Both maxims are about the stories people tell themselves. The first acknowledges that someone's read of a situation will shape the outcome'even if they're reading things wrong. The second declares that all of life is a story and you need to provide the drama. The desire to treat life as a narrative'and then control that narrative'is the subject of Stephen Fishbach's debut novel, Escape!, a literary thriller that follows a single season of a fictional reality survival show from casting to airtime. Fishbach writes from experience: He was a two-time contestant on Survivor and co-hosts a Survivor podcast. To inform his book, he interviewed many other reality contestants and crew members. The result marries the plot twists of a competition show with compassionate portraits of the people involved who are searching for identity and meaning. It's both an examination of how the reality-TV sausage gets made and a reminder that people can sacrifice their humanity if they focus too much on making the plot'of a television program, of life itself'exciting....

Netflix, already the largest streaming platform with over 325 million subscribers, took a bold step by acquiring Warner Bros.' film and television studios, as well as HBO, HBO Max, and other assets. The deal, announced in early December, will bring together some of the most legendary franchises, such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC Comics properties, among others, all under one roof. For years, WBD has struggled under the weight of billions of dollars in debt, compounded by declining cable viewership and fierce competition from streaming platforms. These financial pressures forced the company to consider major strategic changes, including selling its entertainment assets to one of its rivals. 'The bidding process quickly became competitive. Several major players saw the potential in acquiring the media giant. Paramount and Comcast emerged as serious contenders, with Paramount initially viewed as the frontrunner. But ultimately, WBD's board determined that Netflix's offer was the most attractive, despite Paramount offering approximately $108 billion in cash. Paramount's bid aimed to acquire the entire company, while Netflix's offer focused specifically on the film, television, and streaming assets....

This morning's Oscar nominations capped a year marked by a stunning run of critical and commercial success for one of Hollywood's biggest'and most discussed'studios. Warner Bros. dominated proceedings with big hauls for One Battle After Another and Sinners. The latter, a vampire story set in 1930s Mississippi, made Academy history by becoming the most nominated film of all time: It earned 16 nods, two higher than the previous record holders, Titanic, La La Land, and All About Eve. The Academy Awards are commonly defined these days by a struggle for relevance, making the fact that such high-quality, non-franchise movies from a major studio connected with audiences a considerable boon'especially after last year's show, which celebrated a swath of more inscrutable indie pictures. That success still came with familiar existential baggage for the film industry. Warner Bros., while making creative bets that paid off, has been embroiled in high-stakes merger drama for several months. Netflix and Paramount have both vied to purchase the studio, which in either case would create a corporate behemoth likely less inclined to take the risks that lead to a One Battle, or a Sinners, or even a Weapons (which nabbed a Best Supporting Actress nod for Amy Madigan, who played the antagonist). No matter what the future holds, though, the Warner Bros. triumph can't be undermined: It helped define 2025 as a year in which movies coaxed adult audiences to theaters by blending action and spectacle with more challenging, trenchant storytelling....

Here's a good rule of thumb for making a movie: Don't allow the press tour to be the most exciting component. The Rip, from the director Joe Carnahan, is a cop drama where macho guys (and gals) tote carbine rifles and grunt law-enforcement lingo'the kind of crime-genre pablum that commonly gets thrown onto Netflix in mid-January. But this one comes with a ridiculously stacked cast, including, most important, its two leads: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The longtime Hollywood pals have dutifully hit the promotional circuit to talk up their latest collaboration, as well as argue over who's the bigger New England Patriots fan, reminisce on their former shared bank account, and generally remind everyone about the wholesome endurance of their creative bond. But none of that cheerfulness or easy friend chemistry can be found in the film they're plugging. Damon and Affleck have acted together on-screen numerous times, but this is their first time sharing the top billing since Dogma, their 1999 dark comedy about a pair of fallen angels. The hiatus makes The Rip the kind of nostalgia-inducing star vehicle that should pique viewers' curiosity'which is why its seeming disinterest in the leads' personal connection is so bizarre. Affleck plays the Miami Police Department detective J. D. Byrne, and Damon is his superior, Lieutenant Dane Dumars. Byrne and Dumars get drawn into a conspiracy surrounding a colossal stash of illicit money, which is coveted by cartel leaders and crooked cops alike. Carnahan, however, seems more interested in depicting realistic police procedure than in letting the famous friends have much fun together....