Entertainment
Tired Of Terrible Modern Sci-Fi? The Antidote Is Here, And It's Near Perfect
By Chris Sawin
| Published
A man (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship as the only survivor of three. He initially has no memory of who he is, what his mission is, or how far he is from Earth. Through pictures, digging through personal items, and a lot of vodka, the man begins to remember that he is a middle school science teacher named Ryland Grace.
Grace was also a molecular biologist before he was a teacher. He was hired by the government to study Astrophage, a microorganism discovered on the sun’s surface. The Astrophage is beginning to dim the sun, and in 30 years could result in global cooling and the death of much of Earth’s population.
A Journey To Save The World
The Astrophage is infecting all other stars close to the sun except for one, Tau Ceti. A three-person team of scientists is sent into space, on a journey 11.5 light-years away, to investigate and hopefully save mankind. The catch is that there’s no way home and that everyone involved knows that this is a suicide mission. That plan is named Project Hail Mary.
Project Hail Mary is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. The film’s script is written by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale) and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie and Spider-Verse franchises).
The sci-fi adventure film has a budget of nearly $200 million, so it’s visually gorgeous. What makes it special, though, is the relationship between Grace and his alien bro Rocky.
Project Hail Mary Is A Bump-Fisting Buddy Movie
Once Grace reaches Tau Ceti, he meets up with an alien spacecraft. Through dancing, jazz hands, fist bumps, and Grace learning that Rocky communicates via echolocation and musical tones, he creates a translation device to help them communicate. Grace names Rocky himself after his rock-like appearance.
Ryland Grace has been lost his entire life. He was once a respected scientist, but now teaches at a junior high. He is single with no pets or immediate family, and he doesn’t commit to anything. He hides behind jokes and sarcastic charm. Rocky is a mechanic and also the sole survivor on his spacecraft. He and his now-dead crew came from the planet Eridian, and Rocky was also sent to try to save his sun.
After years of isolation, Grace and Rocky originally bond over the fact that they no longer have to be alone. They also enjoy each other’s company and agree to work together.
What’s interesting is that Grace, as a character, grows solely through his interactions with Rocky. The decisions he makes in the second half of the film can only happen through his growth as a person. Rocky sticks to Grace like glue from the moment they meet, but you can tell Grace is holding back because he knows that Rocky is working towards going back to Eridian, while Grace will never see Earth again.
One Of Ryan Gosling’s Best Performances
Ryan Gosling has delivered many mesmerizing and powerful performances throughout his career. Ryland Grace is one of his best. Gosling is able to bring in so many elements from other roles he’s portrayed, but he’s incredibly funny here, understandably terrified, and perhaps the most emotional he’s ever been in any recent on-screen role.
His take on Grace is subtle at times, but you always seem to know how he feels or what he’s thinking, even though often no one is talking. That makes the film not only more heartbreaking but also more rewarding in the long run.
Andy Weir and Drew Goddard have written Project Hail Mary, which entertains on several levels. The film is surprisingly goofy, which is meant in the most complimentary way. The concept is already intriguing, but the film takes some unexpected turns in its second half. Grace is piecing his memories back together throughout the film, so you’ll see all of the drama of space happening for a bit, and then we’ll get a flashback of how Grace got to be the final member of the Project Hail Mary scientist team.
The Most Satisfying Ending Of Any Modern Hollywood Movie
It’s Grace’s bond with Rocky that truly hijacks the film and sends it barreling into one of the most satisfying finales of recent memory. This is an adventure that makes you laugh for its first half, cry during its second, and sends you out of the theater with a big ass smile on your face and your heart full. It’s the feel-good film of the year.
Project Hail Mary is a prime example of why cinemaphiles love going to the theater. If popcorn flicks are capable of being intellectually stimulating, incredibly emotional, and monumentally worthwhile, then Project Hail Mary is the ultimate popcorn flick.
Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters. See it in IMAX if you’re able to.
Entertainment
The Last NCIS Has One Fatal Flaw
By Robert Scucci
| Published
NCIS is one of those ride-or-die franchises you’ll have a shaky relationship with for the rest of your life if you started watching at a certain age. I remember sitting with my parents watching the flagship series when it first came out, and over the years I’ve kept tabs on its many spinoffs. Now that NCIS: Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Hawai’i have run their course, and the one-off Tony & Ziva miniseries totally screwed the pooch, we’re back to just the flagship series and its prequel, NCIS: Origins.
Honestly, I’m okay with this. The original series still has its charm despite its many personnel changes, and NCIS: Origins allows for some great retconning and callbacks that are obvious enough for diehard fans, but not so granular that newcomers can’t jump in without doing homework. It’s a perfect show if you’re a fan of the franchise, and the best thing that’s been put out in years.
However, there’s one big problem that NCIS: Origins runs into, and it’s something unavoidable: there’s no suspense. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of thrills in the heat of the moment when the drama gets dialed up. There are also surprisingly strong action sequences for a series that belongs to a franchise that’s basically a procedural soap opera for boomers who just want to tune into their stories week after week.
One Specific Kind Of Suspense Is Missing
On an episode-to-episode basis, there are plenty of reasons to keep tuning into NCIS: Origins. We get to learn about the early days of Special Agent in Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and how he cut his teeth working for NIS before it became the agency and franchise we all know and love. We see how his 91 rules came to be. We get more backstory on Special Agent Mike Franks, the best character in the series (and it’s not even close), and Kyle Schmid is a dead ringer for the older, somehow more cynical Franks from the original series (Muse Watson).
Even better, comic relief comes in the form of Randy Randolf (Caleb Foote), who, if it weren’t for Franks, would be the standout character. We also get the best kind of wise-cracking forensic nerd banter from Woody (Bobby Moynihan) and Philip (Ely Henry). I could go on, but the point is, NCIS: Origins is a beyond solid series, sans one thing.
There’s no real suspense.
Yes, people get hurt, and dangerous leads get chased, but that’s not the kind of suspense I’m talking about.
The kind of suspense the show is missing, which is par for the course when it comes to prequels, is the kind it could never have in the first place. The show stars Austin Stowell as a young and hungry Gibbs, but it’s still narrated by Mark Harmon. More importantly, we know Gibbs rises through the ranks and then has a 20-year tenure on NCIS. In other words, any time Gibbs finds himself in danger in NCIS: Origins, we know without a sliver of doubt that he’s going to be just fine.
The same can be said for Franks, and the rest of the gang to a certain degree. While I’m speculating here, I think we can guess Lala’s (Mariel Molino) fate as well. She’s never mentioned in the flagship series, yet she’s a constant presence in NCIS: Origins, the series that tells Gibbs’ entire backstory leading up to NCIS. I could be grasping at straws, but I have reason to believe something terrible happens to her that’s too painful to bring up later. The series has done an excellent job retconning the original series, so it’s surprising that they’d come up with a character who could have easily been one of the dozens of agents mentioned in the main series but never actually seen on screen or seen in passing.
In other words, as much as I like her character, I’m not going to get too attached because she’ll probably meet a tragic end at some point.
Fortunately, We Don’t Need This Kind Of Suspense
Thankfully, NCIS: Origins is worth tuning into week after week, not for the suspense, which we’ve established doesn’t exist here for obvious reasons, but because it’s an excellent character study of one of cable’s most iconic, coffee-chugging curmudgeons. We’re currently watching Gibbs’ second marriage, which has yet to fall apart, and I can’t wait to see how that whole thing dissolves, along with his (checks notes) third and fourth marriages.
Lack of pure, adrenaline-pumping thrills aside, showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North know what they’re doing with the lore. NCIS: Origins remains a great watch for old-timers and newcomers alike. But if you’re like me and find yourself asking your wife, “Do you think he’s going to make it?” for the thousandth time in an attempt to be funny (she doesn’t find it funny), you’ll be pleased to know that Gibbs does, in fact, make it out alive, and then goes on to star in another 435 episodes.
NCIS: Origins is streaming on Paramount+
Entertainment
Lord Of The Rings Is Now In The Hands Of One Of America's Most Hated Celebrities
By Jennifer Asencio
| Updated
Just when we thought the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert meant the end of seeing the comedian’s rhetoric, he’s rising again like Sauron trying to collect the One Ring. But this time, the target of his didactic punditry is nerddom: Colbert is penning a “sequel” to The Lord of the Rings.
One Sequel To Rule Them All
The movie’s working title is The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past and is going into production after the newest entry, The Hunt for Gollum.
Colbert believes he can add to JRR Tolkien’s work with a story that begins 14 years after Frodo leaves for the Grey Wastes. Sam’s daughter goes girl-boss and makes a discovery that leads her “to uncover why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it began.” That leads to a flashback in which the movie will cover chapters 3-8 of The Fellowship of the Ring, a story that includes exciting prospects like The Barrow Downs.
As if The Hobbit and Rings of Power weren’t damaging enough to Tolkien’s legacy, now we’re getting another shameless cash grab at the expense of the author’s work. Only this time, one of the most divisive and extremely political personalities in Hollywood is writing the script.
Colbert is co-writing the film with his son, Peter McGee, and “franchise veteran” Philippa Boyens. Boyens has long been a part of the Peter Jackson productions; she co-wrote The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Jackson’s King Kong.
Colbert Really Is A Certified Tolkien Obsessive
Colbert has been held out as a Tolkien expert since the announcement on March 24, 2026, and that is actually fair, no matter what one thinks of his extreme political views. He has studied the author’s work extensively, to the point where he can speak both Elvish languages, Quenya and Sindarin.
The biggest question on the minds of fans is whether Colbert will be tempted to infuse the story with his personal politics, or if the writing team will try to add extra material that isn’t needed by Tolkien’s story. The Hobbit didn’t work because it added embellishments, such as the romance between Tauriel and Kili. Rings of Power doesn’t work because, on top of adding modern identity politics to the series, it also doesn’t follow the source material, earning the derision of many Tolkien fans.
Boyens has shown that when she sticks to Middle Earth and not regular Earth, she can deliver on Tolkien’s mastery. However, the inclusion of Colbert raises concerns that this movie will stray beyond Tolkien’s boundaries.
In his other job as a talk show host, Colbert has made it a mission to inject his divisive personal politics into his work. That tendency towards personalizing what he does could either strongly enhance a new Lord of the Rings project or turn it into a stain on Tolkien’s legacy by applying themes to the world of the One Ring that Tolkien never intended. Which Colbert will ultimately write the script: the political loudmouth or the Tolkien scholar?
Entertainment
Sandra Bullock’s Sexy, 90s Action Thriller Will Make You Care About Floppy Disks Again
By Robert Scucci
| Published
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a movie about cutting-edge technology from the 90s, 30 years after the fact. On one hand, I’ll give 1995’s The Net credit where it’s due. It’s well-acted, Sandra Bullock is the hottest computer geek in cinematic history (sorry, Hackers), and the plot actually kind of makes sense because they don’t drown you in tech jargon and junk science. There’s a golden rule when it comes to technological thrillers: the less you explain the logic, the better. The Net toes this line perfectly because I know enough about computers to pick up what they’re throwing down, but I’m also dumb enough to think, “that makes sense,” while watching.
I’m not going to pause the movie and look up the technical semantics to prove this point, but the storyline is immersive enough to grab your attention without getting so convoluted that it takes you out of the experience. I don’t know how any of this stuff works at this level, and as a viewer, I appreciate that The Net doesn’t treat me like I’m too dumb to understand the implications, while also refusing to hold my hand because it’s all pretty straightforward.
Sandra Bullock Is Lost In The Net
The Net focuses on Sandra Bullock’s Angela Bennett. She’s a perfect patsy for what’s about to go down because she’s a freelance systems analyst who works from home. Most of her relationships are the kind of faceless encounters you have online, and her mother lives in a nursing home because she has Alzheimer’s disease and barely remembers she exists. It’s a lonely life for Angela, but she’s also well connected through her work. Or so she thinks.
When Angela’s coworker Dale (Ray McKinnon) sends her a floppy disk known as Mozart’s Ghost, she’s told to click on the Pi button hidden in the document, which functions as a backdoor into an application known as Gatekeeper, an elaborate cybersecurity system she’s not supposed to have access to.
Dale dies under mysterious circumstances, and Angela goes on vacation, where she meets a man named Jack Devlin (Jeremy Northam). Jack brings Angela out on his boat, but he’s outed when she realizes he plans to kill her and take the floppy disk. After a violent scuffle, Angela wakes up in the hospital three days later and learns that Jack and his nameless, faceless associates have scrubbed her identity from existence and given her a new one: Ruth Marx.
As Ruth, Angela uncovers a vast conspiracy involving a group of cyber terrorists known as the Praetorians, who are using the Gatekeeper software to orchestrate massive network failures across the country while framing her in the process. Angela confides in her former therapist and lover, Dr. Alan Champion (Dennis Miller), who doesn’t necessarily believe her conspiracy theories but isn’t going to turn down a motel meetup with her either.
A Solid Tech Thriller For The Average iPhone User
While I knew my way around MS-DOS as a kid and have kept up with tech to some degree (I have an iPhone that’s about five generations behind), what I like most about The Net is that it gets its point across without being patronizing or overly complex. There are plenty of flashes of computer screens that help drive the story, but everything is so straightforward that you don’t get lost in granular details. The main focus is the conspiracy and identity theft plot that drives The Net. While you need the occasional tech speak to get from point A to B, you don’t need to be a genius to read between the lines and enjoy the thriller for what it is.
All you need to know is that Sandra Bullock does her best computing in a bikini, everybody thinks she’s somebody she’s not, and because of this, she can’t trust anybody. It’s obviously a bit dated by today’s standards, but it’s still a fun watch because it deals with cybersecurity concepts that remain relevant. I’d imagine similar conversations about different applications are happening behind closed doors today. We’re just getting the 1995 version here.
As of this writing, The Net is streaming for free on Tubi.
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