The Rewind: HBO is once again in its Sunday night bag
Plus "Hacks," "Warfare," "Severance," "Dune," "Sinners" and more!
Let’s be real, 2025 has been a slow one at the theater so far. Luckily, “Sinners” is going to change that this week – more on that later.
But TV has been cooking, and April is putting together a strong case to be the best month of television we’ll get all year.
We’re talking “The Last Of Us,” “The Righteous Gemstones” and “The Rehearsal” – and that’s just Sunday night on HBO. Throw in “The Studio” in full swing on Apple TV+, the return of “Hacks,” old reliable “Survivor,” and then add “Andor” and (my guilty pleasure) “You” coming back for their final seasons next week? I may not leave the couch this month.
Now, pour one out with me — we lost a real one. Apple TV+ canceled “Mythic Quest” last week. I’ve long called MQ the funniest show that no one talks about, and turns out that was the problem.
To their credit, Apple’s giving fans some closure with an updated Season 4 finale dropping this week. Never seen that before, and honestly? Respect.
🎁 Congrats to new subscriber Bennett W. for winning our Apple TV+ giveaway! Stay tuned for more giveaway opportunities!
⏪ Rewind: Alex Garland drops you into the fire with ‘Warfare’ – but don’t expect a way out
I don’t think it’s any secret, but let me just set the record straight: I am not built for war. I’m pretty sure I knew that before seeing “Warfare,” but it was definitely confirmed afterwards.
'“Warfare” is Alex Garland’s stripped-down, shell-shocked quasi-follow-up to last year’s “Civil War.” But don’t call it a war story — this isn’t about heroes, missions, or meaning. It’s just war.
The whole point here is that it’s a movie based entirely on the memories of a real-life Navy SEAL Team on a mission-gone-wrong during the Iraq War. That means there’s no dramatizing, no narrative, just the brutal facts of the mission. There’s also no real message here, no statement one way or the other.
The result is a technical feat and a jarring look at the realities of war, but also a deliberately empty film.
Read the full “Warfare” review:
▶️ Play: It took the ‘Hacks’ Season 4 premiere all of 31 minutes to break my heart
Zach: Little Debbie down. I repeat: Little. Debbie. DOWN. 😭 “Hacks” took us from “we’re so back” to “it’s so over” all in a 31-minute span. The Season 4 premiere wastes zero time picking up the pieces from last season’s fallout — with Ava finally deciding to play dirty like Deborah. I didn’t expect the two to be playing nice again by the end of the season premiere (Exhibit A), but I also didn’t expect the emotional carpet bombing either. Still, that scorched-earth energy? It’s new ground for “Hacks” — and a reminder that this show isn’t just coasting. It keeps finding fresh ways to punch us in the gut and make us laugh about it. Not many comedies can say that. “Hacks” releases Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on MAX.
Johnny: Somehow, I feel like Billy Wilder doesn’t get enough hype among today’s cinephiles. Yes, I’m saying the man behind some of the most revered films ever made deserves more shine. “Some Like It Hot” only has 424k views on Letterboxd, for example, despite starring Marilyn Monroe and ranking among the funniest movies ever made. The Criterion Collection released a lovely 4K UHD disc last week, and it served as the perfect antidote to the midweek blues. It still blows me away as a 1959 pic that would be considered risqué and relevant by today’s standards.
⏸️ Pause: Inside Apple’s immersive ‘Severance’ FYC event
For Your Consideration season is all about wining and dining voting bodies to try and earn some extra votes for your show. Last weekend Apple TV+ raised the stakes with a “Severance” event – except the dining mainly consisted of waffle parties and melon skewers.
Hosted at Bell Works in New Jersey — aka the real-life Lumon HQ — the whole thing felt like stepping onto the severed floor. From in-character employees to eerie activations and a cast Q&A, it was immersive in the best (and creepiest) way.
Praise Kier, I made it out with both my innie and outie intact. Check out my full recap of the mysterious and important evening:
⏺️ Record: Robert Pattinson is the perfect pick to play the antagonist in ‘Dune’ 3
News broke last week that Robert Pattinson was being circled to play the antagonist in “Dune Messiah.”
Let me say that again: we could be getting a Pattinson x Denis Villeneuve collab!!!! Look at the list of directors R-Pats has worked with since blowing up. You’ve got Christopher Nolan (soon to be twice), Matt Reeves, Bong Joon-ho, Hayao Miyazaki, Robert Eggers, the Safdies… it’s only right for Villeneuve to get in the mix.
At the risk of losing my Timmy stan card, I might go so far as to say Pattinson is the most interesting man in Hollywood at the moment.
Now, Inside The Film Room’s Johnny Sobczak is breaking down why Pattinson is the perfect choice to play the shape-shifting antagonist Scytale in “Dune Messiah.”
Read the full deep dive:
⏩ Fast Forward: ‘Sinners’ is ready to save 2025 at the theater (sorry, ‘Minecraft’)
“A Minecraft Movie” may have dominated the box office the past few weeks, there’s been a serious lack of quality movies in theaters so far this year.
“Sinners” is here to change that.
If director Ryan Coogler breaking down all the film formats you can see on the big screen didn’t get you fired up, maybe this will:
Michael B. Jordan. Twice. Fighting vampires.
Sold.
Other Recs This Week: “The Studio” Ep. 5 (Tuesday, Apple TV+), “Survivor” Ep. 8 (Wednesday, CBS), “Abbott Elementary” S4 Finale (Wednesday, ABC), “Hacks” Ep. 3 (Thursday, MAX), “The Last Of Us” Ep. 2 (Sunday, HBO), “The Righteous Gemstones” Ep. 7 (Sunday, HBO), “The Rehearsal” S2 Premiere (Sunday, HBO)
That’s a wrap on this week of The Rewind!
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