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18 Nov

Slumberland Review: Not Your Dream Jason Momoa Movie

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If you look at it from a certain angle, dreams are the fixations of all artists in any medium. Probably since the first time a restless soul etched markings in a cave somewhere, we’ve had dreamers attempting to convey how they see the world when their eyes are closed. This idea has only grown more pronounced after the advent of cinema, with directors often likening their films to “dreams”—visions that need to be told whether by way of surrealist set designs or spinning hotel corridors. And director Francis Lawrence of Constantine and Hunger Games fame can be added to that…

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18 Nov

Disenchanted Review: A Middle of the Road Middle-Aged Fairytale

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Disney’s sequel to 2007’s princess-out-of-water story, Enchanted, sees Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) and her newfound family dealing with monsters unlike any she had to face in her cartoon world of Andalasia: midlife crisis, teenagers, and mean mom cliques. Disenchanted may not cover new ground, but there’s nothing disingenuous about its commitment to enjoyable characters.  When Giselle was banished from Andalasia and sent to the “real” three-dimensional world of New York City, she found true love with single dad/lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey and his famously great hair) and his young daughter, Morgan. There, Adams glowed as the living embodiment of a…

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18 Nov

MobyFox Star Wars Watch Bands Are Must-buy Holiday Gift

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This article is sponsored by Mobyfox. A long time in a galaxy not even remotely close to far away, there was a special entity that appeared to save us. No, it was not Grogu saving us with his near-unrivaled level of cuteness. But rather, it’s the folks over at MobyFox making sure our watch game is strong with the force. What better way to showcase your Star Wars fandom than their new Star Wars collection, which features a plethora of your favorite Jedi, Droids, and everything in between! Oh, but you want specifics don’t you? A wise master always minds…

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17 Nov

Quentin Tarantino Reveals the Only Marvel Movie He Would Make

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Quentin Tarantino isn’t known for his high-brow tastes. The director made his name by bringing back grindhouse genres. Movies such as Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and Kill Bill highlighted the power and beauty of crime, exploitation, and revenge stories without ever diminishing their nastier elements. So one would think that if anyone would have the desire and skill to make an effective superhero movie, it would be Tarantino. However, that’s not the case. In his book Cinema Speculation, Tarantino admitted that he and other filmmakers “can’t wait for the day” that superhero movies fall out of favor. He elaborated on…

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17 Nov

How Croupier Got Shut Out of the Oscars

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1998’s Croupier was that rare thing: a British film that had a muted response in the UK but achieved much more success over in the U.S. The low budget movie stars Clive Owen and follows the spiral of a struggling writer who takes a job in a local casino and becomes the inside man in its robbery. It’s a simple enough story, but the slick neo-noir execution is deft, and Owen’s subtle central performance won over critics stateside, with Roger Ebert comparing it to Sean Connery’s own “physical reserve” as James Bond. “It was incredibly successful in America, much to…

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17 Nov

The Actors Who Almost Played James Bond

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The role of James Bond has been officially and canonically played to date by just six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig (David Niven and Barry Nelson don’t count as part of the canon). It’s traditionally been one of the most sought-after parts in all of cinema history, so it makes sense that while only those half-dozen stars have filled 007’s shoes over the 60-year course of the franchise, dozens more have tried out for the part and didn’t make the cut. Although original producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman of…

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16 Nov

DC Confirms New Batman Movie Plans

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A bad guy lies beaten on the ground. Above him towers a shadowy figure, the moonlight highlighting only his horned head and billowing cape. “Who are you?” pleads the defeated crook. With a growl, the figure answers, “I’m Batman.” That description probably put a familiar image in your head, one that you’ve seen on screen time again and again. But for you, which Batman is saying “I’m Batman?” Do you hear Adam West’s droll delivery? Michael Keaton’s whisper? The late, great Kevin Conroy’s baritone? Batman has proven to be one of the more malleable superheroes of all time, which has…

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16 Nov

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Why Weren’t the Avengers at T’Challa’s Funeral?

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This post contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Where are the Avengers? For fans of shared universe stories, that question can get very annoying very fast. It makes sense for those new to the concept to wonder about the whereabouts of other characters, but for long-term fans, the answer is simple: someplace else. Too much worrying about what Thor is doing while Doctor Strange fights Scarlet Witch or why Ant-Man never helped Shang-Chi stop the bus rampaging through San Francisco distracts from the main hero’s story. Just enjoy Doctor Strange and Spidey and let other heroes worry about themselves.…

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16 Nov

What’s Next for Tenoch Huerta’s Namor After Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?

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This article contains Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spoilers Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finishes off Marvel’s chaotic and oversaturated Phase 4 and while there’s much to be said about the heroes of Wakanda taking up arms after T’Challa’s abrupt demise, one of the true highlights of the movie is Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the Sub-Mariner. The aquatic king known to his people as K’uk’ulkan is a revelation in Wakanda Forever. Not only does he steal whatever scene he’s in, but he already feels like a potentially major fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While an easy decision for them to make,…

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16 Nov

James Bond Needs to Have Fun Again

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James Bond is dead. Blown up by a big old bunch of missiles to destroy the nanobots he was infected with. At least, this Bond, the one played by Daniel Craig, is dead. He’s also the Bond who we first met beating up a guy in a toilet in the moody black and white opening of Casino Royale. And with him dies the first properly 21st-century take on Bond, hailed as a complete reinvention of the character despite being written by the same screenwriters who supposedly killed the franchise in fans’ minds with Die Another Day (not to mention Johnny…

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16 Nov

The Key Character Moments That Make The Rock Michael Bay’s Best Movie

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This article contains The Rock spoilers Michael Bay has made a career out of big, explosive, action movies. That’s sort of his brand. His 1996 film The Rock fully fits that category, but it is somehow more than the sum of its bullets and bravado. Even amid the carnage, the film never loses sight of the human stake, something that sadly can’t be said for most of his other films. The Rock stars Nicolas Cage as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, a FBI chemical weapons specialist shanghaied into storming Alcatraz and neutralizing the warheads controlled by a group of disgruntled US Marines.…

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15 Nov

Spectre Director Admits the Big Problem With the James Bond Movie

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When the government of the United Kingdom needs something impossible done, they call James Bond. Since 1962, we have watched 007 prevent madmen from flooding the Earth, knocking over rockets, starting a world war via the news media, and shooting people on an elaborate funhouse island. With his array of gadgets and unflappable charm, MI6’s best secret agent knows how to work his way out of any difficult situation, making the world safe for British Imperialism and unfettered capitalism. But, of course, Bond is a figure of fantasy, not a real person, and real people rarely overcome such unlikely odds.…

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15 Nov

Marvel’s Star Wars Easter Eggs Are Out of Control

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This article contains Black Panther: Wakanda Forever spoilers It’s finally time to dive into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as Ryan Coogler has the honor of rounding off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As with any MCU outing, there’s a slew of Easter eggs that reference everyone from Ant-Man to Ultron, tragic tributes to Chadwick Boseman, and a setup for Thunderbolts. However, for eagle-eyed nerf herders or moof milkers, you might’ve spotted some nods to a certain galaxy far, far away.  During the scene where Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) are kidnapped by Namor’s forces, they…

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15 Nov

Christmas Movies and TV Specials: Full 2022 Schedule

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or so they say. Some people love the holiday season. And then there are those grinches who don’t see the whole appeal. But if there’s one tried and true way to get into holiday spirit, it’s through exposure therapy to Christmas movies and specials. In the streaming era, there are more options than ever to catch a Christmas movie or a holiday TV special pretty much whenever you need it. Still, each day in the late November and December calendars brings a whole host of new options to the table. Here we’ve…

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14 Nov

Wakanda Forever Box Office Proves ‘Superhero Movie Fatigue’ Is Overstated

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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just had the biggest November opening weekend in box office history. Granted, as soon as the sequel to 2018’s game-changing superhero movie was announced by Marvel Studios to be a Thanksgiving-adjacent release, that milestone seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, it still was pretty remarkable when Black Panther 2 officially clocked in at $181 million on Monday morning, blowing away previous record holder Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened to $158 million in 2013. This number, by the by, also trounces previous Marvel November releases like Thor: Ragnarok ($122.7 million in 2017) and Doctor Strange ($85…

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14 Nov

Star Trek: William Shatner Reveals the Secret to the Franchise’s Success

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When Star Trek first hit screens in 1966, it seemed like the most unlikely hit. While there was certainly juice in creator Gene Roddenberry’s pitch to film “Wagon Train to the Stars,” and the network CBS showed enough confidence in the show to let producers shoot a second pilot, the debut episode hardly portended great things. “The Man Trap” pit Captain James T. Kirk and his crew against a salt vampire masquerading as a former flame of Doctor Leonard McCoy. But from those humble beginnings, Trek has become one of the world’s most beloved franchises, consisting of ten television series,…

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14 Nov

Black Panther 2 Just Set up a Major Phase 5 MCU Movie

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This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever If there’s one thing that Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever nailed, it was a surprise cameo that no one saw coming. Away from the shock return of Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, the writers managed to keep a lid on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Alongside nods to Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and trade agreements with New Asgard, Wakanda Forever has a major tie to the wider MCU that sets up Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts.  Hoping to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s answer to DC’s Suicide Squad, the Thunderbolts are…

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14 Nov

Star Wars Finally Delivers the Missing Piece of The Phantom Menace

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This Star Wars article contains spoilers for Tales of the Jedi. Back when he still had full creative control of Star Wars, George Lucas spent a lot of time revisiting and tweaking his finished films, much to the frustration of fans who’d grown up with the theatrical releases. Using (at the time) innovative CGI, the creator retroactively added characters to scenes where they hadn’t appeared before, or completely changed how iconic moments played out (e.g. Han shot first). It began with the Star Wars Special Editions in the late ’90s, which remastered the Original Trilogy for a new generation of…

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14 Nov

How Tom Cruise’s Oblivion Called Back to a Forgotten, Smarter Type of Sci-Fi

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Oblivion was released as a Tom Cruise vehicle in 2013, giving him his second best box office weekend up to that time outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise. However, the sci-fi pseudo-epic also received middling reviews and almost immediately dropped out of the public consciousness altogether. Which makes its reemergence into it via Netflix this month intriguing. Oblivion admittedly has its flaws, yet it is worth a second look if only because it so clearly has ambitions to be something so much more. In 2013 we had only recently gotten a glimpse at what the future held as the commercial…

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14 Nov

Ranking the Roger Moore James Bond Movies from Worst to Best

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Believe it or not, there once was a time when James Bond movies were fun. And more than fun, Bond himself had fun in them! As difficult as it is to sometimes imagine after Daniel Craig, James Bond was previously a character of high camp and sheepish boarding school humor. And no actor ever better personified that side of Bond than Roger Moore. Moore was the third actor to portray Bond in Eon Productions’ 007 series, although for many (particularly those who came of age in the ‘70s and ‘80s) he remains the definitive portrayal. With the naturally debonair demeanor,…

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