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 ›
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 ›
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams;— World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world… Read More ›
Comic book heroes are filtered through the eyes of the creatives before reaching the reader, empowering our heroes to shift, change, and experience adventures that are unique to the storyteller. Sure, it may create places for readers to argue and… Read More ›
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 ›
Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14 Love is a many splendored thing Love lifts us up where we belong All you need is love! – “Elephant Love Medley,” Moulin Rouge There are many… Read More ›
Since 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg released his addition to the Predator franchise, Prey, in 2022 on Hulu, audiences have grown ever more hungry for new Predator stories. Sure, audiences have four other films to explore, plus two Alien… Read More ›
Before writer/director Naoko Yamada created The Colors Within (2024), she released Garden of Remembrance, a 2022 short film in which remembrance gives way to healing from grief, the presentation of which involved toying with colors, specifically the way in which… Read More ›
They may not be the draw that they once were, but never discount the Looney Tunes. Those who think the general population has forgotten the kooky cartoons will find themselves on the wrong end of public opinion, whether it’s by… Read More ›
“What If …” is not a question reserved for Marvel Comics; rather, it’s a question that’s been asked by philosophers, scientists, and more for the bulk of humanity’s existence. Within that question lives innumerable possibilities that no amount of planning… Read More ›
In a time where sequels, prequels, and legacy-quels run rampant, one hopes — even begs — for something different. A prequel to the live action The Lion King (2019) that revolves around Mufasa and his humbling, noble rise to power… Read More ›
“This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.” – Seven Samurai (1954) One never knows what their introduction to a filmmaker’s filmography will be. Someone could… Read More ›
Trigger Warning: There are several sequences involving flashing lights (especially in the climax) which may be difficult for photosensitive viewers. One cannot deny the infectious nature of co-director John Musker and Ron Clements’s 2016 animated adventure Moana. Between the culturally-specific-yet-universal… Read More ›
One of the weird things about today’s entertainment landscape is the move away from event-programming of the cable era to the always-available aspect that streaming provides. This means that one is less likely to be channel surfing late at night,… Read More ›
Published from 2006 – 2007, manga creator Imashiro Takashi’s series Bakeneko Anzu-chan followed a ghost cat, a bakeneko type of kaibyō (a cat with supernatural properties), and its relationship with the people who lived in the town surrounding the temple… Read More ›
The great thing about classic Looney Tunes is exactly that, they’re classics. There is no denying the longevity of these stories or their place in the cultural zeitgeist, and one of the best compilation movies that they made, Daffy Duck’s… Read More ›
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. – The Serenity Prayer There’s a frequently quoted adage “youth is wasted on the young.”… Read More ›
August 8th, 1986, is a big day for Transformers fans. It’s the date that the fully-animated The Transformers: The Movie would release in theaters, beckoning its many young fans to come see its Autobot hero Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter… Read More ›
In the world of animation, most know names like Walt Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, and Studio Ghibli. Either in hand-drawn or CG animation, they have created stories that move audiences by stirring their emotion. But there’re also studios like LAIKA and… Read More ›
Some things feel like inevitability due to hindsight. The human fascination with the unknown tends to spark real-world exploration, which is why the science-fiction adventure tale Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne (published 1870), were it written… Read More ›