Category: News

NETFLIX Buys Warner Brothers!

I had been hearing rumors for the last couple of weeks about Netflix trying to buy Warner Brothers. That is huge news in the streaming world and the streaming wars. Twenty years ago Netflix was a burgeoning mail order DVD rental company. They are now the leader in the streaming business closely followed by Amazon Prime. In the last couple of years Amazon has positioned itself to challenge Netflix and take dominance over the streaming world. Today the news broke that the deal had been inked, and Netflix would acquire Warner Brothers, making it the uncontested Streaming Giant.

The planned Netflix–Warner Bros. deal is being treated as a once‑in‑a‑generation shake‑up that could effectively end the “streaming wars” with Netflix on top if regulators allow it to close. For around 72 billion dollars in equity (82.7 billion including debt), Netflix would fold in Warner’s studio, HBO/HBO Max, and massive library—DC, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and a century of catalog, creating a single platform that controls roughly one‑third of the U.S. subscription streaming market and an outsized share of viewing time. That scale, plus ad tiers on both sides, positions the merged company as a kind of “super‑platform” for premium series, blockbuster films, and global franchises in one subscription.​

Amazon should be worried because this deal directly threatens Prime Video’s claim to be one of the default entertainment hubs of the household. A combined Netflix–Warner instantly leapfrogs Prime Video on must‑have Intellectual Property, concentrates more cultural “event” titles in a rival service, and gives Netflix far greater leverage in talent deals, theatrical windows, and global marketing than any single competitor currently enjoys. If Netflix becomes the primary home for prestige TV and big‑franchise cinema, Prime risks sliding into a secondary position where it either has to spend dramatically more on originals and sports, or lean harder on its e‑commerce bundle to justify itself as an equal destination in viewers’ minds.

FROM NETFLIX:

We recently announced that Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO. This unites our leading entertainment service with Warner Bros. iconic stories, bringing some of the world’s most beloved franchises like Harry Potter, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Casablanca, Game of Thrones and the DC Universe together with Stranger Things, Wednesday, Squid Game, Bridgerton and KPop Demon Hunters.

What’s changing?

Nothing is changing today. Both streaming services will continue to operate separately. We have more steps to complete before the deal is closed, including regulatory and shareholder approvals. In the meantime, we hope you’ll continue to enjoy watching as much as you want, whenever you want on Netflix.

New Movie The Phoenician Scheme Streaming On Prime Friday December 5, 2025

The Phoenician Scheme stars Benicio Del Toro as wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda who appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. The Movie also stars:

  • Mia Threapleton
  • Michael Cera
  • Riz Ahmed
  • Tom Hanks
  • Bryan Cranston
  • Mathieu Amalric
  • Richard Ayoade
  • Jeffrey Wright
  • Richard Ayoade
  • Scarlett Johansson
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Rupert Friend
  • Hope Davis

The Phoenician Scheme was produced, written and directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola. The Phoenician Scheme had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2025 and was released theatrically in the United States by Focus Features on Friday May 30, and in Germany by Universal Pictures on June 29, 2025.

From The BBC Article by Emma Jones May 21, 2025:

One of the trademarks of a Wes Anderson film is the guaranteed tranche of famous faces that always appear. But the charismatic actor set to be the biggest talking point in Anderson’s latest feature, The Phoenician Scheme, is practically unknown. Twenty-four-year-old Mia Threapleton, whose mother is the actor Kate Winslet, has been described by critics as “sensational” in her first leading role, following the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week.
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Threapleton plays Liesl, a red-lipped, pipe-smoking, alcohol-drinking noviciate nun, whose withering put-downs turn her father Zsa Zsa Korda, a wealthy tycoon embarking on a questionable multi-national infrastructure project (aka “The Phoenician Scheme”), into putty. She is ordered out of her convent to go on a trip with him, as he tries to groom her, comedy Don Corleone-style, for the family business.
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An exploration of a family dynamic is hardly a departure for this director, but Anderson says that he and Coppola had been planning something quite different for the story. They were, he says, intending on writing something “very dark” about an industrialist who “is not really concerned with how the big decisions he has empowered himself to make for the world, are affecting populations of workforces and landscapes.”
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“Originally what I thought we would make was about a guy who refuses to be killed, who refuses to die even when he does die, and that he’s gathering people, resources, minerals, great possessions and money and none of it is having any effect on him,” Anderson tells the BBC. “It was going to be about someone who learns a lot and changes zero. But that wasn’t what we ended up writing at all.” By the end of the first scene, he adds, they’d gone into “a vision, a biblical motif” which gives the film a black-and-white subplot of Korda’s judgement in heaven, presided over by Bill Murray as God. But the heart of the film became the father-daughter love story Threapleton and del Toro enact.
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“I think if I didn’t have a nine-year-old daughter, this character Korda probably wouldn’t have a daughter,” Anderson confesses. “There’s also an inspiration for the character from my father-in-law (the late Lebanese construction entrepreneur Fouad Mikhael Malouf) and I observed the relationship between him and my wife. So parts of my life went into this one. Roman Coppola has a daughter, Benicio has a daughter. It’s something that connected all of us and I think that’s how it got into the centre of the film.”
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The Phoenician Scheme was made in Babelsberg Studios in Germany; the cast and crew stayed together and shared mealtimes, which is standard practice on an Anderson set.  Threapleton describes the experience as “the best summer camp ever”.
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“The idea of the circus, or the travelling acting troupe, that’s what I am drawn to and I like stories with that kind of atmosphere,” Anderson says. “There is an itinerant feel about the way I make films; we tend to make these stories in different countries, in different settings, and we bring our group to those places, and it’s always a big reunion when we start a new movie. Ultimately, I think the only true reason why we work this way is because I think it’s more fun and I like it more.”
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda and Mia Threapleton as Liesl in director Wes Anderson’s THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
Benicio Del Toro stars as Zsa-Zsa Korda in director Wes Anderson’s THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
Mia Threapleton stars as Liesl in director Wes Anderson’s THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.

New Movie OH. WHAT. FUN. Debuts On Prime Wednesday December 3, 2025

Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, after planning a special outing for her family, they make a crucial mistake and leave her home alone. Fed up and feeling under appreciated, she sets off on an impromptu adventure of her own. As her family scrambles to find her, Claire discovers the unexpected magic of a Christmas gone off-script.

With a dazzling ensemble cast including Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Dominic Sessa, Danielle Brooks, Devery Jacobs, Havana Rose Liu, Maude Apatow, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria and Joan Chen, and directed by Michael Showalter, Oh. What. Fun. is a spirited holiday comedy that honors and celebrates every overworked holiday host.

Photo by Alisha Wetherill
© Amazon Content Services LLC
Photo by Alisha Wetherill
© Amazon Content Services LLC

New Movie My Secret Santa Debuts On Netflix Wednesday December 3, 2025

A determined single mom in need of a job to send her daughter to snowboarding camp disguises herself as a man in order to get hired as a seasonal Santa — like Mrs. Doubtfire in the reverse. But when she starts to fall for her boss at a luxury ski resort, complications arise that could cut this busy holiday season short.

When her daughter is accepted to an elite snowboarding camp at Sun Peaks ski resort, Taylor (Breckenridge) is desperate to make ends meet. Enlisting the help of her friends, she designs prosthetics to transform her into a rosy-faced man of a certain age. Why? So she can land a seasonal job as the resort’s Santa. When she gets the gig, everything seems to be coming up Taylor — until she meets a charming man at the resort named Matthew (Eggold), who, it turns out, manages Sun Peaks. Though she initially rebuffs him, there’s clearly chemistry between the two. But will her Santa-suited deception keep her from truly connecting with Matthew?

Starring Virgin River’s Alexandra Breckenridge and Ryan Eggold (New Amsterdam), My Secret Santa is the latest piece of holiday cheer from The Princess Switch franchise director Mike Rohl. The movie also stars Tia Mowry of Sister, Sister fame and was co-written by Carley Smale and Ron Oliver, who ushered in Lindsay Lohan’s return to acting with 2022’s Falling for Christmas.

My Secret Santa debuts on Netflix Wednesday December 3, 2025.

New on Netflix & Prime Video this coming week November 30 – December 6, 2025

NETFLIX:

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The Snow Sister (2024)
2024     Unrated
A young boy named Julian, whose Christmas Eve birthday turns sad with the death of his sister sends his household into mourning and it isn’t until he meets Christmas-loving Hedwig that he begins to believe in Christmas again.
Mudit Gupta     Celina Meyer Hovland     Jan Sælid
Troll 2 (2025)
2025     Unrated
When a dangerous new troll unleashes devastation acroos their homeland, Nora, Andreas and Major Kris embark on their most perilous mission yet.
Ine Marie Wilmann     Kim Falck     Mads Sjøgård Pettersen
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Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and Madonna in A League of Their Own (1992)
1992     PG
During World War II, sisters Dottie and Kit join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
Tom Hanks     Geena Davis     Lori Petty
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Jack Nicholson in As Good as It Gets (1997)
1997     PG-13
A single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Jack Nicholson     Helen Hunt     Greg Kinnear
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Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher (2011)
2011     R
A lazy, incompetent middle school teacher who hates her job, her students, and her co-workers is forced to return to teaching to make enough money for breast implants after her wealthy fiancé dumps her.
Cameron Diaz     Jason Segel     Justin Timberlake
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Big Momma's House (2000)
2000     PG-13
FBI agent Malcolm Turner goes undercover as a large, elderly woman to catch an escaped convict, but complications arise when he bonds with Sherry, the convict’s ex-girlfriend and the woman’s granddaughter.
Martin Lawrence     Nia Long     Paul Giamatti
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Martin Lawrence in Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
2006     PG-13
An FBI agent reprises his disguise as a corpulent old lady and takes a job as a nanny in a crime suspect’s house.
Martin Lawrence     Emily Procter     Nia Long
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Jackson A. Dunn in Brightburn (2019)
2019     R
An alien that looks like a human boy uses its powers in sinister and destructive ways.
Elizabeth Banks     David Denman     Jackson A. Dunn
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Cher and Christina Aguilera in Burlesque (2010)
2010     PG-13
A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.
Cher     Christina Aguilera     Alan Cumming
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Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Paula Marshall, Piper Perabo, Hilary Duff, Steven Anthony Lawrence, Kevin G. Schmidt, Jacob Smith, Tom Welling, Liliana Mumy, Brent Kinsman, Shane Kinsman, Alyson Stoner, Morgan York, Blake Woodruff, and Forrest Landis in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
2003     PG
With his wife on a book tour, Tom Baker finds his life turned upside down when he agrees to care for his twelve children while simultaneously also coaching his new football team.
Steve Martin     Bonnie Hunt     Hilary Duff
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Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Piper Perabo, Hilary Duff, Eugene Levy, Kevin G. Schmidt, Jacob Smith, Tom Welling, Liliana Mumy, Taylor Lautner, Brent Kinsman, Shane Kinsman, Alyson Stoner, Morgan York, Blake Woodruff, and Forrest Landis in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
2005     PG
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Danny Glover, Denise Richards, Tamara Bell, Sean O'Bryan, Douglas Spain, Spanky Dustin Ward, Katrina Begin, Gil Aglaure, Elizabeth Snoderly, Ron Brough, Jake Van Wagoner, and Cameron Seely in Christmas Break-In (2018)
2018     Unrated
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Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol, Penelope Wilton, Allen Leech, Robert James-Collier, Michelle Dockery, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Laura Carmichael, and Michael Fox in Downton Abbey (2019)
2019     PG
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Godzilla (2014)
2014     PG-13
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Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue in Hollow Man (2000)Hollow Man                                                  December 1
2000     R
A brilliant scientist’s discovery renders him invisible, but transforms him into an omnipotent, dangerous megalomaniac.
Kevin Bacon     Elisabeth Shue     Josh Brolin
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Sam Page and Cindy Busby in Joy for Christmas (2021)
2021     Unrated
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Hans Zimmer, Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Jack Black, Melissa Cobb, Mark Osborne, John Powell, and John Stevenson in Kung Fu Panda (2008)
2008     PG
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Jack Black in Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
2011     PG
Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past.
Jack Black     Angelina Jolie     Jackie Chan
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Kate Hudson, Jack Black, and Bryan Cranston in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)Kung Fu Panda 3                                           December 1
2016     PG
Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, and Trini Alvarado in Little Women (1994)
1994     PG
Jo struggles for independence and sometimes clashes with her beloved mother and sisters Meg, Amy and Beth. She also contends with their cranky Aunt March, their impulsive neighbor Laurie and kindly linguistics professor Friedrich Bhaer.
Susan Sarandon     Winona Ryder     Kirsten Dunst
Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (1994)Pulp Fiction                                                   December 1
1994     R
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Bill Murray in Stripes (1981)Stripes                                                            December 1
1981     R
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Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth (2009)
2009     R
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What Lies Beneath (2000)What Lies Beneath                                     December 1
2000     PG-13
The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost – or that she is losing her mind.
Harrison Ford     Michelle Pfeiffer     Katharine Towne
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Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Kerson, and Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)The Wolf of Wall Street                            December 1
2013     R
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
2012     R
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Alexandra Breckenridge and Ryan Eggold in My Secret Santa (2025)My Secret Santa (New Movie)                December 3
2025     Unrated
Taylor disguises as Santa at a resort to fund her daughter’s ski lessons. Working with the charming manager Matthew, she finds holiday cheer and a chance at love amidst challenges.
Madison MacIsaac  Diana Maria Riva    
Alexandra Breckenridge
Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Björk, Alexander Skarsgård, Claes Bang, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Northman (2022)
2022     R
A young Viking prince is on a quest to avenge his father’s murder.
Alexander Skarsgård     Nicole Kidman     Claes Bang
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Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell in A Lot Like Christmas (2021)
2021     Unrated
Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994)
1994     PG-13
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Juan Karlos Labajo in I Wish You Had Told Me (2025)
2025     Unrated
When a young missionary uncovers his late father’s long-held secret, he travels from the Philippines to Spain in search of his dad’s forbidden love.
RK Bagatsing     Nonie Buencamino     Yesh Burce
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Lacey Chabert, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried in Mean Girls (2004)
2004     PG-13
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
Lindsay Lohan     Jonathan Bennett     Rachel McAdams
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Tim Meadows, Tina Fey, Christopher Briney, Reneé Rapp, Jaquel Spivey, Angourie Rice, Bebe Wood, Avantika, and Auli'i Cravalho in Mean Girls (2024)
2024     PG-13
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PRIME:

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Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, Edward Binns, John Fiedler, E.G. Marshall, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskovec, Jack Warden, and Robert Webber in 12 Angry Men (1957)
1957     Unrated
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Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Emma Laird, Jude Hill, Riccardo Scamarcio, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Kyle Allen, and Ali Khan in A Haunting in Venice (2023)
2023     PG-13
Keanu Reeves, William Sadler, and Alex Winter in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
1991     PG
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Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest in The Birdcage (1996) The Birdcage                                                December 1
1996     R
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Jean-Claude Van Damme, Forest Whitaker, and Bolo Yeung in Bloodsport (1988)Bloodsport                                                    December 1
1988     R
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Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham (1988)
1988     R
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Kenneth Branagh, Annette Bening, Dawn French, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Russell Brand, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, Ali Fazal, Rose Leslie, Letitia Wright, and Tom Bateman in Death on the Nile (2022)Death on the Nile                                        December 1
2022     PG-13
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Lana 5 and Channing Tatum in Dog (2022)Dog                                                                   December 1
2022     PG-13
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Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Impact (1991)
1991     R
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Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Simon Callow, John Hannah, and Charlotte Coleman in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
1994     R
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Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller in Hackers (1995)Hackers                                                          December 1
1995     PG-13
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Hoosiers (1986)Hoosiers                                                        December 1
1986     PG
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Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Sean Hayes, and Molly Shannon in Igor (2008)Igor                                                                 December 1
2008     PG
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Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartwright in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)Invasion of the Body Snatchers             December 1
1978     PG
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Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, and Bill Nighy in Love Actually (2003)
2003     R
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Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979)Mad Max                                                        December 1                          1979     R
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Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, and Chris Miller in Madagascar (2005)
2005     PG
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Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, John DiMaggio, Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, and Chris Miller in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa               December 1
2008     PG
Leonardo DiCaprio, Gabriel Byrne, Gérard Depardieu, Jeremy Irons, and John Malkovich in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)The Man in the Iron Mask                     December 1
1998     PG-13
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Carlos in Max (2015)
2015     PG
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Max 2: White House Hero (2017)
2017     PG
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Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999)
1999     PG-13
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Denzel Washington, Sanaa Lathan, and Eva Mendes in Out of Time (2003)
2003     PG-13
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Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon, Christopher Knights, and Chris Miller in Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
2014     PG
Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.
Tom McGrath     Chris Miller     Christopher Knights
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Taylor Schilling and Jackson Robert Scott in The Prodigy (2019)
2019     R
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Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro in Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
2018     R
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Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone in Zombieland (2009)
2009     R
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Michelle Pfeiffer, Denis Leary, Jason Schwartzman, Felicity Jones, Dominic Sessa, and Chloë Grace Moretz in Oh. What. Fun. (2025)
2025     PG-13
Claire plans a special Christmas, but is forgotten by her family. When they realize that she’s missing, their holiday is at risk until she returns to give them the celebration they deserve.
Michelle Pfeiffer     Denis Leary     Felicity Jones
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Brad Pitt, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Zazie Beetz, and Bad Bunny in Bullet Train (2022)
2022     R
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Tom Hanks, Benicio Del Toro, Mathieu Amalric, Michael Cera, Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Riz Ahmed, and Mia Threapleton in The Phoenician Scheme (2025)
2025     PG-13

 

That’s all we can find for this week,

See you next week!