Scott Martin & Dolph Lundgren in ‘Exit Protocol’ Action Movie Trailer
by Alex Billington October 3, 2025 Source: YouTube
“You know what happens next.” “They’re gonna be coming for us…” Saban Films has unveiled the official trailer for another generic action movie called Exit Protocol, as usual being dumped out on VOD, starting in November later in the fall. How many more of these instantly forgettable, exceptionally mediocre action movies can they make with the same cast & same plot over and over? A notorious hitman who made a career killing other assassins, wants out. (Of course he does. It’s always the same plot.) But walking away is not an option. Now marked for death, he unexpectedly finds himself partnering with a former target to outrun his boss. From director Shane Dax Taylor (of The Best Man, The Christmas Classic, Murder Company), Exit Protocol stars Scott Martin, Dolph Lundgren, Charlotte Kirk, Lina Maya, Stephanie Beran, and Michael Jai White. This looks as boring and obvious as any movie can. Don’t waste any time on this one.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Shane Dax Taylor’s action movie Exit Protocol, from YouTube:
An assassin whose specialty is killing other assassins trying to get out of the business decides to try to get out himself and must then team up with his former mark to escape the hired killers now gunning for them both.Exit Protocol is directed by American indie producer / director Shane Dax Taylor, director of other bad action movies including The Grey, Bloodworth, Isolation, Masquerade, The Best Man, The Christmas Classic, and Murder Company previously. The screenplay is written by Chad Law. It’s produced by Michael Slifkin, Jack Sheehan, Daniel Cummings, Scott Martin. Saban Films will debut Dax Taylor’s Exit Protocol action movie in select US theaters + on VOD starting November 7th, 2025 coming soon this fall. Anyone?
It’s been a couple of months since Happy Gilmore 2 released on the Netflix schedule. I’ve watched it three times already, and I love the callback Julie Bowen scenes, the additions of Bad Bunny and some major WWE talent and so much more. Speaking of major cameos though, there’s one from NFL superstar Travis Kelce that really had fans amped and led to one memorable picture I still can’t believe exists on the Internet.
We can thank Travis Kelce’s brother Jason for the cool pic. A while back, he shared a photo of his brother – and podcast partner-in-crime – smiling at a camera alongside The Sandman himself and John Daly. Of course, I already have the context behind why the three would be posing together, yet it still feels strange and wonderful. If you haven’t seen it, take a look.
Patrick Mahomes called it “legendary,” so I know I’m not alone in thinking about how wild the universe can be sometimes.
Daly’s one of the best parts of the sequel, in my opinion, but the tight end did a good job too (even Christopher McDonald agrees!), and it’s nice to see the moment was commemorated this way. Not a bad souvenir to take home from your time on a movie, in my opinion.
It’s worth pointing out that Travis Kelce’s inclusion in the movie led to a swathe of rumors from Swifties that she’d also popped up in a bear costume. This was later debunked, but I had no idea going into the 2025 movie schedule that Happy Gilmore 2 would tie in with the Swiftie fanbase and become one of the most talked about movies of the summer.
Movies with this many cameos can kind of be overwhelming sometimes, but as an OG Happy Gilmore stan I was pleasantly surprised by the new sequel, and if you haven’t given it a watch yet, hopefully all of this will be enough to encourage you. At the bare minimum, this star-studded photos is definitely going to live on in infamy.
Now, I just need Happy Gilmore 3, and I’m going to need Taylor Swift to commit to a cameo this time. Please and thank you.
Final Trailer for Animated ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Mini-Series from HBO Max
by Alex Billington October 3, 2025 Source: YouTube
“I can’t imagine having more wonderful friends.” HBO Max has revealed the final official trailer for their new animated version of Charlotte’s Web, the timeless tale of a pig on a farm. This brand new adaptation of E.B. White’s classic story is produced by Sesame Workshop. It’s now streaming on HBO Max – available to watch at home right away. The stylized 3D rendering was brought to life by Guru Studios, the Toronto-based animation powerhouse. A story of the friendship between a livestock pig named Wilbur and a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur’s life is in danger, Charlotte tries to help him any way she can. Bringing to life once again one of the most cherished friendship stories of all time. Featuring the voices of Amy Adams as Charlotte, Elijah Wood as Adult Wilbur, Griffin Robert Faulkner as Young Wilbur, Jean Smart as Narrator, Cynthia Erivo as Goose, Natalie Chan as Fern, Danny Trejo as Gander, Randall Park as Templeton, Chris Diamantopoulos as Homer, Rosario Dawson as Edith, Ana Ortiz as Dolores, Tom Everett Scott as John. There was also a famous 2006 live-action version of this story, with CGI animals, which was a huge hit starring Dakota Fanning. This new version looks charming though a bit clunky. Enjoy.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for HBO Max’s animated Charlotte’s Web series, from YouTube:
In this latest animated adaptation, Charlotte’s Web tells the heartwarming story of friendship, hope, and the power of simple acts of kindness through the bond between Wilbur, a gentle pig, and Charlotte, a wise and selfless spider who vows to save him. “This adaptation has been years in the making, and every detail reflects our passion for E.B. White’s novel, which has touched generations,” via Kay Wilson Stallings, EVP, Chief Creative & Production Officer at Sesame Workshop. “With this extraordinary cast, we’ve created a retelling of this story that celebrates friendship, empathy, courage, community. We can’t wait for families to fall in love with these characters all over again.”Charlotte’s Web is a mini-series directed and showrun by writer Luke Matheny, a writer on A Birder’s Guide to Everything & “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street”. Adapted from E.B. White’s novel of the same name first published in 1952. All 3 eps are directed by animation director Yurie Rocha (“Sesame Street Mecha Builders”). Produced by Sesame Workshop & Emily Lindsay, with Rick Ritter & Jordan Geary as creative producers. Executive produced by Luke Matheny. HBO will debut their new Charlotte’s Web streaming on HBO Max starting October 2nd, 2025 – available now.
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Cillian Murphy is a Teacher of Troubled Students in ‘Steve’ Trailer #2
by Alex Billington October 3, 2025 Source: YouTube
“You’re not alone, Shy… That’s the whole point.” Netflix has debuted one more final official trailer for the film titled Steve, from the same Belgian filmmaker, Tim Mielants, behind Cillian’s last film Small Things Like These. Steve is now playing on Netflix as of today (view it here) – after premiering at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival last month to mostly positive reviews. The film follows the headteacher Steve battling for his reform college’s survival while managing his mental health & other challenges. Concurrently, the troubled student Shy navigates his violent tendencies and fragility, torn between his past and his future prospects. Cillian Murphy stars as the titular teacher Steve, with a cast including Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson, Douggie McMeekin, Youssef Kerkour, Luke Ayres, Joshua J Parker, Araloyin Oshunremi, Tut Nyuot, Tom Moya, Ahmed Ismail, Joshua Barry, and others. The film features music by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow. Adapted from Max Porter’s book “Shy”: a story “about guilt, rage, imagination, & boyhood, about being lost in the dark and learning you’re not alone.” This is a much better trailer and really makes me want to watch this. A compassionate, honest film. Worth a look.
Here’s the second official trailer (+ poster) for Tim Mielants’ film Steve, direct from Netflix’s YouTube:
You can rewatch the first official trailer for Tim Mielants’ Steve movie right here for even more footage.
Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter’s bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve (Academy Award winner Cillian Murphy) and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school’s integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve’s struggles, we meet Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.Steve is directed by Belgian filmmaker Tim Mielants, director of the films PatrickWill, and Small Things Like These previously, plus short films & TV work including episode of “Legion”, “Tales from the Loop” and “The Responder” recently. The screenplay is written by Max Porter, adapted from his own bestselling novel titled “Shy”. It’s produced by Alan Moloney, Cillian Murphy, and Tina Pawlik. This will premiere at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival this fall. Netflix will then debut Meilants’ Steve film opening in select US theaters on September 19th, 2025, then streaming on Netflix starting October 3rd coming up this fall. Look any good? Who wants to watch?
I should start this by saying we’re not lacking for upcoming Spider-Man movies. Tom Holland will return as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker when Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives to the 2026 movies schedule, and the animated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will follow in 2027. However, if a third Spider-Man movie could be added to the slate, it sounds like one of The Batman writers is game to tackle one focused on Tobey Maguire’s version of the Web-Slinger.
This all started when a fan shared that the rerelease of the Maguire-starring and Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man movies grossed $2.25 million last weekend across nearly 1500 theaters. When that same fan tagged Mattson Tomlin, who worked on The Batman’s script with director Matt Reeves and Peter Craig, suggested that this money should go towards writing a Spider-Man 4 script, the writer simply said this on X:
Trying!
the Tobey Maguire sequel being scrapped. That paved the way for the Amazing Spider-Man film series led by Andrew Garfield, but that film series also came to an unceremonious end after just the two movies. That’s how we got Tom Holland putting on the costume in the MCU, starting with his debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: Homecoming following the year after.
team up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, many fans have been hoping since then that Spider-Man 4 will be revived. Sam Raimi even shared how he’d approach the movie given how much time has passed since Spider-Man 3. We didn’t get much insight into what’s happened to Maguire’s Peter since he defeated Venom and Sandman, and lost his friend Harry Osborn, so there’s a lot that can be explored.
Whether Mattson Tomlin would work with what had originally been planned for Spider-Man 4, like including Vulture and Black Cat, or he would start from scratch is a mystery. Either way, considering how much I like The Batman and am eager to see what he and Matt Reeves have written for 2027’s The Batman: Part II, I’d welcome Tomlin putting his own spin on this shelved project. Unfortunately, with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man film series still going, the chances of this movie actually happening seem slim.
There is an alternative, though. Mattson Tomlin has experience writing comic books, like Batman: The Imposter for DC Comics, as well as BRZRKR: Fallen Empire and A Vicious Circle for Boom! Studios. If he received permission to write a Spider-Man 4 script, maybe Marvel would be willing to turn it into a comic book miniseries. DC’s done similarly in recent years with its Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 comic books, so why couldn’t the Tobey Maguire continuity live on in a different medium?
Again, at least we have Spider-Man: Brand New Day to look forward to on July 31, 2026, but if any kind of progress can be made on making Spider-Man 4 some kind of reality, I’ll be pleased Meanwhile, we’ll see Mattson Tomlin’s next DC contribution when The Batman: Part II is released on October 1, 2027.
2025 is the 70th anniversary of the Disneyland Resort. In July of 1955, Walt Disney’s dream opened to the public, and the world of entertainment was changed forever. Several of the attractions that you’ll find at Disneyland today were there on opening day, so they are also celebrating their 70th anniversary. However, one location key to Disneyand’s success, the Disneyland Hotel, is only now celebrating its birthday, as of this October.
On October 5, 1955, the Disneyland Hotel opened for business. For decades, it was the only official hotel associated with Disneyland. Over the last 70 years, the resort has gone through a lot of changes, including being purchased by The Walt Disney Company, because originally, it wasn’t even owned or run by the company.
(Image credit: Disneyland Resort)
Walt Disney Wanted A Hotel For Disneyland, But Couldn’t Afford It
Disney+ subscription), was equal parts entertaining television show and commercial for the upcoming park. With people all over the country looking forward to the opening, those people would need a place to stay when they came.
Disneyland Monorail was altered to include a stop at the Disneyland Hotel. Now, guests at the hotel could ride the Monorail directly into Tomorrowland.
It’s this classic connection between the hotel and the park that likely meant that few people in the general public were aware that Disney didn’t own the Disneyland Hotel. Walt would reportedly make multiple overtures about buying it from Wrather, who would take full ownership of the hotel from his partner in 1958, but the Disneyland Hotel was incredibly profitable, so Wrather never had much interest in selling.
Michael Eisner became the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Hotels on Disney properties would become a major part of Eisner’s theme park legacy. Nearly two dozen hotels opened at Walt Disney World during Eisner’s tenure, but the CEO also wanted the original: the Disneyland Hotel.
Eisner would reach out to Wrather’s widow, actress Bonita Granville, in an attempt to purchase the hotel. Unfortunately, she also refused to sell it. Four years later, Granville herself would pass away. This gave Eisner and Disney an opportunity. Rather than attempting to acquire the rights to the Disneyland Hotel alone, the decision was made to do things in a perhaps more expensive but much simpler manner. Disney purchased the entire Wrather Corporation.
This gave Disney ownership of much more than simply the hotel. They also purchased the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose as part of the deal, which would result in the consideration of building a Port Disney theme park in Long Beach. However, Disney now finally owned the Disneyland Hotel, which meant they could knock it down.
(Image credit: Disneyland Resort)
The Disneyland Resort Transforms The Disneyland Hotel
Disney’s lack of ownership of the Disneyland Hotel was a significant roadblock to the major expansion of Disneyland that Eisner wanted. In 1999, a significant portion of it was demolished as part of the larger resort project that saw the construction of Disney California Adventure as well as the Downtown Disney shopping and dining complex.
Three major hotel towers that were built in the 1960s and 70s became the core of the Disneyland Hotel, and a fourth tower, specifically for the Disney Vacation Club, was opened in 2023. None of the original buildings that were built in 1955 remain standing today.
Two more hotels would eventually become part of the Disneyland Resort. The Grand Californian Resort & Spa would be built attached to the Disney California Adventure park. Disney would also purchase the nearby Pan Pacific Hotel Anaheim in 1995. It would become the Disneyland Pacific Hotel, then the Paradise Pier Hotel, before it was transformed into the Pixar Place Hotel in 2024.
I’ve been lucky enough to stay in all three Disneyland hotels, and while each has its benefits and charms, there is something truly special about the original Disneyland Hotel. It’s been there since, almost, the beginning. It’s changed a lot in 70 years, and will change more in the years to come, but there’s still only one Disneyland Hotel.
