November 1st, 1961: Artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee release the first issue of their new series, The Fantastic Four, introducing the world to Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing. Later dubbed… Read More ›
adaptation
“The Bad Guys 2” delivers the goods in family entertainment and significant ponderings on legal system reform.
There’s a strange dearth of family programming hitting theaters. There are plenty of films for older teens, young adults, and older, but titles that you can take younger kids to are oddly absent. Even worse, the ones that do get… Read More ›
Spawnie, Spawnie, he’s our man, if he can’t kill ’em, no one can – and he’s out on 4K UHD via Arrow Video.
Theatrical adaptations of comic books can vary in quality and levels of audience enjoyment. Fans always seem to be looking for a fantastic adaptation of the material and representation of the characters — the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Nolan’s Dark… Read More ›
Life is little more than “One Battle After Another.”
Too often these days it seems like we’re living on the dumbest timeline. Regardless of one’s politics, when hypocrisy is high, there is no other way to process it than believing our lawns crave Gatorade for the electrolytes. The government… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “The Long Walk” actor Judy Greer.
Actress Judy Greer (The Descendants; 13 Going on 30; Halloween) joins Noel T. Manning II on Meet Me at the Movies interview spotlight to discuss her powerful role as Ginny Garraty in Lionsgate’s The Long Walk, the long-awaited adaptation of… Read More ›
Manga Breathing First Form — “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” reaches the first part of its three-part cinematic finale in the blood-soaked “Infinity Castle.”
Manga author Koyoharu Gotouge’s fantasy adventure shonen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) first published in February 2016, introducing audiences to Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy living in Taishō era Japan with his mother and siblings, making their living as… Read More ›
The robust performances within escape room horror thriller “Locked” can’t enhance its shallow philosophy.
What would you do to right a wrong? What wrong would you do to make something right? Where is the line by which a good person becomes bad and what rationale do they provide to defend themselves? In truth, from… Read More ›
Explore the multitudes of Charles Krantz in the home release edition of Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck.”
“I Contain Multitudes.” These three words are not just a Walt Whitman quote or the title of Act I within director Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King short story adaptation The Life of Chuck or the mantra that Chuck tells himself throughout… Read More ›
Catch a strong tail wind and grab the new 4K UHD edition of Peter Weir’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”
November 2003 saw the release of director/co-writer Peter Weir’s (The Truman Show; Dead Poets Society) nautical wartime tale Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, an indirect adaptation of the stories from the Patrick O’Brian Master and Commander… Read More ›
When death is on your side, “All You Need Is Kill.” [Fantasia]
Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Before these words were linked to the Doug Liman-directed Edge of Tomorrow (2014), they belonged to Hiroshi Sakurazaka and his light novel All You Need Is Kill. Initially… Read More ›
“Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy” is an ambitious fantasy adventure exploring the limitations of humanity. [Fantasia]
A world invaded by monsters. Celestial observers meddling with humanity. Humans given the ability to upgrade their physical form by completing scenarios and defeating monsters, including acquiring specialty weapons. If this sounds like the 2016 web novel series Solo Leveling… Read More ›
“The Bad Guys 2” missteps with the second verse being the same as the first.
Upon its release in 2022, The Bad Guys proved to be a surprising smash hit. The reviews were quite positive, with praise on all accounts. This included the screenplay, voice performances, and very entertaining action. Add in a gross of… Read More ›
Revisit Morgan Freeman’s school drama “Lean on Me” in a brand-new HD edition via Warner Archive.
“Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything.” – Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) on The West Wing Affirmative stories are nothing new. Stories that try to uplift audiences through the overcoming of adversity have brought about films like Brian’s Song… Read More ›
“Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards” walks the fine line between manga art direction and reality, bringing some fun along with it. [Fantasia]
Trigger Warning: An extended introduction sequence includes frequent brief flashing effects that may be difficult for photosensitive viewers. What does it mean to be a hero? Stories from around the world and throughout time try to navigate this question. Few… Read More ›
Filmmaker Tōru Murakawa’s “The Beast to Die” gets a welcomed limited edition 4K HD restoration from Radiance Films.
If someone is asked to identify their favorite war-related films, most likely they’ll name American-made films, not because they’re inherently better but because they are often more prolific. The truth is that war is one of the few concepts that… Read More ›
“Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story” twists itself in knots.
There have been a slew of films hiding their true premises in their trailers this year — not spoiler-level twists, just selling the public a different idea. Abraham’s Boys is right there with Sinners, Materialists, 28 Years Later, and The… Read More ›
A Conversation with “Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story” writer/director Natasha Kermani.
Since author Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, countless adaptations of the novel have been released from films seeking to bring the words on the page to life to authors adding their own spin to the tale through original works…. Read More ›
“Grave of the Fireflies” gets a very timely re-release on several formats in the U.S.
Warning: The following review will include discussion of violent imagery, infanticide, and genocide. If you read my piece last year on Hayao Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) (2023), then you know that the Ghibli studio head… Read More ›
A Conversation with “Abraham’s Boys” author Joe Hill.
Since author Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, countless adaptations of the novel have been released from films seeking to bring the words on the page to life to authors adding their own spin to the tale through original works…. Read More ›
A Conversation with “Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story” actor Titus Welliver.
Since author Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, countless adaptations of the novel have been released from films seeking to bring the words on the page to life to authors adding their own spin to the tale through original works…. Read More ›