Cinema News: We can’t stop thinking about Benito Bowl

February 13, 2026 | View in browser

A man in a white outfit stands on the roof of a pickup truck and a crowd of dancers dance around the truck.

By Maira Garcia, Robert Lloyd and Tracy Brown

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who can't stop thinking about Benito Bowl.

The highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny (a.k.a. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) has come and gone, but it remains in the cultural conversation days later. What has set recent halftime shows under Jay-Z's Roc Nation apart are how they're more than just a musical performance — they're vibrant spectacles that tell sprawling stories in less than 15 minutes. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood called Bad Bunny's show "a loving and optimistic vision of the American experience." It was filled with cameos and performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, the latter of which De Los reporter Andrea Flores wrote about, explaining how Martin's rendition of "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" was "a symbolic demonstration of how far Latin music has come in the United States." As for the spectacle, reporter Itzel Luna spoke to Harriet Cuddeford, the creative director behind the performance, who explained how they wanted to create an event that felt more like a movie than a concert. One of my favorite parts was learning how they selected the couple who was married during the show and how the ceremony was inspired by a plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico. You can rewatch the show online (and believe me, I have — repeatedly), but I also found the behind-the-scenes videos, posted on social media by dancers, stunt people and even the extras who played sugarcane bushes, to be particularly enthralling.

On a sadder note, we lost a couple of notable actors this week, including James Van Der Beek, who died Wednesday at 48, and cult film star Bud Cort, who also died Wednesday at 77. If you're feeling nostalgic, "Dawson's Creek," the WB teen drama that made Van Der Beek famous, is streaming on a number of platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Tubi. "Harold and Maude," one of Cort's best-known movies, is available to stream for free on Pluto TV.

If you're looking for more to watch, our writers have a couple of action-packed recommendations. Plus, comic writer and actor Paula Pell stopped by Screen Gab's guest spot to talk about her latest project, the series remake of "The 'Burbs," which premiered Sunday on Peacock. She also tells us what she's watching lately (hint: it involves a romance and an Olympic winter sport).

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Must-read stories you might have missed

'The 'Burbs' remakes a cult classic with an anxious new mom and secretive husband: Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall, the stars of "The 'Burbs," spoke about their series remake of the '80s dark comedy film and the anxieties their characters face as new parents.

On 'Dawson's Creek,' James Van Der Beek taught millennials how to cry: The actor, who died Wednesday of cancer, will be best known to a generation of viewers for his role on the WB teen drama that became a cultural touchstone for many.

Netflix's 'Star Search' revival taps into nostalgia, star judges and a swath of talent: "Star Search" once helped discover stars like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and Beyoncé. Now, Netflix has revived the show as it hunts for the world's next superstars.

With her 'own version' of 'Wuthering Heights,' Emerald Fennell gives us 'permission to go too far': We sat down with Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie and the British director known for taking chances to discuss an Emily Brontë adaptation unlike any attempted before.

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

James Bond catalog (Netflix)

The entire run of Bond, James Bond, movies, from "Dr. No" in 1962 to 2021's "No Time To Die," has turned up on Netflix, minus only the noncanonical psychedelic '60s "Casino Royale" but including the semi-canonical "Thunderball" remake "Never Say Never Again." The Sean Connery Bonds, Bond for a day George Lazenby, the Moore, Dalton, Brosnan and Craig Bonds, the brunette and the blond Bonds. The good, the bad, the ridiculous Bonds; the silly, the serious and the self-serious Bonds. It's all here — six decades of stunts, gadgets, puns and product placements, of vodka martinis shaken not stirred, of tuxedos and casinos, fistfights and firefights, chases by land, sea, air and outer space, of exotic locations and soundstage lairs, M's and Q's, Bond girls and Bond women. The celebrated title sequences, the sometimes-celebrated title songs. The brass stabs, suspenseful strings and surf guitar. Together, the films chart the evolution of culture, technology, the movie business and gender relations. Watch them in order, or backwards order, or out of order — there's a Bond here for every taste, mood and season. — Robert Lloyd

"Dark Winds" (AMC, AMC+)

The newest season of my favorite "cop show" kicks off this weekend and, spoiler alert, things gets started with a bang. Technically, a series of bangs. "Dark Winds" follows Navajo Nation tribal police Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and his two mentees, Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), over the course of a criminal investigation that unravels across the season. But the 1970s-set neo-western is more than just crime thriller — a season's central mystery always forces the individual characters to have to confront some aspect of their lives or lingering scars from their past. The show's fourth season sees our favorite officers all at various crossroads in their lives. Their efforts to track down a missing teenager will take them outside of the Navajo Nation and into Los Angeles where they will also have to navigate different obstacles than they may be used to. It's not impossible for viewers to just jump in and follow along from the new season, but it will be much more worth it to start from the beginning (past seasons are also available on Netflix). — Tracy Brown

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching

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Is there a comedic artist more versatile than Paula Pell? I'd argue not.

Pell got her start working at "Saturday Night Live" as a writer, helping to create some of the funniest and memorable characters like Debbie Downer and the Culps. But she's also acted consistently over the years, appearing in series like "Girls5Eva" as a member of a girl group, "Dying For Sex," where she played an overeager hospice nurse, and now the series version of "The 'Burbs" on Peacock, which is a loose take on the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks. In "The 'Burbs," she plays Dana, an ex-Marine who befriends Keke Palmer's Samira, a new mother who has moved into the neighborhood. Together, along with a couple of other neighbors played by Julia Duffy and Mark Proksch, they try to solve the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl who lived in in the creepy vacant house down the street, which is suddenly occupied by a strange new owner.

The dark comedy is full of quippy dialogue, and Pell makes Dana a lovable character that you want to cheer on — especially when she starts digging a hole in the basement of said creepy house with Samira. — Maira Garcia

The film version of "The 'Burbs" is considered a cult classic nowadays. Was it a film you had watched before signing on to the series?

I watched when I was young and what I remember most was that it was very creepy to me. Tom Hanks is such a heartwarming actor and I loved his movies and I remember being surprised and delighted that it was a different type of creepy funny tone. The show is not a sequel or a remake, but more of an ode to that feeling.

What intrigued you about your character Dana? It has some parallels to the character played by Bruce Dern in the film.

I really loved playing Dana because by definition she's a protector — military and highly decorated. She's brave, she's done a lot of daunting things to protect others. Deep down, she's a softy and a codependent person; a true good guy who worries way too much about everyone else and not about herself. She's also a little bit of a chicken which I really love. I love when someone takes the lead in danger, but you can see that they're quietly s— their pants. I also absolutely love playing queer characters as I am a big old lesbian, and I'm so grateful that there are parts written where I can be a multilayered onion of a specific human instead of a phoned-in character who is a delivery system for queer tropes.

While the group of neighbors are very hung up on trying to figure out who Gary and his "wife" Betsy are — we eventually find out it's the long-missing Allison — it turns out that everyone has their quirks or secrets, including Dana. She's been under house arrest and her wife left her. Was her backstory in the script and did you add anything to it?

Celeste Hughey and her creative team brought all these great twists and I was thrilled about that. I loved peppering Dana with some extra zingers and moments, but my story was a true gift. Christmas morning!

Did you relate in any way to the theme of having nosy or overbearing neighbors?

I've been fortunate in my life to have mined many deep friendships from neighbors, but occasionally there are those who like to do drive-bys to see if we've adopted yet another rescue dog. We're always checking the county limit. (I think we're at the top.) We all need to be nosy right now to protect each other.

You wrote and are executive producing an upcoming film, "The Fifth Wheel," that's currently in production, and Jack Whitehall is also in it. What can you tell us about the film and teaming up with him again?

I was so thrilled when Jack was able to play a character in our movie. I loved working with him on "The 'Burbs" and it's been so fun to work with him on two projects around the same time. He's so funny and such a dear guy. He plays the ex-husband of one of our main characters in the movie. I can't say much about it yet, but it is a female friendship movie that was written by me and my incredibly talented wife Janine Brito. So you know it's got heart and it's also filthy. Hi mom. We have a great cast — Nikki Glaser, Fortune Feimster, Brenda Song, Casey Wilson and the one and only Kim Kardashian. And many others! It's a hard comedy with a very tender center.

What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know? What's your go-to "comfort watch," the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?

I am always comforted by watching all of my CBS daytime dramas, HGTV, "Drag Race" [MTV, Paramount+], medical procedurals (addicted to "The Pitt" [HBO Max]) and of course "Heated Rivalry" [HBO Max]. Episode 5 made me cry like a teething toddler.