The Rewind: Taking Paul Mescal's biceps and really holding space with them
Is "Gladiator II" good? Or is it just "Gladiator" 2.0?
Hey Zach, remember when you made a big deal about re-launching that newsletter only to vanish after two weeks?
Why yes, yes I do. But I promise I have an excuse!
Over the last two months, my fame has skyrocketed as the less smart and less attractive brother of Jeopardy!’s “new gay hunk” Drew Goins.
Despite missing a Taylor Swift question and bringing shame upon our entire family in his runner-up finish back in September, the peoples’ yearning for a hot Jeopardy! Champion has called Drew back to the Alex Trebek Stage – and by association, me.
Not only have I become a Jeopardy! WAG – attending tapings and buddying up (aka digging for information and advantages) with the other contestant plus-ones – but I’ve also spent all my free time creating practice Jeopardy! PowerPoints to prep my brother for competition.
So, don’t blame me for the lack of The Rewind, blame Drew. And tune in to the Jeopardy! Second Chance Tournament the week of January 6 (yikes) to see if it’s all worth it.
Anyways, back to your regularly scheduled programming!
⏪ Rewind: Denzel Washington’s swagger is reason enough to see ‘Gladiator II’
Full transparency, I had never seen “Gladiator” until Sunday night. I’d heard Hans Zimmer jam out to “Now We Are Free” live in person. I’d seen Stephen A. Smith recite Maximus’ monologue word for word. But I’d never sat down to be entertained by Maximus myself – until this week.
I’m 24 years late, but like everyone else says, “Gladiator” is an absolute epic. Now, “Gladiator II” is here with big sandals to fill.
Ridley Scott is back in the Colosseum, baby, and he doesn’t pull any punches. Epic battles and jaw-dropping visuals abound – to no one’s surprise – but when it comes to the plot of “Gladiator II,” that’s where things get tricky.
Check out the full “Gladiator II” review below.
▶️ Play: I WANT TO GO OUTSIDE
Zach: Once again, I am here to advocate for an Apple TV+ series that not enough people watch. “Silo” is back for Season 2, and the dystopian drama/mystery/thriller is one of the best shows on TV. Based on Hugh Howey’s trilogy, the series adaptation stars Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette, a woman living in a fully-functioning community in an underground silo due to toxic air in the outside world. At least… that’s what they’re told. Season 1 saw Juliette rise through the ranks to become sheriff and investigate what’s really going on inside – and outside – and now Season 2 kicks off exactly there: outside. What will Juliette discover outside of the silo? Time to find out. New episodes of “Silo” Season 2 release Fridays on Apple TV+.
Johnny: Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial effort, “A Real Pain,” has been getting raves quite literally all year thanks to its splashy Sundance premiere. Eisenberg leads the film alongside Kieran Culkin, with the duo performing a sort of Polish pilgrimage to visit the land where their recently-deceased grandmother grew up. I finally got to see it last weekend after its theatrical expansion.
While this concept easily could’ve been played as a straight drama, Eisenberg’s script has no shortage of laughs as the cousins grate and grind on one another, all while navigating a foreign country with a tour group full of strangers. Eisenberg plays the stuffier, more mature of the two, while Culkin is free to play and draw the film’s biggest laughs. The tour itself is fairly uneventful, allowing for the film to achieve a “hangout film”-style pacing, and this is where its pangs of emotion emerge. Culkin’s portrayal of a grieving man looking for purpose and connection truly puts the “pathetic” in “empathetic.” He pushes this very good film closer toward being great – and Culkin will be a worthy Oscar nominee come January. “A Real Pain” is now playing in theaters.
⏸️ Pause: A closer look at this week’s headlines
Shocker… Disney once again has no idea what to do with “Star Wars.” First, Simon Kinberg – the mastermind behind hits like *checks notes* “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” “The 355” and “Fantastic Four” – was announced as the writer and producer of the next trilogy in the franchise. Then, days later, they removed the untitled 2026 “Star Wars” movie from the slate, speculated to be the Rey-focused sequel led by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Well, Sharmeen, welcome to the ranks of Patty Jenkins, Kevin Feige, Rian Johnson and Benioff and Weiss. (Variety)
The real winner of “Glicked” weekend is the box office. “Wicked” exploded to a $164.2 million worldwide debut, while “Gladiator II” earned $221 million worldwide. “Wicked” is dominating domestically, though, doubling up the “Gladiator” sequel $114 million to $55 million, respectively. Sheesh. There’s another gladiator right around the corner – “Moana 2” is coming in hot on Tuesday night for the holiday week, and it’s tracking for an even bigger opening. (Variety)
Apple TV+ released the first teaser for its upcoming comedy, “The Studio,” with a star-studded cast. Written and directed by Seth Rogen and longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, the satirical comedy stars Rogen as a newly appointed Hollywood exec battling to make great films while also pleasing the corporate overlords. Hollywood loves projects about Hollywood, and if there’s anyone I trust to stick it to the system in a non-eye-rolling method (See: Adam McKay), it’s Rogen. Plus, the teaser features co-stars Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, and Ike Barinholtz, oh and cameos galore: Martin Scorsese, Bryan Cranston, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Charlize Theron, Anthony Mackie, and Zac Efron. I’m in. (Apple TV+)
⏺️ Record: It’s all coming together for Christopher Nolan… again
Even this far removed, 2026 already has the potential to be a major year in film, and the most-anticipated project so far might just be the one we know the least about.
We already knew Christopher Nolan’s next would be headlined by Matt Damon and Tom Holland, which would be an exciting enough duo all on their own, but Nolan didn’t stop there. His quest to start a casting arms war continued this week with another new addition to his “Oppenheimer” follow-up: Robert Pattinson. Re-teaming with Pattinson post-”Tenet” while the actor is at the height of his “Batman” powers… I see the vision.
Oscar winners Anne Hathaway and Lupita Nyong’o have joined, too, as well as none other than the MJ to Holland’s Spider-Man, Zendaya. Whether or not that last one amounts to anything beyond a glorified cameo as some rumors suggest remains to be seen, especially considering she is supposed to be filming “Spider-Man” and “Dune” next year, but it’s an appropriately epic ensemble so far.
The last tidbit that makes me most excited? Trade outlets confirming that none of the rumored plots so far (a futuristic helicopter action flick? A period vampire film?) are accurate, and the true premise remains tightly under wraps.
Christopher Nolan’s next film releases July 17, 2026.
⏩ Fast Forward: Close enough, welcome back “The Good Place”
Ted Danson and the creator of “The Good Place” reuniting? Count me in. “A Man on the Inside” is the latest from creator Michael Schur, the genius behind shows like “The Good Place,” “Parks and Rec” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” So yeah, pretty easy to see why this is an automatic must-watch, especially when you throw in Danson playing a retired professor starting an encore career as an undercover private investigator. It’s a breezy season of eight 30-minute episodes that are definitely worth a watch. “A Man on the Inside” is now streaming on Netflix.
Other Recs This Week: “Wicked,” “Blitz,” “The Piano Lesson,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls” Season 3
That’s a wrap on this week of The Rewind!
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Stay tuned for more!