News

Last weekend saw another major film anniversary. »The Body Snatcher« based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson celebrated its 80th birthday. Along with »Cat People« and »I Walked with a Zombie«, the film is one of the better-known films that Val Lewton produced for RKO in the 1940s. It was directed by Robert Wise (»The Haunting«).

The story takes place in Edinburgh in 1831. Boris Karloff plays the unscrupulous coachman John Gray, who procures corpses for the medical research of Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane (Henry Daniell). Bela Lugosi plays a supporting role. The atmospherically very dense film was the last collaboration between Lugosi and Karloff. The latter is simply diabolically good here!

The body snatcher John Gray in his Inverness coat and top hat with a corpse wrapped in a shroud over his shoulder is one of the iconic images of classic horror cinema. We find it a little strange that, apart from a few garage kits, there has never been an official collectible for »The Body Snatcher«. That would be perfect for the 80th anniversary! Our dream candidates for this would of course be Infinite Statue & Collectibles and Kaustic Plastik, as we're already expecting Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster and as the Mummy from them - John Gray would fit right in.

The wait is over, because finally 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫 continues! In the new episode, Sven and Joanna present you a great mix of different collectibles. This episode includes everything from small action figures to impressive statues, from Marvel, Star Wars and Arcane to Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy to Alf. Look forward to wonderful pieces from Hot Toys, NECA, Sideshow, Iron Studios, Tweeterhead, Prime 1 - and of course our current product of the month 🥳!

You can now watch NADFU episode 24 on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/TiicVVtonB8

Today there are two interesting streaming launches that we would like to recommend to you.

The third season of »Yellowjackets« starts streaming on Paramount+. If you don't know the series yet, here's a brief introduction: In 1996, a high school soccer team flies from New Jersey to Seattle. The plane crashes over the Canadian wilderness and the players fight for their survival for 19 months. Not all of them will return home. At the same time, the show portrays the lives of the survivors in the present (2021) and how they try to deal with the trauma they have suffered and keep unspeakable secrets.

The series offers an exciting mix of survival, horror and mystery with a good portion of »Lord of the Flies«. The cast in the 1996 storyline includes Sophie Thatcher (»Companion«) and Ella Purnell (»Fallout«). In the present, Christina Ricci (»Wednesday«) and Juliette Lewis (»From Dusk Till Dawn«) play important roles. The trailer for the third season teases a high-profile new addition in Hilary Swank (»The Hunt«):
https://youtu.be/x8FUUxj6yOA

We are very excited to see which survivor she will play.


We are often a bit skeptical when films don't hit cinemas and end up directly on streaming sites without much advertising, but with »The Gorge« things are a little different.

First of all, there's the top cast with Anya Taylor-Joy (»Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga«) and Miles Teller (»Whiplash«) as well as Sigourney Weaver (»Alien«) in a small supporting role. Director Scott Derrickson is also a name that makes us sit up and take notice, with films like »Doctor Strange«, »Sinister« and »The Black Phone«. Then there's the trailer which got our attention straight away:
https://youtu.be/rUSdnuOLebE

The first reviews are also very promising. The film is often described as a twist-filled genre mix of sci-fi, horror and romance. Our curiosity is definitely piqued and we are turning on Apple TV+ today!

The new Captain America movie is finally hitting theaters – the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film since »Deadpool & Wolverine«! In »Captain America: Brave New World«, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has fully taken up the iconic star-spangled shield. As the new Captain America, he encounters Lieutenant General Thaddeus Ross, who has since been elected President of the United States. Following the passing of William Hurt, Ross is now portrayed by Harrison Ford. We already know that Thaddeus Ross will transform into Red Hulk, adamantium will become part of the MCU, and director Julius Onah has confirmed that we will see the first steps towards the closely related Project X – the very program that created Wolverine and Deadpool in Fox’s X-Men films. Here's the trailer:
https://youtu.be/1pHDWnXmK7Y

You can pre-order Sam Wilson alias Captain America in the new »Brave New World« version in 1/6 scale by Hot Toys:
https://www.space-figuren.de/Filme/Captain-America/1-6-Scale-Captain-America-Movie-Masterpiece-MMS779-Captain-America-Brave-New-World::28428.html

»Cobra Kai« fans probably longed for this day as much as they feared it. After weeks of waiting, the broadcast of the outstanding episodes of the sixth season will finally begin tomorrow. Since there will be no seventh season, one thing applies above all: put your feet up and enjoy the last episodes!

When it was announced in 2017 that a series sequel to the cult franchise »Karate Kid« was planned, there were quite a few who were extremely critical of the whole project. They were afraid of a soulless copy that just wanted to squeeze some money out of the big brand. Eight years later, we know that those fears were completely unfounded. 

The series knew how to celebrate absurd humor like no other and to combine it with serious topics, such as the need for community building and overcoming mental barriers. A formula that was accepted both by the children of the 80s, who already loved the original films, and by the young generation. »Cobra Kai« became an audience favorite.

This era is now coming to an end. But fortunately, the »Karate Kid« universe continues to grow. This May, the movie »Karate Kid: Legends« with Jackie Chan will hit cinemas. The film will take place three years after the events of season 6 and will continue the story of LaRusso. Furthermore, the creators of »Cobra Kai« already announced that they have started planning a prequel series, which tells the origin story of Mr. Miyagi. 

How do you feel about the approaching conclusion of »Cobra Kai«? Are you looking forward to future releases?

As of today, the latest animated film from the Witcher franchise is available on Netflix.

»The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep« is based on »A Small Sacrifice« from the short story collection »Sword of Destiny«. In it, author Sapkowski tells of a fight between humans and sea creatures.

After Henry Cavill's departure from the Netflix productions of the franchise, there is good news for fans of the games: Doug Cockle lends his voice to Geralt in this film. He already voiced the protagonist in the games. From the live-action series, Joey Batey as Jaskier and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer reprise their usual roles.

Speaking of which: The film is probably intended to bridge the rather long wait until the fourth season of the series. New episodes (and the first with Liam Hemsworth as the Witcher) are expected to drop in the second half of the year.

»The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep« is aimed at fans of the book and game series as well as new viewers who want to discover the world of »The Witcher«. If you're not quite sure yet whether you want to delve into the story, then just put your big toe in the water here:
https://youtu.be/PYzqa1CDTik

Tonight, the U.S. hosted their biggest annual spectacle: Super Bowl LIX (or 59). While American football is gradually gaining popularity in our regions, its complex rules and tactical back-and-forth on the field still leave many in traditional football nations scratching their heads. In the U.S., however, it's an integral part of society, culture, and student life.

This season's grand finale took place in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs (winners of the American Football Conference, AFC) faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles (winners of the National Football Conference, NFC). The Chiefs, who had won the last two Super Bowls, were considered the clear favorites beforehand. In the U.S., the generation of superstars led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce is referred to as "the dynasty". They finished the regular season with a sensational 15-2 record. Yet from the very beginning, the team was backed against the wall. The Eagles completely steamrolled Kansas City. By halftime, they led 24 to 0, including two interceptions by Mahomes and a defensive touchdown by the Eagles. The second half also started with a dismal performance from the Chiefs' offense, that only managed to score in the last 40 seconds of the third quarter. With a score of 34 to 6 heading into the final quarter, the Eagles further extended their lead with two additional field goals, bringing it to 40 to 6. Only in the last three minutes, far too late, did the Chiefs rally and score two 8-point plays. Final score: 40 to 22 for the team from Philadelphia.

In the U.S., bookmakers are famously regarded as a go-to oracle for all societal matters — from politics to wildfires and even the color of the Gatorade consumed by the players. Across the board, they had predicted a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs. This was really an upheaval and a strong showing by the Philadelphia Eagles - congratulations to the winners!

But let's move on to the topics that probably interest you more: the trailers, commercials, and music!

As in previous years, the show was opened musically with performances of the US national anthem as well as »America the Beautiful« and »Lift Every Voice and Sing«, accompanied by military jets flying over the stadium. In 2025, the 3 songs were sung by jazz singer Jon Batiste, Lauren Daigle and Ledisi, all of whom are from Louisiana, where the game was played.

As always, the biggest spectacle was of course the halftime show, which this year was performed by rapper Kendrick Lamar. Lamar had already performed during the halftime break in 2022, but back then he was part of an ensemble. This time he was the sole headliner and delivered a truly impressive show on the biggest stage in the world with a remarkable group of dancers, during which he performed the biggest hits of his career to date. Lamar also brought singer SZA on stage for two of their songs. His performance of »Not Like Us« was particularly celebrated; a diss track against rapper Drake, with which he had already made history at this year's Grammy Awards with 5 wins; peppered with a dance performance by tennis legend Serena Williams. Just like his music itself, his entire performance was full of social criticism and political messages. His performance was announced by Samuel L. Jackson in an Uncle Sam costume, who repeatedly gave critical comments inbetween songs, and his all black dancers were dressed in the colors of the US flag.

Of course, we're all always incredibly excited to see what brand new trailers for upcoming films and series the film studios will present to us for the Super Bowl. For a few years now, however, it seems to have become a kind of new marketing strategy to put some previews online a few days before the Super Bowl (see »Jurassic World Rebirth«, »The Fantastic Four: First Steps«, »Final Destination Bloodlines«, »M3GAN 2.0« or »The Smurfs«). This year there were a few short "big game spots" at the event, such as »F1«, »How To Train Your Dragon« and of course »Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning«. Disney showed a really funny clip for the live-action adaptation of »Lilo & Stitch« and Apple released the »DUHPOCALYPSE« trailer for the upcoming Apple TV+ series »The Studio«. That could be really cool - the trailer is a must-see for all fans of zombified diarrhea humor ;). The only real trailer premiere - as long as we didn't miss anything - was the (hopefully final) clip for Marvel's »Thunderbolts*«. That could really be something, but the question is whether all the film's gags haven't already been used in this clip. Otherwise, we would like to recommend the following two titles, for which the already previously released trailers were shown: »The Amateur« (looks like an exciting action thriller - and Rami Malek in the lead role is a must) and »Novocaine«. Here Jack Quaid plays a totally normal guy whose crush is kidnapped. He subsequently goes on an action-packed criminal hunt with his unexpected ability to feel no pain. It looks like a funny, bizarre and bloody, action-packed mix :)! The film will hit cinemas in March. We recommend this video from KinoCheck.com, in which you can find a good compilation of the Super Bowl trailers:
https://youtu.be/Yso37lp0a6U

It's not just film studios, but various companies who use the event for their advertisements. A 30-second commercial at the Super Bowl cost 7-8 million dollars, and that's just the broadcasting rights. On top of that, of course, there are the production costs and the fees for as much star power as possible. So during the commercial breaks, it's all about going big! Due to the Super Bowl's huge reach, the broadcast slots were sold out in no time at all this year. As always, the aim was to create spots that the world would talk about. You can find lots of compilations of the best commercials on YouTube. We've picked out five spots here that we particularly liked:

Stella Artois: »The Other David« - Starring David Beckham & Matt Damon
David Beckham learns from his parents that he has a twin brother called "the Other David". Beckham travels to America to meet his twin, played by Matt Damon. We like the self-ironic style of the two Davids and the meta joke on the topic of fame.
https://youtu.be/GAoeGC-eL4I

Pringles: »The Call of The Mustaches« – Featuring Adam Brody, Nick Offerman & James Harden
The Pringles logo provided the idea for »The Call of The Mustaches«, a wonderfully absurd spot full of funny ideas and a brilliant soundtrack that sounds very familiar to all of us.
https://youtu.be/uAOFSKaIXms

Uber Eats: »A Century of Cravings« – Starring Matthew McConaughey, Greta Gerwig, Charli XCX, Martha Stewart, Sean Evans & Kevin Bacon
Uber Eats has hit the jackpot. Their spot spans a wide arc of 100 years and tells of a big football conspiracy, or should we say foodball?
https://youtu.be/YYb6erM8z8w

Hellmann’s: »When Sally Met Hellmann's« – featuring Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal
This time it is Hellmann’s mayonnaise that leads to orgiastic enthusiasm in Meg Ryan and Sydney Sweeney has a small cameo appearance with the final punch line.
https://youtu.be/UX9qfSEKyuc

Coors Light: »Slow Monday« – Featuring sloths
Without any star power, but with a whole army of sloths and the sounds of The Mamas and The Papas' »Monday, Monday«, the funny spot is about the discovery of slowing down. And on this Monday, after the long Super Bowl night, we definitely see potential for relating to the protagonists of the spot.
https://youtu.be/QTj2BH0qJjU

Did you follow the event?

Today »Companion« opens in cinemas. Yesterday evening, our colleague Mick took the opportunity to watch the film in a preview - and here's his review!

Trailers are a funny thing. I was hooked after the first encounter. It was incredibly mysterious and made me curious about the film, which I really wanted to see straight away. In retrospect, I would rather not have seen the second trailer, because it simply gives away too much and robbed me of the surprise of the first twist. Once you've seen this second preview, you can already figure out a lot. Fortunately, the film has even more unexpected twists in store. But if you haven't seen the trailers yet, skip them and watch the film with as little prior knowledge as possible. I won't reveal anything about the plot here so as not to spoil your fun.

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) are newly in love and want to spend the weekend with Kat (Megan Suri), Josh's best friend, and friends Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage) in the holiday home of billionaire Sergey (Rupert Friend). A bloody incident changes everything ...

The film juggles a variety of genres perfectly and is a twist-filled, romantic sci-fi horror thriller dark comedy with film noir elements in bright sunshine with a pinch of gore.

The film is fast-paced. The excellent comedic timing supports many wonderfully absurd situations. The actors, camera and editing are on point and more than once I and the rest of the audience had to laugh out loud. The film knows how to surprise again and again in a light-hearted way, but is never superficial and conveys a lot of subtext and raises questions that continue to resonate even after you've left the cinema.

The actress Sophie Thatcher, who has been on our radar since »Yellowjackets«, is currently developing into a major player in the genre as an actress in horror films such as »The Boogeyman« and most recently in »Heretic«. In »Companion« she delivers the best performance of her career so far and shines with a multi-layered portrayal and a wide range of emotions. Jack Quaid, who we know from »The Boys« and »Scream«, plays her counterpart, who is also very well developed. The rest of the ensemble enriches the story with interesting nuances. I would like to highlight Lukas Gage, who we last saw in »Smile 2«.

The film was great fun, hit my sense of humour exactly and isn't stingy with blood in the right places. Here and there I did discover one or two small plot holes, but that didn't bother me much. Director Drew Hancock delivers a very promising feature film debut here. It's exactly the kind of small, relaxed genre film with suspense, humor and depth that I love. »Companion« is a definite recommendation from me!

Yesterday, Marvel managed to surprise us by dropping the first teaser trailer for »The Fantastic Four: First Steps«, which we expected to see first on the Super Bowl weekend.

The film stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Marvel’s First Family and looks incredibly promising. We love the retro-futuristic 60s vibe, which fits perfectly into Marvel's recent little trend that started with »Loki« and »WandaVision«. Could there be a connection between "FantastiVision", the Fantastic Four’s in-universe channel that was prominently featured in the promotional materials, and "WandaVision"? After all, director Matt Shakman, known for helming episodes of some of the most iconic TV series like »Fargo«, »The Boys«, and »Six Feet Under«, directed both projects.

The trailer even gives us a first glimpse of Galactus, the world-devouring main villain of the film, portrayed by Ralph Ineson. Also joining the cast: John Malkovich in an undisclosed role and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer.

The film is set to launch the sixth phase of the MCU on July 25, cementing the integration of former 20th Century Fox characters into the franchise. With the two other highly anticipated and soon to be released titles, »Captain America: Brave New World« (February 14) and »Thunderbolts*« (May 2), 2025 is shaping up to be a massive year for Marvel again!

Watch the trailer here:
https://youtu.be/AzMo-FgRp64

Today there's news not only for fans of the Fantastic Four, but now also for dinosaur fans, because Universal just released a trailer for the blockbuster »Jurassic World Rebirth«:
https://youtu.be/jan5CFWs9ic

If you're surprised that there is another »Jurassic World« film: the film series, like »Jurassic Park« before it, was actually supposed to end as a trilogy. But after the financial success of its predecessor, »Jurassic World Dominion«, Universal decided to continue the franchise.

And even if that might make you skeptical at first, after this trailer we have to say: it looks really awesome! The landscapes, the actors, the action and of course the dinosaurs are quite impressive. A few other arguments suggest that »Jurassic World Rebirth« could be good. The film tells an independent story from the previous parts with a new cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. This time the script was once again written by David Koepp, who already wrote the script for the original film from 1993. Of course, this sequel won't reinvent the wheel, but fans of the franchise will definitely get their money's worth.

What do you think of the trailer?

It's been more than a decade since »Final Destination 5« and a new part of the franchise is finally coming to theaters in May 2025. With »Final Destination: Bloodlines«, Warner Bros. is trying to revive the cycle of death. To the surprise of many, Tony Todd (»Candyman«) plays his role as William Bludworth one more and sadly last time. The trailer, however, shows us Richard Harmon. Check it out, if your nerves are strong enough:
https://youtu.be/KnWzz0n60pE

Instead of giving us a thrilling summary of the film, Warner Bros. wants to impress with a teaser that depicts a truly ingenious death scene at the end of which tattoo artist Erik is literally on fire. We don't learn anything about the actual story, but it's hardly different from previous »Final Destination« parts. Basically, you already know what you're going to get when you visit the theater.

If you're new to the franchise, you don't need to have seen all of the previous films. Roughly, it's all about cheating death in order to stay alive longer. In »Final Destination: Bloodlines«, student Stefanie suffers from nightmares that turn out to be visions of death. To save her family, she tries to track down the only person who can break the vicious cycle.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

The year 2025 is a very special one for Hot Toys, because the top dog in the field of 1/6 high-end action figures is celebrating its 25th anniversary! Under the motto "Bringing stories to life with flaming passion since 2000", the creative figure makers - and us collectors too - can not only look back proudly on the past quarter century, but also look forward to future projects and licenses.

Today we got a nice surprise, because Hot Toys revealed with a small teaser clip that they acquired a »James Bond« license and that we can look forward to »007« sixth scale figures this year. Even though nothing has been shown yet apart from the »007« logo, we are extremely excited to see what Hot Toys will present to us from the film series. Will they focus on the last films with Daniel Craig? Will they do all the Bond actors? Will we also be presented with villains like Goldfinger and Bond Girls like Pussy Galore? Of course, vehicles like the legendary Aston Martin would be an absolute blast, too. After Hot Toys has focused so heavily on superheroes and »Star Wars« in recent years, the »James Bond« license is a refreshing addition to the program of the sixth scale giant.

On February 6th and 7th, Sideshow will be hosting the »Hot Toys Showcase« 2025 on YouTube and Instagram:
https://www.sideshow.com/blog/hot-toys-showcase-2025-event

On Sunday, February 9th, the one-day winter edition of the »Wonder Festival« 2025 will take place in Chiba, Japan. Who knows, maybe these events will provide us with more news about Her Majesty's secret agent.

But Hot Toys isn't stingy with new announcements either: the long-awaited Blade from »Deadpool & Wolverine« was finally announced and will soon be available for pre-order in our shop. We were very happy to see Wesley Snipes again in the film and now of course we're looking forward to this awesome figure. 

On top, there was the 1/6 Spidey figure from HONŌ STUDIO for the recently launched animated series »Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man«, which you can already find in our shop:
https://www.space-figuren.de/Series/Spider-Man/1-6-Scale-Spider-Man-Homemade-Suit-HS07-Your-Friendly-Neighborhood-Spider-Man::28411.html

Additionally, they dropped an exclusive Iron Man Mark III in a golden color version, limited to 3000 copies as well as a large line-up of »Kamen Rider« figures for all fans and collectors of the Japanese superhero media franchise.

Last week, the second trailer for the horror drama »Sinners« was released. For this new work, »Black Panther« and »Creed« director Ryan Coogler once again brings in actor Michael B. Jordan. In »Sinners«, Jordan plays two roles, the twin brothers Elijah and Elias Smoke. We will also see Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O'Connell by his side. The film is scheduled to hit theaters this April.

In order to escape their problems, twin brothers Elijah and Elias return to their hometown. However, their fresh start quickly takes a bad turn. What at first sounds like a simple drama turns out to be a real nightmare as a dark force is wreaking havoc in the town. The new bloody trailer shows a little more clearly what is really waiting for the sinners:
https://youtu.be/7joulECTx_U

In the »Final Fantasy« universe, Tifa Lockhart is for sure one of the best-known sidekicks. She's hard to miss as a resolute fighter at Cloud's side. Her first appearance was in 1997's »Final Fantasy VII«. That part of the main series is considered the franchise's worldwide breakthrough. Square Enix decided to create a remake, which was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020 and later on the PlayStation 5 and PC. The developer managed the sequel »Final Fantasy VII Rebirth« in a similar way, so it came out in 2024 for the PlayStation 5 and has finally been made available for PC this January. Another part is planned to complete the trilogy.

Tifa is a member of the resistance group AVALANCHE, which opposes the megacorporation Shinra. The latter ruthlessly exploits the planet in order to extract energy from it. The story really kicks into gear for the player when the rebel convinces her childhood friend and mercenary Cloud Strife to be hired by AVALANCHE. Tifa and Cloud become an unbeatable team, and in the game she turns out to be the protagonist's loyal companion. In »Final Fantasy VII Remake«, during a particular quest, she asks him what to wear for a night out. As a player, you have the choice between "Something mature", "Something sporty" and "Something exotic", which affects Tifa's appearance in a later mission.

With this in mind, the S.P.A.C.E Crew has chosen the Tifa Lockhart Static Arts Statue - Exotic Dress Version as the 💥 Product of the Month 💥 February 2025. It reflects the result of the third option in the game. Square Enix has created an extremely detailed version of the exotic dress here. Tifa's reserved pose underscores the elegance of the traditionally styled outfit. With its kimono-inspired dress, the embellished obi and the beautifully decorated hair, this version stands out significantly from the other two dresses that the manufacturer has also produced within the "Static Arts" line. With its graceful appearance, the Tifa Lockhart Static Arts Statue - Exotic Dress Version is especially, but not exclusively, appealing to »Final Fantasy« fans.

Like every year, we were ON THE ROAD to Nuremberg to visit the Toy Fair, the largest international trade fair of the toy industry, for you. In our VLOG we take you through the exhibition halls.

We were particularly pleased about our visit to the Cosmic Group stand. The Red Death Statue of Infinite from »Phantom of the Opera« (not yet painted) celebrated its world premiere here. Ash from »Army of Darkness« in 1/4 scale and 1/6 Jean-Claude van Damme from »Bloodsport« were presented for the first time. One of our favorite collectibles was Frankenstein's Monster, based on Boris Karloff's appearance in the 1931 Universal film. This is going to be a real blast from Kaustic Plastik! Speaking of Kaustic Plastik: Fabio Varesi provided us with exciting news about upcoming attractions and also gave us some insider information that we are unfortunately not allowed to share yet. All we can say is this: the release calendar for 2025 looks very promising. The next stop is San Diego Comic Con, where we can probably expect to see the prototypes for the recently announced licenses and the 1/6 Maestro line. In our video you will also find impressions from the booths of PURE ARTS, Beast Kingdom, Boss Fight Studio, SalesOne and more.

Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/6FZcBMe2WPA

Today, one of the most influential horror thrillers is celebrating its 70th birthday, »Diabolique« (original French title: »Les Diaboliques«) by Henri-Georges Clouzot.

The headmaster of a boarding school, Michel Delassalle (Paul Meurisse), is an asshole par excellence. He is cruel, violent and an alcoholic. He mistreats his gentle wife Christina (Véra Clouzot) and also bullies his lover Nicole (Simone Signoret). The two women are fed up with this tyrant and decide to get rid of him and make the whole thing look like an accident ...

The film asks its viewers in the end credits not to give away anything about the end of the story. Even though the film is turning 70 today, we want to comply with the request so as not to spoil your fun in case you haven't seen »Diabolique« yet.

The film is based on the novel »She Who Was No More« by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. Véra Clouzot loved the book and recommended it to her husband. He read it overnight and bought the film rights the next morning. It is said that he beat Alfred Hitchcock, who was also interested in the rights to the film, by just a few hours. Hitchcock then bought the next novel by the two authors and made »Vertigo«.

»Diabolique« is a groundbreaking thriller to which cinema owes a lot. It was one of the first films with a twist ending. It influenced Hitchcock's »Psycho«, which not only borrowed the spoiler warning in the marketing from »Diabolique«. Films such as »Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte«, »Games« and the Hammer Films thriller »Taste of Fear« also clearly reflect the influence of Clouzot's film. It is one of those masterpieces that you simply have to see.

The film is available on DVD at a reasonable price as well as on the Amazon Prime add-on channel Good!Movies. You can also watch »Diabolique« for free on Plex, but in the OV with English subtitles and advertising:
https://watch.plex.tv/de/watch/movie/diabolique-1955?

The new Marvel series »Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man« celebrates its debut today with the first two episodes on Disney+.

Featuring a colorful, comicesque animation style, the show follows 15-year-old Peter Parker as he tries to find the balance between his exciting life as Spider-Man and the challenges of everyday life as a teenager. In the alternate timeline we explore in the series, Norman Osborn becomes Peter's mentor instead of Tony Stark. Spidey also meets a few other characters we know well. We can look forward to appearances by Kingpin, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and Doc Ock.

In »Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man« we experience exciting battles against well-known villains, while Peter simultaneously struggles with friendships, school and the typical problems of growing up. The series not only offers action-packed scenes, but also humorous moments and emotional stories that appeal to both young and adult fans.

Here's the trailer:
https://youtu.be/N3J2JRQg040

Two months before the announced release, Ubisoft finally dropped a new trailer for »Assassin’s Creed Shadows« last Thursday. More importantly, selected YouTubers were allowed to showcase their gameplay tests. After the recent hit-but-kind-of-miss entries in the AC series and the many controversies surrounding Ubisoft’s decisions as a company, it’s reassuring to see that the game actually exists and hasn’t fallen into development limbo, which increasingly plagues the gaming industry’s leading studios.

We'll try to analyze the game based solely on the footage we’ve been given, without having played it ourselves:

Unlike a katana, this game is definitely a double-edged sword. In some aspects, it feels like a major leap forward for the series, while in others, it seems like quite the step back.

The game world looks stunning. Feudal Japan is one of the most fascinating settings and was unsurprisingly at the top of most AC fans’ wish lists for potential environments. Particularly exciting are the various seasons, which bring tangible changes to the vibrant world. The gameplay also looks promising: fluid combat, intriguing stealth missions, and above all, the duality offered by the two vastly different main characters, Naoe and Yasuke, keeps things engaging and dynamic. Yasuke is incredibly brutal — effortlessly impaling his enemies, and for the first time in the series, heads literally roll. Meanwhile, Naoe moves gracefully across rooftops and is quick and nimble in combat. We also find the new pathfinding mode intriguing, replacing the endless waypoint markers. How much it makes you feel like you’re missing something important, though, can only truly be judged when playing it yourself.

The decision to allow players to recruit faceless, nameless fighters in a game with two main characters who we perceive as a complete spy-duo, feels odd, though it’s not a deal-breaking feature. The real issue lies with the cutscenes. »AC Shadows« puts far more emphasis on story than its two predecessors (»Valhalla« and »Mirage«) and aspires to deliver cinematic moments, but it falls flat. The character models feel stiff and robotic, and the dialogue (at least in the English dub) is emotionless and almost amateurish for a modern AAA game. While we don’t expect much facial expression from Ubisoft, this seems like a regression to pre-»Odyssey« or even »Origins« days. It’s also evident that more effort was put into Yasuke’s character model than Naoe’s. Yasuke has a highly expressive face, while Naoe, in the previews, resembles a puppet. Her animations don’t meet the standard expected from a game in this price category nowadays. Of course, different aspects matter more to different people, and solid gameplay is always the core of any game. However, when a seemingly well-crafted and lengthy story (which is a positive in itself) is presented so poorly, it risks diminishing the desire to see it through to the end. We sincerely hope that this first impression is misleading and that the final game delivers an immersive, gripping experience.

Are you planning to play »Assassin’s Creed Shadows«? And what’s your favorite installment in the series?

Watch the new trailer here:
https://youtu.be/SHaN4MIGqpo

After several postponements due to the forest fires in California, this year's Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, 2025. The following films are competing for the award for Best Picture of the past year: ANORA, THE BRUTALIST, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, CONCLAVE, DUNE: PART TWO, EMILIA PÉREZ, I'M STILL HERE, NICKEL BOYS, THE SUBSTANCE and WICKED. You can find all nominations on the Academy's official website:
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025

Of course, we are happy for all films and artists that have been nominated. Nevertheless, we were surprised by some of them and also missed some artists. We don't want to comment on all the nominations here and just make a few small notes, especially of course about all the candidates for whom we are keeping our fingers crossed.

We were a little surprised that EMILIA PÉREZ was nominated 13 times, in almost every possible category. This is all the more unexpected because it feels like hardly anyone really likes the film, at least when we look at the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter.

THE BRUTALIST and WICKED have each been nominated 10 times and will surely win a few awards. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN enters the race with 8 nominations. James Mangold being on the list for Best Directing for a very straightforward musician biopic surprised us a little. In 2023, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTER FRONT by German director Edward Berger received 9 nominations and won 4 Oscars. His new film CONCLAVE is nominated for 8 Golden Boys. Good news!

Other German contributions in this year's Oscar ceremony are THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG in the Best International Film category and SEPTEMBER 5, which was shot in Munich and nominated for Best Original Screenplay by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex David.

We were particularly pleased about THE SUBSTANCE being nominated in 5 categories. These included Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Original Screenplay for Coralie Fargeat, Best Actress for Demi Moore as well as Best Makeup & Hairstyling. It would also have deserved a nomination for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. It is really aggravating that Margaret Qualley did not receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Instead, Isabella Rossellini was nominated for CONCLAVE - for a few minutes in the film and very little lines. We found that quite startling.

We were also pleased about the 4 nominations for NOSFERATU in the categories Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

The 6 nominations for ANORA and 5 for DUNE: PART TWO are also impressive.

It is also pleasing that two animated films are among the nominees outside of the category of Best Animated Film. THE WILD ROBOT is nominated for Best Original Score and Best Sound and the film FLOW received a nomination as a Latvian entry in the category of Best International Film.

CHALLENGERS on the other hand didn't receive a single nomination.

We will stay awake throughout the night of March 2nd to 3rd to see which films will win the race and keep our fingers crossed for our favorites. What do you think: who will win an Oscar and who would you like to see with a golden boy?

Tomorrow will be the 30-year anniversary of »The Usual Suspects« cinematic premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film by director Bryan Singer (»X-Men«, »Bohemian Rhapsody«) and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie (»Top Gun: Maverick« and 4 »Mission Impossible« Movies) is a wonderful neo-noir with a great cast including Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri and Pete Postlethwaite. It is a prime example of the cinematic device of the unreliable narrator.

The film begins with an ending. In the port of San Pedro there is a showdown with 27 dead, and former police officer Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) also meets his end there at the hands of the mythical gangster boss Keyser Söze. One of the few survivors is the physically disabled petty criminal Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), who is then interrogated by the federal authorities and customs inspector David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri). The story told by Kint begins six weeks earlier in New York, where he is arrested after a hijacking as one of the usual suspects and locked in a cell with the criminals Dean Keaton, McManus, Fenster and Hockney ...

»The Usual Suspects« is one of those films with a brilliant twist ending. It is incredibly fun to watch the film again and, knowing the ending, discover where the film leads us on the wrong track, but also provides clues to the true identity of Keyser Söze.

Kevin Spacey won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and Christopher McQuarrie for Best Original Screenplay.

The nice thing about a rewatch after 30 years is also discovering actors that you hadn't even noticed when you first saw the film. For example, the young Giancarlo Esposito (»Breaking Bad«) can be seen as FBI agent Jack Baer.

As an appetizer for anyone who's now interested in the film, here's the trailer:
https://youtu.be/x3t0Nc6fg7w