Romantic comedies tend to get a lot of flack thanks to their perennial association with the Hallmark machine, but in the right hands, they can be an artistic force to be reckoned with.

Such is very much the case for Fly Me to the Moon, the Greg Berlanti-directed period piece produced by and starring one Scarlett Johansson. Those of you who paid attention to the theatrical ins and outs this summer may have caught wind of this one back in July, but a paltry $42 million against its $100 million budget may suggest otherwise. In any case, it’s finally made it to streaming, where its hearty, charming merits can be more readily feasted upon by a wider audience.

Per FlixPatrol, Fly Me to the Moon is currently the top film on Apple TV Plus at the time of writing, where it was originally slated to debut prior to its theatrical upgrade on account of strong test screenings. Toiling under the film’s new regime is Spirited, the more timely comedy flick starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell (third place), and Wolfs, the Brad Pitt-George Clooney outing where they play a pair of bickering fixers (fifth place). Depending on who you ask, all three of these films count as rom-coms.

Fly Me to the Moon stars Johansson as Kelly Jones, an advertising executive with razor-sharp wit and an eye for people, who’s enlisted to help repair the relationship between the American public and NASA; a relationship that’s vital to the country’s success in the Space Race. Here, she meets Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), the launch director of the Apollo 11 mission who takes his job very seriously and is none too pleased about the marketing tactics Kelly uses to prop up NASA’s image. The romantic tension of course becomes too powerful for them, but they nevertheless end up clashing when Kelly’s job is brought to the front of staging a fake moon landing, just in case things go south with the real one.

Interestingly, Tatum’s role was originally going to be filled by Johansson’s MCU co-star Chris Evans, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues; a changeup that single-handedly ruined the lives of everyone who was hinging on a bootleg Black Widow-Captain America romance for their next endorphin hit.

What makes Fly Me to the Moon such a narratively intelligent film is that it understands the importance of putting the romance between Kelly and Cole on the backburner, and instead focusing on the romance inherent to their individual humanity, as well as the romance between the American public and NASA.

This is to say that the thesis of Fly Me to the Moon lies in extrapolating the beauty of something without completely disregarding its less savory components. Cole and Kelly are both severely flawed people who are driven by trauma and unfortunate circumstances, but their maladaptation had a direct hand in bringing the best parts of themselves to life as well. Similarly, no secret is made of the manipulative role that marketing plays in most any relationship between citizens and the institutions they live in, but Fly Me to the Moon doesn’t count out the genuine emotional positives that something like the Space Race — a then-culmination of humanity’s scientific and cooperative potential — might spark in the public, either.

The whole thing is held together by a pair of decisive turns from Johansson and Tatum, whose combined comedic timing, snappy dialogue delivery, and physicality could have made the film watchable just on its own, but thanks to Rose Gilroy’s script, there’s hardly a problem to be had here, Houston.

Of all the major players in the current streaming pantheon, Apple TV Plus seems to be the resident bastion of “less is more.” Indeed, it shares with Prime Video an endless library of rentable and purchasable titles, but the films and television shows that you get solely via subscription are relatively few in number.

This is why you hardly see much of a change in the streamer’s top movies; only one gets released every couple of months. As a result, the hits hit harder and the misses miss wider, and Blitz is thankfully a shining example of the former persuasion. All it has to do now is keep pace with a nearly 60-year old Christmas classic.

Per FlixPatrol, Blitz is currently occupying the number two spot on the United States’ Apple TV Plus film rankings at the time of writing, vying for that top spot with the currently-encumbered A Charlie Brown Christmas; the resident Mariah Carey of Apple TV Plus’ media library (if you know, you know).

Blitz stars Saoirse Ronan as Rita, a woman living in World War II-era London that puts her son George (debutant Elliott Heffernan) on a train to countryside to protect him from Germany’s bombing campaign against the city, only for George to leap off the train and strike out on his own in an attempt to return home, encountering numerous odd ducks, bad eggs, and golden geese along the way. All the while, Rita worries herself sick over George while she and other working-class Londoners fight back against harmful wartime regulations.

The ineffable Ronan, a powerhouse turn from the young Heffernan, and Yorick Le Saux’s haunting cinematography are two of the more immediate boons of writer-director Steve McQueen’s latest, but the true strength of Blitz is its interest in the emotional devastation that’s caused on account of war; a tragedy that understandably takes a backseat to mortality rates and physiological ruin, but one that’s regrettably overlooked nevertheless.

From the moment George yells “I hate you!” at Rita for sending him away, Blitz embarks on a skewering campaign to highlight the necessity of human connection as we face off against the darkness that life and the wider world have a tendency to serve up. And what better way to exemplify that darkness than the shadow of Hitler?

Indeed, such times don’t call for an unwavering adherence to restrictions, but for compassion, and they certainly don’t call for separating sons from their mothers, even if it seems like the right thing to do in the moment. Pay extra-special attention to how much singing and dancing occurs in this film, and understand that those activities are not mere entertainment or recreation, but undiluted survival tactics.

The foremost tragedy of Blitz — like so many other films in this emotional vein — is how timely it is. Domestic and international tensions seem to rise with every passing day, and because of that, we all individually need to make the conscious choice to hold on to our humanity, lest we, in the noise of our contrived differences, forget that we are all a part of one another.

Apple TV just casually dropped the first look at Seth Rogen‘s new show about the decay of Hollywood, and we can’t get enough of Martin Scorsese‘s seconds-long cameo.

The series, titled The Studio, is jam-packed with stars in what will certainly be a story heavy with meta-commentary. The involvement of one of the greatest directors of all time and one of cinema’s biggest champions, then, is pitch-perfect — especially since he’s so critical of “theme park”-type media.

Though, let’s be real here for a second, what else do you call a show with Kathryn Hahn, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Cranston, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, Zac Efron, Zoë Kravitz, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Charlize Theron, and Ron Howard in its cast? I mean, sorry, Marty, but that’s definitely my kind of theme park.

We don’t know yet the extent of Scorsese’s role, but we do know Rogen is playing fictional newly-appointed studio head Matt Remick, who must battle “narcissistic artists,” “craven corporate overlords,” and his “own insecurities” for the increasingly impossible task of making great movies, per the official logline. It doesn’t seem like he’s doing that great of a job, however, seeing as the legendary filmmaker is featured in the trailer calling him “talentless” and “spineless”.

From the frenetic teaser, The Studio promises a Sorkian kind of adrenaline, paired with Rogan’s signature brand of earnest comedy. “At Continental [Studios, the Hollywood company at the heart of the series] we don’t make artsy, fartsy films. We make movies. MOOOVIES!” Cranston’s character tells Rogen’s Matt at one point. The line mirrors Scorsese’s vocal criticism of the current business model in Hollywood. Specifically, the prevalence of sprawling action franchises like Marvel, which undoubtedly put people in theater seats, but do little in the way of advancing the medium.

“The danger there is what it’s doing to our culture, because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those — that’s what movies are,” the Goodfellas filmmaker told GQ last year. He called the flashy productions “manufactured content” that looks like it could have been made by “AI.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t have incredible directors and special effects people doing beautiful artwork. But what does it mean? What do these films, what will it give you? Aside from a kind of consummation of something and then eliminating it from your mind, your whole body, you know? So what is it giving you? (…) You gotta say something with a movie. Otherwise, what’s the point of making it? You’ve got to be saying something.”

The premise of The Studio is almost, word for word, an exploration of Scorsese’s anxieties. Rogen seems to be projecting them into a future where the Safdies and the Nolans of the world, whom the acclaimed director calls on to “save cinema” in that same interview, have lost the battle against empty tent-poles. The crossover, then, holds plenty of potential.

Martin Scorsese is actually an underrated actor

Though the 82-year-old is famous for his work behind the camera, lauded as arguably the greatest director of all time, he’s actually got quite the natural talent for acting, and he’s proved it throughout the years.

Who could forget him as Travis Bickle’s passenger in Taxi Driver, as Vincent van Gogh in fellow genius Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, or as the radio show producer in Killers of the Flower Moon‘s incredible ending sequence? His most famous role, of course, is henchman Sykes the Pufferfish in Dreamworks’ Shark Tale, as these tweets will tell you.

Apart from what will undoubtedly be a delicious cameo and sharing in the show’s ideals, Scorsese doesn’t have any other involvement in The Studio. Star Rogen is the main creative behind it, also writing, directing, and executive producing it, alongside frequent collaborator and fellow Canadian Evan Goldberg. This is the comic’s first time in the director’s chair since 2019. He previously directed episodes of AMC’s Preacher, Hulu’s Future Man, and Showtime’s Black Monday.

The Studio arrives on Apple TV Plus on March 26, 2025.

The second season of Silo will return to Apple TV Plus on Friday, Nov. 15, and fans will finally find out: what exactly happened to Juliette once she stepped outside the confines of the silo where she’s lived her entire life?

Watch now: Silo on Apple TV+

Season one concluded with Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) escaping. Now that she’s outside the silo, she has to find a way to get safe oxygen – and she isn’t sure where to look.

As viewers know, Silo is set 10,000 years in the future and follows a group of people who have lived in an underground silo since birth. The world outside the silo is toxic and dangerous — or so they’ve been led to believe. Juliette begins to question the story everyone has been told and decides to plot her escape, despite the resistance she faces as a result.

The location of the silo is not disclosed in the series, but it seems to be in the United States based on the characters in the show. The books that the show is based on explain that there are 50 silos throughout the country, and the first is in Georgia. Here’s what we know about the second season of Silo.

Silo is based on a trilogy of books

Silo might seem like the type of dystopia perfectly created for TV, but the show is actually based on a trilogy of books by Hugh Howey: Wool (2011), Shift (2013), and Dust (2013). The books follow the same general premise as the series.

A lot of the original cast is back

Many of the cast members from season one have returned for the second season. This includes Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robinson, Common, and Chinaza Uche. Newcomers include Steve Zahn.

The second season begins where the first ended

The second season will pick up right where the first left off: Ferguson’s Juliette has made it outside the silo and is now looking for a way to survive, as her suit is running out of oxygen. The season’s trailer appears to indicate that Juliette will explore another silo that’s clearly been abandoned.

When does Silo return?

Silo begins streaming on Apple TV Plus on Friday, Nov. 15. New episodes will debut each week until Jan. 17, 2025.

Get ready for some no-filter therapy because the Harrison Ford and Jason Segel comedy show Shrinking is back for a new season. Season 2 of the show will pick up right where Season 1 left off, with Laird, played by Segal, meddling in the lives of his patients.

While he offers sound advice at times, you might remember that Laird is still grieving the loss of his wife, who died tragically in a car accident. He probably isn’t the fittest person to be dishing out life advice in his current cognitive state, but he does it anyway and breaches plenty of ethical barriers while doing it.

The new season features 12 episodes, two more than Season 1. The show, created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein, premiered on Apple+ in January 2023.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch Shrinking, including air times, cast details, and streaming information. 

WATCH: Shrinking on Apple+ (free trial)

Where to watch Shrinking Season 2

• Premiere Date: Wednesday, Oct. 16
• Season finale: Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)

Season 2 of Shrinking will premiere on Apple+ on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The first two episodes can be streamed early Wednesday at 12:01am. One new episode will air each week on Wednesdays, with the finale airing on Christmas day. Viewers can livestream every episode on Apple+, which offers a 30-day free trial for new users. 

Everything we know

In case you need a little recap, the first season ended with one of Jimmy’s favorite clients, Grace, pushing her abusive husband, Donnie, over the edge – quite literally. Donnie survived the fall but became wheelchair-bound, and Grace was thrown in jail for attempted murder.

Segal and Ford, both therapists on the show, were determined to help Grace, despite the fact that she literally threw a man off a cliff. However, she was convinced she did a horrible deed and pushed their help away. She was one of many characters on the show who had profound problems that the therapists had to tackle head-on.

While we don’t want to give too many spoilers about the new season, the show’s creator, Lawrence, has teased the details of one episode that will likely be a massive hit with viewers – a flashback episode featuring Jimmy’s wife.

“One of the cool things about streaming shows is the chances they allow you to take,” Lawrence told Radio Times. “And we had always planned this year to kind of go back in time and see different characters’ lives before the event, the death of Jason’s wife, see where everybody was before that happened.”

The episode is reportedly very emotionally charged. According to Lawrence, it turned out “really well.”

“I was so blown away by everybody’s performance in that episode, not only our regulars, but some of the guest cast, I’ll say, really kind of blew me away,” he said. “Those things are always nerve wracking, so you don’t know if they’ll work out.” But it went really well.””

Shrinking new episode release schedule

Here is the full episode release schedule:

• Wednesday, Oct. 16: Episodes 1 & 2
• Wednesday, Oct. 23: Episode 3
• Wednesday, Oct 30: Episode 4
• Wednesday, Nov. 6: Episode 5
• Wednesday, Nov 13: Episode 6
• Wednesday, Nov. 20: Episode 7
• Wednesday, Nov. 27: Episode 8
• Wednesday, Dec. 4: Episode 9
• Wednesday, Dec. 11: Episode 10
• Wednesday, Dec. 18: Episode 11
• Wednesday, Dec. 25: Episode 12 (Season finale)

Meeting the cast of Shrinking

• Jason Segal: Jimmy Laird, a therapist who works in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center while giving the death of his wife
• Harrison Ford: Dr. Paul Rhoades, a senior therapist with Parkinson’s Disease
• Jessica Williams: Gaby, a therapist
• Luke Tennie: Sean, a patient suffering from anger management issues
• Michael Urie: Brian, Jimmy’s best friend, who is a lawyer
• Lukita Maxwell: Alice, Jimmy’s teenage daughter, with whom he has a strained relationship
• Christa Miller: Liz, Jimmy’s next-door neighbor who helps look after Alice
• Ted McGinley: Derk, Liz’s husband

In the conversation about film, a picture’s prestige as a piece of art should be the foremost talking point. What ideas does it deal with? How do all the collaborators approach the work? What are the nuances of the storytelling engine? Are they traditionally robust and efficient, or adventurous in a way that pays off?

All much more engaging questions than how it performs from a box office or streaming chart perspective. American Fiction, for instance, made less than half of what Tarot did at the box office, and the latter has occupied top streaming spots for quite a while now.

Now imagine topping a streaming chart — an accomplishment that, given the volatility of viewers’ attention, carries the same weight as spelling your name correctly on your resume — which consists of the same 10-15 movies for most of the year, all while being buoyed by your star power and status as a brand-new movie. I speak, of course, of Wolfs.

Per FlixPatrol, the unceremonious reunion of George Clooney and Brad Pitt — an alliance about as famous as the individuals themselves — has been enjoying a lofty lead at the top of the Apple TV Plus Top 10 film rankings. The caveat to this, of course, is that Apple TV Plus only counts its in-house productions as chart competitors, which number 34 at the time of writing, meaning nearly a third of the platform’s entire library is going to make this list. In other words, no s*** Wolfs is at the top of the charts right now — it’s the new rich kid on a minuscule playground.

The other main caveat to this accomplishment is that Wolfs simply isn’t a great film. There are, of course, far worse positions to be in than a 68% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but Wolfs doesn’t make much of a secret that its raison d’etre is to let Clooney and Pitt riff on one another like it’s the aughts again. To its credit, that specific exercise works pretty well, but when it comes to the creative food chain, narrative deadweight reigns supreme, and the biome of Wolfs is no exception.

So if you’re turning to Apple TV Plus for movie night, your best bet might not be the popular choice. Indeed, for some of the best the platform has to offer, you’ll have far more luck peering outside of the Top 10, where the likes of CODA, Tetris, Swan Song, Fingernails, Fancy Dance, and Wolfwalkers all reside.

As far as chemistry, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are a delight in Wolfs. But this action-comedy lazily toes the line between both genres, without ever truly committing to either. 

Sure, every Clooney-Pitt pairing restores some balance to the world, but there’s only so much two juggernauts can achieve with a plot that underestimates itself. This crime caper offers a fun, exciting, and predictable reunion, but chooses to drag itself behind the charisma of its leads.

In Wolfs, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are fixers – the men to call whenever you want a problem “taken care of.” However, they’re unaware of each other’s existence, and butt heads when they’re hired to clean up on the same job. Cue in their incessant banter, reminiscent of their time together in the Ocean’s franchise. But unlike Ocean’s, there’s not much of a supporting cast to shield us from the constant clashing between the two actors. To put it lightly, both Clooney and Pitt, while charming, become insufferable rather quickly, and that’s because there’s not enough material to work with.

Amy Ryan opens the film as the District Attorney in need of professional help, and when the two fixers show up, we bid her farewell. In the same vein, Poorna Jagannathan stars as June, the off-the-table doctor who assists the men with a medical emergency. At just under 1 hour and 48 minutes, one would expect that the combination of Pitt and Clooney are sufficient to keep things fresh. Unfortunately, the monotonous dialogue and tedious scenes overpower their witty back-and-forth as frenemies.

Thankfully, there’s room for a few breaths, as Austin Abrams succeeds in stealing a few scenes, which is a great feat considering the caliber of his co-stars. Although, spending six-minutes in your underwear being chased by Brad Pitt across town is sure to leave you hooked for the time being. Throw in a desperate two-minute monologue about wanting to feel like you belong, and Abrams just might be the backhanded star of Wolfs.

In the midst of the emptiness surrounding them, both Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s unnamed characters excel when they’re simply taking digs at each other. It’s very easy to see the actors in their roles – as two adult fixers with back problems, who still think they’re the best in the game. Perhaps the movie is holding a mirror to the veterans’ lives, as both of them once dominated theaters, but are now left with limited theatrical screenings, before settling comfortably on streaming. Regardless, while they might not move with the speed of their 2000s selves, their verbal quips prove that Clooney and Pitt still possess a star quality that won’t diminish just yet. 

So is Wolfs a vanity project? In a sense, because it’s a pretty good guess that both actors just wanted to spend some together for a while on-screen. It’s also reason enough to believe that Pitt and Clooney are not actively chasing any serious merits, but the simple accolade that they “still got it!” However, with a little extra time in the writer’s room, Wolfs really could have shone as an avenue to showcase the lighter, comedic side of both stars, especially as they trade their swift agility for a few humorous back cracking. Having found a home on Apple TV Plus, Wolfs has a fighting chance to succeed on streaming, but it’s a no-brainer that it’s the Clooney-Pitt effect that will largely contribute to this.

Behind the camera is Jon Watts, the director responsible for the billion-dollar Spider-Man reboot films. For Wolfs, he swaps bright CGI storytelling for a darker, yet incomplete tale with multiple plot holes. The writer and director’s first film since No Way Home targets a more mature audience, but misses the mark by greatly underutilizing two of Hollywood’s biggest names. Being charged with resurrecting the Hollywood bromance is no easy task, but Watts was handed the best kind of bait, but still fails to translate a tried and true bromance onto the screen. Nonetheless, Wolfs is brilliantly shot, with a juxtaposing tone that feels nostalgic, yet fresh. It’s a taste of what Watts could bring to the table post-Marvel, and shows serious promise. Although his pen needs polishing, his eye could very well be the best tool in his arsenal. 

Altogether, Wolfs leaves much to be desired, no matter how much of a visual feast the Clooney-Pitt duo is on screen. With the number of celebrated movies between them, Wolfs will ultimately be lost in the catalogs of these two Hollywood titans. And while a sequel has already been confirmed, it’s going to take a lot more than their appealing gray stubbles, and Sade’s “Smooth Criminal” in the background, to keep viewers entertained.

Taika Waititi left his Marvel days in the past after 2022’s disastrous Thor: Love and Thunder, but with his most recent streaming reboot failing to gain traction on the charts, could the acclaimed director turn back the clock and return to helm another superhero flick?

I know what you’re thinking, “Taika Waititi has a new series on streaming?” I had the exact same thought. The series, which premiered on Apple TV Plus, is actually a reboot of the classic ’80s film Time Bandits. It’s a classic piece of ’80s nostalgia, but that only makes it all the more perplexing that the 2024 reboot somehow flew under the radar.

The show premiered in July 2024, and yet it seems most people were only made aware of it after the announcement of its cancellation in September. It had generally positive reviews and a talented team behind it, including Waititi, Jermaine Clement, and Iain Morris. Yet after just a single season, the show is out of time.

To be fair to Waititi, the blame can’t really be placed on him here, or anyone who worked on the show for that matter. It seems the issue came down to a pretty lackluster marketing campaign that led many to just straight-up miss the release. Responses on X to the show’s cancellation included many stating they weren’t even aware the show existed.

I honestly never heard of it.. poor marketing?

— Box Office Forecast (@BoxOfficeFcst) September 17, 2024

Literally the first time hearing of this show

— Sean Finnegan (@_seanfinnegan) September 17, 2024

Apple TV does a horrible job of promoting shows.

— Tim Ennis (@ThatsmeTim) September 17, 2024

Could Taika Waititi return to Marvel?

Back in 2023, the director told Variety that he would most likely not return to direct another Thor movie because his slate was booked for the next six or seven years. Now that any prospects for future seasons of Time Bandits have been lost, Waititi could have a gap in his calendar that needs filling. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for him to return to Marvel.

I know for some MCU fans that idea will send a shiver down their spine, but perhaps it could be a chance for Taika to redeem himself. There’s no doubt the man is capable of making great films and shows when he wants to. It would be great to see him return and prove to fans he still has his mojo.

But could it really happen, though?

While speaking to Variety, Waititi made it clear that there is no bad blood between him and the superhero studio. “I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.” Despite the fan backlash to Thor: Love and Thunder, he clearly enjoyed working on the film and has left the door open for a possible return in the future.

As we leave the barbeques, beach days, and fireworks behind in the summer months, the spooky season is set to commence as we drift closer towards the official start of Fall. And with it comes a parade of festive classics to enjoy alongside a tall glass of apple cider.

In particular, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, remains one of the most classic specials that happily assists in kicking off the pumpkin-filled season. Along with carving pumpkins and adhering to spooky activities, watching the 1966 project is surely a tradition in a wide variety of households across the nation.

However, one streaming service memorably played the role of Lucy back during the 2020 Halloween season, after the pumpkin was yanked right out from under our feet. That being said, that same tradition looks to repeat this year, with the Peanuts special once again not being aired on television for the fall-loving masses to enjoy. But fear not, for there is another way to soak up the fun of the classic movie.

Where can I watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown this year?

Thankfully, we can avoid the trickery and find the treat of a classic show on streaming this year, leading up to, and especially on Halloween. Is the episode not airing because people don’t watch traditional television anymore? Hardly. It’s just another tactic in the arms race known as the streaming wars, with one service gaining and securing the rights to the asset, and understandably so, given its ever-growing popularity.

The always-wholesome and transparent company Apple gained the rights to perhaps the greatest holiday trio of shows in existence — A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and our show at the forefront right now, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, back in 2020.

Not airing the special on TV over the last several years might be seen as absolute blasphemy to some, but others, they could borrow Linus’ spirit and say: “It’s a holiday miracle, Charlie Brown!” because all three holiday specials will still be available for kids and adults alike to watch together. That’s right, at least for 2024, even though you need something to stream it on, we can join the Peanuts crew in that great pumpkin patch once more.

That being said, those looking to ring in the autumn season with a bang can enjoy It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown right now on Apple TV Plus, with a subscription. Of course, you certainly don’t need to wait until September or October to fully experience the joyous film, but it absolutely adds a certain element of fun to the fall months.

The same will follow for the Peanuts Thanksgiving and Christmas specials as well, however, the current time windows for the specials are unknown.

Unfortunately, Netflix, Hulu, and any other fellow streaming giant does not own the rights, so Apple TV Plus is your final destination to watch the beloved special. So be sure to grab your apple cider donuts and begin the spooky season in the best way.

Six months ago, Argylle released to cinemas for some reason. It has since garnered a reputation as one of those films that was obviously a lot of fun to make, but a bit of a chore to sit through, hence why it didn’t even make back half of its $200 million budget; too many people decided they didn’t want to sit through it.

Indeed, the spy comedy spent too much time trying to be in on its own jokes, and not enough time trying to develop a coherent comedic identity, ditto any sort of plot. It’s an exhausting affair all around, but that hasn’t stopped it from occupying a certain Top 10 worldwide film ranking ever since it appeared on streaming not long after its theatrical bow.

That ranking, however, happens to be the Apple TV Plus Top 10, which, according to FlixPatrol, currently houses Argylle in the number seven spot on its worldwide rankings. But here’s a little tidbit you may not be aware of; the FlixPatrol rankings only counts films that can be readily streamed just with a subscription to the service, and the only films available on Apple TV Plus without the need to rent or buy, are its original films.

In other words, it’s no wonder that Argylle has been in the Top 10 as long as it has; there’s no legitimate competition going on over at Apple TV Plus. It’s probably also no coincidence that Apple TV Plus hangs far below its competitors in terms of subscribers.

Per FlixPatrol yet again, Apple TV Plus has an estimated 25 million subscribers (less than Canal Plus, Eros Now, and ALTBalaji, and if you’ve never heard of those, that’s the point). Disney Plus, meanwhile, quite violently eclipses those numbers with 153.8 million subscribers, which is in turn dwarfed by Prime Video’s 230 million and Netflix’s 277.65 million.

Moral of the story? Stock those shelves with studio deals, Apple TV Plus; no one wants to watch Argylle over and over again, trust us.

At first glance, The Instigators has all the hallmarks of a successful heist film. Directed by Doug Liman, who is responsible for the likes of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the recent Road House reboot, there was a lot of potential. But we would be remiss if we did not address the elephant in the room.

The chemistry between leads Matt Damon and Casey Affleck often overshadows the two sexual harassment cases against the latter that were settled outside of court. Because even though the movie is stacked to the gills with impressive actors including Ron Perlman, Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames, and Michael Stuhlbarg, there is very little meat on these bones. What starts out as a very promising heist comedy loses steam after the first act. And the rest is just a prayer to get to the end of a film that only clocks in at 101 minutes.

That said, what really works for the movie is the little things as it tries to honor the promise of its premise. At this point in pop culture, everyone knows about Damon and the Affleck brothers’ Boston roots. Damon and Ben Affleck won an Oscar for the Boston-centric film Good Will Hunting and have maintained their friendship for the past two decades. For his part, this is not the first time that Casey Affleck has costarred alongside his brother’s best friend either. Both Damon and the younger Affleck were prime components of the Ocean’s series in the early aughts. This connection carries through to The Instigators.

Damon and Affleck act with the familiarity and humor that two lifelong friends should have. But that is where the delights of the film stop. After the first 30 minutes, the film loses the plot. It also suffers from drastic tonal shifts that make the story hard to pin down. The Instigators follows a former Marine, Rory (Damon), who is at his lowest. The first scene is a startling shock to reality as he confesses to his therapist, Dr. Rivera (Hong Chau), that if things don’t look up for him, he will consider taking his life. Not really the best setup for a comedy which is further undercut by the introduction to Cobby (Affleck).

And what an introduction. We come across Cobby as he has enlisted a neighborhood kid to breathe into a breathalyzer attached to his motorbike so he can unlock it and go to — you guessed it — a bar. This would be a fantastic introduction if viewers weren’t legitimately concerned for the mental state of Rory. At the end of the day, these factors ultimately define the film. Tonal whiplash is a near constant throughout the feature.

And while the leads have a great back and forth, the film doesn’t quite stick the landing of what it is trying to accomplish. By all accounts, Rory should be the straight-man to Cobby’s wise-cracking character. But The Instigators doesn’t quite try to commit to this dynamic. In different hands, perhaps it could have been a more heightened comedy about bumbling criminals in over their heads. But the film never quite goes that far. After the plan to steal Mayor Miccelli’s (Perlman) run-off celebration money goes awry, the events the characterizations of this odd couple disappear. Rory and Cobby become the scapegoats for the death of a cop, which means the film gets far heavier than it has any right to be. They try to escape law enforcement who are convinced they are cop killers. There is little time for funny shenanigans after that.

If it weren’t for the general camaraderie and joy between Damon and Affleck, The Instigators would be a tonally confusing dud. Plot threads including their bosses’ stake in the heist go abandoned, as well as Rory’s initial intentions. His main plot arc includes trying to get money to honor his financial obligations to his son which disappears by the climax of the film. After being arrested for their role in the heist, they get released only because of the new Mayor’s hypocritical corruption. This leaves both characters right back where they started, which feels like a waste of a movie.

Both Rory and Cobby have developed as people. Rory goes to see his kid play hockey and realizes he doesn’t need money to be a good father, while it is implied that Cobby seeks therapy from Dr. Rivera. But the film barely meditates on these internal struggles to begin with. The loss of money and a lackluster ending makes the final act of the film unsatisfactory. For all the love of Boston and the talent of its actors, The Instigators deserved commitment to the genre which could have resulted in truly hilarious fare. Given the right material, these two could have done wonders with a straight comedy akin to Ocean’s 11.

At the 2023 IndieWire Honors Awards Ceremony in December, Lily Gladstone was the recipient of the Performance Award for their work in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon as Mollie Burkhart.

In their acceptance speech, the actress was all too happy to honor the performance that they felt was “the absolute highlight of my career, the best work I feel like I’ve ever done, the most important story, elevating the awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women, missing and murdered sisters, working with the greatest, most visionary, most committed director of my life, working with somebody who I love very dearly and had the best chemistry I’ve had with somebody onscreen. The greatest love story that I’ve ever told in my career.”

But Lily Gladstone wasn’t talking about Flower Moon. They were talking about Fancy Dance, the narrative feature debut of Seneca-Cayuga filmmaker Erica Tremblay, known primarily for her documentary shorts Tiny Red Universe, Heartland: A Portrait of Survival, and In the Turn. At the time of the speech, Fancy Dance had not secured distribution of any kind. Apple TV Plus — which also distributed Scorsese’s film — acquired the rights to the film back in February. It released the film on streaming earlier today, and now that the wider world can see Fancy Dance for themselves, Gladstone’s words will ring as profoundly as ever.

Flower Moon flew on the wings of technical mastery, a juggernaut loaded with star power and prestige, but it harbored a perspective that — while good-intentioned — was ultimately not that of the Osage Nation, e.g., the very people it sought justice for. Fancy Dance, by contrast, doesn’t seem terribly interested in using its runtime to take colonialism to task. Maybe it doesn’t need to; colonial practices like those depicted in Flower Moon invite lacerating criticism, whatever their context. Instead, Fancy Dance operates with a softer but sharper authenticity, one that arises from a Native filmmaker who celebrates, and meditates on, a kaleidoscope’s-worth of emotion and experience in every line, frame, and story beat.

The film stars Gladstone as Jax, a Seneca-Cayuga woman who lives on the reservation with her niece, Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). Roki’s mother and Jax’s sister, Tawi, has joined the seemingly endless ranks of missing and murdered Indigenous women. We watch as Jax juggles preparations for an upcoming powwow while providing for Roki, and searching for her sister. When CPS intervenes and threatens to take Roki from the reservation and place her with her white father, Frank (Shea Whigham), Jax and Roki take off on an impromptu road trip in search of Tawi, whom they hope to find in time for the powwow, and so that Roki can stay with her Indigenous family.

Right from the opening scene, it’s evident where Fancy Dance stands; in the wake of colonial fallout whose immensity is matched only by the immovability of Indigenous spirit. It’s unapologetic about the realities of missing and murdered Indigenous women, but it doesn’t want you to feel bad — or more precisely, not to feel bad as a punishment, but because that feeling might be a stepping stone; one that will hopefully lead to seeing — really seeing — the damage that so many institutions continue to wreak on the lives of Native people.

Under colonial parameters, Indigenous people are backed into a corner in which they must survive, but are subsequently punished for trying to survive. In Fancy Dance, this manifests most severely in CPS trying to take Roki away from Jax, and in the wedge that’s later driven between Jax and Roki because of the circumstances that they’re being forced into. In these circumstances, family and tribal bonds of togetherness are dissolved by force, which is tremendously harmful to individual Native people, and Indigenous cultures as a whole.

The chief emotion that Fancy Dance evokes, however, is hope. It expresses anger towards brutal, systemic, ongoing colonialism and the people who perpetuate it, to be sure, but a more prevalent element is the way its plot encourages us to think about how things could have been different, had settlers learned from Indigenous people, rather than attempting to wipe out their cultures altogether. This, in turn, encourages viewers to think about how they could incorporate Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into their lives now.

It’s through the young DeRoy-Olson that Fancy Dance demonstrates this — the Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing — most effectively. As she tries to explain the meaning of powwows to her white step-grandmother Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski), Roki’s body language is a revelation; she may not explain that meaning verbally, because that meaning is not meant to be explained through words. That Nancy thought of powwows as more or less equivalent to ballet lessons is just one of the many ways in which Fancy Dance examines the gulf that still exists between Native and non-Native thinking, and it’s all done with an abundance of internal and external grace at the hands of Tremblay. To think that this is the writer-director’s first narrative feature boggles the mind.

And speaking of DeRoy-Olson — and, prior to that, of hope — the young actress positively flourishes as Roki. There’s a certain maturity that she balances with her youth; she’s able to evoke Roki’s narrative purpose as a character, while still making her believable. This alone is impressive, but she also portrays adolescent rawness and vulnerability enough for us to recognize that Roki —and the culture she represents — must be cherished and nurtured unwaveringly, now more than ever. DeRoy-Olson is worthy of the exact commendation that Lily Gladstone bestowed upon her in her IndieWire speech, and she’s riveting to watch.

That, dear readers, brings us back to Lily Gladstone, whose screen presence defies explanation. As Jax, Gladstone is both mountain and climber, necessarily vulnerable and fluidly determined, flawed and uncompromising, capable of great pain and greater laughter. To love Jax, and to love Gladstone, is to love love itself. The utter justice that Gladstone metes out to Jax, Fancy Dance, and the world around them is an honor to behold.

There should be no question that Indigenous stories need to be told by Indigenous voices. Scorsese can show us Osage blood on white hands, which may do wonders for the specific discomfort that white folks can and should feel about Native American history, but Fancy Dance — an Indigenous story, primarily about Indigenous people, told primarily by Indigenous artists — is interested in pure love, and pure love just happens to run counter to the world that was forced upon Indigenous people long (but not too long) ago. That power is immaculate in every scene.

So thank you Gladstone, thank you DeRoy-Olson, and thank you Tremblay for what you stand for; it is universal, and it is essential.