It’s fair to say that in the pantheon of manga-adapted anime series, Dragon Ball is among the greats. Starting as part of Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump” in 1983, creator Akira Toriyama’s series has taken on many iterations (Dragon Ball, Dragon… Read More ›
fantasy
Anachronistic musical fusion “Inu-Oh” adapts an old story to tell a very modern tale of artistic freedom and personal identity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” Digital Code Giveaway
As of today, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to own on both physical and digital formats, as well as streaming on Disney+. If you didn’t snag a copy yet, this giveaway may just be for you. Physical… Read More ›
“Popran (添付)” is an amusing, heartfelt phallus joke whose finish delights, even if not leaving one awash in afterglow. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In 2017, writer/director Shin’ichirô Ueda released unto the world One Cut of the Dead, his adaptation of Ryoichi Wada’s play “Ghost in the Box!”. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s an absolute marvel that’s an inventive lo-fi zombie film… Read More ›
Director Harry Cleven achieves something truly remarkable with his hypnotic experimental sci-fi film, “Zeria.” [Chattanooga Film Festival]
Harry Cleven’s Zeria is a wondrous and enlightening celebration of all the things that make us human. Using a combination of miniature sets, practical effects, and puppet-like masks, Cleven creates a breathtaking and unforgettable world that’s mesmerizing, comforting, and terrifying… Read More ›
The Pizza Poppa comes home now that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” does too.
The 28th entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, hit theaters May 2022 with audiences excited at the immeasurable possibilities of a Sam Raimi-directed MCU film that includes the much teased multiverse. Especially coming… Read More ›
“Press Play” offers a refreshing approach to the romance genre.
The Fault in Our Stars, The Notebook, Dear John, A Walk to Remember, Paper Towns — all of those movies have two things in common: they’re originally books written by either John Green or Nicholas Sparks and they’re the cheesy… Read More ›
The “Strawberry Mansion” home release is your one-way ticket to a “retro-futuristic” adventure.
Inception (2010) may be one of the most well-known movies about dreams from the last 20 years, but the indie masterpiece Strawberry Mansion is by far one of the most creative and enchanting. From the minds of co-writers and directors… Read More ›
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Digital Code Giveaway
Of the Phase Four MCU films released thus far, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings remains my favorite of the bunch. As such, when the opportunity arose to snag the physical 4K UHD release on sale,… Read More ›
Delightfully shocking and surprisingly gruesome, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is decidedly a Sam Raimi MCU movie.
After 27 films, there exists roughly three factions of people: those who are stupid excited for any new Marvel project, those who are exhausted, and those who don’t particularly care. Some of the malaise stems from the fact that, like… Read More ›
Let the gales of song guide you to director Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE,” coming to home video from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One can never really predict what we’ll discover with art — what emotions, what memories, what reactions will be triggered through an artist’s work. When I first learned of writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s BELLE, I presumed, like most, that it would… Read More ›
Your one way ticket to midnight is worth a double feature in this “Heavy Metal/Heavy Metal 2000” limited-edition steelbook release.
Thanks to the way that art tends to feed itself, throughout history, the written word has often inspired songs, paintings, dance, and vice versa with much more. For metalheads, the combination of fantasy and science fiction with music and art… Read More ›
Director Vittorio De Sica’s fantastical dramedy “Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano)” is the latest release to join the Criterion Collection.
“You have to keep me in shoes.” Of all the stories my late grandmother Naomi Pearl Russin Royal told, the one involving my late grandfather’s proposal and her response always amused me. As she told it, she had larger feet… Read More ›
Before the multiverse explodes into madness, journey though the final entry in the “Homecoming” Trilogy with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on home video.
“When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen? They happen because of you.” – Peter Parker, Captain America: Civil War (2016) Since 2016, actor Tom Holland as had the unenviable… Read More ›
The message of Augusto Sandino’s “A Vanishing Fog (Entre la niebla)” stays with you long after the credits roll. [SXSW Film Festival]
In recent years, Colombia has really begun to reveal itself as a very interesting home for strange, introspective indie cinema in a way I don’t think anyone expected. With global voices taking the mainstream stage and with storytellers unafraid to… Read More ›
Even newbies will get into dark fantasy manga adaptation “Jujutsu Kaisen 0.”
Started by creator Gege Akutami in March 2018, Weekly Shōnen Jump series Jujutsu Kaisen is a supernatural horror/comedy action series involving sorcerers who protect the world’s population by destroying or controlling curses (primarily sentient monster-like creatures) that come to being… Read More ›
The bonus features accompanying Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” delight longtime fans while enriching the experience of the novice.
There are some works of science fiction that never seem to let go once they get their grasp on society. William Gibson’s Neuromancer was published in 1984, but it still felt just as vital and prescient when I read it… Read More ›
Writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE” brings together the heart and imagination, creating a transcendent cinematic experience.
In a career spanning over 20 years, writer/director Mamoru Hosoda has cultivated a filmography of works which communicate to the general masses (Digimon: The Movie (2000)) and to a specific niche audience (Summer Wars (2009); Mirai (2018)). Full disclosure: Mirai… Read More ›
No more waiting on a miracle. “Encanto” is available for home viewing.
Walt Disney Studio’s 60th animated film released in November with the same promise of any of its predecessors: 90-ish minutes of adventure, magic, and wonder. Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard (Zootopia) and co-director Charise Castro Smith (who shares co-writing… Read More ›
One look at “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” on home video and you’ll be saying there’s love in the air.
At the end of every year, it seems, the theaters become flooded with awards-centric films, one after the other. It’s at this time that audiences are encouraged to set aside their popcorn fare and engage in something elevated and intellectual…. Read More ›