Sight & Sound Best Films List: What Do the New Additions and Absences Mean?

The celebrated master of the twist ending, M. Night Shyamalan has, for better or worse, always insisted on giving himself a cameo appearance in the films that he directs. Some think it's a wonderful trademark while others can find it to be a little annoying. Some of his cameos last for just a few seconds while others are credited roles as characters who appear in several scenes. Despite what we think of his penchant for inserting himself into his own narratives, it won't prevent us from giving you a ranking of his best appearances.

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 4 of The Last of Us.After the devastating events of last week’s episode, “Long, Long Time,” The Last of Us delivered another phenomenal installment with “Please Hold My Hand.” With Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) headed off to find Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), the world opens up to show the other types of threats that they might encounter within their journey. “Please Hold My Hand” marks the first appearance by Melanie Lynskey as the revolutionary leader Kathleen, but she’s not the only familiar face within the rebel group. Fans of The Last of Us games may have noticed that it's none other than Jeffrey Pierce who plays Kathleen’s right-hand man, Perry.

It will be a while before fans see Marvel's highly-anticipated iteration of the Fantastic Four, especially after it was delayed all the way to Valentine's Day 2025, but director Matt Shakman was able to give some insight as to when filming starts. Speaking with Collider's own Steve Weintraub for his new Prime Video series The Consultant, the WandaVision helmer revealed that filming on the project kicks off “early next year” and that it'll be his priority going forward.

Horror is made up of a multitude of subgenres like the slasher genre, psychological horror, and supernatural horror, but one of the more recent ones to come along and haunt peoples' dreams is analog horror. Defined by its low-grade video and harsh audio quality, as well as bizarre and cryptic stories, analog horror has quickly come up in the internet age as an incredibly niche yet super effective corner of the genre. While there are not too many analog horror feature films that have come along yet, the internet has been filled with a number of web series, short films, and videos that play within its parameters, booming the popularity of this subgenre early in its life. Being that it is a subgenre in its infancy, there is still plenty of room to grow and expand upon to see what analog horror is capable of. With the recent release of the hit indie-horror film Skinamarink, it seems as though this form of terror is more alive, filled with potential, and rawer than ever.

Audiences can soon revisit the Academy Award-nominated film as The Whale has its eyes set on an official Blu-ray and DVD release date. Hitting shelves on March 14, the film will be available on Blu-ray, Digital, and DVD for $21.99 and $19.98, respectively. Alongside its home media release, the film will also feature additional behind-the-scenes bonus content, such as "People Are Amazing: Making The Whale," which focuses on the production, and "The Sounds of the Sea: Scoring The Whale," which offers audiences an inside look into the movie's captivating music.

The cinematic landscape is awash with adaptations of Stephen King's body of work; his masterful craft has and continues to inspire filmmakers. King's far and wide-reaching influence continues to spread, as we are now learning via Variety that one of the prolific author's short stories is being adapted for the first time in a foreign language. Per the report, Aladdin star Mena Massoud is part of the producing team behind the Farsi language project, titled The Last King.

Recent news that Phoebe Dynevor will not be returning to her role of Daphne (or the Duchess of Hastings, as she later became) has come as a shock to Bridgerton fans, with many questioning what the show will be like without her. But it is necessary to remember that the show’s formula is not built around an ensemble cast. Rather, it spotlights the romantic trials and triumphs of a chosen Bridgerton sibling each season, demanding that we all become a little less attached to its previous stars.

Marvel's new series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur follows the adventures of teenage super genius and superhero Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White) and her giant, cuddly, fire-breathing T. Rex pal Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore). While the two might spend nights and weekends fighting crime, during the day Lunella is just your average 13-year-old, with school, homework, and of course friends. In a new featurette, which Collider is excited to exclusively share, audiences get the chance to meet Lunella's social circle.

For those who are abreast with all things television, it is no surprise that HBO’s The Last of Us is one of the most beloved shows at the moment. And just like the contagious Cordyceps fungus that has ravaged the continental U.S. and the rest of the world on-screen, the love for the series continues to grow rapidly. According to Variety, viewership for the show’s latest episode comes in at 7.5 million viewers. This is a 17% increase on the 6.4 million viewers who watched the previous episode live. The episode titled, "Please Hold My Hand" refocuses on Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who in their bid to get to Wyoming are trapped in a “liberated” Kansas City.

It's something of a cliché to say that good things come to those that wait, but just because something's clichéd doesn't mean it can't come true. This is seen in the world of film, as while most stars (and sometimes even directors) achieve peak popularity when they're younger, others find success when they're older. Sometimes, they start young and grow their skills as they age, and other times, their careers don't truly take off until they've reached their senior years.

When Netflix began streaming the Spanish crime series Money Heist, very few could predict the following that the show would amass throughout its run. With a total of 190 million viewing hours in its first week, the series also known as La Casa de Papel aired its final episode in December 2021 on Netflix. It was a sign of the show’s enduring allure over its five-season run. Now Netflix has announced that we are returning to the world of high-stakes heist jobs with a new spinoff series, Berlin.

Cate Blanchett's latest character Lydia Tár in Todd Field's Tár, yet another phenomenal performance added to the actor's rich filmography, brings another chillingly maniacal character to mind - Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Lydia Tár, the world’s most acclaimed and ruthless composer, is manipulative, scary, and starkly human on a level that is truly sensational to experience. While Blanchett already has two Academy Awards on her resume, she could likely win another Best Actress trophy in March for a performance that is simply “undeniable.” One of the few actors that already has three acting prizes from the Academy is Daniel Day-Lewis; his second win came for his role as the aforementioned Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, a performance not dissimilar from Blanchett’s.

Based on Adam Nevill's 2011 novel, The Ritual has all the makings of a great horror film. A group of friends set out for a hiking trip in Sweden after the recent loss of a friend to a tragedy - it already sounds like a disaster in waiting. While the setup may make The Ritual seem like another low-budget survival horror film, the film presents more than it offers with its chilling atmosphere, sound effects, and ability to hold tension. Directed by David Brucker and written by Joe Barton, The Ritual places its different elements artistically to provide a fascinating and terrifying, underrated horror movie. It also has something to offer all kinds of horror film fans.

In celebration of the success of the Lucasfilm series, The Mandalorian, Disney+ has announced that the series will make its broadcast television debut, introducing a special linear airing for the first episode of the series. The TV broadcast debut comes ahead of the premiere of the highly anticipated third season.

Audiences will have to wait a little longer for The Black Demon to swim into theaters as the upcoming shark movie will now be released in theaters on April 28 according to Bloody Disgusting. Previously slated for an April 21 debut, the newest release date now pits the film closer to the summer movie season.

With the debut of anticipated sports comedy White Men Can’t Jump so close, 20th Century Studios released a first-look image alongside a teaser which aired during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. 20th Century Studios also released the premiere date of the comedy movie which will begin streaming on May 19, 2023.

Peter Jackson is one of the most important and influential filmmakers of the last 30 years, so it's a little bizarre for fans when they first hear about his video nasty roots. This term was coined by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association in the United Kingdom, used to pinpoint the violent and explicit exploitation films that audiences might come across on home video, a field that this filmmaker has a great deal of experience in.

When Is Bad Boys 4’s Release Date and Where Can You Watch It?. The time has come for the return of the Bad Boys movie series, and it is almost looking like a reunion of the original 1995 release of Bad Boys. Funnily enough, it will have one of the shorter breaks in between the films with eight years between the first and second movie, thirteen years between the second and the third, and now it is expected to have less than five on the outside for the fourth installment. Whatever the reason the next movie is flaming in with much of the fan's favorite cast and crew returning.

Kevin Hart is on fire in a newly released trailer for his upcoming action comedy Die Hart, and we mean literally. The first look reveals Hart’s latest role as an over-the-top fictionalized version of himself on a quest to change up his comedic type casting and make the major (and dangerous) jump into action films. Quickly realizing that he may have bit off more than he can chew, the star is in for a rude awakening when he goes to study at the top action training facility in the country.

Horror has always been a genre that allows creatives to explore all manner of themes, no matter how potentially taboo. While the genre has a history of relegating women to the roles of eye candy or the stereotypical final girl, it has begun changing in recent decades to give women more, better parts that allow them to showcase their talents. Representation in horror has never been as great as it is now.