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Have you already seen the teaser for »Agatha All Along«? It was dropped yesterday and gives us a first impression of the new series, which is part of phase 5 of the MCU.

In the spin-off to »WandaVision«, Kathryn Hahn once again takes on the role of the evil witch Agatha Harkness. After being trapped in the town of Westview at the end of that series, she manages to escape in »Agatha All Along« but loses her powers on the way. Together with a teenager (Joe Locke) she sets out on the "Witches' Road" to regain her magical powers. But she is also dependent on the help of a newly formed coven of witches (including Patti LuPone, among others).

After a significant postponement of the release, which was actually supposed to take place in 2023, we finally have certainty: the series will be released this September on Disney+. The true title of the series was also a mystery for a long time. With new names like »Agatha: House Of Harkness«, »Agatha: Coven Of Chaos«, »Agatha: Darkhold Diaries« or »Agatha: The Lying Witch With Great Wardrobe«, the series was a topic of conversation. Now the actual title has been revealed - »Agatha All Along«, based on the song of the same name with which the villain in »WandaVision« revealed her misdeeds.

You can watch the teaser here:
https://youtu.be/ARulRbzM7Jw

Are you looking forward to the series?

We've seen more and more films recently getting a sequel after a long break. Sometimes they're definitely worth seeing, sometimes the result is rather dubious.

And so »Gladiator« is about to go into the second round after 24 years. The brand new trailer for »Gladiator II« uses a story of memories to link to the first part. And according to the motto "Everything has to be a bit bigger in the second part", there's a sea battle in the Colosseum and a wild gallop on a rhinoceros. The trailer already has a lot to offer:
https://youtu.be/4rgYUipGJNo

Paul Mescal (the now grown-up Lucius) and Pedro Pascal cut a fine figure as gladiators, Denzel Washington already has an incredible presence while pulling the strings and Connie Nielsen once again ensures continuity with the predecessor in the role of Lucilla.

We're excited to see whether Ridley Scott can build on the success of the first »Gladiator«. In any case, this is a film for the big screen. »Gladiator II« is expected to hit theaters in November 2024.

Since »Metropolis« (1927), cinema has been dealing with the topic of artificial intelligence, sometimes more and sometimes less intensively. Thanks to applications such as Alexa, ChatGPT and Midjourney, AI has now also arrived in the mainstream and is accessible to ordinary citizens. Movies have already reflected this cultural change with works such as »M3GAN« or »The Creator« (both released in 2023). Since stories about AI are never complete without discussing potential dangers on top of all its merits, horror movies are an excellent way to deal with the topic and celebrate horror scenarios.

And it is precisely this goal that the new film by Blumhouse Productions titled »Afraid« seems to pursue: a family is chosen to test a new and revolutionary household appliance. AIA is a digital assistant that promises to improve the lives of its owners. She takes care, for example, of paying bills or reading stories to the children. Soon AIA begins to influence the behaviour of individual family members by awarding points (this concept is called gamification). But it doesn't stop there: if you mistreat the family you can expect deadly retaliation.

We are looking forward to the latest horror film from Blumhouse. In particular, the fact that AIA seems like a mixture of Alexa and M3GAN arouses our interest. In the trailer, a deviation from the expected AI horror genre conventions is also hinted at. It's quite possible that AIA is more than a mere artificial intelligence with murderous intent:
https://youtu.be/LE5QzD_qtxs

»Afraid« will be released in cinemas this August.

There's another film to celebrate! 30 years ago tomorrow, Forrest Gump came to US cinemas. The history of the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s is told from the perspective of a holy fool. The boy from Alabama with an IQ of just 75 takes part in major events in world history, meets celebrities and presidents and loves his girl Jenny ...

The film was nominated for 13 Oscars and won 6 Golden Boys. »Forrest Gump« was named "Best Film", Tom Hanks won "Best Actor" and Robert Zemeckis won the Oscar for "Best Director". It also received the award for "Best Adapted Screenplay", "Best Editing" and "Best Special Effects".

The film is a real stroke of genius that has lost none of its fascination even today, a film that makes us laugh and moves us to tears in equal measure. Always beautiful and heartwarming!

As a reminder, here is the trailer again:
https://youtu.be/bLvqoHBptjg

And if you're in the mood for the film now, you can find it on Netflix.

Hollywood is a haven of dreams. A place of longing that has produced so many world stars. If you want to make it in show business, you have to go to Hollywood. That's why porn actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) moves there in 1985. Behind her lies a nightmare, the so-called "Texas Pornhouse Massacre". She's the sole survivor and hopes that in Hollywood she will finally find the happiness that has been withheld from her for so long. But her dark past sticks to her like a curse: a private detective, who investigates the events in her past, pursues her at every turn. And then a serial killer named Night Stalker also declares the city his hunting ground ...

After »X« and »Pearl«, Ti West's trilogy concludes with »MaXXXine«. Since the predecessors were able to convince fans and critics, the question arises whether the third part will now succeed as well. Judging by the trailer, fans of the 80s aesthetic in particular will get their money's worth. With regards to music and optics, West leaves no doubt that staging this era apparently was great fun for him. It will also be interesting to see to what extent the Night Stalker refers to the historical serial killer Richard Ramirez. Did they only use the name or did they actually mix the real criminal case with the fictional events?

We are thrilled and looking forward to another stunning performance by Mia Goth, who built a monument for herself with »Pearl«. »MaXXXine« is hitting theaters right now. Here's the trailer:
https://youtu.be/Y4GMm2-44-4

What do you think about »MaXXXine«?

40 years after the first film's release, which is remembered as an absolute classic of 80s cinema, Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in the 4th installment of »Beverly Hills Cop«.

After the first two hits and a lackluster third part, plans for a fourth film were announced in 2014. At first, the cinematic release was set for 2016, but those plans were dropped and the film was stuck in development hell for years. Now, we're finally getting »Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.« on Netflix.

Axel Foley is still working as a cop in Detroit. A good friend warns him that his daughter is in danger and is murdered shortly after. The clues lead Foley back to Beverly Hills. His old friends Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) help him investigate and they uncover a conspiracy which even reaches into the Beverly Hills Police Department ...

We are thrilled to see the Beverly Hills Cop's new action-comedy and hope that Eddie Murphy can reach new heights in his old role. Are you just as excited as we are? Then you can watch »Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.« on Netflix:
https://youtu.be/KoxhkE_U3Ww

There are plenty of films that deal with the Vietnam War. All of them have one thing in common: they are always told from an American perspective. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel »The Sympathizer« by Viet Thanh Nguyen is different, as it is told from a Vietnamese point of view.

Pay-TV broadcaster HBO and production studio A24, two celebrated big players in the film and series business that immediately make us sit up and take notice, have now adapted the novel into a seven-part series under the leadership of director Park Chan-wook, known for masterpieces such as »Oldboy« and »The Handmaiden«. But what is this mix of spy thriller and satire actually about?

A young man, called "The Captain" (Hoa Xuande), son of a Vietnamese mother and a French priest, born in Vietnam and educated at an American college, is an adjutant to a South Vietnamese intelligence general (Toan Le). In reality, he is a dedicated communist and works as a mole for the North Vietnamese army in South Vietnam in the last days of the war. In 1975, Saigon falls and the general flees into American exile. The captain accompanies him to continue spying there …

His American opponents are all played by Robert Downey Jr., who, as a CIA agent, university professor, politician and film producer, delivers four portraits of American arrogance.

The seven-part miniseries »The Sympathizer« is currently airing on Sky Atlantic and is also available on demand. To get you in the mood, here is the trailer: https://youtu.be/47dRkhiERpE

In 2022, Matt Reeves steered the Batman universe into a new direction with his film »The Batman«. Actor Robert Pattinson interprets the Dark Knight as a mentally broken character, who threatens to fall apart as a result of his forced double-life. And when an apparent serial killer lunatic called The Riddler begins to terrorize the citizens of Gotham, the already dramatic situation escalates further.

Ever since his first appearance, Batman has been shown in various different interpretations. There were a lot of very comicesque, over-the-top and colorful versions. »The Batman« is the antithesis: It's dirty, dark and hopeless. There's neither room for cool one-liners nor for exuberant action scenes. Instead, we experience a grief-ridden Batman doing classic and strenuous detective work in a neo-noir setting.

Hot Toys excellently displays this exact atmosphere and character interpretation in this figure: You can present the Dark Knight with or without a cape and even with a wingsuit. Special praise needs to be given for the unmasked head sculpt: Robert Pattinson's likeness has been captured in detail. This makes the 1/6 Scale Batman in the Deluxe Version our very deserving 💥 Product of the Month 💥 in July 2024!

A few days ago, A24 released the first trailer for »Heretic«, a horror film starring British actor Hugh Grant, which is set to be released this fall. While he's mostly known for romantic comedies such as »Love Actually« or »Bridget Jones's Diary«, Grant already shows us how well his new role suits him in the trailer:
https://youtu.be/O9i2vmFhSSY

Two young Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher & Chloe East) are desperately trying to convert people to their faith, when they unwittingly knock on the wrong door. After they've entered, the atmosphere darkens. Something is definitely wrong with Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). But before the two religious sisters can save themselves from his secret, they become involved in a cat-and-mouse game which tests their faith.

As of today, you have the opportunity to learn in the cinema why the world from the film series »A Quiet Place« has fallen silent. The sci-fi horror, with its special doomsday atmosphere, looks very promising. Whether the prequel »A Quiet Place: Day One« can keep up with the first two parts, you might already be able to guess in the trailer:
https://youtu.be/gjx-iHGXk9Q

The noisy New York City turns into a nightmare of silence, as alien creatures fall to earth and tear apart everything that makes even the slightest sound. In this chaos, Samira, nicknamed Sam (Lupita Nyong'o), tries to survive. That's all that Paramount Pictures has revealed so far. However, we know from the first part of the series that the invasion won't go well for the world. But what about Sam's story? We are definitely curious!

Let's go to Eternia! We've got a very special MOTU episode of 💫 NEUES AUS DEM FIGUREN UNIVERSUM 💫 for you, because Tobi and Sven compare the brand new Skeletor »Legends« Maquette by Tweeterhead with Sideshow's Skeletor Statue 🤩. Posing, base, accessories ... which collectible has more to offer? And while we're on it, we are also taking a stroll through both manufacturers' archives and show you, which characters from the world of »Masters of the Universe« already had the honor of being immortalized as a Sideshow Statue or Tweeterhead »Legends« Maquette.

So if you're in the mood for a little trip back in time and want to know which Skeletor does better, check out episode 16 - now on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/lVOxw89v6HY

The »Luigi's Mansion« game series holds a very special place in the hearts of many Nintendo fans, since it gave the younger twin brother of the famous Mario his first big solo performance. There had already been a Luigi game in 1992 called »Mario is Missing!«, but it's considered a misstep due to severe quality defects. This changed with »Luigi's Mansion« and its successors. If you missed the second part of the series in 2013, you can catch up on it now. Nintendo is launching an HD remaster for the Switch starting tomorrow.

In »Luigi's Mansion 2 HD«, Luigi is given the task of restoring peace in the Evershade Valley, because after an incident with Professor I. Gidd, the ghosts are acting wild. So Luigi goes to various scary mansions and haunted houses to start a ghost hunt with a converted vacuum cleaner. Of course, there are also a lot of puzzles to solve and a lot of secrets waiting to be unvailed by you ;)!

Since the second part was only released for the handheld 3DS at the time, the Switch implementation makes perfect sense. The low resolution of the 3DS no longer seems appealing from today's point of view. The frame rate problems of the old version have also been ironed out. 

So if you want to enjoy the summer season with some light-hearted horror, you will be in good hands with this remaster. 

»Luigi's Mansion 2 HD« will be released on June 27 for the Switch.

Vampires are immortal. Hardly any film proves this as well as »Nosferatu«, which is now 102 years old. F. W. Murnau's bootleg was once in jeopardy because Florence Stoker, Bram Stoker's widow, sued for copyright infringement and won. The court ruled that all copies of the film should be destroyed. But luckily for all of us, a handful of copies had already made it abroad and so a masterpiece of film history was saved.

The German Expressionist films of the 1920s, besides »Nosferatu« especially »The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari« and »The Golem«, defined the horror film genre and had a style-defining influence from Universal's horror films to Film Noir.

Max Schreck in his role as Count Orlok in »Nosferatu« became one of the timeless icons of cinema. When Infinite Statue & Collectibles and Kaustic Plastik released the vampire as a 1/6 collector's figure for the 100th anniversary of the film, the response was overwhelming and the undead count sold out in no time. So it's no surprise that our Italian friends chose »Nosferatu« as their opus numero uno to launch their new Plus format. The series will consist of high-end mixed-media statues in 1/4 scale - statues with costumes tailored to their resin bodies, comparable to the Premium Format figures from Sideshow. Convince yourselves of the quality of this masterpiece, because Nosferatu can now be pre-ordered in our shop:
https://www.space-figuren.de/Movies/Nosferatu/Count-Orlok-Plus-Format-Statue-Nosferatu::27530.html

The story of the Undead continues in the cinema as well. In 1979, Werner Herzog created an homage to Murnau's film with »Nosferatu the Vampyre« and Klaus Kinski played Nosferatu, who is once again called Count Dracula, just like in the book.

Yesterday, the first trailer for the new, eagerly awaited remake by exceptional talent Robert Eggers dropped:
https://youtu.be/b59rxDB_JRg

We are simply enchanted! What a wonderful Gothic atmosphere with which Eggers pays homage to Murnau's masterpiece and the great genre-defining classics of the horror film. It's also very clever that the trailer leaves Bill Skarsgård as the titular vampire in the shadows, which only increases the tension - that's how it's done! In addition, the camera, lighting, costumes, set design and equipment are simply fantastic and make us look forward to the film and, to stay with the imagery, we really tasted blood.

Netflix has finally announced the release date of the third season of the Korean series »Sweet Home«. On July 19, the battle against the evil monsters continues. Since the series is based on a webtoon, it was already clear that the story hasn't reached its end with season 2. The official teaser reveals a lot:
https://youtu.be/O58zd29SQ50

After losing his family in a terrible accident, the high school student Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang) now lives in an old apartment complex on his own. As it becomes obvious that monsters are about to devour the world, he joins forces with the other residents to barricade themselves. Despite the circumstances, the survivors try to preserve their humanity and to not mutate into monsters. For Hyun-su, however, this turns out to be the biggest difficulty.

With the beginning of a monster apocalypse, the first season of »Sweet Home« instantly attracted attention. Unfortunately the following season received mixed reviews. It was trying to tell too many stories at once, which apparently made it hard for viewers to always keep an overview. But with the first teaser for season 3, Netflix seemingly manages to calm the spirits and makes the grand finale worth a watch.

Exactly 40 years ago on this day, a movie that - like so many other great movies from the 80's - surely amazed many of us and left its mark was hitting American cinemas: THE KARATE KID!

Writer Robert Mark Kamen and director John G. Avildsen (who by the way also made »Rocky« part 1 and 5) in 1984 told us the wonderful hero's journey of Daniel LaRusso with which probably millions of kids of that age were able to perfectly identify. Who of us didn't have that crush on Ali aswell, who didn't also start to take Karate lessons (or at least wished to be trailned by Mr. Miyagi, like Daniel-san) and who did not try at least one or even one thousand times to catch a fly with chopsticks ;)?

On the other hand, »The Karate Kid« maybe even was the first enounter with chopsticks or Japanese culture ever. The movie defintely had its fascination in this direction aswell. No wonder that the charismatic Pat Morita gained a nomination for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role as the mentor! Mr. Miyagi and his quotes becaume cult.

In the next couple of years, the less successful sequels followed, with »The Karate Kid Part II« (1986) and »The Karate Kid Part III« (1989), both with the duo Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita in the leading roles and still under the direction of John G. Avildsen. In part 4 from 1994 (»The Next Karate Kid«), the yet unknown Hilary Swank was trained by Mr. Miyagi. And then there was the remake from 2010 with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in the leading roles. Did we really need that?

A thing that the Karate Kid fan base definately does not want to miss is the stunning NETFLIX series »Cobra Kai« which made its deubt in 2018 thanks to the stories by Robert Mark Kamen. On July 18, the sixth season will launch! Looking at a rating of 8.5 on the IMDb it's pretty obvious that a lot was done correctly there - and the reunion with guys like Ralph Macchio and William Zabka was the perfect nostalgia flash at the exact right time :).

Did you know that in 2025 there will be another sequel coming a movie with actually Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, Jackie Chan as Mr. Han and Joshua Jackson - obviousely in the main role? We will see … What's surely worth is without a doubt putting in the "first" »Karate Kid« on your next movie night (why not on VHS, if you still have it - if not, then go to NETFLIX ;)) and reminisce about our youth.

We collectors are wondering about one thing since a pretty long time: when will we finally get a nice 1/6 figure collection from this cult movie?? Wouldn't that be a blast?!

Yesterday Max dropped another teaser for it's original series »The Penguin«, which takes place directly after the events of »The Batman«. Once again we see Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin, who is reaching for power in the underworld of Gotham City. Standing in his way is the young Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), who also wants to take over the leadership of the Falcone empire. A bloody power struggle is imminent.

The trailer looks damn good again and exudes exactly the right neo-noir atmosphere that also characterized »The Batman«. The eight-part miniseries will be released in September. We are really looking forward to it! Here is the new teaser:
https://youtu.be/D2uSwItbBAg

Exactly 50 years ago today, Roman Polanski's Chinatown was released in American cinemas. We are taking this as an opportunity to celebrate the film today.

The year is 1937. Los Angeles is currently experiencing a drought. Private detective Jake Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson, has specialized in observing unfaithful spouses and provides photos that convict adulterers. One day, a lady turns up in his office and introduces herself as Mrs. Mulwray. Gittes is supposed to monitor her husband Hollis Mulwray in order to obtain evidence of an extramarital affair. Mulwray is the chief engineer of the city's waterworks. Gittes shadows him for several days. Mulwray, however, seems to be much more interested in canals and rivers than in other women. But then, after a few days, Gittes catches him with a young girl. His photos of the alleged affair end up on the front page of the local press. The next day, the real Evelyn Mulwray, played by Faye Dunaway, turns up in Gittes' office and tells him she's going to sue him. Gittes wants to contact Mr. Mulwray directly, but can't find him. A little later, Hollis Mulwray's body is found in one of the canals. Apparently he had discovered a waterworks fraud. Gittes gets caught up in a vortex of intrigue and deadly fraud, personal drama and political scandals ...

»Chinatown« is a great film noir! Robert Towne's well-constructed and extremely efficient screenplay won an Oscar and is still considered a prime example of a well written screenplay.

The film is a masterpiece that you should see and is certainly worth a second and third visit as well. You can currently watch it on Paramount+ and Joyn. To give you a taste here is the trailer:
https://youtu.be/T37QkBc4IGY

Count Dracula and his eternal opponent Doctor Abraham Van Helsing, played by the Hammer Films veterans Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, have now made themselves comfortable in the overseas container and are on their way to us. Since travel through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal is currently not possible due to the political situation, our heroes have to take the detour around the southern tip of Africa. We expect the eagerly awaited 1/6 scale figures by Kaustic Plastik towards the end of August.

A few advance copies for photos and reviews are already in the hands of photographers and reviewers. So if you want to get a first impression, we recommend Dean Knight's review video on YouTube and his showcase video of the figures.

Our anticipation is growing enormously as we grew up with all the Hammer films that became an integral part of our cinematic horror socialization.

Kaustic Plastik proves once again that they have a sixth sense for figures with cult appeal. Both Nosferatu and Terence Hill were almost sold out in no time. Our forecast for Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing looks similar. So if you are a fan of the old Hammer Dracula films, you would do well to pre-order the two horror icons, because we expect them to be gone faster than you can say "crucifix" ;)!
https://www.space-figuren.de/advanced_search_result.php?inc_subcat=1&keywords=horror%2Bof%2Bdracula&filter_id%5B0%5D=166&language=en

A few days ago, Peacock released a trailer for the monumental series »Those About to Die«. The series takes us to ancient Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Vespasian (played by Anthony Hopkins), who has to fend off the intrigues of the patricians who would like to replace him with one of their own. The main locations of the series are the Circus Maximus and the Amphitheatrum Flavium, better known today as the Colosseum, where we meet all classes of Roman society. Four companies control the sports world of those days, which is dominated by corruption, greed and violence. The first season consists of 10 episodes directed by Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner and produced in the Cinecittà studios. The series is set to premiere on July 19 on Peacock. The trailer certainly made us curious:
https://youtu.be/hvf6IS48eik

The second season of »House of the Dragon« starts today on Sky and WOW's streaming service. A new episode is added every week, season 2 consists of 8 episodes in total. Unlike the first season, it will not be broadcast on Sky Atlantic's linear pay-TV service for the time being.

Showrunner Ryan Condal promises us more of everything: "More dragons, more action, more characters". The first season of the series had to contend with the problem that it had to cover a good 20 years of history, which inevitably led to a number of major time jumps. With the death of Lucerys and his dragon Arrax over Storm's End, the fuse was finally lit that's inevitably going to lead to the civil war between the parties of the two queens Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower.

Since the events from now on develop linearly without major time jumps, it will certainly be easier to connect emotionally with the characters and if we take Condal at his word, we have an exciting eight weeks ahead of us with fierce battles and thrilling intrigues for the Iron Throne.