Black Adam
StudioDC Films, New Line Cinema,
We’re officially in the third decade of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being a movie star. The former WWE legend made his cinema debut in the forgettable sequel to The Mummy, where he’s introduced as the dreaded Scorpion King, one of the most infamous early CGI debacles. Special effects have since improved, along with Johnson’s abilities as an actor and charismatic leading man. However, it feels like now we’ve come full circle with DC’s Black Adam. Continue Reading →
Hocus Pocus 2
SimilarBring It On (2000), Free Willy (1993), Hellboy (2004), Night at the Museum (2006),
Watch afterBullet Train (2022),
StarringDoug Jones, Hannah Waddingham, Sam Richardson, Tony Hale,
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
The original Hocus Pocus has grown to be a cult favorite over the years. The 1993 film followed the Sanderson sisters: Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) as they terrorized Salem, Massachusetts after rising from the grave—until their apparently eternal banishment the end of the film. Now, in 2022, the Sandersons have been resurrected by the corporate magic of Disney. Luckily, Hocus Pocus 2’s spellweaving will delight both nostalgic fans of the original and draw in a new crowd of young fans. Continue Reading →
らんま½ 劇場版 決戦桃幻郷!花嫁を奪りもどせ!!
SimilarKill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), The Big Lebowski (1998),
Watch afterBlack Adam (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), The Equalizer 3 (2023),
StarringMegumi Hayashibara,
StudioStudio Deen,
The new horror film The Invitation opts to take a cue from Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” and hit the ground running. The very first scene of Jessica M. Thompson’s latest directorial effort depicts a woman deciding to escape a lavish home by way of suicide. With the help of a piano string and a medium-sized statue, she’s soon a corpse dangling in the living room of this mansion. Accompanied by pronounced cues on Dara Taylor’s score and claps of thunder, this demise is a striking way to kick off a movie. It’s also, unfortunately, emblematic of a critical narrative misstep from which The Invitation never quite recovers. Continue Reading →
The Phantom of the Open
SimilarStand and Deliver (1988),
StarringRhys Ifans,
StudioBBC Film, BFI, Ingenious Media,
In 1974, a crane operator named Maurice Flitcroft watched the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (a golf tournament) and decided that he would take up the game. Not as a fun new hobby, though. No, he intended to play at the British Open. Supported by his wife Jean, Maurice did indeed enter and play in the qualifying round of the Open after fibbing on his paperwork that he was a professional. He scored 121 and ended up summarily banned. Over the years, Flitcroft would attempt to re-enter the Open, using costumes and pseudonyms. If this all sounds handcrafted for immortalization on film, then you’re in luck. Continue Reading →