wednesday movie review essay

Wednesday (2022) Netflix Review & Ending, Explained – Who Could be Stalking Wednesday Addams? 

It is dark, gothic, and can be branded as an absolutely deliciously savory eight episodes, with casting, acting, costume design (Wednesday’s black-hued uniform was just outstanding!), and Tim Burton combining to provide audiences with a wonderfully unnerving dark teenage sleuth story on a Wednesday. 

Wednesday (2022) Review

Audiences hoping that that song would feature may remain disappointed, but a snap at one point would be music to their ears and serve as a cue to utter the words, “They’ve creepy, and they’re kooky….”

Burton ensures this ‘creepy and kooky’ vibe is retained throughout, partly achieved through the excellent casting choice. 

I believed she would make a good Wednesday Addams but was too old as The Addams Family had always had Wednesday and Pugsley as young children. Hence, Netflix pulled off a coup when they green-flagged this spin-off on a young adult Wednesday who attends the Nevermore Academy. Getting audiences invested with a perfect casting choice was just one part of the puzzle. 

Her delivery of to-the-point dry, and frank responses is what will be considered wicked. There may even be instances of people using the ‘Wednesday’ style of talking and walking; Ortega pulled it off well.  

Writers Alfred Gough and Mike Millar do their bit with Wednesday’s dry, frank, and downright creepy responses, having the ability to make audiences go ‘Wow.’ Particular lines that come to memory include Wednesday’s response to the Nevermore headmistress’ instruction that the students must be well-rounded. She said, “I prefer to remain sharp and edged.”

The eight episodes are closer to the 60-minute mark, but I didn’t feel it. Wednesday’s dry lines are expected beyond a point. Still, on the mystery investigation front, there is constant progress that is enough to raise questions, retain interest, and restrict you from pausing the streamer’s autoplay. 

Gwendolyn Christie ( Game of Thrones’ Brienne of Tarth) is another prominent name in Wednesday. As the headmistress of Nevermore Academy, she remains neutral to the T, a challenging task considering Wednesday is providing her with reason after reason to get expelled. The commanding presence of her character provides Tim Burton’s series with the calming influence that it needs. In a nod to this character’s past, Christina Ricci (Wednesday Addams from 1991’s The Addams Family) has a meaty role in this film as a supporting figure to Wednesday. One may think that she is just there in passing with the way she is positioned as the dorm mom, but like Principal Weems, audiences can suspect her as well, thanks to all the hints thrown at us over the course of the first seven episodes. I even considered Enid as the mastermind for a bit. 

Wednesday (2022) TV Series Ending, Explained

Laurel Gates then showed up and tried to shoot Wednesday, but she fell victim to a bee attack and a stomp from Miss Addams. 

After Principal Weems’ death, academics were suspended for the semester, and the children were sent home early. Xavier handed Wednesday a cell phone to be in touch. Once in the car, being driven home by Lurch, Wednesday opened it and saw a text message waiting for her. Two images of her were taken by a Stalker, who also threatened to kill her with a creepy animation. She dropped a monologue about threads that were still open as police vehicles raced by the car. In the final shot, Tyler transformed and seemingly was about to break free from his capture.

Who was Laurel Gates?

Eugene, the beehive guy, opted to help Wednesday examine the cave in the forest. However, he decided to go alone once Tyler showed up and took Wednesday to the Rave’N dance. He saw a figure blow up the mouth of the cave, a scene that illuminated the surroundings for a bit. He was then chased by the ‘Hyde’ and left for dead. Eugene survived and spilled the beans about a red pair of boots to Wednesday, pointing the finger at the one person in Nevermore and Jericho who had such a clothing choice. 

Marilyn Thornhill, the normie teacher at Nevermore, has been there for just a year. 

How did Laurel Gates know Tyler was a ‘Hyde’?

The Gates family despised the outcasts (Nevermore students) and kept tabs on them to destroy them. When the sheriff married a ‘Hyde,’ Laurel knew of it and then put the dots together on abilities passing down from one generation to the next. 

How did Laurel know Wednesday Addams would attend Nevermore Academy?

She didn’t. As someone against outcasts, Laurel was after anyone from Nevermore Academy. However, Wednesday’s Piranha incident at her old school, subsequent expulsion, and arrival at the school for outcasts only aided her attempts to resurrect her ancestor (Joseph Crackstone). It also provided her the opportunity to rid the offspring of the one who destroyed her family—kind of like a lucky break for the undercover Miss Thornhill. 

How did Wednesday survive after Joseph Crackstone stabbed her?

Goody Addams was able to save Wednesday due to Morticia’s pendant that was handed from daughter to mother on the first day at Nevermore Academy. 

Who saved Wednesday from the ‘Hyde’?

How did the bees converge directly on laurel gates.

Eugene learned that Wednesday was in danger and returned to the school. As something of an outcast among outcasts, one believed he didn’t have any abilities. However, he proved everyone wrong with his ability to control the bees and direct a whole horde of the insects toward Laurel Gates. It was a sort of revenge for Gates instructing Tyler to murder him.

Why did Wednesday hug, Enid Sinclair?

Who could be stalking wednesday addams  .

Wednesday, Addams received messages on her new number from some unknown individual. They contained images of her at the cafe and in Jericho. The individual on the other end hinted that Wednesday would still be under watch, and Addams also hinted at Thornhill and Tyler being mere pawns. Could there be a real master manipulator behind the scenes? 

Mayor Walker is also an option, as Wednesday Addams is aware of his role in her family’s history. 

Will there be a Season 2 of Wednesday?

Xavier asked this question at the end of the episode. Wednesday spoke about the unanswered questions at the end. There is scope for a season 2; it could take place outside Nevermore and allow characters like Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Lurch, and Uncle Fester to feature more. 

Audiences may also like to see more of the Nevermore Academy, especially a new principal and the return of characters like Enid, Xavier, Bianca, Ajax, and Eugene. This may be possible as it will help maintain Wednesday’s evolution and trust in her friends. 

Related: Netflix’s Wednesday (2022): Release Date, Trailer, Plot, Cast, And Everything We Know

Wednesday (2022) official trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q73UhUTs6y0

Netflix’s Wednesday (2022) Show Link: IMDb

Trending right now.

Well, it would be stating the obvious if someone proclaimed their love for films here. Why else would they be here? What would be useful, is knowing that I adore Hitchcock, Tarantino, and Nolan. I'm not averse to any type of film though as each cinematic work of art assists me in growing as a person and a cinema lover and a writer.

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'Wednesday' Review: A More Chilling Spin on the Creepy, Kooky Addams Family

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The creepy and kooky Addams Family, arguably the First Family of spooky season, have had a perpetual presence in popular culture over the decades. After getting their start in Charles Addams ' New Yorker comics in the '30s, and debuting onscreen in the 1964 television series The Addams Family , they make their return to the small screen this November with Netflix's supernatural teen drama Wednesday .

Rather than focusing on the family as a whole, the series instead centers on teenage daughter Wednesday Addams, played to woeful perfection by Jenna Ortega , as she is expelled from yet another school and sent by her parents Gomez ( Luis Guzmán ) and Morticia ( Catherine Zeta-Jones ) to Nevermore Academy, the same school where the two of them met and fell in love. As much as she thrives in darkness, Wednesday bristles at the idea of being expected to live in the significant shadow cast by her parents, and her mother in particular, who was as much of a social butterfly overachiever as it's possible to be in a school proudly populated by outcasts.

Wednesday's arrival at Nevermore is anything but easy. She is placed in her mother's old dorm alongside Enid ( Emma Myers ), a late-blooming werewolf who loves bright colors as much as Wednesday loves various shades of black and gray. Though their different personalities lead to friction at first, in the manner of all good coming-of-age stories, the two start to realize they might be stronger together than they are apart. Also making settling in somewhat difficult are the two mysteries that may or may not be connected, but both of which somehow trace back to Nevermore and the surrounding town of Jericho. The first is a case that may or may not involve someone close to Wednesday, while the other — arguably more pressing — is the issue of the gruesome murders taking place around town.

RELATED: 'Wednesday': Tim Burton Celebrates the Creation of Nevermore Academy in New Featurette

Unlike the earlier TV incarnations, including the 1992 animated series and the 1998 live-action series The New Addams Family (a campy staple of my own childhood), Wednesday does not follow a problem-of-the-week format, opting instead for a season-long supernatural mystery in the vein of Stranger Things , or The Hardy Boys . Unlike those earlier incarnations as well, the series really leans into the horror-adjacent aspect that has always surrounded the Addams family, but which earlier incarnations never fully explored. While this is definitely a show the whole family can watch together, there is just enough horror and gore to really earn that TV-14 rating.

Where Wednesday really thrives is in its cast. Ortega, Guzmán, and Zeta-Jones, as well as Isaac Ordonez , who plays Pugsley Addams, are picture-perfect choices, looking like the Charles Addams cartoons come to life. The entire family takes these beloved characters and truly makes them their own, maintaining the aspects that have made the kooky Addams so recognizable over the decades, while infusing them with an energy that breathes fresh life into the role. As quirky Uncle Fester, Fred Armisen is a source of some needed comedic relief, with a deadpan cheerful delivery that pays homage to Jackie Coogan 's take on the part back in 1964.

As far as new characters, the series also stars Gwendoline Christie as Nevermore headmistress Principal Weems and Riki Lindhome as Wednesday's court-mandated therapist Dr. Kinbott. They, alongside Wednesday's Nevermore classmates Bianca ( Joy Sunday ), Xavier ( Percy Hynes White ), and Ajax ( Georgie Farmer ), as well as Hunter Doohan as the sheriff's "normie" son Tyler, really round things out and make the show a cross between a supernatural mystery series and a high school drama. Because all the trappings of a high school drama — school dances, trouble with crushes, after-school clubs, and fitting in — are present, albeit with a gloomy, spiderweb-covered gloss.

Of course, the true highlight of the ensemble cast — for diehard Addams fans, anyway — is former Wednesday Addams herself Christina Ricci , who plays Ms. Thornhill, one of Wednesday's Nevermore teachers. Though the two do share quite a few scenes, and though there are references to the wider meta of The Addams Family throughout (except for the tragic absence of the catchy theme song), I applaud the creative team for resisting the urge to make Ricci's Wednesday history too obvious.

Previous incarnations of The Addams Family have always focused on the family as a whole, either dealing with their own interpersonal drama or more frequently casting them in a sort of "us versus them" situation, "them" being conventional society. That conflict is still very present in Wednesday , with the teenagers of Nevermore Academy looked at with skepticism and fear by the town of Jericho. With eight episodes devoted to the mysteries that connect the town and the school, the series has time to dive into this divide with some nuance beyond the idea that one of the two sides is objectively "wrong."

My biggest fear, as someone who has seen and loved every incarnation of The Addams Family , was that the undercurrent of family and love and support present in every version would be lost in Wednesday in favor of a grittier take on the well-known characters. After all, this would not be the first time decades-old characters got an unrecognizable makeover ( Riverdale comes to mind). But while the Addams are not quite the rock-solid unit they are in perhaps the best-known adaptations, 1991's The Addams Family and 1993's The Addams Family Values , it's very clear that they do care about each other.

Ultimately, despite being a darker-than-usual take on The Addams Family , Wednesday retains all the hallmarks that make the stories and the characters special. It succeeds very well at pushing the story outside its usual genre and into something a little more grown-up, and a little more supernatural, but never loses sight of the heart, humor, and kooky horror that have kept us all double-snapping for decades.

Wednesday hits Netflix on November 23, which is — appropriately — a Wednesday.

• Wednesday (2022)

Netflix’s Wednesday Combines Teen Angst and Murder

Netflix’s Addams Family series “Wednesday” successfully combines two genres in a way that makes more sense than most—the teen coming-of-age story and the murder-mystery plot. Over the last decade or so, there’s been a lot of shows that have merged the two, using violence to juice up the general teen fair of crushes, college admissions, and meddlesome parents. But where shows like “ Riverdale ” can feel forced to the point of silliness, “Wednesday” succeeds thanks to its familiar protagonist and her macabre-loving family.

Fans of the Addams clan get plenty of service in this eight-part series. Thing, the living, moving severed hand, is a full-fledged character with ongoing gags about skincare and manicures, plus an (only metaphysical) heart of his own. Fred Armisen shows up for episode seven as Uncle Fester, winkingly playing the bald criminal. And the show plays with the highly sexually charged dynamic between Morticia ( Catherine Zeta-Jones ) and Gomez ( Luis Guzmán ). There’s even a bit with the two snaps from the famous theme song. For those with only a passing affection for the Addams family or the aesthetic of executive producer and director of half the episodes, Tim Burton , some of these bits may come to grate (we get it—they’re dark!). But there’s enough other stuff for fans and non-fans to enjoy.

Jenna Ortega ‘s performance as Wednesday elevates the series above pure nostalgia. She’s become a force in horror thanks to roles in 2022’s “Scream,” A24’s “ X ,” and Netflix’s “You” but while Wednesday may fancy herself to be living in a scary movie, her adventures are less blood-drenched and more camp comedy. Ortega excels in the role, leaning into a deadpan humor made all the funnier by her character’s lack of interest in anything approaching laughter.

The show’s directors get a lot of mileage out of Jenna Ortega ’s physicality, particularly in the high school dance scene, where she manages to own the floor while staying true to her dark nature. And it’s not just for comedy—more than once, we see the smallness of her body on the screen as she faces off again forces much bigger than her. These angles give her confrontations extra power, marking her as an underdog even as her superior insight and tenacity set her up to be the story’s clear winner.

The show also leverages classic teen tropes to bring lightness to its dark halls, starting with the “ Clueless ” tour of the cliques at Wednesday’s new school. There’s also a convoluted sporting event that’s a clear parallel to Harry Potter’s Quidditch . The aforementioned prom/dance comes complete with a (what else?) “ Carrie ” moment. And there’s so much more—the stuffy headmistress, the love triangle, the secret society.

Along the way, everything works. The mystery is hard to figure out but clearly in place all along and concludes satisfactorily. The action is suspenseful with real danger looming for likable (if mostly side) characters. And the social commentary—about the vileness of settler colonialism—is gratifying. 

Adding to these elements is Wednesday’s evolution out of, or at least through teen angst. She’s extremely sure of herself but with plenty of growing up to do. That makes her both an extraordinary and typical teen, someone who thinks they know everything while continuously being made to learn more. Over the series, we see her come to better understand her parents (even her mother!) as she comes into a more mature, less knee-jerk contradictory understanding of herself.

It’s rare to see a show so successfully mix coming-to-age character development with gross and gory ghouls and a serial murder plot on top of it all. By the end, I was smiling broadly, happy to have been back with these old friends and witnessing their familiar, family-driven hijinks. 

If there’s ever a character for whom death and darkness don’t weigh her down but are a normal part of her high school years, it’s Wednesday Addams. And Netflix’s “Wednesday” makes the most of its heroine’s unique disposition.

All eight episodes screened for review. “Wednesday” premieres on Netflix on November 23rd.

Cristina Escobar

Cristina Escobar is the co-founder of LatinaMedia.Co, a digital publication uplifting Latina and gender non-conforming Latinx perspectives in media.

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Cast & Crew

Alfred Gough

Miles Millar

Jenna Ortega

Wednesday Addams

Gwendoline Christie

Larissa Weems

Riki Lindhome

Dr. Valerie Kinbott

Christina Ricci

Marilyn Thornhill

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Review: ‘Wednesday’ Season 1

“Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace. Wednesday’s child is full of woe, Thursday’s child has far to go. Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living. And the child born on the Sabbath day Is bonny and blithe, good and gay.”

Wednesday Addams — both Charles Addams’s original character and the incarnation seen in Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s new Netflix series Wednesday — was named after the above nursery rhyme. The word “woe” appears in every episode title of the new show, and that’s sadly appropriate for a series determined to be as cold and dour as possible. Though the cast is stellar, with star Jenna Ortega and the delightfully arch Gwendoline Christie serving as standouts, the writing falters. A convoluted mystery, generic hijinks that miss the point of the Addams Family entirely, and shockingly out-of-touch ideas about race, gender, and sexuality make Wednesday a missed opportunity to bring a new classic to the creepy and kooky family’s live-action legacy. It bears repeating that Ortega shines brightly as the titular character, because her efforts, up to and including viral dance scenes, are nearly the only things that save the series from itself. 

When Wednesday gets kicked out of Nancy Reagan High for dropping bags of piranha into a swimming pool where the boys who bullied her brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) are swimming, she is expelled and forced to enroll in Nevermore Academy, where her father Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) attended school and fell in love with each other. The piranha sequence is a highlight of the series, underscoring everything that people love about the ‘90s Barry Sonnenfeld films: morbid humor, wicked sociopolitical commentary, cartoonish violence, and the Addamses getting retribution against those who harm them. Sadly, the majority of the series can’t live up to this strong opening,. Once Wednesday arrives at Nevermore, a school for “outcasts” (try to keep track of how many times the show uses the word “outcast” or “normie” — just don’t turn it into a drinking game), the show becomes a disappointing mishmash of Veronica Mars , Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , and Harry Potter . Wednesday becomes embroiled in a murder mystery, which is tied up in a monster mystery, which is itself tied up in a prophecy involving Wednesday and her witch ancestor. 

If any of these mysteries worked on their own, the series might stand on stronger footing, but they are simultaneously too easily solved and too convoluted. Worse still, each one is wrapped up in a shallow, blinkered exploration of colonialism and straight white privilege. Nevermore Academy is located in Jericho, Vermont (which is clearly a Romanian set tragically awash in omnipresent shades of grey and blue). Jericho is home to Pilgrim World, a celebration of all things related to religious extremism and — as Wednesday rightly points out — genocide. Fans of Addams Family Values might perk up at this point, hoping for another righteous takedown of colonialism and the lies white people tell themselves about their history in North America. Unfortunately, Wednesday’s truth-telling is just a fleeting moment. The “normies” who support Pilgrim World include its Black owner, Mayor Noble Walker (Tommie Earl Jenkins), and his son Lucas (Iman Marson). Lucas’s introduction on the series includes a bizarre moment when he threatens Wednesday with sexual violence. (Wednesday is an accomplished fighter, however, and she dispatches Lucas and his two friends, though Tim Burton’s direction muddles the fight scene to the point where you have to watch it a few times to piece together what would have otherwise been an impressive bit of stunt work.) Presenting a Black man as the owner of a theme park devoted to colonialism, and having his son be a bully who threatens small girls, is just one of the many wrong-headed decisions Wednesday makes. 

In an attempt at a classic Odd Couple moment, Wednesday ends up with a roommate named Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), a Luna Lovegood type who loves rainbows, chit-chat, and hugs…all of the things that Wednesday despises. When Enid takes Wednesday on a tour of the school, she tells her that “Nevermore was founded in 1791 to educate people like us: outcasts, freaks, monsters; fill in your favorite marginalized group here.” For a show that wants to tackle racism, religious extremism, genocide, and other forms of oppression, it’s laughably offensive to gloss over actually marginalized groups in favor of the generic “outcasts” and “freaks.” It’s in keeping with Burton’s whitewashed goth approach to film, but it has no place in an Addams Family adaptation. The Addamses are Latinx themselves, and Wednesday’s ancestor Goody Addams (also played by Ortega) — who never gets a first name — is a Mexican woman living in what would become Vermont. The script occasionally allows Wednesday to point out real injustice, but it also pulls regrettable stunts with a shoehorned-in #MeToo subplot involving Morticia. The script actually has her tell Mayor Walker — a Black man living in the United States — that since he’s a man, he’s never been in a position where people didn’t believe him about something. The Addamses may be historically kooky, but they are not oblivious to political reality, and it’s a disservice to both the character and the audience to have Morticia be so obtuse and espouse such a white feminist idea. 

The students at Nevermore are divided into cliques — fangs, furs, scales, etc. — depending on what kind of “monster” they are. Enid is a werewolf (a fur, obviously), but she’s a “late bloomer” who can’t “wolf out” like the rest of her friends and family. Enid’s character is a clear stand-in for a queer allegory. She has white-blonde hair with blue and pink ends, going as far as possible to wear a trans pride flag on her head without affixing a literal piece of cloth to her body. (She also wears a sweater that could easily double as a lesbian pride flag.) Her mother tells her that they are sending her to a conversion therapy camp — yes, the character uses those exact words — to help her wolf out so she can go through the proper form of puberty and express her identity in an acceptable way. The idea of conversion therapy, a form of abuse that causes immense harm to its victims in real life, is never interrogated on the show. Later on in the season, Enid wolfs out fully when she has to protect Wednesday, and the looming threat of conversion therapy is simply abandoned. So too is Enid’s queer coding: rather than confessing her feelings for Wednesday, which had been hinted at throughout the season, she ends up romantically involved with a male classmate. Enid’s queer coding — her fondness for rainbows and trans color scheme, her infatuation with and loyalty to Wednesday, the mention of conversion therapy and all its implications — was either a bait and switch meant to satisfy queer viewers, or it was a half-baked attempt at sociopolitical commentary that didn’t have the courage or the ability to go where it needed to go. 

It is this pathetic approach to social commentary that gives the show’s narrative the air of being poorly thought out. If your understanding of Wednesday Addams begins and ends with the fact that she’s a goth girl and an outsider, you end up with the underdeveloped Wednesday and its waste of a talented cast and crew. The show has “great gowns, beautiful gowns”: Colleen Atwood’s costume design is outstanding, Danny Elfman and Chris Bacon’s music is suitably macabre and witty, and Jenna Ortega cements herself as a star on the rise. Her Wednesday is deadpan but never boring; Ortega keeps her expressive eyes and mouth controlled but never lacking in personality. When Wednesday can’t suppress a grin, you can feel the emotion come from deep within her. Even when her face appears stoic, Ortega’s eyes show Wednesday’s sharp intelligence and immense depth of feeling. Wednesday Addams has never been an emotionless character. Like her mother, she feels quite keenly; she just doesn’t let anyone else in on her secret inner life. To let other people know you is to be vulnerable, and vulnerability (or weakness, as Wednesday sees it) is the enemy. 

Ortega understands Wednesday intimately. She’s clearly done her research, even choreographing the outstanding routine Wednesday performs at a school dance. The viral dance is emblematic of the series itself, both in its positives and its negatives. Wednesday occasionally seems designed for virality — a montage in the pilot of Wednesday playing “Paint It Black” on her cello is a crowd-pleaser designed for social media shares, as is the now-ubiquitous “Goo Goo Muck” dance. Prioritizing social media palatability over thematic cohesion might have worked in Wednesday ’s favor ratings-wise (though who can say, given how tight-lipped Netflix is about such things), but it harms the actual quality of the series. Also, while the dance itself is choreographed well (Ortega is self-deprecating about the routine, but she impresses both as a dancer and a choreographer), it is not shot well. Burton (who also directed the episode featuring the incoherent fight scene) frames Ortega poorly, chopping up the routine so that we can barely tell what her body is doing when that should be the entire focus of the scene. Ortega throws in a nod to Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday from the 1964 sitcom, that’s barely visible due to Burton’s direction. Like the series itself, the dance scene is a star turn from Ortega that the showrunners fumble at every opportunity. It is only Ortega’s talent and charisma that salvage it. 

Wednesday Addams has always been a fan favorite, so it’s no surprise that she would get a modern YA treatment. That’s part of the problem, though. The show does little to distinguish itself from better and more interesting YA series, choosing instead to rest on its IP laurels while simultaneously misunderstanding the wit and charm of the Addams Family. The cast does its best, especially the tremendous Ortega, but they can’t overcome the overwrought and underbaked writing, particularly its egregious mishandling of issues pertaining to race, sexuality, and gender. Wednesday’s child is full of woe, and so is Wednesday itself.

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Wednesday: A Review of the Modern Addams Family

Netflix released Wednesday , a spin-off series of the original Addams Family movies, this November. The series follows Wednesday Addams, a troublesome kid sent off to Nevermore Academy where her parents went. While she’s there, she attempts to master her psychic ability, prevents a killing spree, and discovers her parents’ darkest secret: that they were a part of a murder that took place while they were students. Wednesday is the #1 Netflix series in 83 countries worldwide! Its namesake is played by former Disney star Jenna Ortega and the movie features Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the original movies. I’ve watched the show several times and it’s worth it for Wednesday’s character journey. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in horror-related themes. I give the series a 10/10. 

Here are M-A students’ reviews on this hit show:

“Overall, the series was great,” senior Rosie Yuya said. “I went in blind because I didn’t know what the plot was about at first. Jenna Ortega did a really good job with her character. I’m watching it a second time now, after I found out who the monster was. There was a lot of foreshadowing happening and then I was like, ‘Oh my God, did I miss that? It was so obvious.’ But it was an awesome series. It was fun, kind of like a thriller. It’s my kind of genre and I enjoyed Wednesday’s character development by hugging Enid at the end. I love their friendship and the atmosphere. I’d definitely rate it a 10/10.”

Junior Ziomora Navarro said, “From my point of view,  I love the series because it represents Mexican culture more than the first Addams Family . The original version was based on white culture instead.  I loved how Ortega represented Mexican people.  It’s special to me when I see my culture represented. It’s nice how they included Día De Los Muertos because they didn’t talk about that in the first movie. I also liked how they added some realism to it, like how they choreographed the dance. I was surprised by who the monster was.  I’m a real sucker for dark turns where the innocent person is the monster. I’d give it a solid 8/10.”

“I really enjoyed it,” senior Megan Ronan said. “I liked how there were so many twists and turns throughout the whole show, and I wasn’t expecting who the monster was. I give it a 10/10 because it’s very creative and even though I’ve watched the original Addams Family movies, I was not expecting it to be like that. I highly recommend this to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet.” 

Senior Nadia Ruiz said, “I thought the series was really well done considering some other things that have come out recently—I’ve been disappointed. But Tim Burton is always an amazing director, and especially with the casting, and I love that the family is Latino. I think that’s so important in representation and just in general, and I think it was very well done. I thought the monster was Dr. Kimbott the whole time, but I was surprised and a bit disappointed. It’s very well done, and I do recommend it. I rate it a 9/10.” 

“I really liked it,” senior Eden Fisher said. “I thought it was a good remake. And I think Jenna Ortega definitely does a good job. I liked the boat racing scene. I’d give it a solid 8.5/10.” 

“I think it was a good series,” sophomore Sofia Basso said. “I think it was great how they tried their best to make it not just about how the Addams Family was like in the past, but they also brought in new topics of discussion. I’d rate it a 10, obviously, it was a good show.  Jenna Ortega did a great job. I can’t wait for season two. ” 

“I enjoyed it,” sophomore Kate Barker said. “I thought the plot was nice. It was a little predictable, but it was enjoyable. I didn’t expect Tyler to be the monster, but I wasn’t surprised. Someone close to her being the enemy didn’t come as a huge shock. I didn’t think the CGI for the Hyde was good. I literally laughed at it every time it came on screen. I liked all the episodes, but I really liked the way they started out the first episode with the murder so it wasn’t a slow build. One thing I wasn’t too sure about was that in the original Addams Family , Wednesday is a sociopath and feels no emotions so the idea of her developing emotions doesn’t necessarily make sense to me. I am hoping that in the next season, they will give an explanation.  I would rate it a solid eight and would definitely watch it again.” 

Junior Meena Alvi said, “I thought it was really interesting and a very modern take on The Addams Family . I thought Wednesday’s character was really adaptable, I thought that it was also a different take since she was older and more tapped into her personality.  I would rate it a nine because there are some aspects of gore. But other than that it was extremely well made. The casting was great and each character was able to shine in the series.” 

“I think the series was okay,” junior Sarah Larson said. “I liked Wednesday as a character and the dynamic between her and Enid, but I didn’t love the love triangle they had going on. It felt forced and it felt out of character for Wednesday to want romance of any sort. I’ve heard a lot of people say they don’t like it because it doesn’t feel true to the original Addams Family but I still think it’s a decent story and show overall, and I like most of the characters. I would rate it a seven.” 

Senior Kiely Tabaldo said, “The series was really cool. It was really entertaining. Jenna Ortega is a pretty good actress. I’d rate it a 10 because it was sick and I recommend it to everyone. I’m ready for season two.” 

“I thought it was a really great series,” senior Nicole Harris said. “There were great character dynamics between Enid and Wednesday.  I think one of my favorite episodes definitely had to be the dance episode because the choreography was really great. I like how Wednesday cares for her friends but she doesn’t make that overly clear. Overall, I just found it really easy to binge and I quite liked it. I like how it kept up with modern-day trends and was a lot easier for younger audiences to watch. I like the plot twists and going back to rewatch it, there’s a lot of foreshadowing now that is a lot more evident. I’d give a solid eight. There were some cliches that I was a little against, especially romance-wise and whatnot, but other than that it was pretty good. I highly recommend it. It’s definitely worth it.”

“It was fun to watch,” junior Camila Gallardo said. “I liked Wednesday’s dance. I had my suspicions of Tyler being the monster because it was weird that a human was in a school of people that have powers. I’d give it a 7.9. I hope that it has a second season.”

“I liked the first episode,” junior Ashlyn Roeder said. “They introduced Wednesday’s character really well, as someone who’s very protective but also doesn’t really want anyone to think that she’s protective. It also just was a really good introduction to the cast. And then also you got to see the Addams Family and it really sets up the show. I would rate it infinity out of 10.”  

Senior Vianca Lopez said, “I remember when Morticia and Gomez were young and you know they were in love, but then the stalker wanted to kill the people at the dance. But Morticia and Gomez were not going to let that slide, so they killed him. Morticia and Gomez were a cute couple when they were younger. I liked the entire series. I give it an 8.5. You know, screw Tyler. I didn’t know Tyler was going to end up like that.”  

“I really liked the series,” senior Maya Jhawar said. “I feel it was true to the character of  Wednesday Addams in the original show. The producers did a good job of making the audience root for someone who isn’t necessarily relatable or the ‘good guy.’ I liked that they cast Jenna Ortega as Wednesday and I liked that they made her Latina and incorporated that into the story in a clean and realistic way. I thought Wednesday really took advantage of Enid. I was surprised that Enid drew the line and moved out, since she really seemed like a doormat at first, but I was glad to see she made the right choice. The love triangle felt a little forced, because Wednesday doesn’t really seem to be a romantic character at all. I’d rate it an eight. I think that having Tim Burton as one of the producers was a wise choice despite his controversy over his insensitive racial comments. Tim Burton’s style is really evident in the show and I think it really adds to the show and the character. Though Jenna Ortega has said he’s very nit-picky, she seems to agree that having him on the show has paid off.”

Shakira Spencer was a senior and in her first year in journalism. She wanted to spread awareness in the community. She enjoyed singing, and hanging out with friends.

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A wednesday — film review.

Thin on plot, the movie still grips us with its penetrating characterizations and superbly slick editing.

By Gautaman Bhaskaran , The Associated Press November 7, 2008 3:40pm

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International Film Festival of India

PANAJI, India — Neeraj Pandey’s “A Wednesday” may be yet another take on the subject of terror, but it has been crafted with unusual energy. And this energy flows not out of the usual melodrama popping out of Mumbai, but from extraordinarily restrained performances. Thin on plot, the movie still grips us with its penetrating characterizations and superbly slick editing.

The racy thriller takes places in Mumbai on a Wednesday afternoon between two and six. A phone call to the city’s police commissioner, Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), from one calling himself Common Man (Naseeruddin Shah), demands the release of four Muslim terrorists from Indian jails. The man says he has planted bombs all over the city that would go off at 6.30 the same evening if his order is not carried out.

Rathod is not a cop to take things lying down. He puts two of his best men on the man’s trail and enlists a college dropout hacker to trace the calls. But the police are always a step behind the man, who has made himself comfortable on the roof of an unfinished building with sandwiches and a flask of coffee. He has a portable television set and a notebook computer to help him in the cat and mouse game he plays with Rathod. What an exciting game that turns out to be — highly cerebral and peppered with mind-blowing punch lines.

Shah’s performance is as brilliant as Kher’s, and they are wonderfully supported by Amir Bashir (who plays cop Jai Pratap Singh), Jimmy Shergill (cop Arif Khan) and Deepal Shaw (television journalist Naina Roy).

However, the script has weak moments. Television journalism appears superficial, even silly. But what is more disappointing is that the movie makes the Muslim into a homogenous terrorist killing innocent people for no reason. Some of the final scenes that link the just-about-to-be freed terrorists with Al-Qaeda are extremely disturbing, and the messages conveyed are highly questionable. With the Common Man doubling up as a kangaroo court, albeit from a considerable distance, and dispensing justice most arbitrarily, makes for a an unnecessarily provocation within the context of a commercial thriller.

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THE MOVIE CULTURE

Netflix’s Wednesday Season 1 (2022) Review & Summary: A Glimpse of the Good Old Times

The 8-episode series, Wednesday, was released on 23rd November. It is a spin-off of The Addams Family and is directed by Tim Burton, the director of Batman . All the episodes are now streaming on Netflix.

Wednesday Season 1 (2022) Cast

• Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
• Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin
• Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair
• Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia Addams
• Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams

Wednesday Season 1 (2022) Plot

Nevermore is a school for outcasts and the newest student is the definition of too good for society, Wednesday Addams. As soon as she stepped into the premise, the school changed. Ghosts, Monsters, Murders, and Secret Societies, all erupt. So does romance. There is a hand with no body and a mystery that seems to only knock on Wednesday’s door. Yes, there are also werewolves, vampires, and sirens. Nevermore has it all.

Wednesday Season 1 (2022) Review

Restating a point that I have made, 2022 is a year of remakes and sequels. Nostalgia sells and in this day and age, gives people a glimpse of the good old times. The 90s was an important decade for cult classics. The Addams Family is one such classic. Everyone has watched it and with its quirky darkness, it has charmed all.

The simple theme of a weird family is all it took. And the creepiness. The silliness and the perfect sarcasm also helped. In 1991, Barry Sonnenfeld directed a one-of-a-kind story. No one had mastered comedy horror like him. The Addams Family was a Halloween staple in all houses because of how immaculately it captured the essence.

Following in the same footsteps is the spin-off series, Wednesday. Released 31 years after the original, this series is not a remake or a sequel. The spin-off is also only restricted to the series using popular characters. The rendition of which is unique. It is reminiscent of the quirkiness and the old-time setting. At which the year the series is set remains unknown but it doesn’t matter.

Wednesday is doing what Wednesday does best. Letting wild piranhas lose in a pool full of high school bullies. With being expelled from many schools, an accomplishment she fancies, Wednesday is now being dragged to Nevermore. The school that gave us Morticia and Gomez. For Wednesday, life is but a dredge of opportunity and she will do anything to be tortured but remaining in her mother’s shadow isn’t one of them.

The Fame of Nevermore

Morticia was the fame of Nevermore. She excelled and she charmed. Going to Nevermore was a reminder to Wednesday about everything her mother did best. Life was a competition for Wednesday so she had to fight. Upon the death of her beloved scorpion, she had sworn to never cry. Tears do nothing. In Nevermore, she was adamant to flee. From her first outing, she had planned the foolproof way to sneak out of her court-mandated therapy and leave the outcast-forsaken town of Jericho.

This is where the cute barista boy enters the picture. It is a fact universally acknowledged, men adept with the work of caffeine must be the fancy of a sarcastic, bitter, and straight woman. It helps if they are also hunky. Hunter who plays Tyler is a beautiful person. How can a person be a cute and walking embodiment of sunshine while also being so reciprocative of Wednesday’s nature? He helps her navigate her escape which she ultimately ditches. As Wednesday elongates her education in Nevermore, she also leans more toward Tyler. The Wednesday who was more interested in the murder has not one but two love interests in this series. Courtesy of Tim Burton’s perfectly balanced direction, fans also ship Enid and Wednesday. Yes, maybe the 1991 Wednesday would not be onboard with the sudden blossoming of romance.

Wednesday Series is Engaging with Occasional Lag

In terms of story, the series is pretty engaging. As there is a hint of lag, there is a new character introduced or a fascinating gothic dance choreography. It was a little messy in places where things were happening but it seemed to contribute nothing and also lacked enough content to make sense. Some scenes felt like unneeded fillers.

The notable actors were Christina Ricci, the original Wednesday, Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones ), the perfect headmaster for Nevermore, and wacky Gordon played by Fred Armisen. Armisen deserved a lot more screen time even though there wasn’t much to that storyline either. The adults of the series were so on point and the fact that Fred was unrecognizable added to the astonishing nature of the series. Luis Guzman is Gomez. He embodied the character so well it is as if he was made for the role. The chemistry between him and the gorgeous Catherine Zeta-Jones was lovely. They were cringey and in love. Exactly what can be expected from Mr. and Mrs. Addams.

Some storylines continued to be unanswered. There were threads that continued hanging fragmented with possibly no closure in a second season. Hopefully, there is a second season. The hype of the series was definitely justified. If I was a preteen watching this show then I can guarantee that Wednesday would be my entire personality. Jenna Ortega made a character like her the next manic pixie. Goth needed a revival.

Lastly the fashion of the show. My, oh my. The series was a high school palette. All sorts of styles were thrown in. Wednesday’s goth. Enid’s bold and loud colors and Morticia’s dark motherly flowing outfits. There was a bit of everything. A modernized take on traditional aesthetics. While goth is usually understood as only black, in the series, Wednesday wears black and white. The white adds to how her outlook on life is now restricted by the Nevermore norms. At the same time, Xavier and Tyler, the two romantic interests, have dissimilar fashions. Xavier goes for the brooding layered artist look while Tyler is a boy next door with T-shirts that do wonders for his muscular arms. As the story progresses, their costumes also reflect the growing complexity of their relationships and lives.

The Movie Culture Synopsis

Overall, the series is so well put together and every detail can be analyzed and studied. Tim Burton brought to life a classic family like The Addams Family without tarnishing the original. Jenna Ortega showed everyone that she is the star to look out for in the future and yes, her choreography is exactly how Wednesday would dance.

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Leave the World Behind: Ending Explained

Wednesday ending explained: Everything that happened in the finale of the Netflix series, and what we know of a season 2

Jenna Ortega has been perfect throughout the series

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The coming-of-age high school murder mystery has certainly delivered on everything it promised, with the perfectly cast Jenna Ortega who plays Wednesday .

There was plenty of collective breath holding when Netflix announced an Addams family spinoff focusing on sarcastic family member Wednesday - Christina Ricci's previous outing in the role were huge boots to fill. However, the cast and crew of Wednesday have pulled off the latest iteration of the cult classic goth family, with outstanding aplomb since it landed on the streamer on November 23. The beginning of Wednesday Addams' newest outing saw her sent packing to boarding school, after seeing a testicle removed from a high school bully using piranhas. Wednesday's new school is full of similarly socially different characters like herself, grappling with the same adolescent angst she left behind in her regular school. A local murder spree adds some intrigue to the story, along with the fascinating and nuanced characters. But how did the series conclude, and were there any questions left unanswered? Read on for a full explanation of Wednesday 's ending, and we now have intel on when Wednesday season 2 is coming out .    

Elsewhere on the streamer, fans have been asking if Dead To Me is cancelled, after season 3 came to a tragic conclusion - we have the latest news on the dark comedy. The 1899 ending explained explores what really happened at the end of the genre bending drama - viewers minds have been blown by what was really going on with that ship. Florence Pugh's latest film on Netflix has also been drawing in the viewers, who want to know The Wonder true story . The inspiration behind the film is a heart breaking and fascinating time in history.  

Wednesday ending explained

The Wednesday season finale picks up a few days after Wednesday runs from the coffee shop after sharing her first kiss with Tyler, with a vision during the kiss telling her he's the Hyde monster. 

Wednesday running away after the intimate moment left Tyler confused, but she bravely confronts him later about how long he's has known he was a Hyde, and when Dr Kinbott had unleashed the monster within him. Tyler immediately pretends to be innocent, telling Wednesday she needs to see reason. When her new allies arrive and surround Tyler he is outraged, but is quietened by Bianca who lulls him with her siren's song. The gang chain him to the school shed, and Wednesday prepares to torture him into telling the truth.

While Wednesday makes her preparations, the gang tell Principal Weems what they've found out, and Tyler's dad- The Sheriff - is summoned. Just as she's about to start the torture, The Sheriff stops Wednesday and takes her into custody on charges of kidnap, along with Tyler for his suspected murder charge. Wednesday is later freed and her charges dropped, but before she leaves the station, Tyler confesses to everything. He admits to being the Hyde, saying he enjoys the kills and tasting the fear of his victims. He devastatingly continues to say that his feelings for Wednesday were never real, and had only ever been part of his master's plan.

Wednesday leaves the station to return to school, but on her return to Nevermore, Principal Weems proclaims to have had enough of her and the trouble she's caused. It's been decided she is to be expelled. Enid helps Wednesday get packed up, and she is due to return home the following day. Wednesday discovers that Eugene has woken up following his brush with death, and arranges a detour to the hospital to see him, before catching her train home. Eugene doesn't remember a lot about the night of the fire, but does recalls seeing the person who set the cave on fire was wearing red boots. This piece of information allows Wednesday to identify Tyler's master.

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Instead of catching her train, Wednesday returns to Nevermore to find Ms Thornhill. When she locates her, Ms Thornhill is wearing bright red boots. She then reveals she has been behind all of the unfortunate events at the school, and it was Laurel who was secretly setting Wednesday up all along. Ms Thornhill admits to coercing Tyler to become the Hyde, revealing his mother was also a Hyde. When Tyler arrives suddenly, she attempts to command him to kill Wednesday, but he fails to listen - this insinuates his feelings for her are real, and stronger than the hold Ms Thornhill has over him.

This thought is short lived however, when it transpires Tyler is actually shapeshifter Principal Weems, who overheard Laurel's full confession. Before the Principal could act on the information, Laurel injected her with nightshade poison to kill her. Laurel then knocks Wednesday over the head with a shovel, leaving her unconscious, and takes her to Joseph Crackstone's crypt to finish her plan. Using Goodie Addams' book of shadows and the remains of Tyler's victims, she magically resurrects him. Threatened by Wednesday, she stabs her in the stomach and leaves her to die in the crypt. Now Tyler and Laurel are free to return to Nevermore and complete Crackstone's work in eradicating outcasts from the world.

As Wednesday bleeds in the crypt, she's is visited by the spirit of her ancestor Goodie Addams. He tells her there is a way to kill Crackstone, and can save her life - at a cost. The cost is that Goodie will disappear forever, but Wednesday can be saved. Choosing her own life, Wednesday is cured and makes her way to the forest to stop Crackstone. Tyler finds her on her mission, and tries to kill her, but due to the blood moon Enid arrives with the ability to fight Tyler. Still, it's not enough as Tyler starts to win the fight. His dad, The Sheriff arrives during the fight, and is forced to accept what his son has become, shooting him to end his fight with Enid. With the gunshot, Tyler becomes unconscious and returns to human form.

Crackstone begins his attack on Nevermore, and Wednesday arrives to fight him as prophesised earlier in the series. Xavier also shows up to help, firing an arrow at Crackstone which he deftly turns around to fire back at him. Wednesday takes the arrow in the shoulder, and shouts for Xavier to leave the school. Bianca arrives to the fray, stabbing Crackstone in the back. This distraction gives Wednesday the opportunity to plunge her sword into his heart, where he dissolves into fire. The next day, Nevermore is closed for the rest of the semester and all children sent home. 

Wednesday: What is a Hyde?

The Hyde is a monster that refers to the dual identities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from Robert Louis Stevenson's book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published in 1886.

When local people living near Nevemore are murdered in a gruesome manner, Xavier has visions of what is behind the killings, producing a picture of it. Wednesday shows this to her Uncle Fester, who immediately recognises the monstrous figure and tells her its a Hyde. He recalls not having seen once since 1983, when he was a patient at the Zurich Institute for the Criminally Insane, according to Netflix Tudum . 

Searching Nevermore records for an exact definition of  Hyde, Wednesday finds a Hyde described as "artists by nature, but equally vindictive in temperament." They are "Born of mutation, the Hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked through chemical inducement or hypnosis. This causes the Hyde to develop an immediate bond with its liberator, who the creature now sees as its master. It becomes the willing instrument of whatever nefarious agenda this new master might propose." 

The idea of having a dual personality, where a person could present in two very different ways, was a major part of the story Wednesday showrunners wanted to tell. When Tyler actor Hunter Doohan was told his character was going to have a dual personality, he said "They told me that Tyler had a dark secret. And I was like, ‘Does he have the dark secret?’ And they’re like, ‘We can’t tell you, but you might want to play with that". 

Does Wednesday end up with Xavier?

It becomes clear Wednesday has feeling for Xavier, but the pair only agree to stay in touch when Nevermore pupils are sent home. Nothing else happens between them 

However, Xavier gives Wednesday a phone, to ensure they are able to maintain a contact. Right at the end of the series, Wednesday starts receiving threatening messages and pictures of herself to the phone. This leads viewers to wonder whether Xavier himself could be behind the threats as he gave her the phone, and whether this is laying the groundwork for a possible season 2.    

Rather than focus on Wednesday's love life, some fans enjoyed the focus on her friendships. Having initially been disdainful of her werewolf roommate Enid, Wednesday can still barely bring herself to hug her, even when their friendship blossoms. But by the end of the series, the two are such solid friends, Wednesday goes against her usual behaviour and hugs her new friend tightly. The sweetness and joy of human friendship can sometimes add a different dynamic, than who the potential love interest might be. 

The way Wednesday was reluctant at first but after looking into Enid's teary eyes she could see the tremendous worry & affection she held for her and choose to embrace Enid. An act not even her family receives, which tells us how much Enid means to her #wenclair #wednesdaynetflix pic.twitter.com/67bhabgvif November 24, 2022

Will there be a Wednesday season 2?

Yes, Wednesday has been renewed for season 2 - Netflix made the announcement on Twitter on January 6. 

The news came alongside a video montage , captioned with "Wednesday has been officially renewed for Season 2!" The beginning of the video sees images of Wednesday from the series, with a voiceover from Jenna Ortega saying "over the past few weeks I've been hunted, haunted, and mimicked millions of times across the internet. It's been pure torture. Thank you." The video then cuts to a series of action shots from the series, and clips of the worldwide fan reaction to the epic series. 

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Wednesday review: Neither kooky, nor spooky spin-off to the Tim Burton universe

Jenna ortega leads the titular eight-episode netflix show created by alfred gough and miles millar..

The decision to transfer the school of 15-year old Wednesday Addams ( Jenna Ortega ) to the alma mater of her parents isn't really going well. She released piranhas in the swimming pool of her old school that chewed off a testicle of a bully and as a result, she got expelled. At Nevermore, she is the 'outcast' among 'outcasts'. But as Wednesday will soon realize, this place might just be as weird as she is.

But at Nevermore, things do not get any easier with someone trying to kill her. For creators Milles Miller and Alfred Gough, this sparks enough intrigue to re-imagine the source material- Charles Addams' The Addams Family Cartoons first published in 1938 in The New Yorker- in an eight episode arc. With Tim Burton helming the equal share of episodes, Wednesday has all the elements of that eccentric new pop-culture obsession that Netflix is clearly aiming at. If only, the show remembered that adding suspense isn't enough to carry this supernatural teen drama forward. (Also read: Netflix show 1899 accused of stealing concept from indie comic Black Silence, comic creator calls them ‘identical’ )

The original worked best because it placed the gothic and the weird against normal surroundings, but here at Nevermore the mystery really begins at the expense of resident werewolves, monsters and other creatures that are clearly reassembled to encourage an interest into the absurdism of the backdrop. Production designer Mark Scruton re-imagines Nevermore to be an amplified version of a colour-coded and sinister institution that should surely make Wednesday feel at ease. It does not result in building intrigue, but dampening it in the process of unraveling the central mystery. The history of Wednesday's parents, with the attention to Addams Gomez (Luiz Guzmán) and Morticia Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and the implications of discrimination they faced during their time at Nevermore is cleverly contextualized into the release of the show before Thanksgiving. Yet as the mystery behind Nevermore's history unfolds, matters become less intriguing and more rushed to pack a punch.

The several subplots and stock-in characters almost dampen the central conflict in Wednesday as it takes far too many thematic leaps in the process. The eight hour-long episodes gradually become a begrudging mess of dark family secrets, nefarious monsters and grisly murders. The original goth girl Christina Ricci (who played Wednesday in the 90s films) returns as Miss Thornhill, with barely any bite. Every character seems to be ready with witty, sarcastic one-liners, with Wednesday quipping, “I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation,” even as she wards off her cheerful roommate Enid (Emma Myers). Yet the next second she uses social media to get help, rightfully confronted with her point. Jenna Ortega tries her best to give Wednesday the dismissive thrill of anti-hero sarcasm with an inner turmoil to lead the viewers through, but the show stretches past the intrigue as it deliberately holds on to the annoyingly chaotic mesh of intrigue and antics. Take for instance the exhausting conflict created with the two boys who get into an uncomfortable love triangle of sorts with Wednesday. Or her troubled relationship with her mother Morticia that takes a lifetime to unpack and then thrown into the narrative swing of bigger plotlines. Reminders of Sex Education 's Maeve Wiley and Stranger Things ' Eleven are quite the kick in the expanding catalogue of Netflix's morbid, sarcastic female protagonists. But Wednesday neither registers in half the warmth nor the shrewdness required to carry the show forward.

There's a lot going on in Wednesday as the unblinking eye of the deadly calm lead notices, yet of little significance in its stylistically expansive world of mythical creatures and supernatural intrigue. Just as one feels closer to a resolve, the show diverts into a different voyage and hints that there is more to come. It doesn't help that the climax feels like a disappointing mess of unspecific tail-ends, hinting at a Season 2. With everything Tim Burton does, Wednesday still feels distinctly specific and watchable. Yet, is it promising enough to lead us for more?

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An architectural review of- Wednesday

Wednesday Reviews –  Netflix worldwide praises Wednesday for its concept and enactment. Wednesday crossed the limited series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story from the NO. 2 spot on Netflix as of the 14th of December 2022. Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Tim Burton created the show. It follows Wednesday’s life as a fresher at the supernatural boarding school Nevermore Academy. She transfers between several schools to hone her psychic abilities—and ends up at Nevermore Academy, where she will eventually solve a mystery that has plagued her family for a long time. 

Jenna Ortega is cast as Wednesday Addams. Her style is to stand out throughout the show as the main character. Wearing black in contrast to others wearing colours is a trick used in fashion . Alongside Ortega and Myers, the series also features Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, among others. 

Nevermore Academy | Wednesday Reviews

The Nevermore Academy is a school for supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves, sirens, and gorgons. The academy commenced in 1791. Between Bucharest and the city of Brasov lies the beautiful Cantacuzino Castle. CGI constructed this building with a neo-gothic look. With the addition of Addam’s family mansion roof, it created a spooky finish to the castle. 

The Cantacuzino Castle is carved with four pavilions and arcade balconies. The castle follows Romanian Brâncovenesc architecture. A late 17th- and early-18th-century style that mixed Byzantine, Ottoman, and late Renaissance details. 

Architectural elements used to bring a spooky effect to the building are grotesques and gargoyles. The steep roofs may remind one of Hogwarts from Harry Potter. The nearby town of Jericho, built for the show painted in bright colours to contrast Wednesday. Contrary to Jericho’s nearby town, Nevermore is pointy and dark. This is where Wednesday belongs. 

Wednesday’s Room

Enid Sinclair, enacted by Emma Myers, was Wednesday’s dorm mate and later best friend. Ophelia Hall was the name of the building of her room. A huge rose window featured throughout the series is the room’s identity. The room’s focal point is a window shaped like a spider’s web, which complements Wednesday’s more gothic design, as evidenced by the stained glass’s church-like appearance.

When Wednesday first visits the dorm, the rose window is decorated as per the liking of Enid. Her character was cheerful and bright, and loved everything colourful. While Wednesday loves negativity and has a black-and-white approach toward life. As soon as she moves in, she removes the decorated side of the window and makes it per her spooky taste. The personal spaces of Enid and Wednesday, as the rose window, contrast each other.

Edenvale Hall | Wednesday Reviews

Edenvale Hall is the office of the principal of Nevermore Academy. Monteoru House interiors served well for this room. The interior of the room, decorated in an opulent Rococo style, is enriched with red and gold. ‘60s modernist furniture imported from Texas was used throughout the room’s furnishing. To accessorise the interior, brutalist lamps and sculptures, including an owl, were used. The icing on the cake was the gothic-inspired gorgon fireplace.

Architectural Elements

With Nevermore Academy’s different cultures in mind, the show’s production designer also drew inspiration from the Victorian era. “At Nevermore, there are lots of different cultures. You’ve got gorgons, vampires, sirens, werewolves — it’s a melting pot,” Scruton told Variety.

Through various architectural elements, Mark Scrutton, the production designer, has dropped clues throughout the series. The gargoyles used for the buildings are not mere gothic architectural additions. They depict the different supernatural creatures who attended the school. They were designed to show various emotions depending on the scene’s angle or what was happening. 

The Bucharest Botanical Garden is the greenhouse at Nevermore Academy, established in 1860. Located in the Cotroceni neighbourhood of Romania’s capital. The garden, named after its founder, Dimitrie Brândza, houses several plants and botanical species.

The Courtyard | Wednesday Reviews

The courtyard is the central space for the students of the Nevermore Academy. The students group and sit at the benches for lunch. The plan of the courtyard is a pentagon braced with arches throughout. A corridor surrounds the courtyard that connects it to the rest of the building. Several scenes shot in the courtyard play a significant role throughout the series. The arches used in the courtyard are like that of Arabian architecture . While the grotesques belong to the gothic architectural style.

Set design is an essential niche of architecture. Effective research conducted by the Wednesday production team resulted in various architectural uses. They explored styles of architecture along with ways to make the set appear dark and spooky. The scary theme of Wednesday required the merging of architecture and interior design. These also complied with art, makeup effects, and CGI. The starting step in this magnificent series was the imagination of the directors. Putting it all together with attention to even the minute details was a stroke of genius.

Semlyen, P. de (n.d.). Nevermore Academy from Tim Burton’s ‘Wednesday’ is a real place – and you can visit. [online] Time Out Worldwide. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/news/nevermore-academy-from-tim-burtons-wednesday-is-a-real-place-and-you-can-visit-121222#:~:text=Well%2C%20the%20answer%20is%20Bu%C8%99teni [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

‌Starkey, A. (2022). Where is ‘Wednesday’ filmed? The Netflix series’ main locations revealed. [online] NME. Available at: https://www.nme.com/news/tv/where-is-wednesday-filmed-castle-romania-3354445 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

GOEL, A. (2022). Wednesday Filming Locations That You Simply Can’t Miss. [online] Travel+Leisure. Available at: https://www.travelandleisureindia.in/places/europe/wednesday-filming-locations/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022]. 

Campano, L. Seventeen. (2022). You Can Visit Nevermore Academy from ‘Wednesday’ IRL. [online] Available at: https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/a42098468/wednesday-netflix-filming-locations/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

Krishnan, A. (2022). Netflix’s Wednesday takes the No.2 spot from the Dahmer series and could even dethrone Stranger Things from the top spot. [online] desimartini. Available at: https://www.desimartini.com/shows/ott/netflixs-wednesday-takes-the-no2-spot-from-the-dahmer-series-and-could-even-dethrone-stranger-things-from-the-top-spot/123638d2b5234/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].

Atlas of Wonders. (n.d.). Where was Wednesday filmed? Jericho, the Academy House & all the Locations. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2022/11/where-was-wednesday-filmed-jericho-academy.html [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

Nast, C. (2022). ‘Wednesday’ on Netflix: Inside the Castle Used for Nevermore Academy. [online] Architectural Digest. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/wednesday-on-netflix-inside-the-castle-used-for-nevermore-academy [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

Allen, K. House Beautiful. (2022). The ‘Wednesday’ Set Design Details You Won’t Want to Miss. [online] Available at: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a42042041/wednesday-netflix-set-design/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].

Ann has completed her B.Arch from VNIT Nagpur and M.Arch in Recreation Architecture from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Her passion lies in the design of public spaces for a livable city that are inclusive and accessible to all. Her focus lies in creating spaces that are resilient to time and need; than just satisfying the aesthetic appeal.

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The Intersection of faith, culture, and politics

Asleep in the Deep (State)

By mark steyn.

Published August 26, 2024

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No, I'm not going to analyse the alleged "nominee"'s speech. This précis of what's going on is hard to beat :

Kamala got zero votes, has given zero press conferences, has given zero interviews, and had to stage buying a bag of Doritos. This is the most ridiculous, anti-democratic, laughable joke I've ever seen in politics.

If you treat this as "politics", you're part of the problem. And, given that American elections have degraded to the point where the opposition candidate is now being indicted, convicted and shot at, I find myself more interested in the disturbing abandonment by key US institutions of all remaining norms. For example:

As longtime readers and listeners and viewers well know, I never utter the words "Department of Justice" without prefacing it with the adjectives "dirty stinkin' rotten corrupt". If I were running for president, my platform would include a pledge to break it up: as currently constituted, its tentacles include the FBI (currently "investigating" the Trump near-assassination - yeah, sure) and the Bureau of Prisons (the fellows charged with ensuring that the security cameras aren't working and the guards are asleep when high-value prisoners get the urge to turn suicidal).

But what they call "Main Justice" is the core racket. As my friend Conrad Black, one of its victims, put it over a decade ago:

Those who do exercise their constitutional right to a defense receive three times as severe a sentence as those who plead guilty; 95 percent of cases are won by prosecutors, 90 percent of those without trial.

Those last two numbers have ticked up even higher in the years since, but that first one is important too: if you insist on your "constitutional" ( ha! ) right to a defence and it pans out as the ninetysomething stats suggest, you'll be gaoled for thirty years instead of ten. They'll punish you for having the temerity to insist on being tried and convicted according to due process.

In June, in the Northern District of California, something rather unusual happened: the defendants actually beat the rap. They were two British subjects - Mike Lynch and Stephen Chamberlain, respectively the founder and finance honcho of a UK company called Autonomy. In 2018 the dirty stinkin' rotten corrupt US Department of Justice had indicted the pair for "conspiracy" and "fraud" over the company's sale to Hewlett Packard - and, after some protracted Julian Assange-like extradition jousting, the two were put on a 'plane to America and placed under house arrest.

And then on June 6th a San Francisco jury found Lynch and Chamberlain not guilty of all charges . On July 28th, back in Britain, Mr Lynch gave his first interview about his ordeal :

Cleared UK tech tycoon feared he would die in US jail if convicted

Less than a month later, he is dead. To celebrate his acquittal, he took a party of friends and family (including his trial attorney Christopher Morvillo) on a Mediterranean cruise, and on Monday his luxury yacht sank off Sicily.

Must be pretty sad for his co-defendant, right?

Well, no. Because he's dead too. On Saturday Stephen Robinson went for his morning run in Cambridgeshire and, six miles into it, was hit by a car. He was pronounced dead on Monday - the same day Mike Lynch died.

In The Spectator , Conrad Black's former underling (and my former overling) Charles Moore writes:

Mike Lynch and I were due to have lunch next month. When we last communicated, he was buoyant after vindicating his innocence in the Californian courts. Now he is the victim of a horror out of classical myth, almost of Charybdis itself, and with him his dear daughter Hannah. How can his poor wife, Angela, who survived the shipwreck, bear such losses? Mike's yacht Bayesian was named after Thomas Bayes, the 18th-century Presbyterian minister whose theorem Mike admired. According to Wikipedia, the theorem 'gives a mathematical rule for inverting conditional probabilities, allowing us to find the probability of a cause given its effect'. What on earth is the probable cause of this brilliant man's fate, with its triumphs and its weird tragedy?

Charles is right. Charybdis, you'll recall (if anybody still does, given the state of western education), was a sea-monster who belched out giant whirlpools of water off the coast of Sicily. Which is precisely what happened to Lynch's yacht. Off the coast of Sicily. If you incline less mythologically and more scientifically, and you're pondering the Bayesian probabilities of what happened to the Bayesian, the headline of the BBC's not terribly helpful "explainer" will read a little ironic :

Bayesian sinking: The key questions for investigators

It was, per the Beeb's "experts", a "black swan" event. According to the lead invesigator in Italy, Salvo Cocina, "they were in the wrong place at the wrong time " - although he also noted that another vessel, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was in the same place at the same time, and emerged unscathed. As Steyn Clubber Nigel Sherratt comments:

The loss of 'Bayesian' is indeed a mystery. A waterspout off Sicily should be no real danger to a 184 foot fully crewed, well founded and managed modern yacht at anchor. It's hardly Sir Robin alone on Suhaili against the Southern Ocean. 'Sir Robert Baden Powell' a smaller (albeit still 138 foot) gaff topsail schooner anchored nearby came through with no problems and helped with rescue efforts. Superstitious sailors might think that naming a yacht 'Bayesian' was tempting fate...

Meanwhile, back in Cambridgeshire, with the English constabulary's usual flair for le mot non-juste , Stephen Chamberlain's demise was characterised as follows :

Death of tycoon's ex-partner not 'untoward' - police

"Untoward", huh? It is a somewhat flexible word, and my dictionaries to hand define it variously as unseemly, unexpected, unfortunate, improper and/or inconvenient. Indeed, the death of Mr Chamberlain is not "inconvenient", although it seems odd that the Cambridgeshire constabulary would announce it as such in public. Between 2013 and 2022, thirty-eight pedestrians died on the county's roads, which is under four per year - and none in this particular neck of the woods.

So the US Department of Justice lost the case, but two months later, and on the same day, both defendants are dead anyway, along with one of their victorious lawyers. "In the course of forty-eight hours, I can't process what has happened," says their surviving attorney, Gary Lindberg , "but both of our clients, as well as Chris and his wife, are gone."

Mr Lynch was fifty-nine, Mr Chamberlain fifty-two. They fought the DOJ, and the DOJ won.

Striking - and way beyond any probabilities, Bayesian or otherwise.

Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top 41 recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist. Among his books is "The Undocumented Mark Steyn: Don't Say You Weren't Warned". (Buy it at a 49% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 67% discount by clicking here . Sales help fund JWR )

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Reel Rundown: Binge British spy series ‘Slow Horses’ before its Season 4 premiere Wednesday; Gary Oldman calls for it

Gary Oldman has had an eclectic career. He’s played every kind of character from punk rocker Sid Vicious in 1986’s “Sid and Nancy” to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 2017’s “Darkest Hour,” the latter role winning him a Best Actor Academy Award.

Now Oldman is starring in “Slow Horses,” a British spy series that premiered in the spring of 2022 on Apple TV+. I’ve just finished binge-watching the first two seasons and expect to finish Season 3 before Season 4 premieres on Wednesday.

Based on the novels of the British mystery writer Mick Herron, “Slow Horses” revolves around what’s referred to as Slough House – a repository for MI5 agents who, for individual reasons, have been deemed not good enough to remain in the intelligence agency’s first ranks but not bad enough to deserve being fired.

So, they – among them River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), the grandson of a now-retired but still legendary MI5 officer (Jonathan Pryce) – wend their days away doing little while being continually berated by their immediate superior Jackson Lamb (played superbly slovenly by Oldman).

The conceit of the series is that the dashed dreams, if not outright boredom, the agents are forced to endure is designed to impel them to quit on their own. And Lamb, whose hard-drinking behavior masks the abilities he once showed in his own fabled career, makes it his mission to do whatever he can to help them out the door.

But more is at work than we see at first glance. Some of the agents, not just Cartwright but Lamb’s administrative assistant Catherin Standish (Saskia Reeves) and a few others, are anxious to get back in the agency’s good graces. And so when a crisis appears, as it does in the first season with the kidnapping of a young Pakistani student by what appears to be a right-wing group, they jump.

Lamb gets involved, too, for reasons that have as much to do with his distrust of MI5’s second in command, Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) as it does any protective feeling he might have for his Slough House underlings.

And over the first season’s six episodes, we watch as Taverner and MI5’s first rank screw up, blame the mess on Slough House and force Lamb and his second-rate warriors to find a way to clear their names and foil the kidnapping.

Meanwhile, Season 2 features Lamb and company facing two separate threats: one, the possibility of Russian sleeper agents being planted in England; and, two, a planned meeting between Taverner and a famous Russian dissident that goes disastrously wrong.

A variation on the Smiley novels of John le Carré, though with a determined sense of dark humor, “Slow Horses” blends that humor with the dirty, and sometimes violent, side of government espionage. And while Lowden adds a bit of youthful energy to the series, it is Lamb who contributes most of the wit through his ongoing jibes and insults.

The good news for “Slow Horses” fans is that a fifth season of the show is reported to be on the way. Since novelist Herron has written 13 installments of his “Slough House” series, the show’s producers have plenty of material to adapt.

And with Oldman in the lead role, they have just the right actor to make it work.

Traveling the "The Road to 10G" in the Pacific Northwest

I was a young guy fresh out of the Marine Corps when I took a job in my wife’s hometown of Atlanta as an installer with a cable company.

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Lionsgate Marketing Consultant Built Movie Trailer Filled With AI Generated Fake Movie Reviews Of Old Films

from the natural-stupidity dept

I’ll admit, when I’ve been able to witness some of the fuckery around the use of artificial intelligence in stupid ways, some part of me has always gotten some amusement at those being fooled. I’ve gotten to witness most of this from afar, after all. It feels a bit different when you write about a situation where you were among those fooled by the bullshit.

At some point in the last week or so, I personally recall seeing the following trailer for Megalopolis , the forthcoming film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Now, the reason I recall seeing that trailer is due to those opening quotes from movie reviews of previous Coppola films. See, I’m a fan of many of his movies, as are millions of others. I recall laughing at those quotes, wondering just how in the hell reviewers could have gotten it so completely wrong when it comes to films like The Godfather and Apocolypse Now . I even thought briefly about googling those critics’ names and seeing if I could find the full reviews, just to laugh at how hilariously wrong they were.

Well, someone else did exactly that. And they found that those are AI-generated quotes from fake reviews that those reviewers never wrote .

Lionsgate  has parted ways with Eddie Egan, the marketing consultant who came up with the “ Megalopolis ” trailer that included fake quotes from famous film critics. The studio pulled the trailer on Wednesday, after it was pointed out that the quotes trashing Francis Ford Coppola’s previous work did not actually appear in the critics’ reviews, and were in fact made up. Sources tell Variety it was not Lionsgate or Egan’s intention to fabricate quotes, but was an error in properly vetting and fact-checking the phrases provided by the consultant. The intention of the trailer was to demonstrate that Coppola’s revered work, much like “Megalopolis,” has been met with criticism. It appears that AI was used to generate the false quotes from the critics.

That’s being far too kind. Some of these critics supposedly trashing Coppola’s work absolutely loved the films they were supposed to have denigrated. Variety was able to generate similar quotes with some trial and error prompting using ChatGPT, which is likely where this all came from. Misattributing the words and reviews of a film critic merely to drum up fake outrage as an interest multiplier for Coppola’s new film is both a complete violation of the actual work those critics did and an abdication of trust the public will have in the studio.

Now, to be fair, it appears Lionsgate had no idea that the quotes in the trailer were fakes, and worked fairly quickly to pull the trailer once it found out.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis,’” the company said Wednesday. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Still, at a time when both the public and every SAG member out there is concerned about how AI is going to start filtering into creative work in negative ways, this is a fairly terrible look for the industry.

Or, if Lionsgate would like ChatGPT’s take on this:

Lionsgate’s use of fake quotes generated by AI for the trailer of “Megalopolis” was a significant misstep and attracted considerable criticism. Using AI-generated quotes can undermine the authenticity and credibility of marketing materials, especially when presented as genuine endorsements from critics. For many, the inclusion of these artificial quotes not only misleads potential viewers but also raises ethical concerns about transparency and trust in advertising. When audiences or critics discover such manipulations, it can damage the studio’s reputation and affect the film’s reception. In the case of “Megalopolis,” this controversy highlighted the broader issue of how AI can be misused in promotional contexts. It underscores the importance of maintaining integrity in marketing practices and being transparent about the sources and nature of endorsements.

And on that, you can quote me.

Filed Under: ai , francis ford coppola , marketing , megalopolis , trailer Companies: lionsgate

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Comments on “Lionsgate Marketing Consultant Built Movie Trailer Filled With AI Generated Fake Movie Reviews Of Old Films”

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Seems like there is lousy decision-making all over the place with this film production. Here’s an article about the “canceled” actors Coppola decided to cast, to avoid seeming “woke”. Gross. https://exclaim.ca/film/article/francis-ford-coppola-thinks-casting-cancelled-people-is-interesting

Between this debacle and that new Crow remake being about as good as one might expect, Lionsgate has really been stepping on piles of shit this year. They better hope it washes off easy.

We face a crisis of trust because soon ai will be built into every phone with easy photo editing eg anyone will be able to change any photo to make fake photos Any photos you see in the news or printed newspaper could be fake .of course the whole film industry is in decline as it’s been taken over by mergers financed by corporation s who only care about tax write-offs and short term profit

The AI in your phone will probably be able to make a movie from that picture that is better than whatever Lionsgate is producing this year.

The tools for altering digital photographic images has been in existence for some time.

You do not need ai to alter images.

Sources tell Variety it was not Lionsgate or Egan’s intention to fabricate quotes

Hey, everyone, it’s okay! The marketing consultant didn’t intend to fabricate quotes when he went to a text fabrication machine to generate them. If only someone had done any reporting on this issue so that even a marketing consultant could understand.

If I ignore the fabricated quotes, I see a trailer made by a marketing team that has no confidence in the movie they are supposed to be advertising.

The reviews of Megalopolis are going to be entertaining.

From what I’ve read, the film has already been polarizing amongst the people who’ve seen it. The reviews may reflect that polarization. But the eventual difference in the Rotten Tomatoes scores for critics and audiences will say more about the film than either score alone ever could.

No need, ChatGPT did it for me.

It’s a pretty good apology. No weaseling.

Some more “totally real” movie review quotes for the Megalopolis movie, courtesy of ChatGPT:

“Despite the grandiose ambitions of ‘Megalopolis,’ the film often feels more incoherent and laborious than even the worst movies released by Lionsgate. Where Lionsgate’s lesser-known misfires stumble with inconsistent storytelling, ‘Megalopolis’ magnifies these flaws, delivering a confusing and underwhelming experience.” “While Lionsgate has certainly put out their share of poorly received films, ‘Megalopolis’ manages to join their ranks by failing to execute its grand vision effectively. The film’s grand ideas fall flat, making it feel like a perplexing mess akin to the worst of Lionsgate’s cinematic blunders.” “Even the most forgettable Lionsgate releases tend to have a clear focus, however misguided. In contrast, ‘Megalopolis’ struggles with its ambitious narrative, resulting in a film that feels as disjointed and aimless as the most poorly received titles from the studio.” “Where Lionsgate’s least successful movies often suffer from low budgets or lackluster production values, ‘Megalopolis’ suffers from an overabundance of ambition without the necessary coherence, making it a baffling experience even by the low standards set by some of Lionsgate’s less successful films.” “In comparison to Lionsgate’s poorly received movies, which at least deliver a certain level of entertainment or coherence, ‘Megalopolis’ is notable for its inability to bring its complex vision to life, leaving audiences with a disjointed and frustrating viewing experience.”

AI applications

There are some very legitimate concerns about AI being used in entertainment, but those are the least of my concerns.

AI is already being used in politics, and it is only going to get worse and more dangerous as AI becomes more sophisticated. The thought of AI fooling people with their finger on the nuke button is quite terrifying.

Sorry to hi-jack the comment thread, but every time I hear about AI stuff fooling people who are very knowledgeable and qualified, this is where my mind goes. There are many people with extremely dangerous power that are neither knowledgeable nor qualified, and therefore probably much more likely to be fooled by AI stuff.

Overall, not too bad, ChatGPT. However, there’s at least a brief bit of hallucination:

…the authenticity and credibility of marketing material…

Still, not too bad.

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Netflix is streaming one of the best sci-fi fantasy shows right now. Here’s why you should watch it

AMC wasn’t always the network of endless Walking Dead spinoffs and Anne Rice vampires and witches. In 2015, the cable channel branched out into the martial arts genre with Into the Badlands , a series that ultimately ran for three seasons.

Netflix subscribers may not realize it, but Into the Badlands was on the streamer for an extended period before it was sent to AMC+. Now that AMC is temporarily sharing its library shows with Netflix, Into the Badlands is back alongside A Discovery of Witches , Dark Winds , and more. Those other shows have more substantial followings, but since Into the Badlands is largely a cult series, we’re sharing three reasons why you should watch it on Netflix in August.

The action is incredible

The first thing you have to know is that Into the Badlands was created as a vehicle for over-the-top action. It’s baked into the postapocalyptic setting where almost all contemporary technology was lost, including guns. In their place, the fighters of this world favor blades, crossbows, and the martial arts.

And it has to be said that Into the Badlands excels at action. The fight choreography is very impressive, even as the fighters themselves sometimes bend the laws of physics with their movements. The show can get away with that since it does have some sci-fi and fantasy elements. But if you’re looking for a TV show that can give you an action fix, this is the series for you.

Daniel Wu grounds the series and gives it credibility

Since Into the Badlands borrows a lot of its fighting styles and action from Hong Kong cinema, it’s only fitting that a genuine Hong Kong movie star is at the center of the show. In this case, the actor in question is Daniel Wu, an American-born Chinese actor who assembled a long list of credits in Hong Kong action flicks before he was cast in this series as Sunny.

Sunny is presented as the most important character in Into the Badlands , and most of the stories revolve around him in some way. At the start of the series, Sunny is in the service of Baron Quinn (Marton Csokas) as his lead enforcer. However, Sunny has quietly defied the rules of his station by taking on a lover, Veil (Madeleine Mantock), and fathering a child with her. Sunny also feels protective towards M.K. (Aramis Knight), a young man who has hidden powers. Sunny’s central position in the story means he gets most of the show’s fight scenes. But he also gives the show its heart as he tries to find a way to break free and protect the people he cares about.

It features a story written by the co-creators of Wednesday

Four years after their previous hit, Smallville , came to an end, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar co-created Into the Badlands for AMC. The show was loosely adapted from the popular Chinese novel Journey to the West , and M.K. is based on that story’s famous Monkey King. Gough and Millar added their own flourishes of sci-fi and fantasy, as well as a number of colorful characters. One of our favorites is the Widow (Emily Beecham), one of Baron Quinn’s rivals and a frequent adversary of Sunny on this show. Beecham is deliciously amoral in the role, if not completely evil because she does have some redeemable qualities. She’s also a real badass and a lot of fun to watch.

Unfortunately, Gough and Millar didn’t hit all of the stories that they wanted to tell in this show, and it ends kind of abruptly. But Gough and Miller got to go on to create Wednesday for Netflix, and now fans of that series can see where this pair was willing to go on their previous show when they didn’t have to follow anyone’s guidelines except their own.

Watch Into the Badlands on Netflix .

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The carnage doesn't stop there. Over 45 movies are leaving Netflix on September 1. Some might end up on another streamer, while others could only be available via on-demand rental services. You might as well watch as many of these movies as you can before they leave Netflix. Our three picks include a Jim Carrey staple, an assassin thriller, and a hilarious 1990s comedy. Liar Liar (1997)

The summer might be ending, but Netflix is still using this time to release blockbusters. One of the streamer's latest offerings is The Union, an action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. If espionage is not your thing, you can pivot to other action spectacles, including Logan Lucky, Damsel, and Mortal Kombat.

While the previously mentioned movies will remain on the streamer for the foreseeable future, a select group of movies are departing the service at the end of the month. This is the last chance to watch these films on Netflix this month. Make it a point to watch these five movies before August ends. Our picks include a 1990s comedy, a spectacular superhero adaptation, and a sweet coming-of-age story. The Nutty Professor (1996)

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Former Las Vegas Official Convicted in Journalist’s Murder

The highly unusual killing had raised fears about press freedom and the risks facing local journalists.

By Isabelle Taft

A former county official was found guilty on Wednesday of murdering a longtime Las Vegas reporter who wrote articles critical of him. The highly unusual case had raised fears about press freedom in the United States and in particular the risks facing local journalists.

The reporter, Jeff German, was stabbed to death outside his home in September 2022. Police investigators, and now a Clark County jury, concluded that his attacker was Robert Telles, who ran a county office that handles the estates of those who die without apparent heirs.

A few months before his death, Mr. German wrote an article for The Las Vegas Review-Journal describing employees’ complaints that Mr. Telles had created a toxic work environment, demonstrated favoritism and had an improper relationship with a staff member. Mr. Telles denied the allegations. He lost his re-election bid a month after the article came out, and Mr. German kept reporting.

Prosecutors suggested that was why, on a hot September day, he went to Mr. German’s suburban home and hid in bushes at the side of the house, waited for Mr. German and then stabbed him to death.

Jurors were persuaded, convicting Mr. Telles of murder in the first degree. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

Pamela Weckerly, the Clark County chief deputy district attorney, said the back story to the case was less important than the crime itself.

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