Proper theatrical sequels to Disney animated films are a very rare thing. Not counting Pixar, the only animated sequels that Disney has given a wide release are The Rescuers Down Under, Return to Never Land, The Jungle Book 2, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. Frozen II is the fifth one to be added to this exclusive…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Frozen II’ Review – Bold, Bloated, and Beautiful
We have a brand new holiday classic on our hands. Klaus, the directorial debut of animator and writer Sergio Pablos, is a welcome return to the holiday season's magical feelings of warmth and wonder. It is also the triumphant return of beautiful and traditional 2-D animation for a feature film, meticulously done by Pablo’s own…
This may sound ridiculous nowadays but Disney used to be a company that took risks. So much of their filmography have been gambles: the avant-garde fusion of classical music and animation in Fantasia, the groundbreaking effects of combining live-action and backlit animation in Tron, or the more mature and interesting deviations from usual formula like The Hunchback…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Review – Is this what we Should Expect from Disney Plus?
I never grew up with the Terminator franchise. I knew the movies existed, but my only familiarity was with the arcade games, which I rarely played. I am not sure if this makes me a better or worse judge of the latest installment, Terminator: Dark Fate, which leans on a few easy hits of nostalgia. The…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Review – Good, but Not Good Enough
Horror is a genre that has endured its ability to elicit the strongest and most primal emotions from audiences. Fear is an incredibly powerful thing, and we just cannot seem to resist the urge to scare ourselves silly in the relative safety of a movie theater or at home. The genre is constantly cooking up…
Continue reading ➞ Op-Ed: The Best Horror Films of the Decade
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park once promoted the idea that genre is dead, and it has stuck with me ever since. His band always experimented with different music genres, an idea that certainly did not start with them but did take off as they and other similar artists brought a bold new mixture of sounds…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Parasite’ Review – Yes, It’s Really That Good
When it comes to the soulless, lifeless Disney remakes, Maleficent is one of the only ones that gets a pass. Instead of being a nearly shot for shot rehash of something we already know (except done far worse), it actually attempted something different by switching the story of Sleeping Beauty over to the villain’s perspective, and the…
Continue reading ➞ Maleficent: Mistress of Evil review – A Gorgeous but Dull Waste of Potential
It’s a great time to be a Stephen King fan. The past couple of years have been a sort of resurgence for the author and his place in pop culture, mostly thanks to 2017’s wildly successful It adaptation. Now it feels like a new King film, television series, book, or any of the three that’s noticeably…
Continue reading ➞ In the Tall Grass review – Lures You Into Its Maze and Doesn’t Let Go
What on Earth can you expect from a feature-length version of Between Two Ferns, the Funny or Die shorts where Zach Galifianakis has (horribly) interviewed various celebrities for over a decade now? The answer is...pretty much the same thing we’ve been getting, held together by a thin narrative that dips in and out of cohesiveness.…
Let’s talk about Jennifer Lopez. Is Hustlers the best thing she’s done since her heyday with films like Selena and Out of Sight? Absolutely. That much is obvious from her first scene, where she instantly captivates both the men and women of Moves, the strip club that the majority of the action takes place, commanding…
Continue reading ➞ Hustlers review – A Glitzy Showstopper of a Crime Story
