When it comes to automotive competition, there’re different forms of endurance racing. In the U.S., there’s NASCAR, whereas in Europe, there is Le Mans. But if you really want to push yourself as a driver, there’s the road rally, often… Read More ›
animation
Bite into the meat of Alberto Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” on home video thanks to Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One never knows the gems they’ll find at film festivals. Sometimes they’ll be greeted by low-stakes lo-fi supernatural chillers that don’t match your vibe, other times you get to know an action comedy that delights all the same on subsequent… Read More ›
Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will have gaming audiences shouting “Wahooo!” on their way out of the theater.
Let me paint you a picture: It’s May 1993 and Walt Disney, via distributor Buena Vista Pictures, is about to release a film co-written by Ed Solomon (Men in Black/Bill & Ted franchise), starring Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?),… Read More ›
Despite the beautiful music, video game adaptation “DEEMO Memorial Keys” strikes as off-key, overlong, and uninspiring.
For those not in the know, the video game subgenre “rhythm” is of a music-oriented or music-centric design, the intent being to get the player to engage with music in some way. This could be by using one’s feet to… Read More ›
The lesser-known aftermath of World War II is brought into the light thanks to director Mizuho Nishikubo’s “Giovanni’s Island,” now available from GKids Films and Shout! Factory.
Acts of aggression always come with unintended consequences. On the smaller scale, as when my children fight, it could be that the toy they’re fighting over takes a break for a bit and neither gets to use it. On the… Read More ›
Children’s book adaptation “The Magician’s Elephant” reminds the audience to never grow too old to ask ‘What if?’.
Award-winning children’s author Kate DiCamillo is the creator of such works as Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, Flora & Ulysses, and The Tiger Rising. While she’s also written several others, these four are particularly notable as they’ve each… Read More ›
The bonus features included with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” expound upon everything you might’ve noticed or secrets you missed entirely.
Between Puss in Boots films there was an 11-year gap. 11 years where original voice actor Antonio Banderas (Desperado; Official Competition) played several supporting roles in other Shrek-related projects big and small, but not where the fearsome fighting feline took… Read More ›
If you must blink, do it now as you’ll want to take in all the details in the first-time 4K UHD edition of “Kubo and the Two Strings,” available from Shout! Factory and LAIKA Studios.
In February of 2021, it was announced that LAIKA Studios and boutique home media distributor Shout! Factory made a deal to bring LAIKA’s incredible stop-motion films to U.S. audiences’ homes. Toward the end of 2021, Shout! Factory released Blu-ray/DVD combo… Read More ›
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Blu-ray Giveaway
After an 11 year hiatus between solo outings, the tailored tabby Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) returned to theaters in DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with a brand-new look and an unexpected adventure. Enjoyed by general… Read More ›
Celebrating 100 years of Disney Magic, Walt Disney Animation Studios releases a first volume of select Mickey and Minnie Mouse short films on home video.
In Fall 2022, Jeff Malmberg’s documentary Mickey: The Story of a Mouse released on Disney+. The film had screened at SXSW prior to the wide release, telling its story about the journey from concept to the now-iconic character that is… Read More ›
Director Masaaki Yuasa’s “Inu-Oh” is more than an anachronistic jam session, it’s an exploration of the enduring power of stories.
Every story ever told really happened. Stories are where memories go when they’re forgotten. – Doctor Who, Season 9 Episode “Hell Bent” Adapted from novelist Hideo Furukawa’s “The Tale of the Heike: The Inu-Oh Chapters,” Inu-Oh is a tale of… Read More ›
Creature feature “Strange World” astounds in artistic concept where it lacks in original story.
This year Walt Disney Studios asked audiences to go on an internal journey with Meilin Lee (Turning Red) as she came into her own while addressing a generational blessing, and then look to the stars with the adventurous and introspective-resistant… Read More ›
Writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka’s animated adolescent adventure “Goodbye, Don Glees!” begins at home.
When we’re children, the world appears small. It’s filled with the things that we can perceive and, often, little else. This means that what stresses us out, what keeps us up at night, seem huge because we lack the perspective… Read More ›
Shout! Factory and LAIKA Studios invite audiences to return to Blithe Hollow in a first-time 4K UHD edition of “ParaNorman.”
In February of 2021, it was announced that LAIKA Studios and boutique home media distributor Shout! Factory made a deal to bring LAIKA’s incredible stop-motion films to U.S. audiences’ homes. Toward the end of 2021, Shout! Factory released Blu-ray/DVD combo… Read More ›
Shout! Factory and LAIKA Studios re-release “Coraline” for the first-time in a stunning 4K UHD edition.
In February of 2021, it was announced that LAIKA Studios and boutique home media distributor Shout! Factory made a deal to bring LAIKA’s incredible stop-motion films to U.S. audiences’ homes. Toward the end of 2021, Shout! Factory released Blu-ray/DVD combo… Read More ›
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” may not have you wishing upon a star, but it’s exploration of identity and love will resonate nonetheless.
Since its publication in 1883, Italian author Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio has been adapted on paper and for stage and screen many times. The most well-known, of course, being the 1940 Walt Disney animated adaptation. It’s a story… Read More ›
Mixed-media documentary “Eternal Spring (长春)” offers a unique perspective on what the persecution of people of faith really looks like.
In March 2002, in order to combat the persistent and often violent persecution practitioners of Falun Gong endured in China, several members decided to break into the evening news to project one of their DVDs. The idea being that if… Read More ›
The Cine-Men, Episode 76: Animated Universes We Want No Parts Of
The Cine-Men co-host Darryl Mansel and myself continue our trend of weirdness. In this episode we discuss the various animated worlds in cinema that exist and identify the one’s we’d like to (or not) live in. (Mostly not.) Join us… Read More ›
Illustrator-turned-director loundraw impresses with short film “Summer Ghost,” available from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One of the greater mysteries in life is whether or not there’s something after the living world. It’s a question that’s been explored through faith, philosophy, and art. Depending on the community or culture you come up within, the afterlife… Read More ›
Cartoon Saloon’s “My Father’s Dragon” is a potent family adventure that plays with the idea of knowledge and memory.
Since its first film release, The Secret of Kells, in 2009, animation studio Cartoon Saloon has made a name for itself by developing remarkable stories of adventure, catharsis, and healing through the lens of adolescence. Each of the four films… Read More ›