Entertainment

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Temperatures are heating up outside, and for Hollywood, studios are looking for some of that heat to transfer to this summer’s box office.

Last summer’s movie season ended up being pretty successful, according to Mitchell Theaters owner Brian Mitchell.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The Liberal High School Drama Department’s shows have made a bit of a run at the Jester Awards, with multiple nominations the past few years and a win last year for J. Brooks Kappelmann for Best Cameo Performer as The Guard in the department’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

This year, the department’s production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” received a nomination for the show’s “Little Woodstocks” crew in the Best Pre-High School Entertainer category. The show’s choreographer, Nikki Frydendall, said there was a lot of excitement upon receiving the news.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The annual Earth Day holiday is all about educating people on taking care of this big blue marble we call home, and for many, Earth Day also marks the annual Disneynature film release. This year, the newest Disneynature film, “Sea Lions of the Galápagos,” is narrated by Brendan Fraser and follows the life of a sea lion called Leo as he tries to find his own community in the remote islands of Galápagos Islands after being forced to strike out on his own. Throughout Leo’s decade-long journey, viewers not only see Leo grow from a clumsy pup to a confident adult, but also learn more about the Galápagos Islands, with each island featuring its own wildlife and personality.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

It’s no secret the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s big screen efforts have been somewhat lacking lately, but the most recent entry, “Thunderbolts*” is looking to help reverse that trend.

The movie, released last weekend, follows follows new MCU Black Widow Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who finds herself in a rut, and ends up crossing paths with John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Alexei/Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman) to become the titular team during a mission for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Having been not entirely enthused by “Captain America: Brave New World” a couple months ago, I was somewhat unsure what to anticipate from “Thunderbolts,*” but I ended up being pretty blown away by the final effort.