Body horrors often tap into who we are and perceive ourselves to be as we watch the characters on screen change as they go through bodily transformations for the better or mutilations for the worse. The images that appear before us range from subtle to unsettling, yet, like most great horrors, are a powerful kind of social commentary with something to say.
Continue reading “‘A Different Man’ is Body Horror Comfortable In Its Own Skin”
It’s been 17 years since the first live-action Transformers movie by Michael Bay that kicked off a reintroduction to some legendary characters to a whole new generation of fans. But as entertaining as those films were, many fans of the original series were hoping for something a bit closer to the source material. Lo and behold, their prayers have been answered in the most unexpected way, in the form of Transformers: One: the best modern Transformers movie to date!
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Transformers One’ is the Most Epic and Mature ‘Transformers’ Film to Date “
This is not Blumhouse’s year. They’re 0 for 4 so far, with Night Swim, Imaginary, AfrAId, and now Speak No Evil. While the latest film from Blumhouse is easily the most watchable of their 2024 offerings, is “bland and forgettable” really the bar they want to set here? Maybe next year will be better.
Continue reading “NOC Review: It’s Easy to ‘Speak No Evil’ With a Movie So Forgettable”
Wow! Every year the Best Animated Feature race at the Oscars gets more and more difficult, and this year’s will definitely be a doozy. It’s hard to top a film like Inside Out 2. But I truly believe Dreamworks and writer/director Chris Sanders have managed to do just that with a beautiful, artistic triumph about love and parenthood called The Wild Robot.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a Future Animated Classic for the Ages”
The moment the credits rolled on Joker: Folie à Deux, the tangible sound of stunned silence filled the theater. It wasn’t unexpected. Minutes before the film screened, we were told by director Todd Phillips that early screenings of the film ended with many saying they needed to process it. There’s so much to unpack from the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winner, that such a reaction is completely warranted.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is a Flawed Work of Fine Art”
Passion. When you think about the Tim Burton who did Beetlejuice in 1988 and the Burton who did Dumbo in 2019, that’s what separates the two. For a few decades, it looked like the former was lost for good. But after seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I’m pleased to say, thanks to the help of a delightfully devilish demon, the spark that once defined the director has been found once more!
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is Burton Back at His Best”
It’s been a few days since I’ve seen J.T. Mollner’s Strange Darling, and I simply cannot get it out of my head. This is a twisted thriller that will leave a lasting impact on you for days to come, and in a cinematic landscape such as this, that’s a huge deal!
Continue reading “NOC Review: J.T. Mollner’s ‘Strange Darling’ is Tense, Twisted, and Terrific”
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of watching a very charming documentary about the man who became Superman to the world, Christopher Reeve. Now, you’ll get the opportunity to see this wonderful film for yourself, when Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story hits theaters September 21 and 25. Today, WB and DC have dropped the trailer for the touching film.
Continue reading “Trailer for ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ Flies Online”
Few franchises in Hollywood have cultivated the longevity and legacy of Sir Ridley Scott’s Alien anthology.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Alien: Romulus’ is a Fine Addition to the ‘Alien’ Anthology”
Set in a fictionalized version of the now-demolished Kowloon Walled City — based on the novel City of Darkness by Yuyi and the manhua of the same name by Andy Seto — Soi Cheang‘s Twilight of the Warriors‘s gritty and hard-hitting actioner delivers what we’ve come to expect from Hong Kong cinema.
Continue reading “‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ Delivers Flawless Action but Lacks Emotional Nuance”
Nearly 15 years after Ryan Reynolds debuted as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Merc with the Mouth finds himself at a new point in his franchise and a low point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the few missteps Marvel Studios has had in the past trying to convince us that the currently disappointing Multiverse Saga is the next superhero epic, something like a Deadpool & Wolverine could be the hilariously merciful and bloody wake-up call that could reinvigorate fans’ enthusiasm for these films. And the highly anticipated sequel gets some help from Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ — The ‘Wolverine’ Review”
Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Why do we need two separate reviews for this summer’s most anticipated movie, Deadpool & Wolverine? Well smarty-pants, I’ll tell you why! As you can probably suspect by the excitement around this movie, and something confirmed by the end of the movie itself (and this review), good things actually do come in pairs. Just ask every “mature video content” creator in the heart of Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ — The ‘Deadpool’ Review”
In 1996, a VHS in my VCR (a device used to play video tapes for those Gen Z-ers out there), started to warp. The film within the cassette was getting worn out from friction, because, unfortunately, I’d played it too many times. That movie was Twister.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Twisters’ is a Sensational Summer Spectacle with Soul”
It’s no exaggeration to say good horror is hard to come by these days. Though the definition of terrifying is entirely subjective, sometimes studio product can tend to be tired and predictable, being bogged down more by stale jump scares and lame ideas (see: evil pool water). But once in a while, indie studios like Neon will produce horror films that do what they’re supposed to: scare the crap out of you. Such is the case with Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Longlegs’ is the Most Disturbing Horror Film of the Year”
My hope is that the title for this review won’t get me sued by the makers of Ted Lasso. But in my defense, I’m mostly just playing off the tagline of one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. And in that grand tradition, we now have a stellar documentary telling the inspirational story of one of the most iconic superheroes ever! No, not Superman. The late, great actor and activist, Christopher Reeve.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ Will Make You Believe”
Since the first film became a phenomenon in 2018, the Quiet Place franchise has, well, quietly and stealthily become one of the most consistently entertaining franchises in cinema for the past decade. The first two movies were a lot of fun, and I’m pleased to report that the spin-off prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, has only served to further that reputation, living up to the legacy of its predecessors in a satisfying, emotional, and thrilling way.
Continue reading “NOC Review: A Satisfying Visit to ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’”
Sigh. Have you noticed that through the years Illumination has gradually moved further away from actual storytelling and gravitated towards 90 minutes of sketch-based bits? No? Well you’ll notice it when you watch Despicable Me 4.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Despicable Me 4’ is Proof Illumination Just isn’t Trying Anymore”
The genius of Yorgos Lanthimos is not lost on me. I loved The Lobster and The Favourite. I admire his weirdness and dark sense of humor. I understood the appeal of Poor Things, even though I personally didn’t like it and found it offensive to persons with disabilities. But it was gorgeous and well-acted. So I wasn’t sure how Kinds of Kindness would sit with me.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is Not My Kind of Movie”
2024 is the year of childhood nostalgia and imaginary friends. With the release of Paramount Pictures’ comedy IF (short for Imaginary Friends), Lionsgate’s horror film Imaginary, and Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2, there are many stories centering on the emotional nostalgia of the mind. Yet, none actually target the young minds that create these imaginary beings — the children.
Continue reading “‘The Imaginary’ is a Stunning Spectacle That Keeps Children in Mind”
Feelings are fickle, especially when one reaches puberty. Hormones and emotions go haywire, elevating everything to exaggerated proportions. It would be easy if humans were only given five emotions to work with, but it’s much more complex than that. That’s what Inside Out 2 tries to convey: as people grow up, their emotions become more complicated, but they don’t define who you are.
Continue reading “‘Inside Out 2’ is a Bit of a Mess, But That’s Just How Life is”
The Summer of Shyamalan starts off with a “meh.” The feature debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan is hitting theaters this weekend, and a major question remains. No, not “who are The Watchers,” but rather, should you watch The Watchers?
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘The Watchers’ is a Mediocre Macabre Misfire”
I’m not generally a fan of inspirational sports-themed dramas. I know Disney has been making bank off them since Remember the Titans way back in 2000 (back before star Ryan Gosling was a household name, by the way). But as someone who isn’t an athlete or a sports fan, I generally just don’t see these movies. But I’m very glad I saw Young Woman and the Sea. And I’m very glad it’s getting a theatrical release rather than a streaming one.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ Defies the Odds and Inspires”
“What a lovely day!” With those words audiences in 2015 were reintroduced to the world of George Miller’s Mad Max in Mad Max: Fury Road. In that masterpiece, they came to meet a new beloved franchise hero: Imperator Furiosa. It’s almost nine years to the date that Mad Max: Fury Road drove into theaters, and we find ourselves back in The Wasteland, albeit 20-30 years prior to the events of the previous epic, to learn about the origins of Furiosa, and how she became to be the fiercest warrior in the Post-Apocalypse. But was this a story we needed? After witnessing Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, I can safely say, yes it was, and I’m sure glad this was made!
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Furiosa’ is a Fiercely Fun Fever Dream”