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Previous Next July 5, 2023 WRITTEN BY: THE BITESIZE CREW Last July, we used our popular “Bitesize Top Five” series to highlight the releases that we, as a team, were most looking forward to in the second half of 2022. However, looking back, we don’t think it gave enough voice to the individual writers, or truly captured all the great films that were released late last year. For the most part, it became a list of tentpole movies, films from “event directors,” and, honestly, the things that we had already seen trailers for at the time. Also, television series were completely absent. It generally worked, but the final list wasn’t super creative. Plus, now a year wiser, we know we can do better. With that in mind, we wanted to take a deeper look at both the movies and series that will be dropping over the next six months, while also providing some insight into what makes the Bitesize team tick as viewers. Below, you’ll find a list of 24 upcoming releases (12 movies, 12 series) that really excite us. Hopefully, some of these titles will excite you too! NICK'S PICKS FILM: REBEL MOON As a director, Zack Snyder is a polarizing figure. His style is well known, and you're either a fan of it or you aren't - I very much am. So, when I heard he was adapting Rebel Moon from a Star Wars script he penned years ago, I got excited. The Star Wars universe is another that has been polarizing recently, in large part due to Kathleen Kennedy, so viewing that type of film through a new lens (Snyder's, to be exact) may just provide something more willing to take some risks. Snyder doesn't do subtle, and the behind-the-scenes teaser shows that this is going to be a big swing for him. Sure, it's Netflix so it could flop, but it also has the potential to be the launching point for the next great sci-fi franchise. Runner Up: NEXT GOAL WINS SERIES: GEN V The Boys has consistently been one of the best shows on television since it debuted in 2019, so the idea of a college spinoff with the potential for the same level of violence, brutality, dark humour, and wild superhero antics could be great… but it could also be the watered-down teen comedy that many adolescent shows become. Having had the pleasure of working on this series, I can confidently say it seems to be the former. New characters with new powers, all through the lens of the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll college lifestyle? Sign me up. Runner Up: SUGAR QUENTIN'S PICKS FILM: THE KILLER When it comes to directors whose work I will see with little to no explanation, David Fincher is very near the top of the list, which is good for The Killer since I don’t know much about the film’s plot other than it follows the life of an unnamed assassin. What I do know is that it’s based on a French graphic novel that was awarded "Best Indy Book" by IGN and "Best Comic You Didn’t Read” by Newsarama. I also know that it stars Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, and that it has the same writer as Seven and Sleepy Hollow . There is a lot to be excited about in those few sentences, so what could go wrong?...Oh, it’s a Netflix movie? And Netflix doesn’t have the best track record for original movies? I remain hopeful, nonetheless. Runner-up : SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL SERIES: JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL As a dedicated television watcher, I can say with some authority that FX’s Justified , which ran from 2010-2015, is one of the best shows of the 2010s, if not the 21 st century. Based on a series of Elmore Leonard novels, Justified follows Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a deputy U.S. Marshal that enforces his own brand of justice in rural Kentucky. It was a near perfect series with a near perfect ending. I didn’t need more…or so I thought. I can’t tell you how immediately excited I became when I heard FX was doing a sequel miniseries with Olyphant returning. And I can’t tell you how much more excited (excited-er?) I became when I heard it would center on Raylan hunting an elusive criminal known as The Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook). I’m all in for this series. Runner-up : THE CONTINENTAL AMARÚ'S PICKS FILM: OPPENHEIMER Call me a Christopher Nolan stan if you like, but I don’t think the man has missed once. He is one of a handful of people who I consider to be “event film directors.” I’ll watch anything of his, sight unseen. However, I have seen trailers for Oppenheimer , and what I’m most excited about is Cillian Murphy finally being able to show off his leading man chops. That man is an unsung Nolan hero, and I’m hoping this opportunity leads to some awards consideration. In addition to him, the ensemble looks great (though, I still would’ve loved to see melanin somewhere), the intensity seems spot on, and you know the bomb itself is gonna be worth the price of admission. Nolan always brings a must-see technical wonder to the big screen with every movie he releases, and this may be his biggest yet. Runner-up: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM SERIES: LOKI: SEASON TWO Loki is a Top 3 villain/antagonist/antihero/whatever the hell you want to call him in the MCU, Tom Hiddleston gives arguably the best performance of all the MCU actors, and Loki : Season One is highly considered the best of the Disney+ MCU shows. There’s really no more reason for this to be my most anticipated show of 2023’s second half, but if I must elaborate more, there’s the Kang (Jonathan Majors) of it all (yea, yea, I know… but still), the WOW of it all (that’s an Owen Wilson reference, y’all), and the Rafael Casal of it all (I’ve mentioned Blindspotting to everyone before, right??). The combination of where Season One left off and the new additions of characters, actors, and storylines has me waiting impatiently for this next step in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Runner-up: LUPIN: PART THREE JACOB'S PICKS FILM: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON As perhaps the world’s greatest living film director, Martin Scorsese’s works always shoot to the top of my “Most Anticipated Movies” lists. A project long in development, with an unprecedented budget for a film of its type in the modern era, Killers of the Flower Moon reunites Scorsese not with one, but both of his great muses: Robert De Niro in a supporting part, and in the lead, maybe the world’s greatest living actor , Leonardo DiCaprio. Add in Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and apparent Oscar-hopeful Lily Gladstone, and this story of Native American genocide and Euro-American greed is likely to be one of the year’s absolute best. “Can you find the wolves in this picture?” Runner-Up: MAESTRO SERIES: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE It's a special thing when one’s favorite book is adapted to any screen, big or small, as well as incredibly nerve-wracking. What if they don’t get it right? What if what it looks like makes no sense? What if the cast or crew don’t understand the material? Luckily, when it comes to the adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s celebrated novel All the Light We Cannot See , it appears that these concerns have been mitigated. And while I’m still not sure what to expect of newcomer Aria Mia Loberti or Louis Hofmann as the story’s chief characters, the supporting cast, trailers, and production design look as perfectly tailored as they could ever be. Runner-Up: MANHUNT PAIGE'S PICKS FILM: BARBIE I can’t shut up about Greta Gerwig’s Barbie . The marketing behind the film has been next level, and it seems to have everything going for it to be a smash hit. It’s got an outstanding cast, a brilliant director, and from what I can tell, stunning visuals. Honestly, what more can you ask for? I’m telling you…this film is going to be more than meets the eye, and it will connect with the audience. Like the marketing says: if you love Barbie, then this film will be for you; if you hate Barbie, then this film will be for you! Runner Up: CHALLENGERS SERIES: AHSOKA With Star Wars Rebels being my favorite Star Wars animated show, the forthcoming Ahsoka series has my excitement through the roof. This series will pretty much serve as a live-action Season Five of Rebels , and it will bring some of our favorite animated characters to life with Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and the big baddie, Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen); not to mention the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin/Vader. Ahsoka also is going to serve as connective tissue for so many Star Wars branches, from The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian . It has to be the most important Star Wars series coming out since it’s going to bring all the various eras of the galaxy together. Runner Up: STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW ADRIANO'S PICKS FILM: DUNE: PART TWO I have not read Frank Herbert’s novel Dune , but Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the first half of the book was amongst my favorite films of 2021. So, suffice to say, I’m beyond excited to see his follow up and finish the story. With new additions to the cast, including Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken, Dune: Part Two seems to be more action-packed than its predecessor while still keeping up with the first film’s wonderful storytelling as it closes the chapter on the battle for Arakis. November 3rd cannot come soon enough. Runner-Up: PRISCILLA SERIES: WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY: SEASON TWO As someone who couldn’t care less about basketball, the first season of Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht’s Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty captivated me from the get-go, and I sure as hell can’t wait to see where this story goes. Sure, I could’ve read the book on which the stories are based, or even just Googled what went down, but that won’t give me the show’s unique style or the stunning ensemble. I can’t wait much longer, but I just know the wait will be worth it for another winning season. Runner-Up: MASTERS OF THE AIR

SUSPICION: SEASON ONE Starring: Kunal Nayyar, Georgina Campbell, Elyes Gabel, Elizabeth Henstridge, Angel Coulby, Lydia West, Clare Perkins, Tom Rhy Harries, Noah Emmerich, and Uma Thurman Creator: Rob Williams QUENTIN Apple got me on this one. Suspicion , which is marketed as a mystery thriller starring Uma Thurman and Noah Emmerich, has very few thrills, barely any Thurman, and not near enough Emmerich. Instead, you’re tossed down the rabbit hole with several seemingly unconnected (and possibly innocent) characters who are trying to navigate their lives after being accused of abducting a character the viewer doesn’t know. Since the viewer isn’t connected to the victim and it’s hard to connect with any of the accused because they aren’t all that interesting, the show is a stagnant, yet somehow convoluted, slog.

WE OWN THIS CITY Starring: Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles, McKinley Belcher III, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Rob Brown, David Corenswet, Dagmara Dominczyk, Don Harvey, Delaney Williams, and Larry Mitchell Creators: David Simon and George Pelecanos NICK We Own This City focuses on the true story of corruption within the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force and the despicable acts those officers did, but spreads its story between too many points in time. The timeline jumping at breakneck speed makes things confusing and especially difficult to keep track of the abundance of characters followed. That said, the writing is crisp and the cast, headlined by the ball of energy that is Jon Bernthal, makes for an engaging watch. This series tells an important story and is a stark reminder that a few good cops can’t overcome a broken system. JACOB We Own This City is a special and rare kind of miniseries from the HBO catalog. It can be fairly dense upfront if one is unfamiliar with all the major players, but it never treats the audience as though their hands need to be held. The aftermath of the Freddie Gray killing was its own kind of mess, and the show never once loses focus within all the chaos. Jon Bernthal is expectedly excellent in the show, but it’s Wunmi Mosaku and Jamie Hector who steal the spotlight, while McKinley Belcher III makes a strong case for Emmy consideration. QUENTIN While I’m sure fans of The Wire (*cough* not me *cough*) are wetting themselves at another offering from David Simon, We Own This City is a miniseries that gets in its own way by trying to be too much like The Wire . It has the same “problem-from-all-perspectives” approach as that critical darling, but the inconsistent flashbacks make it somewhat confusing to follow. Plus, not all the storylines have the same level of intrigue (the Civil Rights Division plot is especially needless), while the ending is very abrupt. Despite good performances, I just didn’t need this show in my life, but you Simon-lovers probably don’t care about that.

THE BEAR: SEASON ONE Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, and Liza Colón-Zayas Creator: Christopher Storer QUENTIN I’ve never had to work in food service, but after watching The Bear , I feel like I have because it carries an air of gritty authenticity that is further amplified by the identifiable blue-collar Chicago atmosphere. It radiates the constant stress and anxiety of working in a professional kitchen. It can be a bit much, like Uncut Gems for chefs, but the performances are so natural that it makes for an intimately addicting series about grief, loss, the drive for success, and, of course, food. Overall, it’s a genuinely pleasant surprise that made me hungry for more episodes and an actual Chicago-style Italian Beef.

SUPER PUMPED: THE BATTLE FOR UBER Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti, Jon Bass, Elisabeth Shue, Bridget Gao-Hollitt, Uma Thurman, and Quentin Tarantino Creators: Brian Koppelman and David Levien QUENTIN Considering that Super Pumped and Billions were created by the same people, the shared DNA between the two shows makes sense. Despite being the true story of Uber, it has the same high-octane, bro-energy and ridiculously underhanded schemes that the fictional Billions does. In a way, being true makes it more fascinating; However, it also incites more incredulity in the viewer because you’re left in awe at the mere audacity of it all. Sometimes, it feels like it goes a little overboard with its commentary on the entitlement of billionaire disruptors; then again, maybe it’s true to life. I’m not sure which is worse.

WACO: THE AFTERMATH Starring: Michael Shannon, Giovanni Ribisi, Keean Johnson, Abbey Lee, Alex Breaux, John Hoogenakker, Kali Rocha, Michael Luwoye, Michael Cassidy, Sasheer Zamata, and David Costabile Creators: John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle QUENTIN On one hand, the fact that someone thought we needed a follow-up to 2018’s Waco , a miniseries that garnered little fanfare and mixed reactions, is odd. On the other hand, the storyline of The Aftermath is still so damn topical and relevant given the current state of divisive politics and government mistrust in America that it’s almost a no-brainer. As for the show itself… it’s pretty solid, but with three separate storylines, each one compelling in its own right, five episodes just isn’t enough to do them all justice. It works as a well-acted, wavetop view of events, but it would have benefitted from being longer.

LUCKY HANK: SEASON ONE Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer Creators: Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman QUENTIN I’m sure there is a fanbase for a series like Lucky Hank , but I’m certainly not part of it because I’m either not old enough or miserable enough to relate to it. Despite the performances being very good, I just don’t know what kind of television viewer wants to spend an hour a week with a collection of characters who hate themselves and their lives. It’s depressing and exhausting. Meanwhile, the dry humor and sardonic wisecracks don’t add enough absurdity or levity to pull the viewer out of the mid-life crisis funk that permeates the entire show.

YOUR HONOR: SEASON TWO Starring: Bryan Cranston, Michael Stuhlbarg, Hope Davis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Keith Machekanyanga, Benjamin Flores Jr., Lilli Kay, Jimi Stanton, and Rosie Perez Creator: Peter Moffat QUENTIN After a good-not-great first season, Your Honor , which was originally a miniseries, returned with a second and final season that seemed unasked for. That said, even if I wasn’t captivated by the story of Season One, the powerhouse acting was enough to bring me back to the fold. Overall, it’s about what I expected: great actors doing great things in service of a lackadaisical and melodramatic story. Bryan Cranston, Michael Stuhlbarg, and especially Hope Davis are all terrific, but this series is definitely a case of being more about the journey than the destination since the ending has the anticlimactic feeling of “alright, we’re done now.”

GOOD OMENS: SEASON TWO Starring: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and Jon Hamm Creator: Neil Gaiman QUENTIN Season Two of Good Omens doesn’t hold together quite as well as Season One, but the easy chemistry between David Tennant and Michael Sheen makes for a fun and easy watch. It’s like watching two old friends simply having fun and chewing scenery together (Tennant, especially). Plus, at only six episodes, it’s a quick and breezy viewing experience. I admit the four-year break between seasons made it a little hard to jump back in because my memory of almost all character development is hazy, but that is more of a mental block for me. I can’t blame the show for that.

MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN: SEASON ONE Starring: Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Kyle Chandler, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Taylor Handley, Hugh Dillon, Pha’rez Lass, Tobi Bamtefa, Hamish Allan-Headley, and Aidan Gillen Creators: Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan QUENTIN Mayor of Kingstown , the latest in writer-director Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding television empire, is a show that leaves me more intrigued about its potential than blown away by its debut season. It takes about five episodes to really get going, starting off like a slow, crime-of-the-week series built around an increasingly exhausted-looking Jeremy Renner. But you eventually realize that it’s setting the board for the season’s more serialized second half, which is fairly compelling. It’s not perfect – and to be honest, I almost gave up on it around the midpoint – but I’m glad I stuck it out despite its imperfections.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON Starring: Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Rubén Blades, Jenna Elfman, Alexa Nisenson, Austin Amelio, Mo Collins, Karen David, Colby Hollman, Christine Evangelista, Daryl Mitchell, Keith Carradine, and Omid Abtahi Creators: Dave Erickson and Robert Kirkman NICK PART ONE The seventh season of Fear the Walking Dead continues the anthology approach it first adopted in Season Six. While that was a revelation when first introduced, the novelty has worn off a little. Part One simply doesn’t carry the momentum of last year, as the nuclear explosion aftermath limitations are already burdensome. It all feels like a retread of The Walking Dead with its preparation for war, and because of that, it’s set up to rely heavily on Part Two. The latter half could save the season, but it certainly has some work to do. PART TWO Much like the “All Out War” storyline in its parent show, this war was underwhelming. There were definitely some solid individual episodes and we said touching goodbyes to a few main characters, but the ones who survived feel directionless. The Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) arc is easily the most frustrating though. Domingo gives a great performance, but by the conclusion of the season, I was left wondering why we went that route at all. The reintroduction of Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) wasn’t even enough to give things a jolt, as it came too late for a reunion with her daughter. A missed opportunity.

EYES OF WAKANDA Starring: Cress Williams, Anika Noni Rose, Gary Anthony Williams, Patricia Belcher, Lynn Whitfield, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Steve Toussaint, Winnie Harlow, and Jona Xiao Creator: Todd Harris AMARÚ While all four episodes of Eyes Of Wakanda tackles the fictional country’s interesting relationship with the outside world, it fails to do so with the same nuance or depth as its preceding films. The voice-acting and dialogue, in particular, carry the same ham-fisted quality that many PG-laden kids cartoons are known for. While that might work well on Saturday mornings, I’m sure it’s not what the showrunners were shooting for. Two (and some bits) out of the four episodes did find a proper balance of wonder, humor, stakes and fun that the entire family can enjoy, but being halfway successful left me halfway disappointed.