August is a bit late for summer blockbusters and early for fall releases, so this weekend (August 18-20) was fairly tame as far as the box office went. But if you are looking for something to see, here are the top five movies for your consideration.

Taking the top spot this weekend is The Hitman’s Bodyguard, a new release starring Samuel L. Jackson as a former assassin about to testify against a dictator and Ryan Reynold as the disgraced bodyguard trying to protect him. It exceeded financial expectations with $21.6 million, though reviews describe it as a fairly average action movie.

Annabelle: Creation came in second with $15.5 million on its second weekend. This horror film about a demonic doll is the fourth installment in The Conjuring series and serves as a prequel to 2014’s Annabelle. Creation managed to wash away the shame of the 2014 prequel which brought shame to the genius of The Conjuring.

Another new release is Logan Lucky, which came in at third with $8.1 million—a pity, since director Steven Soderbergh said that it would need $15 million to be a success. It stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Riley Keough as siblings who plan a heist on the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600.

The extremely popular Dunkirk returns for its fifth weekend, raking in another $6.7 million. It focuses on the Dunkirk Evacuation during World War II, where the British pulled together all of their civilian vessels to help save more than 300,000 soldiers who were pinned down in northern France by the Nazi invasion.

Rounding out the top 5 is The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, which returns for its second week with $5.1 million. This children’s film, about talking animals living in a park, has not done well with audience or critics, performing far below expectations.

Image Source: Pixabay

There’s only one war that matters. And it is here. That’s all we get from the Game of Thrones episode 8 promo. Amid piercing stares, glamorous shots of armies marching, ships sailing, people looking gloomy, and Theon breaking down for some reason, Jon utters this sentence at what appears to be the meeting fans have been waiting for for forever.

Will Cersei be Convinced?

Cersei looked as smug as ever as she sat down to listen to the plea of the King in the North. As we all know what happened to the last Stark that was proclaimed King, let’s hope that the Lannisters will keep their regards this time. However, Cersei is a pragmatic woman, so it may be that Viserion died for naught and she will dismiss Jon’s case as trickery.

Why Did Sansa Look So Gloomy?

Back in Winterfell, we see Sansa looking upon her kingdom, looking gloomier than ever. She’s alone on top of the walls she jumped from not long ago. Will Arya attempt to assassinate her so she could wear her face and pretty dresses? Let’s hope not. Arya is smarter than that and people are still hoping that that little showdown was all for Littlefinger.

Will We Get a Lannister Showdown?

The promo shows Tyrion travelling somewhere by boat, looking even more dejected than Sansa. Then, a couple of moments later, we see Jamie and Bronn, preparing for a battle. Will the brothers meet on the battlefield on the same side or will they be fighting each other?

What Is Bran Up To?

Ever since Bran appropriated the three eyed raven’s powers, his sole purpose seemed to be to warn Jon and the rest about the intentions and movements of the Night King and his Army of the Dead. However, for some time now, he’s been sitting cozily in Winterfell, toying with Littlefinger and being a downright creep with his older sister. He’s starting to fade into irrelevancy so he’d better put that knowledge to good use soon.

Who Will Die?

According to GoT tradition, somebody has to die in the season finale. So who is going to bite the dust? Our money is on Littlefinger, but who knows? Cersei’s clock is also ticking as she has done nothing of worth this entire season. On the other hand, Westeros is at war, so everybody is sitting on thin ice. Well, everybody except Fire and Ice, we need them to defeat the Night King, get married, have plenty of beautiful incestuous children, and deliver us from Martin’s evil.

Netflix fans might soon start noticing a decided lack of Disney content in the streaming service’s menu, which can be easily explained thanks to the latest statement from the Mouse House brand.

On Tuesday, August 08, Disney announced its decision to put a stop to its broadcasting deal. It will be doing so as the company is set on launching its own streaming service sometime in 2019, according to reports.

Marvel TV shows are nonetheless expected to still be available.

Disney Content to Stop Being Accessible on Netflix

Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, is reported as having stated that the company is still in a “good relationship” with Netflix. However, the Mouse House is looking to extend the public’s options for viewing its ‘vast library of content’.

Its recent acquisition of new shares in BAMTech seem to be specifically directed towards achieving this goal. BAMTech is a streaming and marketing service. Disney first acquired a 33 percent stake in the company back in 2016. Now, the Walt Disney Company officially announced that it would be buying the majority ownership of the company.

Through it, Disney will be launching its own ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service as soon as 2018. A Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service is expected to go live in 2019.

“The new Disney-branded service will become the exclusive home in the U.S. for subscription-video-on-demand viewing of the newest live action and animated movies from Disney and Pixar,” declared Disney in the statement.

The company then pointed out some of its future releases, for example, Toy Story 4 or the Frozen still unnamed sequel. The Lion King live action movie, as well as other highly anticipated films, is also on the list.

Although all Disney content will start disappearing from Netflix, users are expected to be still able to access Marvel TV content. As such, shows such as Jessica Jones or Luke Cage should still remain on the streaming service’s list.

An exact date for the withdrawal of the Disney content from Netflix has yet to be announced.

Image Source: VIMEO

Barbara Sinatra, a famous activist and philanthropist, and the fourth wife and widow of Frank Sinatra, passed away at 90 years old on Wednesday, July 25.

According to a report, the woman died of natural causes at home, the Rancho Mirage in California, surrounded by her family and friends. A statement with these details was issued by John Thoresen, who is the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center director.

Barbara Sinatra, Famous for her Philanthropic Actions

Sinatra had a very active life as she started out as a model and also Las Vegas showgirl. A prominent figure and Palm Springs socialite, she was quite famous even before marrying her third husband.

This was Frank Sinatra, the legendary singer, who was at its fourth marriage at the time. It was also the most enduring for both of the two, as the artist’s death in 1998 ended it. Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82. She also gained prominence for being his “Lady Blue Eyes”.

With some help from her husband, Barbara Sinatra was also able to found a nonprofit center in 1986, in Rancho Mirage. This helps provide therapy and other sorts of support to young victims of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Sinatra remained active and involved in the center until recently, according to reports. Thoresen states that she has been helping raise funds and also dropping by just to make sure that the children had what they needed. She also pushed for the creation of a video program that was released last year.

Barbara Sinatra was involved in charities and social actions even before her marriage to the singer. Before founding the children’s center, she helped raise money for various charitable causes by using her socialite status.

Sinatra is survived by Robert Oliver Marx, her son with Zeppo Marx, her second husband, and Carina Blakeley Marx, a grand-daughter.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Both Marvel and DC dropped new trailers or at least exclusive footage during their San Diego Comic Con 2017 panels. As they did so, two trailers seemed to draw the most attention and have been battling over being the most watched trailer presented during this year’s SDCC.

One of them offers an exclusive look at what is to come in DC’s Justice League. The other is the official trailer for the much awaited Thor: Ragnarok from Marvel Entertainment.

Justice League Trailer Details and Preview

The newest trailer for the Justice League, a DC Extended Universe (DCEU) production was released during the SDCC in Hall H. It offers a first look at the latest villain, the monstrous Steppenwolf. Although Henry Cavill’s Superman did not make an appearance, the trailer makes heavy references to him.

It seems to indicate the important role of Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot as well as offered some further details on the world of Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa. Possible spoilers ahead, as the movie will take up from the day immediately following Superman’s death.

Justice League has been teasing fans with Superman’s role in the movie, and his presence is still very much up to the question. A final shot and line from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) may also be adding more fuel to the fire.

The exclusive look video gathered almost 16 million views on YouTube, as of this moment. The movie is slated for release on November 17, 2017.

Thor: Ragnarok Official Trailer and Possible Spoilers

Justice League was taken down from its most watched position at the 2017 SDCC by the official trailer for Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok. As of now, this has a little over 17 million views on YouTube.

In the official trailer, Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo’s the Hulk get to have a very one on one meeting. The montage starts with Thor narrating his woes, as he looks back on what led to his current situation.

Namely, this began with the loss of Mjölnir, his great hammer, and was then followed by Thor’s “journey of self-discovery”. Things went truly south because of Hela (played by Cate Blanchett) and her destroying Thor’s Asgard.

Thor’s story really tugs at the heartstrings but does not lose its humor. It will also feature an honest conversation between the Hulk and the Asgardian god. We will also see the brothers fighting together, as Loki seems to be fighting alongside the good guys.

The film is scheduled to be released on November 3, 2017.

Image Source: Wikimedia

The new season of the top-rated Game of Thrones just broke another one of its own records following its premiere on July 16. Season 7’s first episode ranked the highest number of viewers yet, surpassing even the Season 6 first and last episodes, which came with their own set of cliffhangers.

The Game of Thrones Season 7 premiere also broke HBO’s records, being the most watched first episode the broadcast company ever produced and distributed.

GoT’s Season 7 Premiere, a Prelude of More to Come

Season 7’s first episode, called “Dragonstone”, was first broadcast on July 16 and watched by 16.1 million viewers. 10.1 million were on broadcast while the other 6 million came from streaming or on DVR, according to reports.

The numbers mark a 50 percent increase over Season 6’s premiere, “The Red Woman”, which came as quite a surprise for some. At the time, everyone was holding their breaths as they waited to find out what would be the faith of Jon Snow following Season 5’s cliffhanger. Still, its 7.94 million viewer count was then surpassed by “The Winds of Winter”, Season 6’s last episode, which raked in 8.89 views on its original air date.

The high number of views for the Season 7 premiere are even more impressive when taking into consideration when this new season kicked off. Generally, the TV viewership is considered to be higher in the spring than in the summer period.

Even despite this being the first Game of Thrones season to begin in July, the other kicking off in either March or April, it was still the most viewed.

Some Mild Spoilers Ahead

“Dragonstone” was an ultimately slower episode than viewers have come to expect, with its being focused more on conversation. Despite a powerful beginning, the episode slowed down its pace, being fueled by conversation and a much-debated cameo. However, it once again struck viewers at the end, as an important player took her first ever steps in Westeros.

Based on the season’s trailers and the Episode 2 teaser trailer, the season will most likely pick up pace in its remaining six episodes. Season 7 of Game of Thrones will only have 7 episodes, 3 fewer than other seasons. The next episode, named “Stormborn” will air on July 23 at 9 p.m. ET.

For those look to refresh their memory or get up to speed with things, HBO also released a short video recap of Seasons 1 to 6.

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