I have a confession to make – I haven’t been as much into anime this year. I know, I know – I’m the kind of girl who literally a year ago I would be recommending the best anime to start on or the best dark anime to watch, or ranking all the Pokémon anime. However, this year, it just hasn’t been in the cards.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want to watch it. It’s mainly because life has been so busy, and with so much new content coming out, things often get lost in the mix. I’ve only been able to check out a few good anime this year because I really felt inclined to, such as like Solo Leveling Season 2. Other than that, it’s been a little tricky.
However, Dan Da Dan Season 2 has begun releasing on Netflix, and I have to say, I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly. In fact, it might just be what reignites the flame for me to check out more anime.
began with the Evil Eye arc.
I watched a lot of anime in 2024, and the first season of Dan Da Dan was the one I considered the best of the year. I was waiting ages for Season 2 to drop, even if I wasn’t as into anime as I have been in the past. But this year, they throw you right into the action, giving barely a second to breathe, and you’re just wondering how the heck these characters are going to make it out of this alive. It’s the epitome of peak.
(Image credit: Science Saru)
The Animation And Story Have Been Off The Walls
Something else that Dan Da Dan has going for it is the story. Is it as emotionally gripping and intense as the epic anime Attack on Titan? Not by a long shot. However, Dan Da Dan gets dark very quickly in Season 2 with, and as someone who hasn’t had the chance to read the manga it’s based on, I wasn’texpecting the backstory of one of the new characters.
That, paired with the phenomenal animation, made this second season that much more intriguing and exciting to watch. It was like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, just waiting for the ball to drop. I, for one, need to see so much more.
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(Image credit: Netflix)
Anime’s Been Hit Or Miss For Me This Year, But This Makes Me Want To Dive Back Into It
When I say anime really has been hit or miss for me, I mean it. However, that’s also because I haven’t taken the time to check out the best new releases. Heck, I probably missed some on the 2025 TV schedule because I haven’t been paying attention to it.
But Dan Da Dan really makes me want to return to the world of anime. We’re entering an age of anime where numerous creative ideas are emerging, and the world is eagerly awaiting their unveiling. Dan Da Dan is an excellent example of how something so ridiculous can become epically awesome.
Even so, it’s not the only great anime out there right now. Now, I am inspired to head out and check on Crunchyroll to see what is new, because the anime bug has been reignited. Don’t be surprised if that’s all you see me talking about in the next few weeks.
Tom Holland is undoubtedly one of the most sought out young Hollywood actors these days. And yet, it’s actually been two years since we’ve seen him in anything because the actor decided to take a break from acting after having a busy decade. Holland has been very much back to work as of late making two of the most anticipated upcoming 2026 movies, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey movie and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and apparently he’s already considering more time off.
The Spider-Man actor took a break from acting after his last role in Apple’s The Crowded Room following being in new projects every year since 2012’s The Impossible came out when he was 16 years old. Here’s what he recently said about why he’ll be due for another acting break in the distant future:
I feel really blessed to be at a point in my career where I can take time off, reset, and come back ready to go. You can’t be in every movie, and you can’t do your best work when you’re burnt out. What I’ve learnt is that it’s important to set boundaries – to be mindful about overworking. I’ve got a slightly busy year next year, and then I’ll probably take a bit more time off in 2027. We’ll see.
GQ, it was helpful for him to take some time away from the Hollywood machine recently and “reset” after apparently dealing with some weariness over work.
Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, his real-life partner Zendaya, and more. Fans think that Holland is set to play Odysseus’ son Telemachus in the adaptation of Homer’s epic. The new Nolan movie is set to come out on July 17, 2026.
In the same month, his latest Spider-Man movie will also arrive on July 31. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently filming, and we just got to see a first look at his new suit with raised webbing and learn the news about Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner being in the movie. Holland has previously gushed about being excited to film the Marvel movie in real locations after doing a lot of his production work on sound stages in the age of COVID-19.
So as you can expect, Tom Holland will be doing a lot of press touring in the summer of next year. With those plans taking shape, Holland is already planning to take a rest sometime in 2027. While other actors might not allow themselves to shut off and stop working for a time period like Holland is doing, the way he approaches his schedule shows a lot of kindness to his mental health and must help bring balance to his life.
Good on Holland! Obviously I’m so excited to see him back acting for the next couple of projects he’ll be in next year, but I also love that he’s prioritizing his own peace.
It has often been said that a story, typically of the thriller variety, can live or die by the strength of its villain. However, there are many films and TV shows that like to keep the suspense high by keeping the antagonist a secret until later.
Unfortunately, this does not always result in the most satisfying or logical outcome, as the following examples will show. Also, keep in mind that there will be SPOILERS.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
why many fans do not like Iron Man 3 is that the apparent main antagonist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is revealed to be a scapegoat imposter named Trevor Slattery. However, there are also many people, myself included, who feel the disappointing twist pales in comparison to the pitifully petty motivations of the true villain, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who invents a terrorist persona to get back at Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) for ignoring him at a New Year’s Eve party once. I mean, is that not the plot of The Incredibles?
Ronald D. Moore’s SyFy original version of Battlestar Galactica is considered one of the most refreshing TV reboots of all time, in spite of its lackluster finale. The sci-fi drama’s long-awaited reveal that the Final Five Cylons are Saul (Michael Hogan) and Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon), Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco), and Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma), who also had no recollection of their origins, left many fans disheartened.
007 adventure, 2015’s Spectre, was already slightly tainted by the reveal that the events of the previous Daniel Craig-led James Bond movies were quietly orchestrated by the character’s historical archenemy, Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). The absurdity only grew when the villain unveils a twist right out of the spy movie spoof, Austin Powers in Goldmember: he and Bond are half-brothers.
behind the Ghostface mask this time, Roman Bridger (Scott Foley). Not only does the director of Stab 3 turn out to be the unknown half-brother of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), but he claims to have been orchestrating the kills in the first two installments out of revenge against their mother, who rejected him years earlier.
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Tobey Maguire) uncle, Ben (Cliff Robertson). However, Spider-Man 3 lazily retcons the incident as the fault of the otherwise sympathetic superhero movie villain, Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who also happens to get thrown in a particle accelerator that turns him into Sandman.
dumb movie twist is that, early on in the film, John’s biological parents, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), irreversibly transport themselves from 1984 to 2017, meaning that, based on the Terminator movies’ rules of time travel, John should have never been born.
Benedict Cumberbatch) is really Khan (the iconic villain originated by Ricardo Montalban) is not exactly nonsensical. However, fans of the franchise saw it coming from a mile away, so it wound up being deeply unsatisfying.
Jim Carrey) becomes obsessed with a disturbing book about a killer that turns out to be his own memoir, which he wrote and forgot all about after a stint in a mental institution. That is already a little far-fetched, but the most flabbergasting aspect of the twist is that his wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), who is fully aware of his past, is the one who buys him the book in the first place. Why would she want to conjure up those kinds of memories?
Mark Ruffalo as FBI agent Dylan Rhodes, who obsessively pursues a group of illusionist thieves who call themselves The Four Horsemen. By the end, it is revealed that he is actually part of their group and orchestrated the entire ordeal to avenge the death of his father, a magician named Lionel Shrike.
M. Night Shyamalan movie twists is the reveal that the mysterious, deadly event at the center of 2008’s The Happening is being caused by a hypnotic pheromone vengefully released by the Earth’s vegetation. Then again, the ridiculous plot point is among the key reasons the thriller is considered a classic of so-bad-it’s-good cinema.
Tom Felton was cast as Dr. Julian Albert on The Flash at the same time the mysterious Alchemy was introduced on the Arrow-verse series. Considering the actor’s reputation for villainous roles, especially Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies, it quickly became apparent to viewers that the historian and the masked villain (an avatar for the evil Speedster, Savitar) were one in the same.
enjoy the absurd 1998 slasher sequel.
fans don’t care for the fourth Indiana Jones film.
Malignant ending –Gabriel is Madison’s (Annabelle Wallis) parasitic twin and has been possessing her body to commit vengeful murders – is actually pretty awesome. However, one thing I have never understood about James Wan’s 2021 Giallo tribute is how Gabriel can control electricity or make telepathic phone calls.
Apple TV+ original series, Ted Lasso, reporter Trent Crimm (James Lance) tells the titular character (played by Jason Sudeikis) that it was Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed) who shared confidential information about his panic attack with him. Apparently, Nate sells Ted out and goes on to coach the rival team because he felt like Richmond’s head coach abandoned him, for reasons that still feel vague and inexplicable to me.
Wonder Woman suffers from a lackluster ending, in which it is revealed that Sir Patrick (David Thewlis) is Ares in disguise. Let alone the underwhelming execution of the twist, the emergence of the true God of War deprives the comic book film of a more potent message about humanity’s flaws and contradicts the motivations of Gal Gadot’s Amazonian warrior in other films.
ending rips off Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
(Image credit: Sony)
Aliens (The Forgotten)
In the 2004 thriller, The Forgotten, Julianne Moore’s character, Telly, just kind of randomly assumes that the mysteriously lost memory of her deceased son, among other children, could be the work of extraterrestrials. She just so happens to be right.
(Image credit: Sony)
Ray Bronson And Stevie Ward (I Know What You Did Last Summer)
In the 2025 legacyquel, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Stevie (Sara Pidgeon) decides to kill her friends, believing they are responsible for the accidental death of her boyfriend, even though they tried to save his life. However, her murder streak also includes people who had nothing to do with the incident. Even more absurd is that original survivor Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr) helps with the scheme, believing the world forgot about what happened to him and his friends in 1997. However, this begs the question of why he decided to kill a popular true crime podcast host who was preparing to do an episode on that very ordeal.
Warning: SPOILERS for The Fantastic Four: First Steps are ahead!
Besides being set on an Earth in the 1960s where technology is a lot more advanced than what we had back then and showing Galactus as an actual giant walking and talking entity, another big way The Fantastic Four: First Steps distinguished itself from the previous Fantastic Four movies was by using Franklin Richards. Not only was Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s son born in the middle of the 2025 movie release, he also had the same reality-bending powers that he does in the comics. In fact, that’s the reason Galactus came to Earth-828 in the first place!
Well, this was just the start of Franklin’s journey in the MCU, as the Fantastic Four: First Steps mid-credits scene teased Doctor Doom’s interest in the boy. This will be explored more in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, which, along with Avengers: Secret Wars, will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close. But the more I think about Franklin’s introduction in First Steps, the more I’m convinced that he’s not just tagging along with his parents and uncles in these next Avengers movies. Rather, he’s going to play an integral role in these upcoming Marvel movies.
Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Doom has taken over from Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror as the lead antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s also been confirmed that this scene was shot by directors Joe and Anthony Russo during filming on Doomsday rather than as part of the First Steps’ production.
(Image credit: Marvel)
There’s An Interesting Fan Theory About Doctor Doom And Doom And Franklin
The sight of Franklin Richards reaching up to touch Doctor Doom’s unobscured face caught my attention, as Doom almost takes off his metal mask because of his scarred visage. So I decided to see what other people thought of this Fantastic Four: First Steps moment and stumbled across an interesting theory posited in various places, including Reddit: that Franklin will be the reason Doom looks like Tony Stark.
The idea is that Franklin will manipulate Franklin into changing his face so that he can fool the Avengers and other heroes on Earth-616. It’s a fascinating idea, although I wonder if it’s not so much about transforming Doom’s face, but rather just healing his scars if Robert Downey Jr.’s version of the character is a Tony Stark variant. Regardless, I think there’s a more important reason that Franklin is necessary to the story being told across Doomsday and Secret Wars.
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(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
I Think Franklin Will Substitute For Another Character From 2015’s Secret Wars
There are two Marvel Comics storylines known as Secret Wars, with both premises involving locations called Battleworld. Although Avengers: Secret Wars will incorporate plot elements from both storylines, given that we’re still in the Multiverse Saga, it’s reasonable to assume that the movie will be more influenced by the 2015 event. That story saw Doctor Doom gaining godlike powers and merging various Earths into one Battleworld. While the multiverse was restored by the end, the comics’ Earth-616 and elements of the original Ultimate Universe were merged, most notably Miles Morales and his family and friends.
It was revealed during 2015’s Secret Wars that Victor von Doom become God Emperor Doom when he channeled the power of Earth-616’s Molecule Man, who’d absorbed the powers of his counterparts from other universes when they were destroyed in an effort to kill the Beyonders. It was only when Molecule Man was freed and he transferred his enhanced power to Mister Fantastic that the multiverse was restored. But I don’t think we’ll be seeing Molecule Man in the MCU.
Rather, I think that Franklin Richards will be the power source for whatever scheme Doctor Doom has concocted for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, whether that be forming his own Battleworld or reshaping the multiverse in some other way. Maybe Doom simply continues manipulating the boy after kidnapping him, or maybe he finds a way to siphon off Franklin’s power directly into himself. Either way, without Franklin, the events of Doomsday and Secret Wars don’t happen.
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
What This Could Mean For The Future Of The MCU
Needless to say that when all is said and done, Doctor Doom will be defeated by the end of Secret Wars, just like Thanos was in Avengers: Endgame. It’s also safe to assume that Franklin will be returned to his parents safe and sound. However, that doesn’t mean everything will be back to normal by the time the Multiverse Saga has concluded.
Quite the contrary, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige described Secret Wars to Variety as a “reset” of the MCU and indicated there will eventually come a time when characters like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are recast. Then there’s the Jake Schreier-directed X-Men reboot in development, which will presumably feature the mutant superheroes in the same main MCU timeline following our reunion with various versions of these characters from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series.
However the MCU ends looking post-Secret Wars, my money is on Franklin Richards being responsible for any changes that occur. Ok, let me rephrase: Franklin’s powers will be responsible, except this time, it’s another individual who’s harnessing them to undo whatever Doctor Doom did. Maybe it’s Reed Richards who does it like he did in the comics with Molecule Man’s power, or maybe it’s someone else. Though now that I think about it, I suppose it’s also possible that Franklin’s intelligence could also increase to a point where he could handle this himself.
Either way, we’ll have him to thank for closing out one MCU era and ushering in a new one. Alas, since Avengers: Doomsday doesn’t come out until December 18 on the 2026 movies schedule, and Avengers: Secret Wars following on December 17, 2027, it’ll be a while until we learn if my speculation is on the money or not.
As a kid who grew up on the Disney comedy Freaky Friday, when I hear Britney Spears’ “… Baby One More Time,” it’s impossible not to think about the scene where Chad Michael Murray’s Jake sings the song from the top of his lungs. Ahead of getting hyped for his return in the Freakier Friday release, we spoke to the actor about filming that scene, and he had a funny story that makes me think about it in a whole different way.
Since Freaky Friday was actually Chad Michael Murray’s first movie, during the Freakier Friday press junket in Los Angeles, I had to ask about what it was like for him to film that scene that still lives so rent free in my brain. In his words:
Singing Britney Spears. Absolutely terrifying. You’re like 19 years old and can’t sing and you’re just gonna go for it. And the best part was, I remember that we were shooting in a neighborhood and we had a noise ordinance, but it was like 11 o’clock at night when we were about to finish up. And I’m singing this song in the middle of the neighborhood and all the neighbors are piling up and they’re all watching, which just makes it all that much better.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Tess with the Britney Spears song from outside her house after hitting it off at his coffee shop. But the fun twist is Tess isn’t actually Tess, it’s her daughter Anna, and she’s swapped bodies with her mom after a supernatural occurrence at a Chinese restaurant.
the latest trailer, we know that Jake will be in the picture when Anna, Tess, Anna’s teen daughter and to-be step-daughter all get body swapped. The two teens decide to pay Jake a visit in order to sabotage Anna’s upcoming wedding.
(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios)
Previously, Murray has shared his honest thoughts on Jake, and how he shouldn’t have started dating Anna as “sloppy seconds” after having a crush on her mom. He’s also talked about a funny backstory idea he had for Jake going into Freakier Friday.
As Freakier Friday’s place on the 2026 movie release calendar draws closer, we also spoke to Lindsay Lohan about the Parent Trap reunion in the movie. It hits theaters on August 8.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some pretty famous people in this job, but one star I would love to meet that I haven’t yet had the pleasure of crossing paths with is Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’m a big fan of basically everything he’s ever done, and it would be wonderful to be able to tell him that in person.
One person who I now know feels the same way is Disney Dan. The man who is best known for his in-depth videos on theme park costumed characters recently had the opportunity to meet the Hamilton and Moana songwriter. So, of course, he did not throw away his shot. In pure Disney Dan fashion, he met Miranda while dressed in a giant chicken costume, and the only thing better is the look on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s face when he spies Hei Hei from across the room. Check it out.
honored to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda in person. Miranda seems to understand that he’s talking to a true fan and treats the experience that way.
If you’re in the theme park sphere, then you likely know Disney Dan. His YouTube channel covers a variety of theme park-related topics, but is primarily focused on the history and evolution of character costumes in theme parks.
Dan’s passion for the massive costumes that are worn in theme parks has led to a love of costumes in general for him. He’s previously visited Epic Universe dressed as Toothless and ridden Universal’s Cat in the Hat ride as the Cat in the Hat.
This is far from the first time that Disney Dan has gotten a strong reaction from a costume. This is the same guy who showed up at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the last day of Muppet*Vision 3D in a Monsters Inc. mask and trolled guests watching the show one last time, with the IP that is set to replace the attraction. To my knowledge, he didn’t show up at the closure of the Rivers of America in a Cars-themed costume, but he did threaten to do so.
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Honestly, this whole exchange just makes me want to hang out with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney Dan together. They both seem like people who would have a good time together and are more than willing to have a little fun at their own expense.
