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 ›
Keegan-Michael Key
The Farrelly Brothers take a swing and a miss at a holiday classic in “Dear Santa.”
The Farrelly brothers have brought us a range of works including There’s Something About Mary (1998), Osmosis Jones (2001), Shallow Hal (2001), Fever Pitch (2005), Dumb and Dumber (1994), and more. Their newest outing starring Jack Black (Shallow Hal; Kung… 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 ›
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 ›
Go behind the scenes into a world of pure imagination via the home release of director Paul King’s “Wonka.”
Warner Bros. Pictures released three films at the end of 2023: two musicals (one a prequel and one an adaptation of a Broadway show adapting a film version of a book) and one superhero story. Though WB did advertise the… Read More ›
Paul King’s “Wonka” reminds that kindness and generosity don’t make one weak, they make the world collectively strong.
“If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.” – Paddington in Paddington (2014). There’s this strange belief that in order for something to be great or successful, it must be exclusive. That, for whatever reason, the scarcity of… Read More ›
Sony Pictures Animation releases the full four-film “Hotel Transylvania” series in one DVD collection.
Well before I ever saw a single one of the Todd Durham-created, Genndy Tartakovsky-directed Hotel Transylvania films, I knew that Drac doesn’t say “blah blah blah blah.” Which is to say that the influence in pop culture had grown widely… 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 ›
No case too big, no case too small: “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” return in an adult-centric adventure.
Originally introduced in 1943, animated chipmunks Chip and Dale made the jump from animated shorts to home release tales and then, in 1989, to broadcast television when the duo was remade into detectives for the series Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue… Read More ›
Saying goodbye in “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” doesn’t mean forever. Just, for now.
All things come to an end and it seems that even immortal monsters have to say goodbye so that something new can begin. This is the relative theme coursing through the fourth, and reportedly final, installment of Sony Picture Animations’s… Read More ›
Craig Brewer’s “Dolemite is My Name” is an absolute joy from beginning to end. [Film Fest 919]
Everyone loves a good comeback story. Everyone cheered when Rudy made that touchdown at the end of Rudy, everyone loves Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and today, we get to celebrate not only one, but two,… Read More ›
Photorealism may not suck you into “The Lion King” (2019), but the bonus features in the home release showcasing just how impressive the undertaking was just might.
On paper, adapting The Lion King for a new generation of fans seems like an absolute no-brainer. First released by Disney in 1994, the original Lion King blew the minds of audiences and critics alike as the story and songs… Read More ›
Now available for home viewing, “Toy Story 4” breaks the wheel and creates something new.
2009’s Toy Story 3 seemed like the definitive end to the Pixar series begun in 1995. After their owner, Andy, left home for college, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and company found a new home with the daughter of a… Read More ›
Disney’s “The Lion King” is visually riveting, but an ultimately bland recycling of the original.
Critically-acclaimed director, writer, and producer Jon Favreau oversees this photo-realistic remake of Disney’s 1994 animated feature The Lion King. The original film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, and was written by trio Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda… Read More ›
“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” offers an entertainment break from the summertime heat.
Summertime brings with it the usual bevy of tent pole blockbusters and indie darlings, each scrapping for audience’s hard-earned dollars each and every Friday. Many of these films offer a chance at delicious distraction from the world at large, but… Read More ›
Make room for ‘The Disaster Artist’, a glorious celebration of failure.
If 2016’s La La Land is an homage to the glory days of Hollywood, a tale of dreamers whose fantasies merge with reality to take audiences on a journey of sight and sound that’s almost completely fantastical in execution, then… Read More ›