This week’s Screen Time kicks off with a celebration of one of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from Shaft.

Stephen “Steps” Lowe dives into how the 1971 track didn’t just underscore a film, but redefined cool and won Hayes an Oscar, making history as the first African American composer to take home Best Original Song. The segment explores how Hayes' bold blend of funk, soul, and cinematic swagger became the blueprint for future artists who fused persona with sound, and how Shaft itself broke ground with its un-apologetically Black lead and vision, directed by Gordon Parks.

In movie news, the upcoming Richard Osman adaptation The Thursday Murder Club promises cozy crime with a twist, starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Pierce Brosnan. Good Fortune, a heavenly comedy from Aziz Ansari featuring Keanu Reeves as an angel, also made headlines alongside the haunting drama Die My Love, a dark, psychological portrait of a woman unraveling in rural France. Meanwhile, theaters will soon host Peak Season, a quiet indie about personal discovery in Wyoming, and the highly anticipated horror sequel 28 Years Later, starring Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Streaming picks include the gritty Apple TV+ thriller Smoke, created by Dennis Lehane and starring Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett, the return of John Cena in Peacemaker Season 2, and a sneak peek at Season 4 of The Morning Show, which brings Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Marion Cotillard into the high-stakes world of media mergers and misinformation.

In gaming, there’s bad news for Star Wars fans, Battlefront 3 isn’t happening. However, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is confirmed for October 2026 with a fresh approach and real-time battles. Finally, we got a mini-review of Havoc (Netflix), starring Tom Hardy, which delivers gripping action but suffers from a thin script and underdeveloped characters - earning it a solid, if unspectacular, 3 stars.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Screen Time without a fun farewell, complete with another dose of the Shaft soundtrack and a film fact: O.J. Simpson was once considered for The Terminator.

Wild, right?

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