NOC Review: ‘The Fabelmans’ is Fine

December 29, 2022January 2, 2023 Mike Manalo

It’s award season, which means every studio is going to tout their maudlin batch of contenders that qualify as “cinema” all over town. Trying to get voters to desperately nominate them for every award, while name-dropping the who’s-who of bait-worthy talent — all while every self-important and self-proclaimed “cinephile” pretends to preach about the difference between true “art” and “garbage” as if they invented the concept of “film” and are the authorities between what “real filmmaking” is and isn’t.

Movies, Trailers

Everything We Know About Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’

September 29, 2022September 29, 2022 Mike Manalo

The subtle change in temperature and the color of the leaves means that the seasons are changing — Summer Movie season to Oscar Season, that is! And leading the change among the numerous contenders bound for Oscar gold and glory is the latest from the greatest director of our time, Steven Spielberg: The Fabelmans. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming awards hopeful, hitting theaters November 11.

Marvel, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ is Fun Enough But Toothless

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 Mike Manalo

So Venom happened. Back in 2018, the movie came out. And it was fun. Dumb, for sure. But fun enough. It was a movie that benefitted off Tom Hardy’s charisma and greater understanding of what this movie franchise really should be — a ‘00s era tongue-in-cheek, Army of Darkness-toned camp fest released in 2018. And for the most part it was a success with audiences. But for comic book movies in a post-Dark Knight, post-MCU era, I can honestly say it doesn’t register high among my list of greatest superhero films. It frankly doesn’t register at all. While I had fun with the film, to me, that first film set a relatively low bar for its own franchise. So imagine my surprise and disappointment to see that Venom: Let There Be Carnage barely even attempts to clear that bar.