Dont Tell NetflixDont Tell Netflix

by Emily Nagle

Even after the creation of Peacock, NBCUniversal continues to step up their streaming game.

The company has created hundreds of new openings as part of NBC News Now, their news-themed streaming platform. New hires – including anchors, reporters, and producers – will assist in creating the several hours worth of original programming slated to premiere this fall. Planned programs include a daily primetime news show hosted by senior national correspondent Tom Llamas, as well as a nightly news analysis program hosted by Joshua Johnson of MSNBC’s “The Week”.

“As more consumption shifts to streaming,” Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, explains of the push, “it’s only natural that we shift more of our attention and resources to serving that audience.”

NBCUniversal isn’t the only company expanding their streaming efforts right now. Last week, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker announced the company’s plan to launch a news-oriented streaming service called CNN+ in early 2022. Much like NBC News, CNN plans to hire hundreds of people to help establish the upcoming streamer, and give it a variety of content.

Having launched in 2019, NBC News Now garners 14 million hours of content watched per month. This free, ad-supported streaming service is available on Peacock, Roku, Youtube, and other free streaming platforms such as Tubi, Pluto, and Xumo. In addition to producing content for mobile, smart TVs, and streaming, it also releases daily content on social media platforms, namely “Stay Tuned”, which was the first daily news show to be added to Snapchat.

by Emily Nagle

“Lucifer” has unveiled the release date for its sixth and final season.

After being renewed for a sixth season last month, fans were on the edge of their seats awaiting to learn the release date. This weekend during the virtual Comic Con at Home, clips of the upcoming season were revealed by Netflix in a panel, and the streamer announced that the show’s final season would debut on September 10.

The trailer

“We spoil a lot in our trailers and we like to do that because we like everyone talking. But this is the final season,” Ellis explained during the panel. “We’re trying to keep our hands really close to the vest. This is the last year that we have secrets [and] can surprise people.”

“Lucifer” first aired on Fox in 2016, receiving mixed reviews from critics and low ratings. After three seasons, the network cancelled the series in 2018, with Netflix picking it up one month later. After a critically acclaimed fourth season, “Lucifer” received two more seasons on Netflix, where its ratings skyrocketed. The series follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis)

by Emily Nagle

Long-time streaming king Netflix will be branching into the gaming industry this year.

Netflix announced their plan on Tuesday in their Q2 shareholder letter, explaining that it is inspired by their interactive specials, including Black Mirror Bandersnatch and Minecraft: Story Mode. Games will start out on mobile platforms before they are released on smart TVs, consoles, or web browsers.

It’s clear that Netflix’s strategy differs from that of their competitors, who have been focused more on consolidation; the last decade has seen more acquisitions and mergers than ever before, with recent developments including Warner Bros. Discovery . Rather than acquiring more intellectual properties, games would allow Netflix to expand on the IP they already have. On the other hand, a game could be the start of a new hit series or film.

“We know the fans of our stories want to go deep and engage further,” Netflix chief operating officer and chief product officer Greg Peters described of the streamer’s interactive content. “What’s great about interactive is you can provide universes that provide a significant amount of time where people can engage and explore.”

by Emily Nagle

As of May, Samsung’s free Smart TV Plus streaming service is available on the web. This makes the platform accessible to not just Samsung customers, but anyone with Internet access.

This new feature had a soft release, as it was never formally announced by Samsung. While it may not have been hyped up by the company, this development will make the streamer more widespread. Samsung TV Plus has been around since 2016, but this new update finally puts it on par with other ad-supported streamers, like Peacock, Pluto TV, and Plex.

Samsung TV Plus has been installed on more than 50 million smart TVs across 23 countries. In the United States, the streamer provides access to more than 150 channels, including Bloomberg TV+, USA Today, and Vice.

by Emily Nagle

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing Pixar’s newest film “Luca” all over social media. On TikTok, Gen Z kids are making memes about it, and even documenting their trips to McDonald’s to get Happy Meal toys based on the film. As an animation fan myself, I knew I had to watch the movie, because what’s cooler than sea monsters (who live in ITALY, out of all the places in the world)?

Set in the fictional Italian Riviera town of Portorosso, “Luca” is about the eponymous character (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), a sea monster who lives a simple life herding goatfish on his family’s underwater farm. Luca’s parents (Jim Gaffigan, Maya Rudolph) have warned him his whole life to stay away from the surface, fearing for his safety, but he remains curious about what it’s like up there. Then one day he meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), another sea monster who literally yanks Luca out of the ocean. That’s when Luca discovers that he transforms into a human when out of water! Along with their new friend Giulia (Emma Berman), Alberto and Luca explore Portorosso while staying dry, keeping their secret from the sea monster-fearing town.

What’s unique about “Luca” compared to Disney’s other pandemic-era releases is that it’s exclusive to Disney+, where it’s free for all subscribers! Other 2021 releases from the company such as “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Cruella” were only available via Premier Access, so customers would have to pay extra if they preferred to view the film at home. On the other hand, “Luca” can be viewed on the streamer at no additional cost, and is unavailable in theaters (except in countries that do not have Disney+).

My favorite thing about “Luca” was the visuals. The scenes showing ocean were so vibrant. I particularly liked the way they depicted the boys transitioning between sea monster and human. It wasn’t this big, elaborate sequence, it was more like whatever area got water on it would change. Like if Luca got splashed a little, then there’d be specks of blue on his face, and he’d vigorously rub them off so nobody would notice them. Something else that looked pretty were Luca’s imagination sequences. Having spent his whole life underwater, Luca is a kid with big dreams, and the aesthetic of those scenes really gives you an idea of how he sees the world above the surface. Like when Alberto is explaining to Luca that the stars in the sky are giant fish, and Luca imagines the duo traveling to space and seeing the fish up close. It shows how excited Luca is to explore this new world, and how he perceives it – it’s shiny and new, and seems like the stuff of dreams.

Even though the movie looked beautiful, I had issues with some aspects of the story. Some parts felt kind of unfinished, because new details would be introduced but not explained. For example, I would have liked to see more of Luca’s grandmother (Sandy Martin), who created an alibi for him when his parents asked where he had been all day. Why does she have Luca’s back? I spent the whole movie waiting to hear her backstory, because it sounded like she possessed some kind of knowledge about surface life that Luca’s parents lacked. Why Portorosso so afraid of sea monsters that they have fountains depicting people destroying them? What’s their history with them? These details being left out didn’t ruin the movie, but it would’ve been nice to get some explanations.

Although the relationships between the characters felt a little bit unfinished, I really liked seeing the character development of the kids. At the beginning of the movie, Luca is a shy, tentative kid, while Alberto is more confident, jumping off cliffs into the ocean. An adventurer, Alberto wants to get off the island and see the world. As they grow closer, Luca comes out of his shell a little more, taking a train to Genova at the end of the film to attend school with Giulia, while Alberto decides at the end that he wants to stick around Portorosso.

It’s the perfect movie for the summer, and not just because that’s when it takes place. The story is so sweet, and the Pixar team did an amazing job bringing it to life, especially considering it was created almost completely remotely. As in, the animation team took their computers home from Pixar’s Emeryville headquarters and worked on the film from their homes. While watching “Luca”, I was able to forget about all the craziness of the past year or so. I’d recommend this tale of friendship to people of all ages who enjoy feel-good movies!

by Emily Nagle

Known for his work on “Justice League” and “Watchmen“, director, producer, and writer Zack Snyder’s next project is set in outer space. The sci-fi epic titled “Rebel Moon” will premiere exclusively on Netflix.

Snyder originally pitched “Rebel Moon” to Lucasfilm ten years ago, originally intending for it to be a “Star Wars” film. However, after Disney acquired the company in 2012, Snyder’s concept didn’t develop beyond being just that: a concept. The story follows a quiet colony on the edge of the galaxy that is attacked by totalitarian leader Balisarius’ armies. In response, they send a young woman with a mysterious past to nearby planets to recruit a team of warriors who will help them fight back.

Although it didn’t get announced for Netflix until Tuesday, Snyder continued work on the “Rebel Moon” universe for several years. In an interview with “The Hollywood Reporter,” he explained how much time he spent fleshing out the universe of “Rebel Moon”, and that it was a passion project for him.

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure,” Snyder told reporters. “I’ve spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I’ve been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized.”

Joining Snyder to bring his idea to life are colleagues Shay Hatten (who Snyder wrote “300” with) and Kurt Johnstad (co-screenwriter of “Army of the Dead”, which was also Snyder’s directorial debut). On board as producers are Snyder’s wife Deborah, in addition to production partner Wesley Coller. Production is set to begin in early 2022.