Skip to main content

Between the Streams: AI writes a movie, The Conjuring 2, Warcraft, and more

Between the Streams: AI writes a movie, The Conjuring 2, Warcraft, and more

DT’s entertainment show, Between the Streams, is your guide to all of the hottest, most important, and (of course) dumbest new developments in streaming and entertainment, providing a handy recap of the week that was. (You can also add us via RSS, iTunes, or Stitcher at the links above to take BtS on the road!)

Every week, we line up a ton of cool developments in the world of entertainment, but this week we have some especially interesting topics to delve into, including a movie that was entirely written by an AI program. Yes, you read that right, a freaking algorithm wrote a movie, and as you might guess, it’s pretty damned weird. How do we know? They actually made the thing, and got none other than Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch, along with two talented other players, to act out what can perhaps best be described as beautiful, aphasiatic nonsense. We’ll talk about the burgeoning idea of computers becoming the talent, and just how far off that might be.

That’s just a piece of today’s multiflavored pie. We’ll also be discussing many more human -rafted stories from Hollywood, including the premieres of Warcraft — the critically panned RPG come to life that is killing it in overseas ticket sales — and The Conjuring 2, which is somewhat hilariously deemed to be “based on a true story.” Or is it hilarious? (Yes, it is.)

Other topics that may make an appearance in today’s smorgasbord include reboots galore, from Netflix’s nostalgic new Voltron series, to the Battlestar Galactica movie (which just got a new writer), to Brian Grazer’s new plans for his classic ’80s film SplashThe latter is rumored to be a call back to Grazer’s original screenplay, which was initially written from the point of view of the mermaid, but was later adapted to more closely follow Tom Hanks’ human character. Today’s CGI might just make this one of the few movies actually worth the reboot effort — Aquaman as a rom-com?

We’ll be discussing many of these topics, as well as our Between the Cracks, Highlight of the Week, and so much more on today’s show, so check us out live at 2 p.m. PT, or follow us on Stitcher and iTunes.

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (April 2024)
Ritu Arya and Priya Kansara in Polite Society.

Things are admittedly slow on Amazon Prime Video during the final weekend of April. Fortunately, the martial arts action comedy Polite Society should be able to bring you some excitement this weekend. Romantic comedy fans can also check out How to Date Billy Walsh, a film that has entered the list of the top 10 most popular movies on Prime Video.

If neither of these films are for you, don't worry. This roundup of the best movies on Amazon Prime Video has something for just about everyone. And on May 1, a whole new batch of movies will arrive, with even more to come as we inch closer to summer.

Read more
The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (April 2024)
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You.

Netflix couldn't have asked for a better late April gift than the streaming premiere of Anyone But You. Thanks to Netflix's deal with Sony, 2024's blockbuster rom-com is already on top of the list of the most popular movies on Netflix, leaving Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver in second place. But things could be much worse for Rebel Moon – Part Two, which is performing well a week after its debut.

The other new addition for the week is King Richard, a sports drama starring Will Smith that's appearing on loan from Warner Bros. Discovery. It's also one of Netflix's top movies of the week, which suggests that the film may find sustained popularity on this platform that it didn't get on Max.

Read more
The 50 best shows on Netflix in April 2024
The cast of Dead Boy Detectives.

For the final weekend of April, Netflix has debuted one last original show for the month: Dead Boy Detectives. This series was a bit of a gamble because it was dropped by Max. And it might be humiliating for the Warner Bros. Discovery regime if Dead Boy Detectives goes from being a castoff to a breakout hit. Netflix may be able to create lighting in a bottle, but it doesn't always work out, as exemplified by the disappointing performance of the resurrected Girls5eva earlier this year.

The other new addition this week is White Collar, a forbearer of Suits on the USA Network that ended 10 years ago. All six seasons of White Collar are now available, and it's already one of the most popular shows on Netflix. If White Collar can come anywhere close to the success that Suits has had on Netflix, then we can probably expect to see more shows like this in the future.

Read more