30 Best Movies To Watch After Shrek the Third (2007)
If you have finished watching the film Shrek the Third (2007) and are looking for other movies like it, here is a list of options to consider.
Inside Out 2
SimilarA Bug's Life (1998), Aladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Billy Elliot (2000), Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006),
Boys Don't Cry (1999) Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bring It On (2000), Brother Bear (2003), Cars (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dirty Dancing (1987), Edward Scissorhands (1990), F9 (2021), Fame (2009), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Free Willy (1993), Frozen 3 (), Ghostbusters (1984), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), I ♥ Huckabees (2004), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live and Let Die (1973) Look Who's Talking (1989),
Lost in Translation (2003) Mamma Mia! (2008),
Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Night at the Museum (2006), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Oldboy (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Superman Returns (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Save for that movie where Larry the Cable Guy supposedly urinated in public, Pixar sequels are rarely terrible. Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Monsters University are vastly preferable to the average Minions or Hotel Transylvania follow-up. Even Cars 3 wrung more pathos than expected out of its ill-conceived universe. The greatest problem with these sequels has been that they’re merely competent. They’re serviceable watches, but many are safe retreads of the familiar. Risks are minimal, idiosyncratic animation flourishes are scarce.
When absorbing these follow-ups, it's hard not to yearn for more challenging original Pixar titles like Turning Red, Ratatouille, or WALL-E. Still, details like the unexpected third-act detour of Monsters University or the charming new characters in Finding Dory are absent from your standard Ice Age or Illumination sequels. If we must live in this franchise-dominated pop culture landscape, Pixar has delivered more hits than most. Goodness knows the Toy Story sequels are outright masterpieces of long-form cinematic storytelling.
The newest example of the label’s pleasant, if far from groundbreaking, sequels, is Inside Out 2. Directed by Kelsey Mann (a new feature film helmer taking over for previous director Pete Docter), the sequel expands on the world of Riley’s mind established in 2015’s Inside Out. Continue Reading →
Ultraman: Rising
SimilarAladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Batman (1989), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992), Brother Bear (2003), Cars (2006), Catwoman (2004), Cellular (2004), Charlotte's Web (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Constantine (2005), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dr. No (1962), F9 (2021), Fantastic Four (2005), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Four Brothers (2005), From Russia with Love (1963), Ghost Rider (2007), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Goldfinger (1964), Hellboy (2004), Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Inspector Gadget (1999), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), King Kong (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Night at the Museum (2006), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Superman Returns (2006), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), The Legend of Zorro (2005), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Simpsons Movie (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterRaya and the Last Dragon (2021),
StudioNetflix,
Big old monster brawls are a delight. They're one of the great pleasures of the Ultra series, the Eiji Tsuburaya-created science fiction series that's brought joy to folks worldwide for 58 years and counting. While the series kicked off with the monster mystery series Ultra Q in 1966, it was Ultraman (launched in July of that year, shortly after Ultra Q wrapped), the tale of a benevolent alien superhero who lived among humanity and fought aliens, giants, and giant aliens alongside a human Science Team (in capital letters).
In the decades since Ultraman broke out, the series has proven flexible. It's first and foremost a kids' superhero show, but it's made space for experimentation and idiosyncrasy. See, for example, the great Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno's 2022 film Shin Ultraman, a loving tribute to and riff on the original 1966 series that embraces kaiju wrestling and contemplation of humanity's place in the cosmos equally. Or, heck, head back to 1966 and dig into the episodes of the original series directed by acclaimed filmmaker Akio Jissoji.
At its best, the new animated feature Ultraman Rising proves the strength of the Ultra series' core ideas—right good monster mashing mixed with a journey into humanity—with loveliness and style. Unfortunately, it's not at its best often enough to clinch the game. Rising is a messy, disjointed picture. Continue Reading →
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Similar28 Weeks Later (2007), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Die Hard 2 (1990),
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) F9 (2021), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Frozen 3 (), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), No Good Deed (2002), North by Northwest (1959), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Shooter (2007), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Superman Returns (2006), The 39 Steps (1935), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Toy Story 2 (1999), True Romance (1993),
StudioColumbia Pictures, TSG Entertainment,
Two questions face most rational people when confronting the existence of Bad Boys: Ride or Die. To the first, why did the filmmakers give it such an anonymous title? Especially while the previous installment had the seemingly more apt name Bad Boys For Life? For that, there is no answer. To the second? Yes, there is a joke involving Will Smith and someone getting slapped. And, yes, it is just as smug, stupid, and predictable as one would fear. The one compensating factor is one can describe the film as smug, stupid, and predictable too. That leaves hope most viewers will feel too numbed by the cacophony of crap to even register the slap gag.
The film begins inauspiciously with an extended and mostly pointless act in which Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) foil a convenience store robbery while on the way to Mike’s wedding to love Christine (Melanie Liburd). Shortly after that, Marcus upstages things by having a massive heart attack and near-death experience at the reception. Those beats out of the way, the cobbled-together plot finally kicks into gear. The local news fills with posthumous accusations that their beloved Capt. Howard (Joe Pantoliano) took bribes from cartels to allow drugs into the country. This cannot stand, of course. But when the two start an investigation to clear his name, everyone with information starts turning up dead. Continue Reading →
Unfrosted
SimilarApollo 13 (1995), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Barton Fink (1991), Basquiat (1996),
Ben-Hur (1959) Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Brazil (1985), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), D.E.B.S. (2005), Forrest Gump (1994), Garden State (2004), Ice Age (2002), JFK (1991), M*A*S*H (1970),
Manhattan (1979) Mars Attacks! (1996), Schindler's List (1993), Serial Mom (1994), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Sugar & Spice (2001), The Apartment (1960), The Avengers (1998), The Fisher King (1991), The King of Comedy (1982), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004),
The Party (1980) The Party 2 (1982) The Queen (2006), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Tin Drum (1979), To Die For (1995), Transamerica (2005),
StarringJon Hamm,
I will give Unfrosted, director/co-writer/star/breakfast aficionado Jerry Seinfeld's heavily fictionalized, would-be-gonzo take on the invention of the Pop-Tart, this: I did laugh, albeit mirthlessly. For one sequence, Seinfeld and his creative collaborators push past stale, semi-affectionate satire and into the rarefied realm of "Yes, we're going for it." It's a funeral. The deceased is laid to rest with the highest honors a breakfast food developer may be accorded. Why is he dead? An office culture that prioritized the appearance of safety (testing the revolutionary self-stable fruit pastry in a full space suit, complete with isolated oxygen supply) over actual safety (keeping said oxygen supply next to an overclocked toaster). After all, beating Post to market is far more important than protecting your staff from violent immolation.
The Corn Flakes rooster, Toucan Sam (Cedric Yarbrough), Tony the Tiger (Thurl Ravenscroft, as played by Hugh Grant), and Snap, Crackle, and Pop (Kyle Mooney, Mikey Day, and Drew Tarver), among others, perform the rites. As the deceased's widow (Sarah Burns) looks on in increasingly horrified bafflement, these priests of the breakfast table lower the coffin into the ground and then dump cereal and milk into the grave, topped with fresh fruit laid by professional mourners. A cereal box prize is presented like the flags given to the family of slain soldiers.
It's an audacious, out-there scene, a moment of distinct, morbid silliness that reminds me of when Barry B. Benson had Winnie the Pooh sniped. In a world where rival cereal companies seek the aid of Kennedy (Bill Burr) and Kruschev (Dean Norris) and the head of Big Milk (Peter Dinklage) can have someone tortured for daring to suggest that breakfast might not always need cow juice, Full Cearal Honors feels like Seinfeld and company cranking up the dial to eleven and jamming while dancing around Stonehenge. What is there to do but laugh? Continue Reading →
The Fall Guy
Similar3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), 50 First Dates (2004), A Bug's Life (1998), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bring It On (2000), Cars (2006), Cellular (2004), Chicken Little (2005), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dogma (1999), Dr. No (1962), F9 (2021), Fame (2009), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Four Brothers (2005), From Russia with Love (1963), Ghost Rider (2007), Ghostbusters (1984), Goldfinger (1964), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Hellboy (2004), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Kiss the Girls (1997), Klute (1971), Look Who's Talking (1989), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mamma Mia! (2008),
Mary Poppins (1964) My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Predator (1987), Pretty Woman (1990), Renegade, Serial Mom (1994),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982),
Star Trek: The Next Generation The Avengers (1998), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Simpsons Movie (2007), Thunder in Paradise, Toy Story 2 (1999), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), TRIGUN,
StarringHannah Waddingham,
"Delightful." That's the best word for The Fall Guy. It's a movie about moviemaking that loves moviemaking. It's a Tinseltown fairy tale. In The Fall Guy's world, going big at San Diego Comic-Con ("Hall H!" is a repeated refrain) guarantees that a nerdy, bombastic film will go big with general moviegoers. (Mr. Pilgrim would like a word.)
The Big Bad Wolf is Tom Ryder, a gormless hunk with a smoldering gaze (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). He's the biggest action star in the world despite stealing credit from a stunt team he treats, at best, with disdain. The Heroic Lumberjacks are the passionate, the driven, the caring. For instance, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a director pushing through writer's block to capture what she's carrying in her heart. Or Dan Tucker (Winston Duke), a stunt coordinator who knows the angles, timing, and how to bring out the best in his crew. And, of course, there's Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), a stuntman willing to get set on fire or launch himself into a wall until the illusion looks like truth. Moviemaking is, in part, an act of love. The Fall Guy knows this.
Colt may be a ragged goofball who's fallen off his horse (not literally, though given his skills, he could), but he's still a knight. He cares deeply for first-time director-and-one-time-lover Jody. That's why he comes out of a self-imposed retirement triggered by the same accident that led him to ghost her. He wants to ensure the science fiction western war epic Metalstorm isn't her last film. Or that a conspiracy, gun-toting goons, and potent hallucinogens don't prevent it from seeing the light of day at all. Continue Reading →
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Aladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Deadpool 2 (2018), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Die Hard 2 (1990),
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) F9 (2021), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Frozen 3 (), Ghostbusters (1984), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), King Kong (1933), King Kong (2005), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Night at the Museum (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Superman Returns (2006), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Fountain (2006), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), Twelve Monkeys (1995),
Watch afterDune: Part Two (2024),
The most frustrating thing about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire isn't that it's stupid. It knows it's stupid; it's banking on that. It's not even that its luster has been eclipsed by Japan's most recent entry in the terrible lizard's decades-long rampage on the cinematic landscape, the now-Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. It's that somehow, director Adam Wingard and the team behind the MonsterVerse have forgotten how to be the right kind of stupid, fumbling the formula that 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong captured with surprising charm. (Then again, our assessments of 2021's COVID-era output are innately suspect, considering most of us were just glad to be back at the movies at all.)
But the more you settle into the latest entry in Warner Bros. and Legendary's "MonsterVerse" -- the Americanized shared universe of Japanese-sourced kaiju movies that started with 2014's Godzilla -- the more confounding this exercise becomes. The end of the previous film in the series teased a kind of detente between Japan's favorite reptile and Skull Island's favored son, the two working together to take down MechaGodzilla after a movie's worth of preening spats on cargo ships and among the skyline of Hong Kong (no relation). You'd think screenwriters Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater would double down on the "what now?" of it all: how would these two reluctant allies share the Earth? That might be fun.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Review (Warner Bros./Legendary)
Instead, The New Empire feels like a semi-retread of Godzilla vs. Kong -- actually, scratch that, more like a King Kong movie with a few bits of Godzilla peppered in here and there. Like so many sitcom roommates before them, the pair have drawn a chalk line halfway down the planet and decided to each keep to their own territory. Godzilla protects humanity from rogue Titans on the surface, and in between bouts, he curls up in the Roman Colosseum like a cat bed, one of the film's more charming images. Meanwhile, Kong searches for other giant apes like him down in the Hollow Earth. (Yeah, that exists now.) Continue Reading →
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), A Bug's Life (1998), A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (2013), A Christmas Carol (1938), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Annie Hall (1977), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bring It On (2000), Brother Bear (2003), Bugsy Malone (1976), Cars (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Constantine (2005), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dogma (1999), F9 (2021), Fame (2009), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), From Russia with Love (1963), Frozen 3 (), Ghost (1990), Ghostbusters (1984), Goldfinger (1964), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Hellboy (2004), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), King Kong (1933), King Kong (2005), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live and Let Die (1973) Look Who's Talking (1989), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Mamma Mia! (2008),
Manhattan (1979) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Night at the Museum (2006), Night on Earth (1991), North by Northwest (1959), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Party Monster (2003), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Scrooge (1951),
Shaft (2000) Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Superman Returns (2006), The Apartment (1960), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Fifth Element (1997), The Green Mile (1999), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The King of Comedy (1982), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), The Terminal (2004), Toy Story 2 (1999), Transamerica (2005), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Volver (2006), When Harry Met Sally... (1989),
Watch afterDune: Part Two (2024),
StudioColumbia Pictures,
There are few names as deeply ingrained in the fabric of American pop culture as Ghostbusters, the action-comedy franchise spawned by Ivan Reitman’s beloved 1984 film. Nonetheless, despite its staggering financial success (netting nearly 300 million against a 25 million dollar budget) and pop culture permeance, Sony has had trouble recapturing the magic in later entries. Neither 1989’s Ghostbusters II, 2016’s Ghostbusters, and 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife have neared the original’s success.
Despite that, it seems the Ghostbusters franchise has finally found a sequel concept it’s willing to forge ahead with. The franchise’s latest installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is a direct sequel to Afterlife. It once more reunites Egon Spengler’s (Harold Ramis) children with the three living original Ghostbusters— Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray. Despite an intriguing subplot for Phoebe, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is an incohesive, unoriginal entry. It coasts on fan service to carry a paper-thin plot and a lukewarm crop of characters, new and old.
Bill Murray and Paul Rudd discuss their love of fog machines. (Sony Pictures)
Picking up two years after the events of Afterlife, Frozen Empire follows the Spengler family (Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard) to New York City. After the previous film's tradition-breaking decision to unfold in rural Oklahoma, this returns the franchise to its true home. Bankrolled by the uber-wealthy Winston (Hudson) they're back operating out of the old Ghostbusters firehouse. There the Spenglers struggle to juggle ghost-hunting with their interpersonal dynamics. That's all while working to keep the mayor (William Atherton) from shutting the family business. Continue Reading →
Dune: Part Two
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 2046 (2004), A Bug's Life (1998), A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (2013), A Clockwork Orange (1971), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Ben-Hur (1959) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987),
Blade Runner (1982) Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Children of Men (2006), Dances with Wolves (1990), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dr. No (1962), Dune (1984), F9 (2021), Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), From Russia with Love (1963), Frozen 3 (), Gladiator (2000), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Goldfinger (1964), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Help! (1965), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), King Kong (2005), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live and Let Die (1973) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mars Attacks! (1996), Metropolis (1927), Momo (1986), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), North by Northwest (1959), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Predator (1987), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Ronia the Robber's Daughter (1984),
Shaft (2000) Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Solaris (1972), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Stalker (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Starship Troopers (1997), Superman Returns (2006), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Fifth Element (1997), The Fountain (2006), The Great Escape (1963), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Road (2009), The Thing (1982), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), War of the Worlds (2005), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterAmerican Fiction (2023), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Dune (2021), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), Poor Things (2023),
StarringBabs Olusanmokun, Stellan Skarsgård,
Denis Villeneuve finishes his epic two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel with sprawling scope and thorny politics.
It's really a miracle that the first of Denis Villeneuve's Dune films penetrated the public consciousness as well as it did. It was released amid a worldwide pandemic; it was an IMAX-ready blockbuster that was simultaneously dropped onto people's streaming subscriptions same-day; it's based on a dense, impenetrable sci-fi novel Villeneuve patiently chose not to wholly adapt in one film. The results, blessedly, were commercial and critical success and a host of technical Oscars the following year.
That success was enough to secure Dune: Part Two, a chance for Villeneuve to complete his vision of Frank Herbert's seminal work of political science fiction. Where Part One worldbuilds, Part Two barrels down the road of its inevitable conclusion in satisfying style, even as it makes some noted changes from the novel or any previous adaptations -- some for the better, some for the worse. Continue Reading →
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Batman (1989), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992),
Ben-Hur (1959) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Blown Away (1994), Catwoman (2004), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Code of Silence (1985), Constantine (2005), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), Deadpool 2 (2018), Death Sentence (2007), Die Hard 2 (1990),
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) F9 (2021), Face/Off (1997), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Four Brothers (2005), Frozen 3 (), Ghost Rider (2007), Gladiator (2000), Hitman (2007), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Inspector Gadget (1999), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), Just Cause (1995), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Léon: The Professional (1994), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Man on Fire (2004), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Oldboy (2003), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985),
Shaft (2000) Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), The Avengers (1998), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), The Fifth Element (1997), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Legend of Zorro (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Zatoichi (2003),
Watch afterNapoleon (2023), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), The Marvels (2023), Wonka (2023),
StarringTemuera Morrison,
A decade's worth of superhero movies goes out with a big, stupid grin on its face.
One would hope that a film franchise with as much money poured into it as the DC Cinematic Universe would rage, rage against the dying of the light. Yet here we are, limping towards the end of a slate of superhero flicks marred by terrible reviews (Shazam! 2), controversy (The Flash), or sheer too-little-too-late-ness (Blue Beetle). As the superhero genre continues to flag in a year of duds, DC's set for a reinvention, a clean slate courtesy of former Marvel it-boy James Gunn and co-head Peter Safran. Before they can wipe the board and start all over with the label's slate of classic capes, though, there's a few rounds left in the last guy's chamber to fire off. That's what Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom feels like, easily the least objectionable of the DC films to come out in 2023. Problem is, that's not saying much.
A sequel to Aquaman should have been a slam dunk: Director James Wan's 2018 take on the King of Atlantis was a welcome breath of neon-soaked pop art in a franchise studded with Snyderesque dourness, leaning into the innate silliness of an underwater take on Flash Gordon. Jason Momoa is as effortless a casting as you could imagine for DC's hardest-to-pin-down superhero, brimming with giddy frat-boy energy. At its best moments, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom leans into its star's goofiness and even lets it infect some of the rest of the cast. But there's no escaping the feeling of weariness, both for a cast and crew who are just repeating the novel beats of the first and an audience that's just plain starved for something new. Continue Reading →
Poor Things
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 28 Days Later (2002), 28 Weeks Later (2007), 50 First Dates (2004), 9 Songs (2004), A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (2013), A Clockwork Orange (1971), About a Boy (2002), Aladdin (1992), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Amélie (2001), Annie Hall (1977), Armageddon (1998), Ask the Dust (2006), Bed and Board (1970),
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Blade Runner (1982) Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Buffalo Soldiers (2002), Charlotte's Web (2006), Chopper (2000), Closely Watched Trains (1966), Contact (1997), Contempt (1963), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), Cruel Intentions (1999), D.E.B.S. (2005), Desert Hearts (1985), Dirty Dancing (1987), Down by Love (2016), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Face/Off (1997), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Forrest Gump (1994), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Human Nature (2001), Inspector Gadget (1999), Jules and Jim (1962), Lolita (1962), Lolita (1997), Love and Honor (2006), M*A*S*H (1970),
Manhattan (1979) Mars Attacks! (1996),
Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Match Point (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Metropolis (1927), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Momo (1986), Monsoon Wedding (2001), Moulin Rouge! (2001), My Brother Is an Only Child (2007), Mystic River (2003), Night on Earth (1991), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Party Monster (2003),
Rebecca (1940) Shaun of the Dead (2004), Shrek (2001),
Shrek the Third (2007) Solaris (1972), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Stalker (1979), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Starship Troopers (1997), Sugar & Spice (2001), The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), The Butcher Boy (1998), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Elementary Particles (2006), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), The Holiday (2006), The Hustler (1961), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976),
The Party (1980) The Party 2 (1982) The Science of Sleep (2006), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), The Thing (1982), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Titanic (1997), To Die For (1995), True Romance (1993), Valley Girl (1983), Vertigo (1958), War of the Worlds (2005), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Wild at Heart (1990), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971),
Watch afterAmerican Fiction (2023), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Dune: Part Two (2024), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Maestro (2023), Saltburn (2023), Society of the Snow (2023), The Killer (2023),
StarringWillem Dafoe,
StudioFilm4 Productions, Searchlight Pictures, TSG Entertainment,
Yorgos Lanthimos directs a sumptuous adult fairy tale featuring Emma Stone at her very best.
Here’s the thing about Yorgos Lanthimos: you’re either on board with him, or you’re not. Even in The Favourite, arguably his most accessible film, there’s a sort of joyful grotesqueness to it, leaving the audience laughing and wincing simultaneously. His latest offering, Poor Things, is his most visually dazzling film yet, with moments of stunning beauty and bittersweet insight, but still isn’t afraid to test the audience’s sensibilities. It’s a film about what it means to be alive, every little disgusting aspect of it.
Based on Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, Poor Things opens in dreary black and white London, where eccentric scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) is overseeing an experiment that’s both miraculous and horrifying. Baxter, whose face looks like it was carved into several pieces and then put back together the wrong way, has brought a woman back to life after she committed suicide. The woman, whom he’s renamed Bella (Emma Stone, with a magnificent pair of eyebrows), initially has the mind of a toddler, but she’s learning and maturing at an astonishing rate. Bella refers to Godwin as “God,” and so far knows no one and nothing else but him and their home together. Continue Reading →
Wish
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), A Bug's Life (1998), Aladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Batman (1989), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992), Blood and Chocolate (2007), Brother Bear (2003), Bugsy Malone (1976), Cars (2006), Catwoman (2004), Charlotte's Web (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Constantine (2005), Dances with Wolves (1990), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dogma (1999), Dr. No (1962), Enchanted (2007), Fantasia (1940), Fantastic Four (2005), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Free Willy (1993), From Russia with Love (1963), Frozen 3 (), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Hellboy (2004), Help! (1965), Ice Age (2002), Inspector Gadget (1999), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992),
Live and Let Die (1973) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008),
Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Michael (1996), Momo (1986), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Orlando (1992), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Princess Mononoke (1997), Ronia the Robber's Daughter (1984), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), The Avengers (1998), The Big Blue (1988), The Fountain (2006), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Karate Kid (1984), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Toy Story 2 (1999), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterAquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Five Nights at Freddy's (2023), Leave the World Behind (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), Napoleon (2023), Parasite (2019), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), Society of the Snow (2023), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), The Marvels (2023), Wonka (2023),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Productions,
Kids deserve better than yet another dull, going-through-the-motions misfire.
The animation world was recently startled by Warner Bros.' announcement that they planned to shelve their recently completed feature Coyote vs Acme for a quick tax write-off, rather than spend money to release it. Not to be outdone, Disney Studios offers up Wish, an animated feature that is the kind of artistic misfire that deserves to be hidden away and never spoken about again. This is a creation so alternately bewildering and banal that it's implausible that at no point during the entire creative process did anyone point out the seemingly obvious fact that virtually none of it works on even the most basic levels.
Wish takes place in the kingdom of Rosas, which was founded and is currently ruled by Magnifico (Chris Pine), a seemingly benevolent sorcerer who offers peace and protection for all those who live there. The catch is that they must surrender their deepest wish to Magnifico, who stores them in the lab in his castle in bubbles and once in a great while returns one to the person who made it. Inexplicably, the people of Rosas think this is a good deal, none more so than Asha (Ariana DeBose), a teenager who is all in on both Rosas and Magnifico and is hoping that the latter will present her beloved grandfather (Victor Argo) with his wish to commemorate his upcoming 100th birthday. Continue Reading →
The Holdovers
SimilarA Bug's Life (1998), A Christmas Carol (1938), About a Boy (2002), Apocalypse Now (1979), Bad Education (2004), Bed and Board (1970), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Brazil (1985), City of God (2002), Don't Look Now (1973), Donnie Brasco (1997), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Enemy at the Gates (2001), Fargo (1996), Forrest Gump (1994), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Go (1999), Gone Baby Gone (2007), GoodFellas (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), JFK (1991), Lords of Dogtown (2005), May (2003), Monster (2003), My Brother Is an Only Child (2007), Mystic River (2003), Oldboy (2003),
Primal Fear (1996) Scrooge (1951),
Shrek the Third (2007) Solaris (1972), Stolen (2024), Street Kings (2008), The Apartment (1960), The Departed (2006), The Fisher King (1991), The French Dispatch (2021), The Holiday (2006), The Killing Fields (1984), The Long Goodbye (1973),
The Party 2 (1982) The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Silent Partner (1978), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2022), To Die For (1995), Wonder Boys (2000), You've Got Mail (1998),
Watch afterAmerican Fiction (2023), Anatomy of a Fall (2023),
Barbie (2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Maestro (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) Poor Things (2023), Society of the Snow (2023), The Killer (2023), The Marvels (2023),
StarringGillian Vigman,
StudioMiramax,
After stumbling with Downsizing, Alexander Payne bounces back with a gentle & witty comedy-drama.
The artist Dmitry Samarov one said to me that the ratio of good to bad late periods in an artist's life was depressing to consider. For every Sir Edward William Elgar there was an Eric Clapton (my example, not his), and that it was rare to see someone sharpen as they aged. Now, I like Dmitry and certainly respect his opinion, but I can’t help but feel that when film overtook painting as the dominant artwork that people engage with, the ratio shifted towards bizarre experimentation and welcome self-reflection as much as dull self reflection.
Take for instance 62 year old Alexander Payne, who, after the biggest disaster of his career (2017’s confused parable Downsizing), has started his fourth decade as a director by leaning hard back into what he knew (and what the royal “we” enjoyed) and rediscovered himself with The Holdovers, a movie no one can seem to stop comparing to Hal Ashby. No mean feat, of course, but even that sells its virtues short. This is no mere homage, no mere return to form, this is the movie that Payne’s been hoping to make since his 90s heyday, a film that earns both its jaundiced gaze and its catharsis. Continue Reading →
Trolls
Similar50 First Dates (2004), A Bug's Life (1998), About a Boy (2002), Aladdin (1992), Batman (1989), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992), Billy Elliot (2000), Brother Bear (2003), Bugsy Malone (1976), Cars (2006), Charlotte's Web (2006), Chicago (2002), Chicken Little (2005), Dances with Wolves (1990), Dirty Dancing (1987), Dr. No (1962), Enchanted (2007), Fame (2009), Fantasia (1940), Fantastic Four (2005), Forrest Gump (1994), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), From Russia with Love (1963), Frozen 3 (), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Help! (1965), Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Inspector Gadget (1999), Italian for Beginners (2000), La Vie en Rose (2007), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mamma Mia! (2008),
Mary Poppins (1964) Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Momo (1986), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Muriel's Wedding (1994), My Own Private Idaho (1991), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Pretty Woman (1990), Princess Mononoke (1997), Ronia the Robber's Daughter (1984), Shall We Dance? (2004), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Stranger Than Paradise (1984), The Avengers (1998), The Big Blue (1988), The Butcher Boy (1998), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Karate Kid (1984), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Terminal (2004), Toy Story 2 (1999), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Studio20th Century Fox,
The Trolls movies continue to indulge in their best and worst impulses in a third installment.
The poster for this past summer's R-rated comedy No Hard Feelings had a reasonably clever tagline to explain the strained dynamic between the film's two leads. Against an image of Jennifer Lawrence squeezing Andrew Barth Feldman's cheeks, a single word is placed on top of each person's face: "Pretty" and "Awkward." Nothing revolutionary in design, but it gets the job done. Best of all, that tagline also makes for an apt descriptor for Trolls Band Together.
The third entry in the Trolls trilogy (based on the popular 80s dolls), Trolls Band Together does indeed live up to the phrase “Pretty. Awkward.” The animators at DreamWorks keep coming up with gorgeous-looking environments for the titular critters to inhabit that look like they emerged from the wreckage of a craft store explosion. Unfortunately, the writing remains as stilted as ever. Continue Reading →
The Marvels
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), A Bug's Life (1998), Aladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Batman (1989), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Bride of Re-Animator (1990), Brother Bear (2003), Cars (2006), Catwoman (2004), Cellular (2004), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Constantine (2005), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Deadpool 2 (2018), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Die Hard 2 (1990),
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) Dogma (1999), Dune (1984), F9 (2021), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (1967), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Four Brothers (2005), Free Willy (1993), From Russia with Love (1963), Frozen 3 (), Ghost Rider (2007), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Goldfinger (1964), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Hellboy (2004), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Inspector Gadget (1999), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998),
Live and Let Die (1973) Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mars Attacks! (1996), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Sin City (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Solaris (1972), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Superman Returns (2006), The Avengers (1998), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), The Fifth Element (1997), The Legend of Zorro (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Road (2009), The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009),
Watch afterAquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Five Nights at Freddy's (2023), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), Napoleon (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), The Killer (2023), Wonka (2023),
StarringSamuel L. Jackson,
Most films don’t come with homework. The same cannot be said of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new movie, The Marvels. Unless you’re a devoted MCU fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of both the movies and the Disney+ TV originals, it’s difficult to understand the mechanics of this disastrously convoluted entry in the floundering franchise. It feels like being dropped headfirst into a crossover episode based on three shows you’ve never seen -- mostly because it is. The Marvels kicks off with a bit of genuine visual interest (that never appears again) in the form of hand-drawn comics created by teenage superhero-slash-Captain Marvel fangirl Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), aka Ms. Marvel. Vellani, who previously appeared as Kamala on the little-seen Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, is a spunky, hilarious teenage heroine whose impressive comedic timing buoys the leaden, disjointed script. She so thoroughly steals the show that it’s disappointing this movie wasn’t just about her; instead, it's a confused mix of storylines involving Kamala, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and astronaut Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, Candyman). It feels like the powers that be made a huge mistake in consigning her story to a poorly publicized streaming original, instead of letting her headline a film on her own. Continue Reading →
The Garfield Movie
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), 28 Days Later (2002), A Bug's Life (1998), A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (2013), About a Boy (2002), Aladdin (1992), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Batman (1989), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), Batman Forever (1995), Batman Returns (1992),
Ben-Hur (1959) Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Billy Elliot (2000), Blown Away (1994), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Bugsy Malone (1976), Cars (2006), Catwoman (2004), Charlotte's Web (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Code of Silence (1985), Constantine (2005), Dances with Wolves (1990), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dogma (1999), Dr. No (1962), Enchanted (2007), Fantasia (1940), Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Forrest Gump (1994), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Ghost Rider (2007), Ghostbusters (1984), Gladiator (2000), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Hellboy (2004), Help! (1965), I've Always Liked You (2016), In China They Eat Dogs (1999), Inspector Gadget (1999), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Italian for Beginners (2000), Jules and Jim (1962), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Les Misérables (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Mars Attacks! (1996),
Mary Poppins (1964) Meet the Robinsons (2007), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Michael (1996), Momo (1986), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Muriel's Wedding (1994), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Natural Born Killers (1994), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Oldboy (2003), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Paris Can Wait (2016), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pretty Woman (1990), Princess Mononoke (1997), Ronia the Robber's Daughter (1984), Saw III (2006), Shall We Dance? (2004), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984),
Strange Days (1995) Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Superman Returns (2006), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Avengers (1998), The Butcher Boy (1998), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), The French Dispatch (2021), The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Karate Kid (1984), The Legend of Zorro (2005), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Science of Sleep (2006), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Terminal (2004), Toy Story 2 (1999), True Romance (1993), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), You Only Live Twice (1967), Zatoichi (2003),
Watch after1917 (2019),
Barbie (2023) Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Leave the World Behind (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Talk to Me (2023), The Batman (2022), The Flash (2023), The Suicide Squad (2021), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021),
StarringAyane Sakura, Brett Goldstein,
Fred Tatasciore Hannah Waddingham, Hisako Kanemoto, Junko Minagawa, Kotono Mitsuishi, Marina Inoue, Mariya Ise, Megumi Hayashibara, Ryo Hirohashi, Samuel L. Jackson, Sayaka Ohara, Shizuka Itoh, Shoko Nakagawa,
StudioColumbia Pictures, dentsu, King Records, Studio Deen, Toei Animation, Toei Company,
When I was around thirteen, two classmates, Christina and Taylor (their real names, it’s not like they’re going to read this), played a prank on me that resulted in my eating dog food. In retrospect, it could have been worse: nobody else saw it happen, and for whatever reason they kept it to themselves. But when I think about my teenage years (and I try not to much at this point in my life, other than at a superficial pop culture level), my mind often goes to that moment. Continue Reading →
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Similar101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2002), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 28 Days Later (2002), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Aladdin (1992), Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Antonia's Line (1995), Armageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Back to the Future Part II (1989),
Back to the Future Part III (1990) Batman Begins (2005), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994),
Blade Runner (1982) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Brother Bear (2003), Cars (2006), Cellular (2004), Chicken Little (2005), Code of Silence (1985), Con Air (1997), Deadpool 2 (2018), Dogma (1999), Dr. No (1962), Dune (1984), F9 (2021), Fame (2009), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fargo (1996), Forrest Gump (1994), Four Brothers (2005), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), In China They Eat Dogs (1999), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Mamma Mia! (2008), Mars Attacks! (1996), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Momo (1986), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), North by Northwest (1959), Ocean's Eleven (1960), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Party Monster (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Point Break (1991), Scarface (1932), Shrek (2001),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Starship Troopers (1997), Superman Returns (2006), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator Salvation (2009), The Avengers (1998), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Departed (2006), The Fifth Element (1997), The Godfather Part III (1990), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Road (2009), The Simpsons Movie (2007), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Thing (1982), The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008), Toy Story 2 (1999), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), We Own the Night (2007), Wild at Heart (1990), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterAvatar (2009),
StarringRebecca Romijn,
StudioNew Line Cinema,
An overview of the diverse features selected to screen at this year's Austin Film Festival.
This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn't exist.
A cycle rickshaw, adorned with a Texas flag billowing in the wind, whizzes by while blaring a Luke Combs tune. Massive murals of Willie Nelson and Post Malone gaze down on passersby like the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. A man in a Blue Lives Matter shirt waltzes past a "PROTECT TRANS KIDS" sign planted on the lawn of a Catholic Church. Welcome to Austin, Texas, a Southern hotspot that, for the final weekend of October 2023, wasn't just home to these and other oddball sights, but also the backdrop for the 30th edition of the Austin Film Festival. Though not as world-famous as the Toronto International Film Festival or Cannes, Austin's annual ode to cinema is still a much-ballyhooed event attended by freelance journalists, aspiring screenwriters, iconic filmmakers, and everyone in between. Continue Reading →
Strays
SimilarArmageddon (1998), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bring It On (2000), Brother Bear (2003), Cars (2006), Dogma (1999), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), From Russia with Love (1963), Ghostbusters (1984), Goldfinger (1964), Good Luck Chuck (2007), Night at the Museum (2006), Ocean's Eleven (1960),
Shrek the Third (2007) Snakes on a Plane (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Simpsons Movie (2007), Toy Story 2 (1999),
Watch afterBarbie (2023) Blue Beetle (2023), Elemental (2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) Talk to Me (2023), The Nun II (2023),
Talking animals have been an entertainment staple for practically as long as movies have been around. Most classics of the genre, like 1993’s Homeward Bound, aim squarely at children in the audience. Director Josh Greenbaum’s Strays seeks to subvert that approach by weaving dirty jokes and curse words into familiar genre tropes. The result is considerably more grating and unpleasant to watch. Continue Reading →
The Blackening
Watch afterThe Flash (2023),
StudioMRC,
The Blackening is a horror-satire based on a popular 2018 short film of the same name. It mercilessly skewered the genre conceit that the Black character is always the first to die—a notion so familiar that this year saw the publication of an examination of Black-related horror films entitled The Black Guy Dies First. To do so, it presented a scenario in which all the potential victims are Black. They argue about who among them is truly the Blackest while downplaying their own ethnicity to survive. (“I qualified for the Winter Olympics.”) Continue Reading →
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
SimilarA.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Aliens (1986), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), F9 (2021), Face/Off (1997), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964),
Shrek the Third (2007) Watch afterBarbie (2023) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The Flash (2023),
StarringColman Domingo, Cristo Fernández,
The blockbuster landscape shifted with Michael Bay's 2007 Transformers movie. It fit his directing style, with his love of explosions and male gazing, but what it amounted to was a guy playing with big, expensive cinematic toys. There was knowledge gained from those five previous installments when the 2018 spin-off Bumblebee had more personality and excitement than any of its predecessors. Continue Reading →
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
SimilarAladdin (1992), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Die Hard 2 (1990),
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) F9 (2021), Free Willy (1993), Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Hellboy (2004),
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Night at the Museum (2006), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) Superman Returns (2006), The Legend of Zorro (2005),
Watch afterAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023),
Barbie (2023) Fast X (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) Thanksgiving (2023), The Flash (2023), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023),
StarringDee Bradley Baker,
A lot's happened since we last saw the Guardians of the Galaxy (well, besides their brief cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder). Writer/director James Gunn was fired from Marvel in 2018 after some problematic tweets joking about pedophilia were unearthed, in one of the few instances of a successful cancellation from the right wing. Of course, it didn't last long, considering how thin the ground was for said cancellation in the first place; and in the interim, he swanned off to DC, made the fantastic The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, and eventually found himself sharing the throne of a newly-revamped DC movie universe. Continue Reading →
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
SimilarAladdin (1992), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), King Kong (1933),
Live and Let Die (1973) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004),
Shrek the Third (2007) The Man with the Golden Gun (1974),
Watch afterAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Evil Dead Rise (2023), Fast X (2023), John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023),
It’s been almost 40 years since that little plumber in the red hat jumped into a warp pipe and into our hearts. Super Mario Bros., released for the original Nintendo system in the US in 1985, is still the perfect video game. It’s simple (you just got to jump around), it has iconic music, and its colorful world is hypnotic even with all those cute creatures trying to kill you. Continue Reading →