a reliable, evergreen Star Wars brand that Disney, if they’re smart, may actually prefer over the high expectations of the cultural touchstone status the franchise once enjoyed. |
Read more » |
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#NETFLIXPARTNER |
Netflix’s Mating Season and Cracked Partner for Live Comedy Showcase |
Taped live at SXSW 2026, Cracked Comedy Club celebrated an exciting roster of emerging comedians in partnership with Netflix's adult animated comedy Mating Season. From the creators of Big Mouth, the series stars bears, raccoons, deer, foxes and a host of other horny, lovable forest critters. Streaming now on Netflix! |
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Mating Season | Official Trailer | Netflix |
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EDITOR’S PICKS |
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Travis Bickle comes to Westeros... at least according to House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell. |
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An all-new, all-different trailer has arrived with Cable, Deadpool, and possibly the worst Nightcrawler story ever. |
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James Bond fans have been fan-casting Idris Elba for years, but it’s simply not to be, according to the actor himself. |
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A restored Horror of Dracula will bring Christopher Lee's full vampiric performance to the night. |
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TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION |
In Spider-Noir’s comic book origin, how does Uncle Ben’s involvement differ from the traditional Spider-Man story? |
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LINK TANK |
In Other News… |
⚽ Ted Lasso star Brendan Hunt and sports presenter Rebecca Lowe return for season 3 of their World Cup podcast After the Whistle on June 7. 🍧 This week’s episode of The Perfect Parfait features DJ, producer, festival wizard, and electronic music icon Alison Wonderland. 😎 Ted Danson will play a retirement community casanova with Elizabeth Banks as his newly divorced daughter in an unnamed Apple TV comedy. 🎓 Moriarty, inspired by Sherlock Holmes’ formidable foe, will follow a professor with a double life, consulting with the police to bring down his enemies.
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