Taking a cue from Disney's playbook, Nickelodeon Kids has produced its first live-action adaptation of an animated series. But unlike the house of mouse, this adaptation isn't just a rehash of its source material. "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" adds a decade to the title character's age and utilizes the wit of comedic [...]
Eugenio Derbes has been a staple in Mexican pop culture for years. Besides his numerous tv and film roles, he’s done the Spanish dubbing for Donkey in the Shrek films, voices Glen in both Angry Birds movies, and is attached to voice the lead character in the upcoming Speedy Gonzales movie. Earlier this week, in [...]
Ari Aster, writer, and director of last year's gothic family drama "Hereditary" is back with another disturbing tale of humanity versus horror. Though "Midsommar" shares a common pagan thread, it weaves a very different story, with far more beauty, depth, and gore. The film follows a familiar premise: A group of young Americans travels to [...]
It seems that Richard Curtis has found his second calling after his retirement from directing several years ago: writing and producing musical movies based on classic pop bands. Prior to writing/producing Yesterday, the Notting Hill, Love Actually, and About Time writer/director did something very similar with Mamma Mia's sequel last summer, which was among my [...]
It was always going to be a hard task for any film to follow up Avengers: Endgame, one of the most successful films of all time. It wrapped up ten years of storytelling in Marvel Cinematic Universe in a compelling and touching way. Yet they seemed to write themselves into a corner, leaving a number of [...]
It has been eight years since "X-Men: First Class" was released, but nearly thirty years have passed when "Dark Phoenix" picks up. It's the second super-hero film in three months that takes place in the '90s, but while "Captain Marvel" reveled in nostalgia this conclusion to the First Class series wallows in melodrama. The story [...]
"Rocketman" is an odd film, but in a world of by-the-numbers music biopics, that's a good thing. It seems the most talented musicians and artists all suffer from similar maladies. Either unloved or misunderstood by their parents, their art is fueled by pain. Success places them on a pedestal where it's even more lonely. Surrounded [...]
It's nice to occasionally shut off your brain and just enjoy a pure popcorn flick. A few plot holes and inconsistencies here and there are excusable, as long as the film plays by its own rules and doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience. The John Wick and Mission Impossible franchises are great examples of [...]
The word "Parabellum" is derived from the Latin phrase "If you want peace, prepare for war." It's also the name given to the most widely used 9mm rounds used. Both sides of this double entendre fit John Wick's third chapter perfectly, teasing the glorified action-porn that follows. For those new to the series, "John Wick" [...]
It's time for yet another gender-swapping remake! It's no secret that "The Hustle" is a remake of Frank Oz's 1988 "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," which is itself a remake of Ralph Levy's 1964 "Bedtime Story." Screenwriters Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning receive writing credits on all three films. The plot structure of these three films is [...]
