Jakob Eiseman, Editor

Header Image: Warner Bros. Pictures, Marvel Studios, Xbox Game Studios, Edit courtesy of Jakob Eiseman

“The Little Things” — Jan. 29

“The Little Things” is a new film coming from John Hancock… John Lee Hancock, that is. Hancock is known for his sports and history films “The Blind Side,” “The Highwaymen,” “The Rookie” and several others. “The Little Things” is a bit of a divergence from these genres as a mystery detective thriller starring Denzel Washington (“Training Day,” “Book of Eli”) as detective Joe “Deke” Deacon and Rami Malek (“Mr. Robot,” “Bohemian Rhapsody”) as detective Jim Baxter. The two are assigned to hunt down a serial killer who is plaguing Los Angeles. Little do they know going into the investigation that by uncovering clues into the killer’s identity and crimes, some demons from Deke’s past will arise and endanger more than just the detectives. The film will release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously on Jan. 29. The film will be available on HBO Max for 31 days after its theatrical release at which time it will leave the service. “The Little Things” is Warner Bros.’ second film in their “theater-and-streaming” program in 2021, following up “Wonder Woman 1984” which was met with middling critical reviews.

“WandaVision” — Jan. 29

Without getting too into the weeds of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) lore, “WandaVision” is a very exciting chapter in the series of films and now miniseries that started with 2008’s “Iron Man.” The series stars Elizabeth Olsen (“Avengers,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”) as Wanda Maximoff, an “Avenger” known as Scarlet Witch who possesses supernatural abilities like telekinesis and materialization of items and Paul Bettany (“A Beautiful Mind,” “A Knight’s Tale”) as Vision, a robot turned deity… Listen, I know how it sounds, but just go with it. “WandaVision” follows the titular Maximoff and Vision in their day-to-day life in the form of a sitcom. Each episode mimics a decade’s worth of American sitcom. The episodes released so far have parodied the 50’s “I Love Lucy,” the 60’s “Bewitched” and the 70’s “Brady Bunch.” The series will be nine episodes long, with new episodes releasing on Friday afternoons.  Editor’s Note: “WandaVision” is definitely a silly comedy for the most part, but there is something sinister going on in the background and some scenes can be quite unsettling. As a Marvel fan, these moments will stand out as part of the larger story, but as a casual fan, these may seem odd or off-putting.

“The Medium” — Jan. 28

If you managed to snag an Xbox Series X or S over the break, you’re probably looking for something new to play on it. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the first next-gen exclusive game from Xbox will release: “The Medium.” The game will be available on Windows PCs and Xbox consoles, but is the first game to skip the previous generation’s Xbox One and go straight to the Series S and X. “The Medium” is a horror-action game developed by 2019’s “Blair Witch” developer: Bloober Team. Based out of Poland, Bloober is known for their psychological horror series “Layers of Fear.” The team’s specialty is creating scary worlds that do not rely on jumpscares and horror tropes, but rather interesting stories with eerie settings and frightening imagery. “The Medium” follows Marianne, a medium from Krakow, Poland, who is being haunted by visions of the spirits she is supposed to communicate with. Through the game’s story, the spirits will guide Marianne to uncovering the truth about a tragedy that happened decades prior. The game is unique because the player can shift between a normal world and a ‘spirit’ world with the press of a button. The shift from one area to another is quick and is meant to show off the fast load times of the new Xbox.

eisemanj1@lasalle.edu