One: Never Underestimate Your Opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two: Take it outside. Three: Be nice. – Dalton’s three rules from Road House (1989) When it comes to DC Comics, there is an incredible pantheon of characters to pull from, each… Read More ›
2010’s Despicable Me introduced audiences to master villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), his darling three adopted girls, and, most importantly, to the Minions. The all-yellow-bodied, seemingly indestructible, unserious, devoted assistants to Gru’s villainy took the world by storm and,… Read More ›
Lav Diaz (Venice 70: Future Reloaded), a director proclaimed as a strong practitioner of slow cinema, decided that, for his next film, he would bring his visual, hypnotic talents to the life of a legendary explorer. Part of The Criterion… Read More ›
“Funny thing is, you’re about 10 times more likely to get killed by a falling airplane-part than by a shark.” -Gi in Captain Planet and the Planeteers Things could be simpler if we wanted them to be. Folks could have… Read More ›
There are some films which come together and seem like a slam dunk yet fail to connect with audiences, while others are this mysterious combination of magic that, against all odds, finds its way both into audience’s hearts but also… Read More ›
There are those among us who proudly describe themselves as “Amblin kids.” Sure, it’s a descriptor I’ve just made up, but if you grew up in the era of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), Back to… Read More ›
Bear… bear… Big Bear… big bear chase meeeeeeee…! – Chet (John Candy) in The Great Outdoors In the modern era of comedy, there are few performers spoken of with the same reverence as John Candy. A Canadian actor and performer,… Read More ›
James Cameron has been living and operating within the fictional world of Pandora for decades now. Avatar (2009) began pre-production in the mid-aughts — although, it had been in development since 1994. The release of the second film, Avatar: The… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: The 4K UHD disc of Speed Racer includes the following warning that, “[t]his film may cause seizures in viewers susceptible to photosensitivity epilepsy.” “Get that weak shit off my track.” – Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer in Speed… Read More ›
For the last 34 years, the arcade sensation Mortal Kombat has lit up gamers in their quest to defeat the evil Shao Khan, emperor of Outworld, in his quest to claim Earthrealm for his own. Of course, one could side… Read More ›
Continuing a story is tricky enough without throwing in additional hurdles like cultural significance or an established long-running series. Anything established must be honored and, in so doing, can create limitations on what comes next. But that’s what co-writers/co-directors Gu… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: The climax of the film includes an extended sequence of flashing that may prove triggering for photosensitive individuals. Take precautions. Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead … only try to realize the… Read More ›
Before comic films were cinematic, extended, or otherwise franchise driven, they were more often singular. It’s hard to believe given the proliferation of them today, however, before the 1990s, major studio cinematic comic adaptations were limited to Superman (1978) and… Read More ›
If you fell in love with the 2016 tv show Westworld and never saw the original movie that the show is based on, you’re definitely in for a wild wild west journey. Westworld (1973) is a mixed bag that mostly… Read More ›
“Sly fox, dumb bunny.” Just when you think that storytellers have mined all they can from the odd couple trope, co-writers Jared Bush (Encanto) and Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph series) found a way to invigorate the concept by not only… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: The final act of the film includes a sequence in which characters change colors to glow with a pulsating white light that may provide triggering for sensitive viewers. After it happens the first time, it’s easy to predict… Read More ›
Ben-Hur remains one of the most magical and overwhelming moviegoing experiences ever created and its arrival on 4K Ultra HD only reinforces its reputation as one of the most important and influential films in cinema history. Watching it today, especially in… Read More ›
There are some filmmakers for whom audiences will show up simply by their name being attached to a project. Universal Pictures has turned the latest Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey, into an event by selling tickets a year in advance… Read More ›
Writer/director Dan Trachtenberg’s feature film debut, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), not only helped reenergize the Cloverfield franchise, it established the filmmaker as one to watch. He’s since been handed the reigns to three different Predator-related projects and each one, unique… Read More ›
In this episode of Meet Me at the Movies, Thomas Manning is joined by Ugo Bienvenu, the writer, director, and producer behind the Oscar-nominated animated film Arco. Bienvenu opens up about the years-long creative journey behind this deeply personal project… Read More ›