As has been written many times, the phenomenon that is the John Wick series almost didn’t happen. The film was originally slated as a direct-to-video release, it was helmed by two first-time feature directors (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch), had… Read More ›
With few exceptions, American-based action stars primarily relied on either physical strength (Arnold Schwarzenegger) or firearms (Bruce Willis; Eddie Murphy) as the means for righting perceived wrongs. Slowly, however, thanks to actors like Chuck Norris (Enter the Dragon; Missing in… Read More ›
Given the opportunity to work with strangers or friends, chances are “friends” is going to win out every time. Doing so provides a comfortability to do things one might not ordinarily do, or, at the very least, allow one to… Read More ›
How many successful action franchises do we have now? That’s a more complicated question to answer than one may think. That is, especially after the surprise 2014 revelation of a film that was John Wick. Besides revitalizing Keanu Reeves’s career,… Read More ›
2014: Keanu Reeves appears as the black suit-wearing assassin in mourning, John Wick, in the Derek Kolstad-written, Chad Stahelski/David Leitch-co-directed John Wick. A film which, originally, was headed for direct-to-video release and has now spawned a franchise with a television… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›
During ” The Forever Warriors: Story and Characters”, part one of the three-part documentary “Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn,” lead actor David Harbour acknowledges that audiences are weary of anything seeming like a reboot or a remake. In… Read More ›
For audiences, the blood-soaked tale of melancholic assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been told over the last five years. For the character, his adventures have been an on-going nightmare for only a few weeks. In that time, he’s suffered… Read More ›
Let’s throw out the term “international animation.” What do you think of? Japan’s magically eloquent Studio Ghibli? Or perhaps the UK’s pleasantly quirky claymation studio, Aardman? Even France’s beautiful two-dimensional animation studio Folimage could come to mind. Mexico, however, hasn’t… Read More ›
2014’s sleeper hit John Wick ended with Keanu Reeves’s titular Wick walking off into the night, his mission of vengeance over. A satisfying film from start to finish, John Wick focused on the essentials for a great action film: a… Read More ›