News

Cinco producciones extranjeras se unen a las películas españolas previamente anunciadas en la Sección Oficial. © Ssiff

El Festival Internacional de Cine de San Sebastián ha anunciado la incorporación de cinco largometrajes internacionales a la Sección Oficial de su 73ª edición, que se celebrará del 19 al 27 de septiembre.

De esta forma, a las cuatro producciones españolas anteriormente confirmadas –recordemos: Los tigres, de Alberto Rodríguez; Maspalomas, de la dupla Jose Mari Goenaga y Aitor Arregi; Historias del buen valle, de José Luis Guerin; y Los domingos, de Alauda Ruiz de Azúa– se suman ahora títulos procedentes de Francia (por partida doble), Japón, Polonia y Argentina, con cineastas tanto consolidados como emergentes.

Te Puede Interesar Ya está aquí el tráiler de ‘Maspalomas’, la nueva película de Jose Mari Goenaga y Aitor Arregi tras ‘Marco’.

Entre los nombres más resonantes destaca el del francés Arnaud Desplechin, uno de los habituales del circuito cannoise, que...

Two Pianos by Arnaud Desplechin, Agnieszka Holland’s Franz and Alice Winocour’s Couture are among five international titles added to the competition lineup for this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Desplechin’s Two Pianos is about a virtuoso pianist who returns to his home in Lyon after a long absence and stars François Civil, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Charlotte Rampling and Hippolyte Girardot. Desplechin last attended San Sebastian in 2024 with Filmlovers!in the Zabaltegi-Tabakera section.

Franz is Agnieszka Holland’s take on the life and work of Franz Kafka, played by Idan Weiss. Holland has appeared multiple times at...

New films by Arnaud Desplechin, Kentaro Hirase and Yutaro Seki, Agnieszka Holland, Milagros Mumenthaler, and Alice Winocour will compete for the coveted Golden Shell at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival. The fest, taking place over Sept. 19-27 in the Basque city, is the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world.

French auteur Desplechin will take part for the first time in the festival’s Official Selection, playing in its main competition, with “Two Pianos,” in which a virtuoso pianist returns to his hometown of Lyon after a long absence to experience a story of impossible love. The film’s cast includes François Civil, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Charlotte Rampling and Hippolyte Girardot.

Renowned Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland returns to San Sebastián competition with “Franz,” an ambitious biopic of iconic Czech writer Franz Kafka, while Alice Winocour brings the star power to the seaside city with the Angelina Jolie-led “Couture,...

Hasta cuatro presencias españolas en el Festival canadiense.

© TIFF

El Festival Internacional de Cine de Toronto, que celebra su 50.ª edición del 4 al 14 de septiembre, ha anunciado los primeros títulos que integrarán sus dos secciones principales: Galas y Proyecciones Especiales. Aunque se esperan más incorporaciones, ya destacan nombres como Chloé Zhao, Edward Berger, David Michôd, Gus Van Sant, Guillermo del Toro, Mark Jenkin y Paul Greengrass. Además, España no se queda atrás y pone toda la carne en el asador con cuatro títulos. A la previamente anunciada El cautivo, de Alejandro Amenábar, que tendrá su estreno mundial en el certamen canadiense, se suman Tres adioses, de Isabel Coixet, también en calidad de premiere mundial; Sirat, de Oliver Laxe, tras su triunfo en la Croisette; y la coproducción Calle Málaga, que llegará tras su estreno en Venecia.

Galas

Adulthood (Alex Winter)

A Private Life (Rebecca Zlotowski)

Driver’s Ed (Bobby Farrelly)

Eleanor...

The Toronto International Film Festival will mark its 50th edition from 4 to 14 September with a lineup that blends prestige debuts and crowd‑pleasers across its Galas and Special Presentations programmes. Organisers confirmed that Colin Hanks’s documentary John Candy: I Like Me, produced by Ryan Reynolds, will open the celebration, a choice TIFF chief Cameron Bailey said honours “a hometown legend” while setting “a tone of warmth and wit” for the anniversary year.

Among 50 world premieres, Angelina Jolie headlines Alice Winocour’s fashion‑week drama Couture; Saoirse Ronan stars in the comedy‑thriller Bad Apples; and Keanu Reeves joins Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen in Ansari’s body‑swap comedy Good Fortune. Sydney Sweeney steps into the boxing ring for David Michôd’s biopic Christy, while Matthew McConaughey leads Paul Greengrass’s survival tale The Lost Bus.

Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery arrives as...

Celebrating its 50th edition this year, the Toronto International Film Festival will take place September 4–14. The festival has now unveiled its Galas & Special Presentations lineup, featuring new films by Benny Safdie, Gus Van Sant, Alice Winocour, Baz Luhrmann, Mark Jenkin, Steven Soderbergh, Rian Johnson, Paul Greengrass, Mamoru Hosoda, Joachim Trier, Richard Linklater, Jafar Panahi, Guillermo del Toro, Arnaud Desplechin, and more.

See below.

2025 Galas (in alphabetical order):

*previously announced

*A Private Life | Rebecca Zlotowski | France

North American Premiere

Adulthood | Alex Winter | USA

World Premiere

Driver’s Ed | Bobby Farrelly | USA

World Premiere

Eleanor the Great | Scarlett Johansson | USA

North American Premiere

Eternity | David Freyne | USA

World Premiere

Fuze | David Mackenzie | United Kingdom

World Premiere

Glenrothan | Brian Cox | United Kingdom

World Premiere

Good Fortune | Aziz Ansari | USA

World Premiere

*Hamnet | Chloé Zhao | United Kingdom

Canadian Premiere

*Homebound | Neeraj Ghaywan | India

North American Premiere

*John Candy: I Like Me | Colin Hanks | USA...

The ending of Leviathan was all about Alek and Sharp’s efforts to stop the Germans from capturing Tesla’s machine, Goliath, and also to stop Tesla from firing up the Goliath and destroying Berlin. How did things come to that? Well, as explained by Alek’s caretaker, Volger, Austria and Serbia had been at war for quite some time. Then Serbia assassinated Alek’s parents, thereby causing Austria to invade Serbia. Russia entered the picture to support Serbia. Germany joined in to oppose Russia and to uphold the Clanker alliance that it had with Austria. As for the Brits and the French, they were in search of a weapon that was capable of mass destruction before the Germans (who had already stolen the lightning-generating cannon) got their hands on it. This weapon, the Goliath, had been created by Tesla as an instrument of peace. He planned to unleash it...

Polish writer and director Agnieszka Holland discussed her new biographical film Franz, about author Franz Kafka, at the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on Monday, saying the movie tries to uncover the “essence” of the novelist and explores themes that are still topical, including Kafka’s thoughts on the dangers of totalitarianism.

The filmmaker unveiled the trailer for the movie, starring German actor Idan Weiss, before talking about the creative process of the film. The cast also includes the likes of Jenovéfa Boková, Peter Kurth, and Ivan Trojan. Holland wrote the script for the co-production between the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and France, with Marek Epstein (Charlatan), with Mike Downey serving as executive producer.

Holland has in the past described how she feels about Kafka as akin to a brother since reading him for the first time at age 14. “He stayed with me as writer,...

There are horror films that wear their intentions on their sleeve and then there are those that lure viewers in with a false sense of security only to repeatedly devastate the unsuspecting at every turn. The 2019 horror film The Lodge falls squarely into the latter category.

This picture melds themes of grief, religious trauma, and isolation, serving up a cinematic cocktail that is unpredictable, shocking, and often tough to watch. Similar to Hereditary before it, The Lodge just continues to deliver blows until the viewer is beaten to a bloody pulp.

If the promise of total cinematic devastation has piqued your curiosity, you may be interested to know that The Lodge is presently available to stream on Tubi.

While we are dropping knowledge, you may be equally interested to learn that the film features a descendant of none other than Elvis Presley in a lead role. That’s right, core...

Before Law & Order or Brooklyn Nine-Nine goofed around booming its iconic ‘dun-dun’, there was NYPD Blue, a raw, gritty, and full of drama that didn’t pull any punches. The show premiered in 1993 and gave viewers a front-row seat to the corruption, chaos, and complicated lives of the 15th Precinct’s finest (and sometimes not-so-fine) in New York City.

The show ran for 12 seasons and became one of the Ogs of police TV drama. NYPD Blue featured themes of tough love, often accompanied by shirtless scenes and detectives who didn’t always play by the rules.

And the cast? Well, let’s just say they were perfect. From the intense Andy Sipowicz to the cool John Kelly, the characters weren’t just solving crimes, they were also dealing with messy personal lives, occasional questionable choices, and drinking problems. Now since the sirens have faded long ago and the precinct doors have closed,...

The Simpsons isn’t a show that’s typically associated with gratuitous product placement, considering that Mr. Sparkle, Crab Juice and Krusty Brand Home Pregnancy Tests aren’t even real products. That being said, the show very nearly bent over backwards in order to shill for a superstar trio’s vanity restaurant chain.

Season Five’s “$pringfield” found Homer getting a job at the town’s new casino, owned by an increasingly Howard Hughes-like Mr. Burns.

While most of the episode was dedicated to Burns’ mental breakdown and Marge’s gambling addiction, the original plan was to devote a significant chunk of the story to Planet Hollywood.

For those who weren’t alive back when Earth was overrun by fax machines and parachute pants, Planet Hollywood was a novelty movie-themed restaurant chain for those diners who somehow still had an appetite even while seated below a nightmare-inducing rubber replica...

Lead Characters In Regal Attire On Netflix(Photo Credit –Netflix)

Netflix’s recent announcement came with mixed emotions. On one hand, The Empress will return for a third season and on the other, it will also be the last. That piece of information seems to have flown under the radar for many fans, who only recently realized what “final season” really means. For them, it was a straight cancellation.

Fan Reaction: Frustration and Fatigue

The realization gained traction when someone dropped a screenshot from a Men’s Journal article in The Empress subreddit earlier this May. The article grouped the show among four Netflix titles being axed.

According to The Mirror, the poster of the thread wrote, “Guess it’s official. Netflix has cancelled The Empress after this upcoming season. I felt disappointed with season 2, I wanted more in the amount of episodes we got. Hopefully this last season will make up for it!

It’s not the first time Mike Myers has swiped an impression from Dana Carvey.

Myers’ Austin Powers baddie Dr. Evil was a stolen version of — er, a loving homage to? — Carvey’s impression of Lorne Michaels, complete with pinkie finger extended to the corner of his malevolent grin. The unauthorized copy caused the two Wayne’s World stars to be estranged for years, though all comics will reconcile if they get enough cash from Uber Eats.

So it wasn’t a complete surprise when Myers, returning to SNL for the first time since 2015, snuck into Saturday night’s cold open to appear as Elon Musk, a character that Carvey performed in another sketch less than 10 episodes ago. Carvey gets the flu, can’t travel for SNL field trips and this is how his old buddy Myers treats him?

Play

Myers is an all-time SNL great so it’s a bummer...

Reacher fans, it looks like the showrunners finally got the memo — stick to the books, and nobody gets hurt. After Season 2 took some wild detours, Season 3 is reportedly getting back on track. Yep, Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher is about to throw hands and follow the source material this time.

Sonya Cassidy and Alan Ritchson in Reacher Season 3 (2025) | Credits: Amazon MGM Studios

If you felt a little let down last season, this might be the redemption arc we’ve been waiting for. Let’s just hope they don’t mess it up again.

Reacher season 3 finally fixes the mistake that made season 2 a letdown Sonya Cassidy and Alan Ritchson in Reacher Season 3 (2025) | Credits: Amazon MGM Studios

Amazon’s Reacher series is finally back on track — or at least, that’s what fans are hoping for in season 3. After a rocky second season that strayed from Lee Child’s source material,...

The Oceans Calling 2025 lineup has been announced, with Green Day, Noah Kahan, and Fall Out Boy topping the bill. The festival will return to Ocean City, Maryland from September 26th through 28th.

Also among the more than 40 artists performing across three stages are Weezer, Lenny Kravitz, Vampire Weekend, Good Charlotte, Train, Devo, Modest Mouse, The Black Crowes, Cake, Franz Ferdiand, Nelly, and two reunited groups: Jack’s Mannequin and 4 Non Blondes. Plus, Fountains of Wayne will regroup for one of their first performances since the passing of co-founder Adam Schlesinger in April 2020. See the lineup poster below.

Tickets to Oceans Calling 2025 — including General Admission, Ga+, VIP, Platinum, and Ultimate tiers — will first be available through a pre-sale on Friday, February 14th starting at 10:00 a.m. Est, with the public on-sale launching one hour later. Sign up for a pre-sale code here.

Oceans Calling 2025 will also feature food from renowned...

Reunited UK post-hardcore act mclusky have announced their comeback album, the world is still here and so are we, arriving May 9th via Ipecac Recordings.

The news comes along with a two-sided single of album inclusions “way of the exploding dickhead” and “unpopular parts of a pig,” the latter having been previously released in 2023. Just from the titles alone, it’s apparent that mclusky’s signature sardonic humor is ever-present, along with the uncompromising lyrical punches of vocalist/guitarist Andrew Falkous.

Stated Falkous in the press release: “With a title modeled on/ripped off a formative video game (The Way of the Exploding Fist on the Zx Spectrum), and lyrics inspired by the huge excitement caused by the surge pricing on tickets to see a band play well in the distance, ‘way of the exploding dickhead’ is a modern parable, without the parable bit.”

That track, built on pounding drums and jagged guitar riffs,...

When it comes to representation in media, Christmas is almost certainly the most popular holiday of them all. Christmas is at the center of countless films and television specials across nearly every genre, not to mention mediums. From fan-favorites like Peanuts to anime like Sailor Moon, every IP got into the Christmas spirit at one point or another.

There is still a wide gulf between the number of Christmas-themed productions created in American and Japanese studios. This is to say nothing of the stylistic differences between the two, some of which rarely, if ever, overlap. Then again, on those special occasions when they do, what becomes of their pairing stands out as truly unforgettable, and there simply aren't any so memorable as Sanrio's very own stop-motion Nutcracker Fantasy.

RelatedTokyo Godfathers Should Be An Anime Fan's Christmas Tradition

Tokyo Godfathers is an amazing Christmas film that should be part of every anime fan's Christmas lineup.

The Empress is coming to an end.

Netflix’s show telling the dramatic story of Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz has been renewed for a third season, which will be its last.

One of the biggest Netflix Europe shows of the past few years, The Empress started with Elisabeth meeting Franz and has worked its way through their courtship and the empire. In Season 2, they were trying to enjoy their fresh marital bliss when dark clouds gathered over Schönbrunn Palace. Elisabeth had to fight not only for her family but also for the integrity of her soul.

The final season will likely air in 2026. The Empress has been one of Netflix’s biggest non-English language shows down the years. The International Emmy-winning Season 1 stayed in the global Netflix Top 10 of non-English shows for five straight weeks in 2022. Last year, Season 2 made its way into the Netflix Top 10 in 84 countries, according to the streamer.

One of the films we highlighted from last year’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) graduate showcase, Franz Böhm’s now BAFTA nominated live action short, Rock Paper Scissors, brings the war in Ukraine, still raging but maybe less out of earshot, right back into your consciousness. Through happenstance Böhm found himself talking to a young Ukrainian army recruit who, in his tragically short life, found himself forced to shoulder the responsibility of life or death decisions. His story, encapsulated in Rock Paper Scissors, is one of resilience, love and sacrifice and stands out as a truly human tale. Wars are fought on epic scales but the rich live which are caught up in them are often reduced to mere fatality statistics. Böhm knew he had found a story which would draw out the individuals from those clinical figures and alongside a dedicated team of collaborators, he worked with Ivan,...

Fellow fans of The Empress on Netflix, we come bearing some good news and some bad news about the hit international title. Since November 2024 when the second season dropped, and we were left with that cliffhanger, viewers have been wondering if there's more to come in the historical drama. Now, we have the answer.

Netflix has renewed the series, which means The Empress season 3 is happening! Though the downside to this wonderful update is the fact that this is also going to be the final season. That's right. There's one more chapter left in the story before it all comes to an end. Check out the social media announcement below!

The Empress will return for a third and final season!

The historical drama “Sisi: Austrian Empress” graces our screens once again with its third season, premiering Friday, January 17, 2025, on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. Picking up the threads of Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s story, this season finds Sisi (Dominique Devenport) and Franz (Jannik Schümann) confronting fresh threats to their reign and their […]

“Sisi: Austrian Empress” Returns to PBS Masterpiece for a Third Season...

“We all do things that we wish we hadn’t done,” Alex Kapranos purrs at the end of the new Franz Ferdinand album, but it sounds like his regrets are too few to mention. The Scottish mod rogues are back with their best album in 15 years, a resurgence for the craftiest, most clever U.K. guitar band of their era. The Human Fear is their fantastic tribute to misspent youth and an even more dissolute adulthood.

Franz Ferdinand conquered the world in the early 2000s with their gloriously frenetic art-punk dance-whore sound,...

Before he pumped us up as one half of Hans and Franz, before he sang about chopping broccoli and before he orbited “Wayne’s World,” Dana Carvey was the Church Lady.

The perpetually pious Enid Strict debuted on the Season 12 premiere of Saturday Night Live — which, amazingly, also doubled as Carvey’s first episode ever — as the host of a cable access show called Church Chat where Carvey, dressed as a good Christian woman in her Sunday best, brought on a cadre of celebrity guests, both real and impersonated, and chided them for their improper behavior.

While the Church Lady was an imitation of a churchgoer Carvey knew growing up, he didn’t shape the character alone, someone else had a hand in it, too. Could it be… Satan?

Nope, it was veteran SNL writer Rosie Shuster who, after being there for SNL’s original run, returned to the writing staff...

Father sure doesn’t punish the kids like he did back when we were young. At least, that’s what David Spade believes about current cast members’ relationship with Saturday Night Live daddy Lorne Michaels.

On the latest episode of Spade’s Superfly podcast with Dana Carvey, the two SNL veterans expressed utter shock about the state of Michaels/cast relations. “Sarah Sherman's like, ‘Then I texted Lorne and said, ‘Why did my sketch get cut?’” said Spade. “I’m like, ‘You text Lorne?’”

Spade was floored at the sheer audacity of a cast member communicating with Michaels without sitting outside his office for hours.

“As a cast member?” exclaimed an equally flabbergasted Carvey. “During the show?”

Spade’s incredulity didn’t end there. He told another Sherman story about the Church Lady sketch he appeared in as Hunter Biden last month. Michaels got on a microphone (another “we...

Based on the novels of Lee Child, Reacher follows the hulking, laconic drifter Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) as he roams the United States, protecting everyday people who find themselves on the bad side of powerful criminal organizations. A cross between Sherlock Holmes and John Rambo, Reacher proves that a hero doesn't have to choose between brain and brawn.

As a former military investigator, Jack Reacher first attacks a problem with his keen observational skills and deep understanding of human nature. However, when the fists start to fly, the six-foot-five muscleman is more than capable of doing some damage. Each season of Reacher is based on a different one of Lee's books, meaning they have their own distinct arcs and characters. Regardless of the season, the action thriller is always full of shoot-outs, bare-knuckle brawls, and intrigue, resulting in some of the best episodes in the TV action genre.

Reacher Learns...

Warning: Spoilers for The Lodge.

Written by Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, and Sergio Casci and directed by Franz and Fiala, The Lodge is a psychological horror film that is unsettling from the moment it begins. The film follows a soon-to-be stepmom, Grace (Riley Keough), as she, her fiancé Richard (Richard Armitage), and his two children, Aiden (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh), travel to the family’s remote Massachusetts lodge for the Christmas holiday. However, their situation is wrought with plenty of underlying issues no one is properly addressing.

Six months prior, Richard’s estranged wife, Laura (Alicia Silverstone), took her own life after he informed her that he wanted to finalize their divorce so he and Grace could marry. Clearly a case of infidelity, Richard and Grace met while he was conducting research for his book about the extremist cult Grace’s father led when she was a child.

Quick Links How Legends of Tomorrow Foreshadowed Martin Stein's Death in Season 1 Why Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson Were the Arrowverse's Best Firestorm Martin Stein's Death Was One of Legends of Tomorrow's Most Emotional Moments

With the finale of Superman & Lois, fans are looking back at the Dctv shows on The CW that aired over the past dozen years. These series varied greatly in tone and style, but each brought unique and beloved characters from DC Comics to life. The most outlandish one, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, included Firestorm and from its first season foreshadowed the death of fan-favorite character, Martin Stein.

Legends of Tomorrow embraced comics' silly side, and over the course of that first season, the characters came into their own as heroes. When Robbie Amell's Ronnie Raymond left The Flash, producers cast Franz Drameh to play Jefferson Jackson. He made up the other half of...

Franz and Sisi have gone down in history as the most perfect couple that the Austrian monarchy ever knew. The marriage and reign of the emperor and the empress of Austria is certainly worthy of being told, which is why it’s no wonder that their story has inspired numerous movies and series over time. The most iconic movie bringing the story of Franz and Sisi to the screen was the 1950s trilogy Sissi with Romy Schneider.

Since the end of 2022, there has been a new mesmerizing contender on the list. With The Empress, Netflix brought an exciting historical drama series to the masses, which renders the story of how the two monarchs met, the beginning stages of their sometimes strained relationship, and how their love and reign evolved over the years. Franz and Sisi were ruling in Austria, but where was Netflix’s The Empress filmed?

Your changes have...

Even though Austria is just a fairly small country in Central Europe, it still has some memorable names attached to its history. Adolf Hitler is certainly one of those figures which immediately come to mind, even if it’s in a negative way, and it’s not surprising that the legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock almost made a movie adaptation of Mein Kampf.

Riding the top 10 Netflix charts after the release of its second season is The Empress, which highlights the life of an equally famous figure, but for very different reasons. The Netflix series revisits the life of Elisabeth of Wittelsbach, Princess of Bavaria, as she comes to Austria to see her sister get married to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, but unexpectedly ends up as the new Empress herself. This historical series offers a deeper insight into the hardship Franz and Sisi (or Sissi) are facing after their marriage,...

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The Empress is a German historical romantic drama series created by Katharina Eyssen. Based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the Netflix series follows Elisabeth of Bavaria as she falls for and marries the Emperor Franz of Austria. This marriage pushes Elisabeth into the stressful life of an Empress. What started as a love story becomes so much more as time goes on, and the duties of the Emperor and Empress begin to create distance between Elisabeth and Franz. We see Elisabeth fall in love, deal with the consequences of being an Empress, and put Royal duties first to become a beloved Royal figure among her subjects. The Empress stars Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant, Melika Foroutan, Johannes Nussbaum, and Elisa Schlott. So, if you loved the royal intrigue, historical drama, and compelling characters in The Empress,...

Netflix’s The Empress returned with an intense and emotionally charged Season 2, diving deeper into the lives of Emperor Franz Joseph I (Philip Froissant) and Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” (Devrim Lingnau) as they navigated personal losses, political turmoil, and the growing unrest in the Austrian empire. While Season 1 primarily chronicled Elisabeth’s entry into the Viennese court and her defiance of societal norms, Season 2 expanded the narrative to explore her struggles with motherhood, Franz’s internal battle between duty and personal desires, and the larger conflict of the Second Italian War of Independence. The season’s climactic ending left viewers with both answers and new questions about the fates of Austria, its rulers, and the Habsburg family. Franz’s Decision to Go to War: Noble Leadership or a Desperate Gamble?

The final episodes of Season 2 saw Franz grappling with his identity as emperor. After Austria’s devastating defeat at the Battle of Magenta,...

The Empress season 2 on Netflix is drawing to an end with threats of war lingering on the horizon, the birth of an heir, and the personal in-depth look at grief from a royal perspective. All season long, these variables have been challenges Franz and Elisabeth needed to conquer.

Will Austria be forced to go to war? And if so, how will this affect the kingdom and members of the royal family?

Courtesy of Netflix © 2024 Episode 5: Grieving

Two months after the passing of her daughter Sophie, Elisabeth has returned home to be with her overbearing mother and younger siblings. As much as she's frustrated by her mother, she'd rather be here than with her husband.

Her days consist of barely eating to wandering aimlessly in the woods, still holding onto a deep hate for Franz, who she partially blames for the death of their daughter. After her mother chases Charlotte...

The Empress season 2 began on rather rocky ground for the otherwise happily married rulers Franz and Elisabeth. After catching up with the core cast, including a time jump, we learn that happiness is often fleeting.

While the birth of another daughter is a blessing for some, it's a nightmare in terms of an heir to the throne. But a bigger shadow is casting itself over the Emperor and Empress; the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia.

Will Franz and Elisabeth be able to work together and find a solution?

The Empress Season 2 Episode 3 review: Love prevails but for how long?

It appears as though Franz and Elisabeth have come to an agreement regarding the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. They will be traveling to see for themselves what has been happening and how they can improve the situation from getting worse.

What they don't realize is that the Venetians are often bullied by Austrian soldiers,...

As hits like “Take Me Out” suggest, Franz Ferdinand has always had an ear for great pop songs with huge hooks — so it’s not surprising that the band are huge fans of Chappell Roan. During a recent Sofa Session with Jo Whiley for BBC Radio 2, Franz performed a superb, rocked-up cover of “Good Luck Babe” that could pass for a Franz original, with frontman Alex Kapranos dipping into the lowest part of his range.

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A post shared by BBC Radio 2 (@bbcradio2)

“It’s...

Saturday Night Live’s upcoming 50th anniversary special will no doubt bring back a number of past characters, as long as they weren’t played by Joe Piscopo or Jim Breuer, we assume. The show doesn’t air until February, but SNL’s nostalgia-fest has already begun. Yes, two beloved cast members just revived two beloved SNL characters — but it was all in the service of promoting a credit card company.

Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer’s soft-spoken “Delicious Dish” hosts are best known for the time they interviewed Pete Schweddy about his coveted balls.

Then, of course, there was the time the pair went to town on Florence Dusty’s yeasty muffins.

And now they’re back! And they’re hawking credit cards! Margaret Jo McCullen and Teri Rialto just showed up in a commercial for Capital One, interviewing the company’s celebrity spokesman, Samuel L. Jackson. Weirdly, the ad takes place,...

Warning: Contains potential Spoilers for The EmpressNetflix's series The Empress is a gripping historical drama surrounding the true story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her relationship and life with Emperor Franz Joseph. The Empress, which has received positive reviews for its first and second seasons, deals with the politics and troubles of mid-1800s Austria. Though there are some dramatic embellishments added to keep audiences entertained, much of what occurs in The Empress seasons 1 and 2 is straight from history books.

While season 1 focused more on the relationship dynamics between Elisabeth and Franz as she adjusted to life in Vienna, season 2 gets more into the political problems brewing in Europe, especially in the Italian states and with Napoleon III. The ending of The Empress season 2 shows Franz Joseph going to the frontlines to fight against Napoleon III, leaving his fate in The Empress season 3 unclear. However, because Emperor Franz Joseph was a real historical figure,...

This article contains spoilers for The Empress season 2.

While Netflix's The Empress season 2 does a good job of telling Empress Elisabeth of Austria's story, the show does include a few historical inaccuracies. The Empress, based on the real history of Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, chronicles her early adulthood years, mainly centering on her marriage to Franz Joseph I and her struggles at the Viennese Court. The Empress is one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix and is popular with both critics and audiences.

Given that The Empress and many of its cast of characters are based on real people, there's an expectation that the show runners will have to get every historical detail right. However, the changes that were made to Elisabeth's story helped the show become more entertaining because it perfectly combined fact and fiction. It is worth noting that overall, The Empress depicted Elisabeth’s life...

This article contains spoilers for The Empress season 2.The Empress season 2 had a dramatic ending that saw Emperor Franz Joseph I going off to war. The second season, which is based on Empress Elisabeth of Austrias life, is set a few years after the events of season 1. While The Empress season 1 was about Elisabeth and Franz's marriage and her trials at the Viennese Court, the sophomore season focused on her motherhood journey and the rising tension between Austria and the Italian-language speaking territories.

After only giving birth to girls, Elisabeth was under a lot of pressure to produce an heir. But when she nearly died in childbirth, she decided she didn't want to become pregnant again. Despite how she felt, Austria needed an heir to succeed Franz, more so because the empire was facing another revolution. The second season of The Empress also sees Franz's struggle with losing his...

The Empress is back with season 2 on Netflix, continuing the historical drama of the real-life Emperor Franz and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. In season 1 we learn how the couple meets and all the trials and tribulations that follow including that of Franz's overbearing, vindictive mother Sophia.

As a young couple, the love and passion becomes threatened by their vastly different personalities. As Elisabeth struggled to assimilate into royal life, Sophia continued her attempts to break the couple apart, all the while Franz's brother Maximilian falls in love with Elisabeth.

Times are changing, the old world is fading, meaning Elisabeth must find a way to keep the people of Austria happy, as well as keep her position as Empress, even though it seems everyone is against her. This includes a secret assassination attempt via rebel Leontine.

Some of the burning questions we hope the new season will answer are if Elisabeth and Franz's marriage survives,...

The Empress is a German-language drama series thats found huge success on Netflix, telling the story of a young girl named Elisabeth who falls in love with Emperor Franz of Austria and later becomes his bride, bringing her deep into the world of politics. The show is filled with mystery and intrigue, exploring the less public side of the royal family that Elisabeth wasnt privy to before letting love bring her into this world. The Empress is inspired by real events that happened in the Austrian court in the 1800s, and brings much of this intense realism to its story.

The Empress has an excellent cast that manages to make all this high-stakes politics feel extremely grounded, allowing the audience to relate to their characters and understand all the complex relationships at play. Season 2 of The Empress introduces even more interesting characters and subplots that elevate the show even further,...

For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has invited the biggest names in movies, TV, music, comedy, sports, and more through its doors to host. And while everyone will debate who the Goat SNL host is, one story makes a pretty clear case for who should be considered the worst Saturday Night Live host of all time.

Not everyone who gets the spotlight in Studio 8H delivers. Sketch comedy is hard. Live sketch comedy in front of millions of people watching from home is even harder. But the general consensus is that if a host is game and willing to try different things, you can't ask much more of them. It's when things go the other way that a host goes from a bad fit to a disaster.

That sounds like the case when Steven Seagal hosted Saturday Night Live on April 20, 1991. If you weren't around to see the episode, just take...

The first season of “The Empress” wowed viewers with a passionate love story between Elisabeth von Wittelsbach and Emperor Franz Joseph, portraying their whirlwind courtship that violated royal customs. Their relationship, a rebellious and passionate connection, evolved into a sophisticated political collaboration after a personal journey.

Season 2 alters gears considerably, taking viewers to 1856 for a more mature and politically heated narrative. Elisabeth, now a mother with a young daughter and expecting her second child, navigates increasingly dangerous royal seas. The lighthearted romanticism of the first season gives way to severe political challenges, external threats, and internal family tensions.

The new season introduces viewers to a more nuanced Elisabeth, who is no longer just a young bride trying to find her place. Still, a strategic empress actively engaged in the Habsburg Empire’s complex political scene. Her relationship with Franz has matured into a collaboration characterized by mutual respect and shared challenges despite underlying romantic tensions.

It's certainly been a busy week on streaming, and that's what us television fans love to see! The past week has brought with it many new episodes and premieres. And the weekend is the perfect time to catch up on them all if you didn't have time when they first dropped.

Of course Outlander season 7 part 2 is a must-watch, though there's other shows to enjoy including a new episode of Day of the Jackal on Peacock, the premiere of The Sex Lives of College Girls season 3 on Max, and even new episodes of Landman and Dune: Prophecy coming on Sunday. Check out the full list below!

Bad Sisters season 2 episode 3 - released Nov. 20 on Apple TV+Day of the Jackal episode 6 - released Nov. 21 on PeacockBased on a True Story season 2 - premiered Nov. 21 on PeacockThe Sex Lives of College Girls season 3 - premiered Nov. 21 on MaxA Man on the Inside - premiered Nov.

Netflix's hit period drama, The Empress, featured an authentic portrayal of the Austrian royal family, which has led to questions about whether the series was based on real people. The series follows Elisabeth von Wittelsback and her fairy tale romance with the emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph I. When the series premiered on the streaming platform, The Empress became one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix.

Like many other period dramas, The Empress includes elements that have a basis in reality. However, that doesnt necessarily mean that everything that is included in the series is historically accurate. The creators of the show had creative freedom when bringing Franz and Elizabeth's story to life. With The Empress season 2 on the horizon, it will be interesting to see what historical events will be featured in the show.

The Empress Was Based On Empress Elisabeth Of Austria The Empress Is...

As the Thanksgiving holiday and the end of the year quickly approach, there's going to be much more down time from school and work. That means it's time catch up on Netflix new releases and have lots of movie marathons and binge-watches. Thankfully, there's lots coming to our watch lists soon.

Going into the weekend before the week of Thanksgiving, the Netflix top 10 most popular TV shows ranking includes recent releases such as Cobra Kai, which dropped the second part of its final season ahead of its series finale next year, and animated series Arcane.

As for the most popular movies on Netflix right, the sexy Netflix original holiday rom-coms The Merry Gentlemen and Hot Frosty are still bringing in viewers, but there's still plenty more movies to discover on the top 10 ranking and in the weekend's new release lineup.

Looking for exciting new titles to watch with with family for movie night?...

After a successful first season, The Empress has returned with its second installment. Devrim Lingnau is brilliant in her portrayal of the troubled empress, Elisabeth. While season one established how Elisabeth was a dreamer and an idealist, in the second season the show explores the reason behind her declining mental health and the challenges she faced as a mother. As an empress, Elisabeth was told that her primary duty was to produce an heir to the throne, and her inability to do so resulted in harsh criticism. She cherished motherhood, but the weight of failing to serve the throne often wore her down. During her second pregnancy, it was assumed that she would give birth to a boy, but to her mother-in-law’s disappointment, a girl was born.

Spoiler Alert

What caused unrest in the Austrian Empire?

Unrest started to develop in the Lombardy-Venetia region as the locals began to strive for political autonomy.

The second season of The Empress does not disappoint. The series is centered around the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who had gained a reputation for being ahead of her time. Elisabeth refused to adhere to societal norms and always strived to live more freely. In season two, she struggled with her duty to produce an heir to the throne. Elisabeth always believed she could do more than what was expected of her. The common people adored her, and she always came up with ideas to ensure their well-being. But her husband was caught up between love and societal expectations, and he often made decisions that Elisabeth did not agree with. This season focuses on the Lombardy-Venetia rebellion that ultimately resulted in a war and every wrong decision that led to the escalation.

Spoiler Alert

Will Franz survive on the battlefield?

In The Empress season 2’s finale, Franz announced...

As someone who occasionally enjoys a good period drama, I think the Netflix German show The Empress ticks the right boxes. At a time when the genre itself is being challenged and redefined, the show is not pathbreaking per se, but it is decent enough to enjoy and learn about a few chapters from history. When it comes to period drama, there is scope for taking complete creative liberty and envisioning a historical figure in a modern light, or there is the traditional route where the creator can stick to texts and facts and create a historically accurate work. In the case of The Empress, the show is a blend of both; it sticks to the popular narrative around Elisabeth, and at times the show takes the liberty of imagining the extent of her rebellious nature. Empress Elisabeth of Austria is a pop culture icon by now. She was defiant and challenged societal norms,...

Netflix's period drama, The Empress, is the perfect show for fans of Bridgerton to watch before its fourth season is released. When Bridgerton season 1 premiered, it was an instant success with both audiences and critics. According to Netflix, 82 million households watched Bridgerton season 1 in the first 28 days after it was added to its library. Bridgerton was also in the top 10 of 83 countries (via Netflix). This extraordinary popularity proves that there is a serious appetite for Bridgerton's style of period drama something that The Empress emulates.

Briderton's success paved the way for period dramas with a focus on romance, with the upcoming fourth season of Bridgerton seeing Benedict and Sophie fall in love. The show's popularity proved that there was an audience that craved the kind of escapism and romance that Bridgerton provided and The Empress continued. Like Bridgerton, the series first season had an impressive viewership number that prompted...

It's been two years since The Empress season 1 was released, and there are several things to remember before season 2 premieres on November 22, 2024. As one of the best non-English language shows on Netflix, The Empress season 1 received raving reviews. The series sees Elisabeth, a young woman who marries the emperor of Austria, and the struggles she faces in her new position. Six weeks after The Empress season 1 was released, Netflix announced that the series would be returning for a second season.

The Empress season 1 ended on a cliffhanger with Elisabeth announcing that she's pregnant, so season 2 of the series is likely going to be about the events that happen after. While the storyline for The Empress season 2 hasn't been revealed, there are several character arcs and mysteries that were not resolved in season 1 that set up the sophomore season. Given the many details that The Empress season 1 included, it's worth recapping...