Who doesn’t love trivia? Actually, don’t answer that. Save your brain energy for these movie, TV and pop culture quizzes!
Featured Quiz – Movie Crossword Puzzle
How well do you know some of the most popular theatrical movie releases from the last few years? If you answered, “really well,” “pretty well,” or even “kind of well,” you may be prepared to tackle this crossword puzzle. Guess the movie title from the clue provided — and remember these are movies that came out at some point in the last few years (2022 – 2025).
New Trailer for Jean-Jacques Beineix’s ‘Diva’ Thriller 4K Restoration
by Alex Billington July 30, 2025 Source: YouTube
“A piece of divine madness.” Rialto Pictures & Studiocanal have unveiled the new official restoration trailer for the stylish thriller Diva from 1981, which is getting a 4K re-release this year. Diva is the influential 1982 Neo-Noir thriller by the late director Jean-Jacques Beineix – an “arthouse sensation, playing for over a year in some cinemas, nabbing four French Césars (including Best First Film, Best Music, Best Sound, and Philippe Rousselot’s cinematography), and launched the cinema du look, an explosion of visually stunning, punk-inspired, super-cool French movies in the early ’80s, soon followed by the films of Luc Besson & Leos Carax.” Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed all twist their way through an intricate and stylish French-language thriller. Starring opera singer Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Richard Bohringer, and Frédéric Andréi. This 4K restoration of Diva was produced from the original 35mm negative & sound negative. Then scanned in 4K by TransPerfect Media & finalized by Studiocanal. This is lookin’ better than ever! Definitely worth a watch.
Here’s the new 4K restoration trailer (+ poster) for Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva, direct from YouTube:
Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief and the coolest philosopher ever filmed all twist their way through an intricate and stylish thriller. Jean-Jacques Beineix’s visionary debut was hailed as “the height of cinematic imagination” by the NY Times, “brilliant … a visual extravaganza” by film critic Roger Ebert, and also “a piece of divine madness” by Rolling Stone.Diva is directed by French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix (who passed away in 2022), his first feature film at the time before going on to make The Moon in the Gutter (1983) and Betty Blue (1986) after. The screenplay is written by Jean-Jacques Beineix & Jean Van Hamme; adapted from the novel of the same name written by Delacorta aka Daniel Odier. Produced by Serge Silberman & Irène Silberman. This initially premiered at the 1981 Toronto Film Festival years ago – it didn’t open in the US until April 1982. Rialto Pictures will re-release Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva film in 4K in select US theaters (at IFC Center in NYC first) starting on August 22nd, 2025 coming soon – and also in UK cinemas starting in October. Anyone want to watch it?
Find more posts in: Foreign Films, To Watch, Trailer
EON Production’s James Bond is one of the most popular movie franchises of all time, spanning generations of fans. No Time To Die’s ending marked Daniel Craig’s final bow as 007, and moviegoers are wondering who will take on the mantle next. One popular fan choice is Kingsman star Taron Egerton, who recently addressed all the chatter about him as the beloved MI6 agent.
With Daniel Craig’s Bond movies in the rear view, it seems only a matter of time before another actor takes on the role of 007. Egerton has been a popular choice, especially since we’ve seen him in action spy movies before. In an interview with Collider, the actor was asked if he’s down to play the martini-sipping character, and he responded with:
No. And I don’t think I’m a good choice for it. I think I’m too messy for that.
James Bond odds, it sounds like the Rocketman actor isn’t actually interested in playing that iconic character. I have to wonder how this will change his ranking among the fans, as well as any bets that are being set about this particular casting.
action sequences throughout the Kingsman franchise. In the same interview, the Carry-On star spoke more about why he wasn’t interested. He said:
James Bond is quite an undertaking and I think, one, as far as I’m aware, nobody’s asking me to do it. But also, it’s possibly not quite the thing that would make me happiest. I do think it’s a big old undertaking, it kind of consumes your life, a role like that.
He’s not wrong. While Daniel Craig was able to work on a few other projects during his tenure, Bond is a career-consuming role. And that’s not necessarily something that Egerton is interested in at this point in his career. Instead, he’d rather take various passion projects that come up.
Age-wise, Taron Egerton seems like an excellent choice for 007. He’s currently 35 years-old, which is three years younger than Craig was when he debuted in Casino Royale. Alas, Egerton seems to think someone younger should get the gig, as he said:
I think I wouldn’t be good at it, and I think there’s so many cool, younger actors who would be great for it. I think it would be wasted on me, probably.
Well, that’s one popular choice who seemingly isn’t going to actually be playing 007. Other fan choices include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Richard Madden, Henry Cavill, and Regé-Jean Page. Only time will tell who actually lands the role, and whether or not it’s a familiar face.
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The James Bond franchise is definitely in a transitional period, and for more than its casting. Amazon-MGM are set to produce the next movie, marking a major change in the property.
What we know about James Bond 26 is very slim, and it’s not expected to arrive on the 2025 movie release list. Hopefully we get news about casting sooner rather than later… just don’t expect Taron Egerton to get in on the fun.
Not only is NCIS: Tony & Ziva finally reuniting its two title characters in just a few weeks time on the 2025 TV schedule, this spinoff was also a globetrotting adventure for the cast and crew. While series leads Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo primarily spent their time on the original NCIS shooting in Santa Clarita, California, Tony & Ziva saw them shooting in Budapest and other European locations. So it was an especially big deal when filming wrapped, although I’m cackling at how showrunner John McNamara responded when Weatherly made a touching statement at the end of production.
Weatherly, McNamara and de Pablo were all present for the NCIS: Tony & Ziva panel at San Diego Comic-Con last week, which was moderated by their former NCIS costar Brian Dietzen. In addition to sharing how the upcoming show will hook in newcomers alongside established Tiva fans, McNamara also recalled the following story about when Dietzen asked what it was like for them to shoot in Europe compared to the United States:
There was a lot more jet lag… Michael said when we were we were wrapping, we’d been shooting in Europe I think from July to February. And on the last night of filming, I mean, like, 4 in the morning in Budapest in February. Michael came over to me to say goodbye, but we get on the plane and he said, ‘This is the greatest adventure of my life.’ And I said, ‘I’m going home.’
NCIS: Tony & Ziva is only slated as a miniseries for right now. Regardless, it’s hilarious that after Weatherly made this heartfelt proclamation about his work on Tony & Ziva, John McNamara countered with that blunt statement about wanting to get back home.
I can’t blame McNamara considering how long the shoot was and the time of night and the temperature when the cameras finally stopped rolling. I probably would have said something similar.
If NCIS: Tony & Ziva Season 2 does happen, I’ll be curious to see if it will continue to be shot in international locations or if the show will take place stateside. For now, viewers can look forward to Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David going on the run across Europe after Tony’s security company is attacked. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo are joined in the cast by Isla Gie, Amita Suman, Lara Rossi, Maximillian Osinski, Julian Ovenden and James D’Arcy, among others.
The first three episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva will premiere Thursday, September 4 on Paramount+, followed by a weekly rollout until the season finale airs on October 23. If you’re interested in the other NCIS shows still on the air, NCIS Season 23, NCIS: Origins Season 2 and NCIS: Sydney Season 3 will all premiere Tuesday, October 14 on CBS.
I love crossover episodes. I used to enjoy when two series I love would promote and air these major events. where similar shows, or shows set in the same world, have characters appear in each. You also had to watch both shows to get the full story. With the introduction of streaming services, I often watch more shows on those platforms than on network television. Therefore, I don’t see crossover events often. This also means that I was extremely excited when Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia decided to do a crossover event.
I love both shows, but they’re so different. Therefore, I wasn’t convinced that this crossover could work, but I remained optimistic because the writing on both series is so brilliant. Neither episode disappointed me. They may be two of each series’ strongest ones. It’s not just the jokes that make them hilarious and memorable.
Warning: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 1, “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary and Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 9, Volunteers.
insidious presence of the Gang. There is a whole story where the Abbott Elementary teachers teach Charlie (Charlie Day) to read. A long-running It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia joke has been Charlie’s illiteracy. Therefore, it’s nice to see him finally (temporarily) learn to read. It also makes sense that Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Jacob (Chris Perfetti), and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) are the ones to do it.
They’re all very compassionate people, so only someone with that level of empathy would have the patience and understanding to help Charlie out. Not everything in the episode is wholesome, but innocent enough, especially compared to the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia counterpart episode.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17, Episode 1, “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” has some risky humor and storylines. The Gang almost feels like predators around the children, and Sunny very much leans into that idea. It paints them as their true, uncomfortable selves but allows them to play in the Abbott Elementary world. Sunny doesn’t tone things down just because the show it’s paired with is a sweet and funny series. It leans into the fact that these people should be as far away from children as possible.
Abbott Elementary ends the encounter with the Gang in a triumph, sort of wholesome way. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia sort of does the same, but in the Gang’s way. We discover they have been scamming the school and stealing copper piping, but it accidentally helps the school.
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(Image credit: FXX)
It’s Fun To See The It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Episode Fill In Some Story Gaps From The Abbott Elementary One
“The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” paints them in a more complex way than we see on “Volunteers.” The Gang does so many ridiculous things while around that school. They try to form a boy band, poach a child for a white basketball team, start a successful coffee business, and so many other ridiculous things. We don’t even see a hint of half of these things on Abbott Elementary.
Then we learn that Dee (Kaitlin Olson) was never interested in Gregory (Tyler James Williams), it was all a ploy to become the star of the documentary. This actually makes more sense than Dee having a genuine interest in him. These additional details help paint each show in distinct ways. It doesn’t feel like we’re watching the same things, just from different perspectives. We’re definitely watching two different episodes that sometimes overlap in scenes.
I worried that the episodes would be too similar and they wouldn’t be as interesting individually and together. However, this was not the case. They complement each other.
(Image credit: FXX)
The It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Episode Allows The Abbott Elementary Characters To Be A Little Darker
One of the funniest scenes in “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” is when Janine (Quinta Brunson) declares that she’s about to say a bad word about Dee. You expect an innocent response. Something that’s barely profanity. However, she goes all in and goes hard with the cussing. It’s so not like her. We also see more unhinged moments from Janine in this episode. It highlights a dark side of her that Abbott Elementary fans likely didn’t know existed.
Janine is the main character we see tarnished by the brief encounter with the Gang. Nevertheless, we hear so many of the characters use profanity and are disturbed by the Gang. We also learn how Ava (Janelle James) gets away with so much of her bad behavior: bribes. Even the filming crew feels a bit darker knowing they accept them from Ava.
(Image credit: FXX)
I Enjoy How Much We See Of Dennis In The Sunny Episode And How Little We See Of Charlie In It. It’s A Clever Contrast From Abbott Elementary
Glenn Howerton was filming another show while also shooting “Volunteers,” so he was barely in it. However, he makes up for his absence by being front and center in “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary.” His storyline is also a bit more tame than expected. He just spends most of the episode making meth-like coffee.
We see a lot of Dennis because this is more behind-the-scenes footage, so he’s caught on camera. Charlie appears throughout “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” and participates in their shenanigans, but he doesn’t feel as present as some of the other characters. This is mainly because he was preoccupied with learning to read. The addition of more Dennis and less Charlie ensures that the shows remain cohesive.
(Image credit: FXX)
I Really Enjoy The New Lore Each Series Gains From These Crossovers
I am looking forward to learning a lot more about this Fall Out Boy and Gang beef. I am also excited to see Melissa at Paddy’s Pub randomly again. These are just two of the new lore that have been added from each show. Additionally, I still need to catch up on Abbott Elementary Season 4 to see if there are any other references to the Gang’s appearance, but as of Episode 4 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17, we have had a few additional references to stuff we saw in “Volunteers,” including explaining how the court order community service happened.
I hope we continue to see more references to “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” and “Volunteers” in future It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Abbott Elementary episodes. These two are so pivotal to both shows. I would also love to see them cross-over again, and other shows boldly attempt a crossover.
