Dusty Mag

Based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 film adaptation directed by Frank Darabont. It includes some beautiful scenes with amazing stills that help this film stand as a classic since its release. Darabont’s work often delves into tales of confinement and resilience, and here he teams up with cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose keen eye for shadow and subtle texture elevates the prison walls into characters of their own. The film stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, a mild-mannered banker wrongfully sentenced to life, and Morgan Freeman as Ellis “Red” Redding, the prison’s indispensable fixer and narrator.

When Andy (Robbins) arrives at Shawshank State Penitentiary, his quiet intelligence and refined manners mark him as an outsider among the hardened convict population. He forges an unlikely friendship with Red (Freeman), who can procure almost anything behind bars. Over the course of two decades, Andy transforms the bleak gray of Shawshank into a place of small miracles—library renovations, tax advice to corrupt guards, and the famous rooftop tarring scene where he plays Mozart for everyone to hear. Through these acts, he redefines what freedom can mean even in a caged world. And though hope seems a fragile thing, Darabont shows how it endures.

Deakins often lingers on Andy’s contemplative gaze as he chisels away at his rock wall, or frames Red’s weathered face against the slats of prison bars. Light spills in dusty beams through high windows, illuminating motes that dance like lost souls; sometimes these shafts of illumination signal a moment of grace, other times they mock the characters’ confinement. Color here is muted, earthy browns and a dull institutional green, but punctuated by the vivid red of a cloistered poster, the surprising turquoise of a Rita Hayworth movie, and the brilliant white of an eye-opening letter from the state senate. It’s a great film that can be streamed on platforms like 123 movies.

Here are some beautiful stills from The Shawshank Redemption.

Based on Michael Arndt’s 2006 screenplay, Little Miss Sunshine is a road-trip comedy-drama directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Dayton and Faris, who often blend offbeat humor with heartfelt moments, guide an ensemble cast that includes Greg Kinnear as the overly caring uncle, Toni Collette as the anxious mother, Steve Carell as the silent brother, Alan Arkin as the cranky grandfather, Paul Dano as the reserved son, and Abigail Breslin as Olive, the little girl with big dreams.

As the Hoover family piles into their aging yellow Volkswagen van, they embark on a cross-country journey to a children’s beauty pageant in California. Along the way each character’s personal struggles bubble up—uncle Frank coping with heartbreak, mother Sheryl juggling chaos, grandfather Edwin pushing boundaries, and Olive determined to shine. Their shared misadventures—flat tires, health scares, sibling squabbles—forge new bonds even as tempers flare, reminding us that sometimes the road to hope is bumpy.

Cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt often lingers on the van’s cramped interior, catching the family’s exasperated expressions in soft, natural light. He frames the wide desert expanses through dusty windows, or holds on Olive’s face as she rehearses her talent act. Suhrstedt’s camera captures the contrast between the van’s warm yellow paint and the harsh browns of the arid landscape. Close ups emphasize tiny rebellions—grandpa’s cigarette, Olive’s smile—while wide shots situate them against endless highways. It’s certainly one of the best movies to stream.

So, here are some of the best stills from Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

Based on Charlie Kaufman’s 2004 screenplay, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 film directed by Michel Gondry. Gondry is known for his inventive, handmade visual style and for blending whimsy with emotional depth, and here he teams up with Jim Carrey, who plays Joel Barish. Carrey, best known for his broad comedic turns, surprises by mining a quieter, more introspective performance — one he’d follow with dramatic roles like in The Truman Show.

When Clementine (Kate Winslet) impulsively erases her memories of Joel after a painful breakup, Joel discovers what she’s done and decides to undergo the same process. As their memories begin to vanish inside his mind, Joel flees through the corridors of his own past, desperately clinging to the moments that matter most. Their new inside-the-mind alliance fractures as the erasure machine chews through tender recollections; despite the procedure’s clinical coldness, Joel learns just how deeply love can root itself, resulting in a bittersweet collision of nostalgia and loss.

Cinematographer Ellen Kuras often lingers on Joel drifting through beach-house rooms that melt and shift, or shows Clementine’s ever-changing hair color—blue, orange, green—backlit like stained glass. Kuras’s lens captures the fuzziness of half-forgotten dreams: a train station platform that dissolves into snow, or Joel and Clementine lying in an empty frozen pond. Handheld movements and deliberate focus pulls echo the instability of memory itself, while the lab’s sterile whiteness contrasts sharply with the warm, saturated hues of their happiest moments. Reflections abound too—mirrors shatter or blur just as a memory slips away, underscoring the film’s meditation on identity. Here are some of the best stills from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Based on the Wachowskis’ 1999 film, The Matrix is a groundbreaking sci-fi action spectacle directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski. The sisters, known for bending genre boundaries and injecting philosophical flourishes into high-octane sequences, teamed up with Keanu Reeves, who stars as Thomas Anderson, a.k.a. Neo. Following this role, Reeves continued to explore dual identities in films like Constantine in 2005.

When Neo (Reeves) is pulled from his grey, monotonous world by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), he discovers reality isn’t quite what it seems. Their new alliance shatters Neo’s preconceived notions of what’s possible. Morpheus, believing Neo is “The One,” teaches him to manipulate the simulated world around him. Over the course of the film, Neo is stretched past his limits; he learns to bend the rules of physics itself, shifting from confused hacker to messianic figure in a digital battleground.

Cinematographer Bill Pope often lingers on Neo suspended in mid-air, captured in bullet-time slow-motion, or frames Trinity poised on rain-slick rooftops. Pope’s camera explores the glowing green code that drips across the screen like rain, or the sterile glow of Morpheus’s office, its windows framing the real world as if through prison bars. Low-angle shots emphasize power dynamics — the Oracle’s kitchen scene for instance feels both intimate and unsettling. Reflections play a big part too, as when Neo’s face splits across a broken mirror just as he’s starting to believe in himself.

I spent some time figuring out where you can actually watch Friendship, that new Tim Robinson movie with Paul Rudd. Here’s what I found as of early June 2025.

Theaters Only for Now

Right now, Friendship is only playing in cinemas. No streaming, no digital rental—just theaters. It did a small release starting May 9, 2025, then expanded around May 23. If there’s a big chain near you (AMC, Regal, Cinemark, that kind of thing), check their site or Fandango for showtimes.

• Limited release: began May 9, 2025
• Wider release: May 23, 2025
• Where to look: Fandango, Atom Tickets, your local theater’s website

Apple TV / iTunes (Soon, Hopefully)

If you search Apple TV right now, you’ll see a placeholder for Friendship. No purchase or rent buttons yet. That usually means it’ll land there after its theatrical run—probably sometime in July or August, if past A24 titles are any guide. Keep an eye on Apple TV to buy or rent once the theaters window closes.

Nothing on Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Disney+

None of those big subscription services have it. A24 usually sends its stuff to Max, so don’t expect to find it on Netflix or Disney+ any time soon.

Max (HBO Max) Later This Year

Based on how A24 movies have rolled out before, it should show up on Max a few months after the theater run. If all goes typically, look for it around September 2025. No official date yet, but that’s a safe bet if you already pay for Max.

Other Digital Platforms (When It’s Ready)

Places like Amazon Prime Video (the “buy/rent” section), Google Play, and YouTube Movies will get it once the theatrical window is over. Until then, they won’t have it. When it does drop, you’ll see it across all of those.

Quick Summary

• Theaters only: May 9 (limited) → May 23 (wider)
• Apple TV / iTunes: Coming after theaters (watch for July/August)
• Subscription services: Not on Netflix/Prime/Hulu/Disney+
• Max (HBO Max): Likely around September 2025
• Other VOD stores: Available to buy/rent after theaters window ends

So if you really want to see Tim Robinson torment Paul Rudd on the big screen, head out to a theater. If you can’t make it, plan on digital once the run ends, or wait until it hits Max this fall. If anything changes—like an early streaming drop—I’ll update, but for now, cinemas are the only option.

I was messing around with the Wonder rush option this morning and nearly blew it a couple of times. The Wonder only shows up after you hit Imperial Age—if you’re still in Castle or Feudal, forget it. I spent ages clicking “Advance to Imperial,” gathering food, gold, stone, wood. If you’re not there, the Wonder icon won’t even appear. So, how do you buil a wonder in Age of Empire 4?

When I finally hit Imperial, I saw the Wonder button, but it was greyed out—my resource counts weren’t even close. Most civs need around two thousand of each resource (wood, gold, stone), though a few might be a few hundred off in either direction. I was short on wood, so I dropped extra lumber camps near forests, hoping villagers would haul faster. Works, but you still wait.

Once you have enough, you click the Wonder icon—some civs show it as a little temple, others a scroll. Then you pick a spot on the map. Don’t put it out in the open. I learned that after a tower rush of Knights tore through my walls and smashed the half-built Wonder in seconds. Best advice: tuck it behind a wall, near a tower or two, maybe even right beside your Town Center so villagers don’t take forever to walk back and forth.

After placement, villagers swarm in—hauling resources, hammering stone. The timer starts immediately, counting down in real time for about four minutes or so. If they destroy it before time’s up, it’s gone—no rebuilding. In one game, I had enough gold and stone but was still short on wood, so I clicked the button anyway and watched my wood count slip into the negatives until new logs arrived. Kinda ugly on the UI, but it works.

You’ll want a small garrison of soldiers or a few siege engines nearby. I once parked some crossbowmen and a single Elephant unit beside my Wonder—didn’t stop a sneaky ram push, but slowed them down enough that my Wonder almost finished.

Two knocks you will run into: some civs hide the Wonder behind a specific Imperial Landmark—like Delhi Sultanate’s Wonder only shows after you pick their final Landmark. And if you try placing it too close to other buildings, it just won’t click down. You have to find a free tile with enough space.

That’s basically it. No Imperial, no Wonder. No resources, no Wonder. Enemy runs in, gets to the construction site, and you’re scrambling or conceding. If you’re aiming for a Wonder Victory, plan for a dirty defense around minute 20 or so—raiding parties often swing in before you’ve even hit all your resource goals. That’s why we love Age of Empire 4.

In short:

• Reach Imperial Age.
• Gather roughly 2k wood, 2k gold, 2k stone (varies slightly by civ).
• Select the Wonder project in the Imperial menu, then place it somewhere safe.
• Rally villagers to build it, keep troops nearby to fend off raids.
• If the Wonder survives its four-minute timer, you win. If not, you can’t rebuild, so pivot to military or economic play.

Hope that helps next time you see “Wonder Victory” on the settings. If you’ve spotted anything weird—like a civ that needs more or less resources—let me know.

I’ve been jumping into multiplayer on Age of Wonders 4, and it’s a mixed bag. People are asking, is Age of Wonders 4 crossplay? On PC, things work almost like you’d hope—Steam, GOG, Epic all connect fine. I’ve run longer matches where a unit will glitch or a turn gets weird, but nothing fatal.

Xbox players can join PC folks too, which is nice if your friends are split between console and computer. Every now and then the game will freeze up or lose track of whose move it is, but most sessions survive.

PlayStation can’t join at all. If you’re on PS5, you only see other PS5 users. No crossplay there. It’s not broken, it’s just… missing. Nothing to click or enable; it’s simply not in the code right now.

Devs posted something about syncing issues and “tech hurdles,” so I’m guessing they saw how PC–Xbox matches sometimes collapse and didn’t want to add another platform until that’s ironed out. Fair enough, but still frustrating.

If they advertise crossplay like it’s the headline feature, it feels weird to lock out PS5. Better to say “PC and Xbox only” from the start.

Right now it breaks down like this:

• Steam, GOG, Epic = play together without much fuss.
• PC and Xbox = works, though expect an occasional restart.
• PS5 = no option to join anyone else.

That’s it. The game’s fun, the design is solid—just don’t expect to enlist your PS5 buddies unless they’re comfortable playing alone.

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the new animation film Lilo & Stitch got us in the feels just like the original film and the series around it. Starring Maia Kealoha as Lilo, and Chris Sanders as Stitch, the film didn’t disappoint the audience with some new classic scenes that will be replayed years ahead.

Critically, the film received 86% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are some great stills from Lilo & Stitch (2025).