Charles Bramesco

Sometimes, the best films are the ones with the simplest concepts. For instance, “just 100 minutes of Keanu Reeves beating the pus out of Russian gangsters” turned out to be a premise worth its weight in gold, as if cinema has never really needed more than Keanu in an all-black suit delivering beatdown after beatdown. In 2014, John Wick effortlessly reminded audiences of how competent, how brutal, how downright fun action cinema could and should be, and the studios responded in kind with news of a sequel. But all dogs would do well to watch their little doggy backs in the months to come, because Wick’s got more than a movie on the horizon.

How much does Jason Momoa, hulking star of the upcoming Aquaman and eventual Justice League member, love his family? So much that he cut together an 8-minute video about his devotion and commitment to his beautiful children, and then ensured that millions of people would have to watch it by nestling some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the set of Justice League along with the golden-hued shots of his children playing in what appears to be the wheat field from Gladiator. The things we do for our kid

For a fresh start with Spider-Man, Sony had to give him something distinctive. To set Tom Holland’s take on the webslinger apart from Tobey Maguire’s (and way, way apart from Andrew Garfield’s), the studio sent the hero back to high school and returned him to his teenage roots. Spider-Man: Homecoming aims to be a new take on the comic-book mythos all over, in fact — a new girlfriend in pop star Zendaya, the first onscreen appearance of the villainous Vulture, and with a new teaser unearthed today, we learned that a key piece of latter-day Spidey tech will make it movie debut as well.

Dangerous business, making trailers these days. When a beloved franchise unveils the first look at its latest installment, they can be sure that the devoted fanbase will go through each and every frame with a fine-toothed comb, on the hunt for any context-free images that may hint at a new character, location, or plot development. In the worst cases, a trailer becomes a maddening game of keep away between the editor cutting it and the fans itching to strip-mine it for spoilers. James Gunn, as he’s readied the first trailer for his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, has had to learn this the hard way.

When you’ve been fortunate enough to land the headlining role in a potentially lucrative film franchise, the least you can do is give a little back. Superhero actors making guest appearances in hospitals to spread a little cheer to bed-ridden children has become an increasingly common practice in recent years, with Chrises Evans and Pratt both leveraging their celebrity as Captain America and Star-Lord, respectively, to brighten sickly youngsters’ days. It’s a harmless PR stunt — the movie gets some positive, feel-good publicity while making some kid’s day/week/life, and everyone walks away smiling.

Though it’s a slow-burning tire fire in pretty much every other way, 2016 has been a banner year for high-concept doomed romances. In The Space Between Us next month, a boy born and bred on Mars will have to cherish his romance with an Earth girl before our planetary gravity makes his heart cave in. This past summer, the treacly Me Before You challenged wacky caregiver Emilia Clarke to show the paralyzed and suicidal Sam Claflin the meaning of life before he shuffles off his mortal coil. Love, inevitable tragedy, and a grabby narrative hook — it’s a winning formula, and a new bulletin from The Hollywood Reporter signals another project sticking to this schematic, certain to dampen some hankies in the near future.

When someone declares a certain figure to be the Michael Jordan of their field, that’s an understood cultural shorthand: the person in question dominated their profession, not just providing an exemplar of excellence but actively expanding the definition of what that excellence can mean. The Jumpman pulled off feats of strength, stamina and agility that experts believed to be impossible, and so the comparison is not bestowed lightly.

On January 17 of next year, Hong Kong Disneyland will finally pull back the curtain on their newest attraction, the Iron Man Experience. The immersive virtual simulation puts visitors right in Tony Stark’s jet-powered shoes, offering mere mortals the chance to live like the first breakout Avenger. The ride begins as you wake up, a nasty hangover pounding like a bass drum inside your skull. You roll over in bed, where three messy-haired models peacefully slumber. Look down, and oh no — your failing heart is in danger of conking out yet again, better drag yourself across the floor to get a replacement before cardiovascular stress ends your life. What fun!

Reptilian thespian Benedict Cumberbatch scored a true box-office smash this past weekend as the headliner of Doctor Strange, a long-time-coming solo film for one of Marvel Comics’ most outré heroes. In addition to the distinction of being the first performer in the history of cinema to successfully pull off a cape-and-goatee combo, Cumberbatch proved his bona fides as an honest-to-god movie star with this pivotal role. But a new piece from IGN today reveals that in addition to the Sorcerer Supreme, Cumberbatch also played a second, uncredited role in the Doctor Strange production. (Here be SPOILERS. Continue at your own risk.)

It’s been a rough week for the nascent Deadpool franchise. Last weekend, the original film’s director Tim Miller announced that he would not return to helm the planned sequel despite his fanbase’s widely held assumptions. Miller never signed any paperwork committing him to the project, and clarified his position on Saturday, citing creative differences with star Ryan Reynolds as the key reason for his abstaining. It left the producers in something of a bind, scrambling to lock down new talent before principal photography gets going early next year.