People love to say there's a lack of great movies released nowadays. I disagree, it's just that they're harder to come by. What are some recent movies that were really underappreciated and warrant a rediscovery? I see Babylon brough up a lot now, but two that I keep going back to yet feel there's a lack of real enthusiasm for are Sing Street and Killing Them Softly. Very different movies - one about a teenage musician in Dublin, the other a workman-like gangster story - but both really connected with me, yet I rarely see brought up. What about you?

Now the cast is confirmed, all eyes go to plot. While there's certainly some interesting elements with the Shalla-Bal Silver Surfer and Galactus, the connection to the wider MCU is the most compelling. Kevin Feige has confirmed it's got a period setting, but the notion it's a DIFFERENT 1960s with a throwback futurism style. This will allow the First Family to exist without trying to bend to a restrictive continuity, and make their inevitable crossover with the Avengers less directly reminiscent of Captain America.

Apple TV+ is low-key a great service. Ted Lasso and Slow Horses get a lot of the hype in pure viewership numbers, but the one that's really worth going in for is Severance. The concept itself is obviously very neat, but it's the lack of holding back on the weirdness that really sucks you in. The finale of season 1 is one of the most tense episodes of TV in years.

Nobody does it quite like Pixar at their best. But amongst all the Oscars and box office smashes, which movies go underappreciated? Generally, it's the movie's with those big ticket Pixar concepts that go full-in on the emotion - but perhaps not on the concept - that fall by the wayside. I feel Coco, released as the company was in the middle of releasing a lot of sequels to its original classics, has been mostly forgotten despite telling a startlingly emotional story. But the biggest one I'd love more people to revisit is Luca. Released on Disney+ (so missing out on theaters), it's a beautiful coming-of-age story with unique animation for the studio.

After escaping The Pit, Bruce Wayne is able to travel back to the US without being recognised and sneak back into Gotham. This is a city that Bane has locked down - nobody can leave and supplies can't get in - except for one bridge he didn't destroy. It's a question that comes up even now, 12 years after The Dark Knight Rises. I love the movie but have never heard a complete answer. Batman could conceivably have tech to sneak past the soldiers on the bridge or special access, but that doesn't justify the casual reappearance.

I'm captivated by Austin Butler, he may be my favorite of this new wave of actors. He first caught my eye (along with everybody else) with his show-stopping performance in Elvis, and since he's just become more present. His energy, his screen presence, his voice - and also his willingness to go all-in for a role (see: Dune 2). I'm excited to catch The Bikeriders this weekend - and a big part of that because he's starring. He has the energy we expect when we talk about movie stars. But I keep wondering, is he a proper movie star? Or is he he an online fan darling? Elvis was Elvis. Dune was Dune. Masters of the Air was Band of Brothers 3. Most people seem aware of who he is from the promo blitzes, but I fear he's still in the shadow of the projects that brought him to the mainstream.

This seems to be something the fandom can't agree on - some think it's impenetrable, others claim casual friends totally got it. I'm a big fan of New Who, haven't watched much of the Classic series, and found it all a bit alienating - the anagram part of the twist especially felt like it was meant to be something you should know. But how many people watching Doctor Who in 2024 have seen Pyramids of Mars? Compare to The Master in season 3, which had lots of explicit textual set up (fob watches, You Are Not Alone). I'm not saying the villain didn't have to be Sutekh - but perhaps the twist should have been more about his methods/mechanics/Pantheon plans and less about his name and history.

James Gunn's Superman movie with David Corenswet already gets a lot of comparison to the Henry Cavill iteration of the character from Zack Snyder's DCEU. This is inevitable for any reboot, but does this pose a problem? I don't think so - Cavill's Superman has his fans, but he's known primarily as being the darker version of the character and for several divisive moments (not saving Pa Kent from that tornado chief among them). As long as Gunn isn't replicating the grounded DC movie style of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, this should stand quite distinct. This is the guy behind Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, after all.

Star Wars has a tendency to cast big-name actors for bit parts where they're killed off almost immediately. Max Von Sydow in The Force Awakens, Benny Safdie in Obi-Wan Kenobi, now Carrie-Anne Moss in The Acolyte (although she does appear beyond the opening scene in flashbacks). It's an odd running trait. Is Star Wars trying to create a shock moment like Scream did with killing off Drew Barrymore? Or do they want the big name actors in the marketing for boosting hype but can't necessarily afford the actors or make the shooting schedule work for them? I'm curious if there's any other big names that I'm missing too.