‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is Charming Yet Predictable

One thing is for sure, Wes Anderson will keep repeating the same signature formula he has honed and defined over the years and film lovers and movie stars will flock to whatever he has to offer. Such is the case for his latest, The Phoenician Scheme, which stars Benicio Del Toro and a whole cast of his usual favorites alongside some newcomers like Riz Ahmed and Mia Threapleton.

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‘Lilo & Stitch’ Captures the Heart of Animated Original While Adding More Layers

It has been 23 years since Disney’s animated film Lilo & Stitch premiered. And though what was considered cultural appropriation was different back then, the film was a bit ahead of its time by casting a few Asian or Pacific Islander voices for the main humans (except for Daveigh Chase as Lilo).

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NOC Review: ‘Thunderbolts*’ is Marvel at its Most Mature and Emotionally Complex

Superheroes have trauma. That’s not an original idea. However, what happens when these superheroes have to face something more real and unsolvable than saving the world, such as actual depression and mental health issues? You get something greater than your average superhero popcorn blockbuster. That’s where Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* truly excels.

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NOC Review: ‘Sinners’ is a Profound Masterpiece of Survival Horror!

There’s room in this world for all sorts of horror, be it schlock or awe. For every Exorcist there’s a Paranormal Activity. For every Fly there’s a Re-Animator. And for every Halloween there’s a Terrifier. They all can exist without conflict for every horror fan to embrace. However, when horror is made by storytellers that get it, love it, but have much more to say than “Ooh! Look! Blood!” that’s how masterpieces are born, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is one such film: a profound masterpiece of survival horror!

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‘Freaky Tales’ is a Love Letter for Funny Folks Fighting Fascism

The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers last night, as they do in the closing act of the new film Freaky Tales from filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, set in the East Bay Area (Oakland and Berkeley mainly) in 1987, in which many cultural rivalries are lovingly recreated. The genre-bending mixtape movie from the directors of Captain Marvel and Half Nelson is timely, nostalgic, punk rock and old-school hiphop, inspiring and often hilarious.

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The Middle Geeks Episode 72: ‘Leila and the Wolves’ Review

We review the 1984 film, Leila and the Wolves, which chronicles the revolutionary role of women in the Levant.

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‘The Encampments’ is an Essential Documentary for the Ages

What exactly happened during the student protests at Columbia University last year and similar universities in the United States and worldwide? What were they fighting for? Was it as truly antisemitic as the Democratic Party, mainstream media, and now the MAGA-led Trump administration say it was?

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NOC Review: ‘Snow White’ is a Half-Baked Hypocritical Hodgepodge

Disney is in a pickle. The company that used to be a four-quadrant factory has to survive in a world where nobody is satisfied. The challenge of which results in something of an identity crisis. Do they aim for progress and alienate half the country? Or play it safe? There is no better representation of this confusion than Mark Webb’s Snow White.

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Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette Talk About ‘Mickey 17’

A brilliant director is only as good as the cast of players he works with. This has always been true with the works of Bong Joon Ho. From The Host to Parasite, Bong has the incredible ability to bring out the best performances imaginable from stellar ensembles. His latest film, the stunning sci-fi satire, Mickey 17, once more features a cadre of the best actors working today, and it is our honor to say we were able to chat with three of the film’s biggest stars: Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, and Toni Collette.

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NOC Review: Prime Video’s ‘Picture This’ is a Cute Cliché 

In the first few minutes of Picture This, the main protagonist, Pia (Simone Ashley), tells her conservative mother (Sindhu Vee) that she wants to focus on her career as a photographer who owns her studio rather than get married. “I’m building a life for myself on my own,” says Pia. “I don’t need a man to do that.”

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NOC Review: Bong Joon Ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ is Weird, Wacky, and All Too Relevant

Why does cinema need satire? Because sometimes we need to be reminded that society is broken. It allows us to question the way things are, how they got there, and gives us hope that somewhere along the way, reels of celluloid will allow us to see ourselves, and help us learn to fix our flaws down the line. This is something that director Bong Joon Ho does masterfully. We’ve seen this in Snowpiercer, Okja, Best Picture winner Parasite, and now, Mickey 17.

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NOC Review: ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Soars with Solid Superheroics

To all those who’d ground him, take a message back from me: Sam Wilson is flying high, defying gravity! Wait. Wrong movie. However, it’s no less true! Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is Captain America, and Captain America: Brave New World proves it unequivocally!

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NOC Review: ‘Love Hurts’ is a Sweet But Messy Valentine

Last year I reviewed an action movie that I had incredibly high hopes for based on its cast and action-proficient filmmakers, called Argylle. While the movie had its moments, ultimately, it was a pretty big mess. A little over a year to the date at which that film premiered, I found myself about 70 minutes into Love Hurts thinking, “This is 2025’s Argylle; just only slightly better.” That is not really a great thing.

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NOC Review: ‘Presence’ Weaves a Very Familiar Ghost Story

The idea of seeing things from the perspective of those who have passed is not a new or innovative concept. From movies like David Lowery’s A Ghost Story to Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones, we’ve experienced narratives of tragedy told from the POV of the ghosts acting as protagonists in these stories. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that despite its attempts to liven up the trope, a lot of the notes that director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp hit in Presence are ones that are well trodden.

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NOC Review: ‘Wolf Man’ is a Successful Reinvention of a Horror Icon

As long as Universal Pictures has been around, there have been monsters. Through the ages, the Universal Monsters have been terrifying audiences, making their way into the annals of cinematic history as icons.

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NOC Review: ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’ is ‘Wallace and Gromit’ at Their Most Charming

It’s been almost 20 years since we last saw Wallace and Gromit in a feature-length adventure. In 2005’s Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the beloved duo found themselves in a Jekyll and Hyde-type send up of horror films. Now they return to face a robot apocalypse and a familiar villain in Vengeance Most Fowl.

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NOC Review: The Darkness Beckons You to Succumb to ‘Nosferatu’

The holiday season is one commonly associated with red, and this year, director Robert Eggers wants to ensure that your holidays are blood red. Eggers new vision of the legendary Nosferatu is finally hitting theaters on Christmas Day.

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Flawed ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Still Has What it Takes to Be King

Mufasa: The Lion King brings a fresh perspective to the classic tale with stunning visuals that are a feast for the eyes. However, the movie doesn’t quite reach the emotional depth and originality of the predecessor.

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‘Moana 2’ is a Beautiful Sonic and Visual Feast

The first Moana was a journey of self-discovery for the title character (Auliʻi Cravalho) who teamed up with the awesome fishhook-wielding and shapeshifting and sometimes self-centered demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to restore the heart of Tefiti. Eight years later, audiences are reunited with the characters they love in Moana 2, a sequel that’s worthy of your time.

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NOC Review: ‘Wicked’ is the Movie We Need In These Wicked Times

I don’t care if this statement isn’t going to be… popular. Since we’re living in a time where more than half the country voted for an elected official/convicted felon trying to use people of color as a scapegoat to elevate his platform and retain the pitiful amount of “power” he has, I’d say a movie like Wicked could not come out at a better moment.

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RaMell Ross’ Heartbreaking ‘Nickel Boys’ is a New Classic Slice of Black Americana

The world of cinema is a place of institutions: from mainstay studios, long-revered directors and infamous producers, there are certain people and systems that both uphold the standards of film but also restrict the possibility of what could expand the artistic palette of the space.

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The Lovely Lupita Nyong’o on ‘The Wild Robot’ and the Power of Animation as Cinema

We have a huge one for you today, everyone! With Dreamworks’ new animated classic, The Wild Robot debuting this week, the Oscar race for Best Animated Feature has never been tighter. A huge part of why this movie is a masterpiece boils down to the wonderful work of Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, who brilliantly voices the titular “Wild Robot,” ROZZUM-7134 — aka “Roz.”

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The Un-Bee-lievable Keegan-Michael Key on ‘Transformers: One’

Keegan-Michael Key is such a prolific voice actor. In just a few years, he’s done it all: Toy Story, Mario, The Lion King, Hotel Transylvania, and so much more. And now, he is setting his sights once again on another iconic franchise, with Transformers One.

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