After a bit of a struggle to find their footing, DC has been having a much better time in the movie playing field as of late. Films like Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Joker have proven that there’s room for superheroes other than Marvel on the big screen, and they don’t all have to act like Batman. The issue then became one of finding identity; since Marvel had such a strong cultural hold on the superhero blockbuster, it was imperative for DC movies to find their own brand of storytelling...
With Halloween past us, we’re coming up on that most wonderful time of the year once again, and you know what that means: Christmas movies. Cheesy romcoms, tales of wintertime magic, kids’ movies about setting up insanely complex and sadistic traps to catch two home intruders. Plenty of Christmas cheer to go around! Specifically, there’s always an abundance of movies that center around a celebrity stepping into the boots of Santa Claus for all sorts of wacky adventures. Whether kid-friendly or adult-oriented, these films are a staple of Christmas...
To say that Hamilton is a cultural phenomenon is almost an understatement. Since the musical first hit the big stage in 2015, it’s gained heaps of positive acclaim and a large unexpected fan following that have planted this play firmly in the cultural zeitgeist. A hip-hop musical about the founding fathers may have earned odd looks and scoffs at the beginning, but over time has garnered a following large enough to rival all other musicals, historical revolution-based or otherwise. However, despite its insurmountable fanbase, Hamilton could only be seen...
You may remember that way back in 2018, United States president Donald Trump announced a new sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. A proposed branch of the military that would deal with space warfare was met with mostly unanimous mockery, but still it seemed to forge ahead. But it would seem that along with criticism and think pieces, the conception of the Space Force has also given us a brand new Netflix Original show from Greg Daniels and Steve Carell. Together, they form a formidable comedic...
With the launch of the new streaming service HBO Max coming at such a perfect time, everyone seems ecstatic to have another silver tray of entertainment options delivered (contact-free, of course) right into their homes. Right off the bat, there are plenty of different TV shows and movies both old and new to be watched on this service, but perhaps most interesting are the new Max Originals that will be coming out both immediately and over time. Things like a Gossip Girl sequel/reboot, an Adventure Time revival miniseries, and...
Netflix has been on a roll lately with releasing plenty of new content to keep us occupied in times like this, everything from fun reality TV like The Circle to exciting action films like Spenser Confidential to fantastic animated shows like the rebooted She-Ra. It’s nice that there’s truly something for everyone right now, and more is being added to their roster by the week. Currently, one of their newest additions is The Wrong Missy, a movie directed by Tyler Spindel, a stand-up comedian who is still a relative...
Tragedy is one of the oldest genres of stories, and throughout the centuries we’ve been given new and varied ideas for tragic tales. They are one of the fundamental storytelling setups because no matter what the year is or where in the world you are, everyone can relate to tragedy. Even with many people in low spirits as they are right now, many can find comfort in a well-executed tragedy, but that sort of balancing act is easier said than done. Enter HBO’s newest show, I Know This Much...
Last September, the Toronto International Film Festival saw the premiere of many promising films, all with varied genres and ideas put into them. Among these films was one called Bad Education, a half-biopic, half-comedy tale, telling a story of school embezzlement based on true events. It’s always exciting when a director gets their hands on a movie concept based in reality that’s stranger than fiction, because it means they’ve already got a fantastical narrative that begs to be presented in an engaging way. And this director, Cory Finley, seems...
If you’re the type to frequent bookstores, particularly within the mystery section, hearing the name of a detective named Spenser may ring a bell for you. Indeed, Robert B. Parker’s famed police investigator has been in the public’s eye for almost 40 years now, with his very first novel having been released back in 1973. Parker wrote a total of 40 Spenser novels up until his death in 2010, after which crime journalist and author Ace Atkins was selected to continue the Spenser saga, which is still ongoing as...
While many beloved sci-fi properties feature comedic elements in them, it’s a bit more rare to see one emerge as a full-fledged comedy television show. They can exist, but most of them do so in the form of adult animated shows or, arguably, some of the Marvel movies. On the other hand, you have your popular sitcoms like Brooklyn 99 or The Office, which set the bar for the genre in that they’re hilariously funny, but never usually venture into odd settings, preferring to take place in regular workplaces....
Frozen (2013) was a cultural phenomenon, there’s no doubt about that. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone that hasn’t at least heard a great deal about it, especially anyone with kids. Frozen can be easily argued as one of the Walt Disney Company’s biggest films of all time, making $1.2 billion at the box office and selling over $107 billion worth of merchandise. Given these monstrously gigantic figures, it doesn’t take a financial strategist to understand why Disney would want to make Frozen into a full franchise. And that...
For years, the novels of Philip Pullman have been dazzling readers young and old alike, and the series His Dark Materials was perhaps the most famed of all. Previously, it’s been adapted into both a theater production and a film which was met with mixed reviews. Pullman’s readers have been vying for a way to bring their beloved series and all of its magic to life in a new way, and with the release of HBO’s His Dark Materials television adaptation of 2019, it seems that they may get...
This review will contain mild spoilers for Joker. The Joker is one of the most famous villains of all time, both in comic circles and entertainment as a whole. Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of distinct portrayals of the character that have all left a significant mark on his general perception. From Heath Ledger’s sinister unpredictable crime lord in 2008 to Mark Hamill’s insane larger-than-life cartoon villain in 1992 to Jared Leto’s unfortunate misstep in 2016, the Joker has become one of the most interesting characters in comics...
If the performance at the Emmy’s is anything to go off of, it appears that Succession has enraptured both audiences and critics across the world as of late. While only in its second season, Succession has rapidly gained attention since its June 2018 premiere. Fans of the HBO series can’t seem to get enough of this dramatic look into the lives of a scheming family running a monopolistic media empire. There is a certain morbid fascination with this family that sees each other as little more than a means...
This review will contain spoilers. August 2019 marked the return of (in)famous director Quentin Tarantino to direct a brand new movie in his signature style, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The genuine buzz and curiosity surrounding this movie from the get-go never seemed to truly ebb from the moment that the first trailer dropped. Whether in excitement or dread, everyone was anticipating going to see this movie, with its uniquely tangible 60’s setting and immensely popular cast that seemed to grab the attention of both the film buffs...
No matter what you think of it, everyone can agree that Veronica Mars is a show that truly cannot be kept down. Following a fan-funded movie in 2014, Veronica Mars has found a revival in 2019 after jumping from the now-defunct UPN to The CW to its current home, Hulu. Marshmallows, as fans call themselves, have followed this show through thick and thin, and not without reason. When it first premiered in 2004, creator Rob Thomas captured audiences with a teen drama/mystery that didn’t rely on easy cliches and...
The 1990’s, also known as Disney’s Renaissance Era in regards to their animated features of the time, is a period of great nostalgia for the young adults of today. It began nearly 30 years ago, making it a prime time for bringing beloved pieces of that past to the present. Disney has buckled down on this, bringing a huge number of live action reboots and retellings with a prominent focus on movies from that period (as well as a few of their timeless early classics). From the Renaissance, Aladdin,...
After Infinity War and Endgame changed both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and our own world forever, it was hard to imagine what comes next. Where do you even go after undoing a catastrophic mass genocide and losing some of the biggest heroes in the game? “Well,” Marvel offers, “you go see how their legacy will carry on and evolve through the people that they left behind.” As usual, they knew just the path to take in the aftermath of one of the most popular movies ever released, and Spider-Man...
The Toy Story saga is a franchise that is often viewed as the gold standard for animated movies, and for good reason. Way back in 1995, Pixar brought us the first ever full-length computer-animated film with Toy Story, which was a critical hit and a technological marvel of its time. Pixar continued to hit it out of the park with Toy Story 2 and 3, making a trilogy of movies that were heralded as near-perfect masterpieces of animation. Even though the first two are now a little bit dated...
The summer of 1997 marked the start of a series that would quickly rise to popularity and stick around so effortlessly that it can still be casually referenced in conversation today without causing confusion, Men In Black. The original film starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the iconic duo in a government agency that deals with alien diplomatics and otherworldly threats on a daily basis. These characters worked as foils for each other so well that, despite how opinions changed on the overall series as it progressed,...
As many fans know, the Disney Renaissance was a revolutionary time period for animation that took place from about 1989 to 1999. We have this period to thank for many beloved titles such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan, and Aladdin. Nearly every movie released at that time was a smash hit and most became instant classics that any respectable kid would enjoy on VHS for hours on end. Now that it’s 2019, the generation that grew up with these films have grown...
In the winter of 1961, a man by the name of Joseph Heller released his newest book, Catch-22, to immediate and overwhelming popularity with the general public. The satirical dark comedy was based on Heller’s own personal experiences as a bomber in World War II, and the anti-war messages throughout proved to be extremely appealing to young people during a time of increasing disillusionment with the Vietnam War. It was a book that critics still claim pulled off a staggering balancing act between the comedic and tragic elements, coming...
Director Chad Stahelski’s ongoing saga of John Wick movies have become a household name in a matter of less than 5 years, and for good reason. As it stands now, John Wick as a body of work is an interesting and fresh take on the action genre from a variety of cinematic viewpoints. When the first film came out in 2014, it became an instant classic with the infamous “puppy murder that launched a thousand bullets” setup as well as impressive fight scenes throughout. Throughout all of the movies,...