‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Film Review – Spoiler-Free

The amount of hype for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the third entry in Jon Watts MCU trilogy was unbelievably high. Right from the get-go, there has been a lot of discussion in which direction this installment was going to head, especially since Sony and Disney almost parted ways after the huge success of Far From Home. We almost didn’t get a third chapter until Spider-Man actor Tom Holland allegedly made a drunken phone call in tears to settle a dispute! We really owe it to Holland for stepping up and speaking his mind, as it paved way for what may not just be the best Spider-Man movie, nor the best MCU movie, but the best movie of 2021 as of late!

A Look Back On ‘Beavis and Butt-Head Do America’ – Still Funny After 25 Years?

When I was a kid, I had no idea who Beavis and Butt-Head were. I never really watched MTV, nor did it seem that I was really allowed to. What I do remember was seeing a VHS copy of their first motion picture, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America at age nine, but I had never really watched it, nor did I ever watch the show that it was based on. My first experience watching Beavis and Butt-Head was in high school when I noticed that a neighbor of my dad at the time, happened to have a couple of VHS’ of the show and the movie. I decided to borrow them both. While I cannot remember what my initial reaction was, all I can say is that watching Do America opened the door for my appreciation of the characters and it eventually became one of my favorite comedies, which I like to watch whenever I am in the mood.

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Film Review

Nearly 40 years after the first Ghostbusters premiered in theaters, a third movie in the franchise has finally arrived! It has been a long, rocky road to get to where we are now, with the project being in development hell for nearly two decades, matched with the casts’ hesitancy to return, along with the passing of Harold Ramis (who played Egon Spengler), it seemed that a third Ghostbusters would never get off the ground. The closest we have come was 2016’s female-led reboot which seemed to distance fans and divide critics. Now, a true sequel has come in the form of Ghostbusters: Afterlife! Afterlife is directed by Jason Reitman, who you may know as the director of films such as Juno, Up in the Air, and Jennifer’s Body. Yet what makes this special is that he is the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, which makes it feel like a passing of the torch. Ivan seems to appreciate his father’s work enough to continue the legacy as he visited the set of the original 1984 film as a kid. The touch is noticeable, but what it comes down to is more of the same story, yet for a new generation of Ghostbusters fans.

A Look Back at ‘Jingle All the Way’ – 25 Years of Corny Arnie Goodness

Now that Jingle All the Way is on Disney+, I figured that I would give it a rewatch for its 25th anniversary. I remember it as the movie that introduced me to the corniness that is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though he was mostly known for being an 80’s action star with films like The Terminator, Conan the Barbarian, Predator, and Commando, there was a time when he decided to take on family comedies. Kindergarten Cop and Junior were movies that showcased his comedic chops, but none seem to match the ridiculous, over-the-top, exaggeration that is Jingle All the Way. Jingle All the Way is Arnold at his corniest as he plays a father desperate to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas, only to cross paths with a police officer, a manic mailman, and a crowd of last-minute shoppers who all seek to get the ever in-demand Turbo Man doll. In reality, Jingle All the Way is a testament of a father trying to prove his worthiness to his son as he sets out on an all-day journey to make things right.

A Look Back On ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ – 20 Years Later

It is amazing that after 20 years, Harry Potter still has its share of fans. The amount of memorabilia/attractions I see are on par with Star Wars. Even as a kid, I would have never guessed that this series of films would leave its mark in the annals of pop culture history as much as it does today. People still talk about it, and it even has its own cinematic universe known as Wizarding World with the Fantastic Beasts movies to ensure that the flame of J.K. Rowling’s beloved works does not die out. Though through recent controversy, her spark may have died, yet the books and films still live on in the hearts of the fans. While I may never have read the books (though I have dabbled a bit in the first book), I was there when the first film came out. I was seven years old when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in theaters. My fondest memory was going to the theater one night to see it with my parents. Of course, it was a school night so I was not sure about staying up just to see a movie in the theater, but seeing as I always loved going to the movies, I was glad to oblige. As late as it was after we left the theater, I knew I saw something special for I instantly fell in love with Harry Potter.

‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ Film Review

When I was a kid, one of the books I loved to read were the Clifford books by the late Norman Bridwell. The idea of a giant red dog fascinated me to the point where I believed anything was possible. I am sure that at one point, I wished I had a dog like Clifford. As big and clumsy as he was, Clifford was always there to help and just like any other dog, he remained loyal to his owner, a little girl named Emily Elizabeth, who loved him just as much. Walt Becker’s live-action adaptation seems to show this lovable canine as nothing more than a bumbling accident-prone buffoon reminiscent of Marley & Me‘s pooch; it seems to be a common trope in live-action dog-centered family-comedies, and writers Jay Scherick, David Ronn, and Blaise Hemingway seemed to do their homework. Though I feel, with each other live-action adaptation of a popular children’s character, I feel like I have seen this type of film before. You have fart-and-poop jokes, a human character that can’t stand the mischief of the animal, a villain with a cunning plan. The formula is all there.

‘The French Dispatch’ Film Review

Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch, is a mosaic of different works inspired by his appreciation for The New Yorker, though it is mostly fictional. The French Dispatch tells three stories set in the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blase; all are beautiful to immerse yourself into, yet as offbeat as a film by Anderson is expected to be. We are treated to gorgeous sets, the yellowish-atmosphere of 60’s avant-garde French cinema, a whimsical score by the always reliable Alexandre Desplat, with some songs and compositions by French artists to set the mood of the soundtrack, all the while welcoming you to its world, making you feel like you just stepped into France, or at the most, the chaotic side. As Owen Wilson’s bicycle-riding travel-writer Herbsaint Sazerac (based on New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell) takes us on “a sight-seeing tour” in its first of few stories set around a newspaper called The French Dispatch, headed by the no-nonsense Harold Ross-inspired editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray) as he overlooks the details of these stories published.

Found in Translation – A Discussion on Accessibility in Media

We’ve ALL Heard the Sub VS Dub Debate…

When it comes to anime, the conversation surrounding accessibility in the community is a weirdly contentious one. I don’t just mean the usual sub VS dub debate either, as the conversation goes well outside that but for several reasons, supposed “fans” of the medium are quick to dismiss these ideas all too often. The weird thing though, it’s not really an issue in live-action media. That’s why I’d like to take a moment to talk about two recent things I watched:  Amazon Prime’s Cinderella and Netflix’s Squid Game. What do these two experiences have in common when it comes to accessibility, and why anime licensors and distributors should be taking a page from their books? Well, you’ll have to read on to find that one out.

A Look Back at ‘Frankenweenie’ (1984) – Tim Burton’s ‘Frankenstein’ Parody for Disney

*This Look Back May Contain Some Spoilers Ahead*

A Look Back at ‘Bebe’s Kids’ – Back When Animated Movies Tried to be Hip

Bebe’s Kids is not the most popular (or well-regarded) movie that has come out in the 90s, but it came at a time when rap and hip/hop were trending on the radio, black comedians were becoming box-office attractors, and animation was starting to be seen as more for adults than children. Though, at first glance, you might think that this try-to-be-hip animated comedy was made for kids, with its simplistic hand-drawn style, edgy attitude, and juvenile humor. In reality, it was based around one simple stand-up act by late comedian Robin Harris. I didn’t know who Robin Harris was before I found out about Bebe’s Kids, but his most famous routine was about the titular kids and how they would annoy them on a date he would go on with his girlfriend. Apparently, the skits were so popular, that Paramount saw potential to make a movie based around that routine. The movie, however, did not do well, critically, or financially.