Let’s start with the thing that has nothing to do with the movies opening this weekend: Sony announced it’s ending physical disc production for PlayStation starting January 2028. New contributor Rob Tate wrote the piece we needed — framing Sony’s decision through the same logic that cashless businesses used when they quietly decided certain customers weren’t worth the trouble. If you need reliable WiFi, a PSN account, and a credit card just to buy a game, the barrier to entry just got a lot higher. And “Play Has No Limits” is going to hit different from here on out.
Now. Moana.
It’s a big week for Pasifika representation — we published two separate pieces, which feels right given how much is riding on this film. Michael gave the live-action remake an honest 8/10: Catherine Lagaʻaia is the movie’s strongest argument for existing, full stop. The film itself is a little too faithful to the animated original for its own good, but she makes it work anyway. He also sat down with the cast and the Oceanic Story Trust to talk about what it actually means to get this right. Worth reading regardless of whether you’ve seen it yet.
On the Fourth of July, Laura found the exact right angle on the new Hunger Games behind-the-scenes drop. It’s Haymitch’s birthday, obviously.
Mike Manalo bookended the week — opening with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal breaking down what’s coming in Season 3, and closing it out in an IMAX theater where Villeneuve and Chalamet debuted the new Dune: Part Three trailer, where they answered questions about the conclusion of the trilogy.
Both Edward and Josephine were at Anime Expo last weekend. Edward got the full picture on what WIT Studio has coming next, while Josephine broke the news on a new Sonic the Hedgehog animated short dropping for the franchise’s 35th anniversary.
On the indie film front: Valerie reviewed Anywhere, a neo-Western crime thriller that she found had the bones of something interesting buried underneath a film that couldn’t quite get out of its own way. And Nikita talked to Girls Like Girls composer Jessica Rose Weiss about scoring the film directed by Hayley Kiyoko. Be sure to watch that on YouTube.
Speaking of YouTube: Lauren watched The Lost Boys for the first time — ahead of the film’s 40th anniversary next year and with a Broadway musical adaptation now running — and came away with a hot take on the channel about an iconic scene that carries some uncomfortably familiar racist undertones for Asian Americans. Watch it below.
That’s a wrap on this week. See you next Friday.
— Keith
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