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 ›
Awkwafina
“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 ›
“IF” delights friends both real and imaginary with a home release packed with bonus features.
No one really knows when from where inspiration will strike. An innocuous action, a stray thought, a random observation — anything is ripe for seeding a new concept or approach. For writer/director/actor John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), inspiration for his… Read More ›
“IF” 4K UHD Blu-ray Giveaway
At some point in our lives, we lose the magic of our youth. The wide-eyed optimism is shuttered by age, experience, and, possibly, being told “no” by life too many times. Perhaps to help battle this, writer/director John Krasinski developed… Read More ›
Illumination film “Migration” continues to deliver on an all-ages experience with numerous bonus features.
Making a movie that is geared to children but still appeases the parents and the adults who are curious about the film is always a dangerous balance to achieve with the high risk of becoming too adult that it’s no… Read More ›
Explore under the sea and out of the water in the home release edition of Rob Marshall’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.”
Over the last several years, Walt Disney Studios has made a point to adapt one of their well-regarded animated films into live action. Appreciation for each one ultimately comes down to two things: what relationship the audience has to the… Read More ›
Universal Pictures releases a “Dracula Sucks Edition” of Chris McKay’s horror comedy “Renfield,” filled with dark delights to extend the cinematic experience.
In a not-so-distant time, when audiences heard the name “Nicolas Cage,” there was an automatic presumption of a performer who’s either doing something huge in the scene as a larger-than-life character or the project as a whole as being of… Read More ›
“Renfield” Digital Code Giveaway
You think your job sucks? Imagine being Dracula’s bootheel. Thanks to Chris McKay’s Renfield, we no longer have to! If you happened to miss this horror comedy in theaters, it’s coming home on June 6th and Universal Pictures has kindly given… Read More ›
“The Little Mermaid” falls in line with the fun-but-underwhelming Disney Live Action remakes.
Disney’s track record of live-action remakes of animated classics has given mixed results. Certain live-action adaptations garnered praise, like Jungle Book (2016) and Cinderella (2015). Others, like The Lion King from 2019, were met with a more divisive response from… Read More ›
“Renfield:” DOA and Hating It.
Few villains in any medium of storytelling are quite as iconic as Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, also known as The Prince of Darkness, also known as Vlad the Impaler, also known as The Dark One, etc. (he has an Erykah… Read More ›
No need to pull a heist, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is sending the “The Bad Guys” to your home.
Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Mr. Piranha, and Ms. Tarantula. Without hesitation, any cinephile will think you’re talking about Quentin Tarantino characters whose origins either come from Reservoir Dogs (1993) or Pulp Fiction (1994). In reality, these are the… Read More ›
Animated action caper “The Bad Guys” asks what makes a good being a good being.
July 15th, 2015, saw the release of Aaron Blabey’s kids book “The Bad Guys: Episode 1.” It introduced the world to Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark and their quest to shift how the world sees them… Read More ›
Bring the Ten Rings home as “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is available now.
While there’s a vocal contingent online citing MCU fatigue, I’m getting excited after the last two films — Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals — as things feel like they’re starting anew. We don’t know if… Read More ›
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” sends the MCU in an exciting and new unknown direction.
There are many differences in American and Asian cinema, but none stand out as much as the way stunt sequences are used. More often than not, a stunt sequence in American-made films is more about wowing the audience than moving… Read More ›
Just In: “Breaking News in Yuba County” fails to live up to the promise of its cast.
No one can accuse Tate Taylor of being the kind of director who’s confined to one genre or style. He’s tackled book adaptations with the Oscar-winning The Help (2011), biographical material with Get on Up (2014), suspense with The Girl… Read More ›
“Breaking News in Yuba County” Blu-ray Giveaway
In February of this year, MGM released the dark comedy Breaking News in Yuba County featuring an all-star cast including Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Laura Dern, Awkwafina, Ellen Barkin, Clifton Collins Jr., and Juilette Lewis. Starting on March 23rd,… Read More ›
The exploration of social trust in Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy “Raya and the Last Dragon” hits close to home.
The latest Walt Disney Animation project, Raya and the Last Dragon, could not be coming at a more appropriate time. After years in development, the final version slated for theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on March 5th, 2021, is an… Read More ›
“Jumanji: The Next Level” remains solid holiday fun, even if it never advances past its premise.
In recent memory, there’s only one film franchise that seems to have unlocked the key to longevity after an extended break and that’s the Fast & Furious series. They found a way to revitalize the car drama by bringing back… Read More ›
Alice Waddington’s “Paradise Hills” uses a fairytale motif to demolish the chains of the patriarchy.
Throughout the centuries there’s been one constant: women get the short-end of everything. They’re expected to be virginal, yet sexual; wise, yet naïve; knowledgeable, yet silent. They are instructed through social norms on how to comport themselves publicly and privately…. Read More ›