Month: March 2020

Although the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis has resulted in a number of much-anticipated movies and TV shows pausing production, it’s also resulted in other movies being dropped far earlier than normal. With cinemas closing around the world, and more and more people staying home, here are the upcoming and recently-released movies you can watch early at home.

Available Now

A number of movies have already been released early on digital platforms, with most available to buy and a few available to rent for a cheaper price. These movies are available from VOD platforms unless otherwise specified.

• Frozen 2: March 17 on Disney Plus
• Cats: March 17
• Rise of Skywalker: March 18
• The Invisible Man: 20 March
• The Hunt: 20 March
• Emma: 20 March
• Onward: March 20, coming to Disney Plus on April 3
• Saint Frances, March 21
• And Then We Danced: March 22
• The Way Back: March 24
• Birds of Prey: March 24
• Bloodshot: March 24
• Dolittle: March 24
• Just Mercy: March 24
• The Gentlemen: March 24
• Call Of The Wild: March 27
• Downhill: March 27
• I Still Believe: March 27
• Portrait of a Lady On Fire: March 27 on Hulu, April on VOD

Coming Soon

Universal has said that its future releases, such as Trolls: World Tour and Focus Features’ Never Rarely Sometimes Always will be dropping on digital on the same date as the theatrical release.

Other movies that are due for release from Universal in the next few months include Candyman and The King of Staten Island in June. Focus Features had also set cinema dates for Promising Young Woman on April 17, and The High Note and Irresistible in May. Nothing has been announced about digital releases for these films yet.

Early TV Shows

While TV releases haven’t been as affected by the pandemic as movies, some shows have still made the decision to move their release date ahead for the sake of everyone stuck in self-isolation.

The production of TV shows have also been delayed due to coronavirus. These include the season finale of The Walking Dead, and the zombie series’ new spin off, World Beyond. Netflix has had to press pause on all its productions, including new seasons of Stranger Things and The Witcher.

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The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has been breathing a bit of life into self-isolation Twitter, posting never-before-seen clips and images taken behind the scenes of the show’s production. The posts have included stunt doubles for some of the main actors, what certain takes looked like when they were being shot, and plenty of cast member shenanigans.

The first post included a video of Jamil watching on during the filming of a season 4 scene featuring Kristen Bell as Eleanor, Ted Danson as Michael, and Rachel Winfree as the supposedly quiet, unassuming neighborhood resident Linda.

You can also check out other scenes being filmed or rehearsed:

And this clip of Ted Danson learning to floss, which isn’t entirely out of character for Michael either.

The stunt doubles got some visibility:

As well as some of the show’s recurring guest actors:

And, of course, some good old-fashioned behind-the-scenes shenanigans (that William Jackson Harper apparently didn’t realize was being filmed):

Though The Good Place had one of the most satisfying endings of any recent TV show, it’s still been sad to see it go. Luckily, it looks like there’s still plenty of behind the scenes content yet to be shown. Keep an eye on Jameela Jamil’s Twitter feed for more.

With movie cinemas closed in order to prevent large congregations of large crowds and stem the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), many movies are getting early digital releases. Now, another Disney cinema release from 2020 is available digitally much earlier than expected.

Variety is reporting that The Call of the Wild is now available digitally. The film, which released in cinemas on February 21, 2020, can now be viewed from home for $15. The film, which stars Harrison Ford, flopped at the box office, but might fare better with audiences who are now self-isolating and looking for entertainment.

The film, which is adapted from Jack London’s 1903 novel, is a family-friendly adventure film with a lovable dog at its heart. It’s the live-action debut of director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How To Train Your Dragon). There’s no word yet on when the movie will arrive on streaming service Disney Plus.

Another title has also been made available much earlier than expected. Downhill, the US remake of the (excellent) Swedish comedy Force Majeure, can now be purchased for $10. It stars Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a couple that struggles in the wake of an incident at a ski resort.

Other films to have received early digital releases so far this year include Onward and Birds of Prey, while both Bad Boys For Life and Sonic the Hedgehog will be available from March 31.

If you’re looking for movies to watch at home, here are our recommendations for movies to stave off cabin fever.

Actor John Krasinki is doing his part to bring a little joy to the world during a time of crisis. He has launched a new YouTube series called “Some Good News,” and the first episode is a delight.

The show is based on Krasinski’s tweet where he asked people to send him stories that made them smile. He’s now trying to lift people’s spirits by sharing some of these stories and interviewing his celebrity friends, including his Office co-star Steve Carell.

“For years now, I’ve been wondering, why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news? Well, desperately seeking my fix somewhere else, I reached out to all of you this week, asking–nay, begging–for some good news. And boy, did you deliver,” Krasinski said, via The Hollywood Reporter.

“After reading those replies and the incredibly heartwarming stories that came with them, I thought, ‘All right. Enough is enough, world. Why not us? Why not now?’ So, ladies and gentleman, this is your fault, and this is SGN,” he added. “I’m John Krasinski, and if it isn’t clear yet, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

Dressed in a suit and tie and presenting like a broadcaster, Krasinski shared some stories of good deeds, including someone from Maine delivering lobsters to his neighbors. Krasinski also interviewed a 15-year-old cancer survivor in a particularly eye-watering segment of the show.

Krasinski also interviewed Carell to celebrate The Office’s 15th anniversary. The pair shared some delightful stories of their time on the show, including their final scene together which may bring a tear to your eye. Naturally, the subject of an Office reboot came up, but Krasinski said he’s more interested in getting back together with his castmates to hang out and reminisce.

In other news about The Office, a new book has revealed some juicy details about the real reason why Steve Carell left the show. Krasinski also recently announced that his newest movie, A Quiet Place 2, has been delayed due to COVID-19.

After closing its doors on February 14 this year and firing all its staff, HQ trivia is back. The surprise resurrection was announced by company CEO Rus Yusupov on Twitter, and a push notification was sent to users who still have the app installed on their phone.

The response to the announcement has been mixed. While some users are keen for the distraction in a time when we desperately need it, others are still owed money from an app that closed without enough funds to pay its staff severance or cash out its users.

The demise of HQ Trivia was a messy one, with the hosts sending out one last angry, alcohol-fueled broadcast for the app’s final show. Between the company co-founder Colin Kroll’s sudden passing, the departure of a well-liked host, and conflicts with both staff and investors, HQ Trivia had more than its share of controversies even before the money ran out.

This week’s resurrection seems to be the culmination of plans that Yusupov referred to vaguely in a series of tweets after the company shut down in February. The company has since been bought by an anonymous investor who provided enough funding for the show to resume, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Host Matt Richards has promised that everyone who is waiting to cash out will be able to do so this week, and hopefully HQ Trivia will be able to deliver on those promises so we’ll all be able to get stuck into some fun, guilt-free trivia in the coming weeks.

HQ Trivia is available on iOS and Android, with push notifications alerting users when live trivia shows are due to begin.

Watchmen, our favorite show of 2019, might not come back for another season, but the show’s stars have found a reason to come together. Showrunner Damon Lindelof has taken to Instagram to post a video of the show’s cast encouraging people to wash their hands and practice effective social distancing amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The video doesn’t really contain much in the way of practical advice, but if we put aside for a moment how celebrities creating videos like this can be condescending, we have here a nice little reunion of the show’s celebrated cast–and some of them have delivered their messages in character.

The video, below, includes Regina King (Angela Abar), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cal), Tom Mison (Mr Phillips), Sara Vickers (Ms. Crookshanks), Andrew Howard (Red Scare), Jean Smart (Laurie Blake), Tim Blake Nelson (Wade Tillman), Dustin Ingram (Agent Petey), and Jovan Adepo (Will Reeves).

The highlight is Jean Smart returning to Laurie Blake, just as caustic and abrasive as ever. Being called a “social distance denying dips**t” by Silk Spectre herself is a delight. Ingram also gets to hint at Petey’s own Watchmen obsession, which was largely kept outside the show’s diegesis and explained via Peteypedia.

If you’re still puzzling over Watchmen, check out all the details that were explained in the show’s official podcast.

The new Xbox Series X controller, like its predecessors, will use AA batteries instead of a rechargeable battery that is found in PlayStation’s DualShock controllers.

Xbox partner director Jason Ronald told Eurogamer that the Xbox audience is split nearly evenly when it comes their preference between AA batteries versus a built-in rechargeable battery. Sticking with AA batteries for Xbox Series X is an effort to please both camps, as people can still buy a rechargeable battery pack for the controller, Microsoft said.

“What it comes down to is when actually talking to gamers, it’s kind of polarizing and there is a strong camp that really want AAs,” Ronald said. “So just giving flexibility is the way to please both [sets of] people… You can use a rechargeable battery pack and it works just like it does on the Elite, [but] it is a separate thing.”

The team at Xbox also spoke about some of the small changes they made to the new Xbox Series X controller. Senior designer Ryan Whitaker said the existing Xbox One controller is already designed to be suitable for the 5th to 95th percentile of hand sizes, and the new design improves that range on the lower end. The new design is aiming to support the 3rd to the 95th percentile, and these two percentile points actually represents “hundreds of millions of people,” Whitaker said.

“And so just by slightly shrinking some areas of the controller, we found that we can actually reach a lot more people and at the same time make it more comfortable for everyone,” he said.

Microsoft didn’t change the controller design radically for the Xbox Series X because people generally like it and are used to it. “They’ve got a lot of muscle memory in there,” Whitaker said.

The corners on the bumpers have been rounded to “increase accessibility,” while the bumpers and triggers both now have a matte finish instead of gloss. This was a practical change as well, as the new matt finish should help people maintain their grip when they get sweaty, Whitaker said.

The full report is incredibly in-depth and fascinating, covering more about the design of the Xbox Series X controller and the console itself.

The Xbox Series X, which launches this holiday, comes with a new controller. However, the console also supports existing Xbox One controllers and games through backwards compatibility.

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