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

April 10, 2025April 26, 2025 Mike Manalo

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!

Interview, Movies, Reviews

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

April 4, 2025May 20, 2025 Dominic Mah

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.

Documentary, Reviews2 Comments

‘The Encampments’ is an Essential Documentary for the Ages

March 26, 2025March 27, 2025 Edward Hong

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?

Movies, Reviews4 Comments

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

March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Interview, Movies, Sci Fi

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

March 5, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Movies, Reviews1 Comment

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

March 5, 2025March 6, 2025 Laura Sirikul

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.”

Marvel, Reviews, Television2 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is Marvel Television at Its Peak

March 4, 2025March 6, 2025 Mike Manalo

Even as a Marvel fan, I’ll be the first to admit that not all of the MCU’s Disney+ shows have worked. I really didn’t care for Secret Invasion or She-Hulk. However, when they’ve hit, such as X-Men ’97, WandaVision, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Loki, they’ve hit hard. And that brings us to one of the hardest hitters of all: Daredevil: Born Again.

Animation, Reviews, Streaming

Disney Pixar’s ‘Win or Lose’ Feels Like a Stalemate

February 19, 2025February 19, 2025 Laura Sirikul

At first glance, Disney Pixar’s Win or Lose looks very similar to the popular award-winning films Inside Out and Inside Out 2, centering on the emotions of tweens and teens and their stories as their softball championship game approaches. Yet, it doesn’t just focus on the children on the team but also their parents and the adults around them as they deal with real-life problems like love, heartbreak, dating, parenthood, and still trying to figure things out. Spoilers follow.

Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi1 Comment

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

February 15, 2025March 6, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Marvel, Movies, Reviews2 Comments

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

February 12, 2025March 6, 2025 Mike Manalo

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!

Martial Arts, Movies, Reviews

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

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Animation, Marvel, Reviews

‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ is Webslinging Fun That’s Nostalgic and Modern

January 29, 2025January 29, 2025 Michael Lee

Among the many Spider-Man animated series out today, few capture the hero’s growth as effectively as Jeff Trammell’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. This new series combines classic comic book charm with modern storytelling, creating a heartfelt tribute that surprises fans and keeps them wanting more after each episode. With high expectations for Marvel Studios’ first Spider-Man animated series, the stunning visuals, strong performances, and respect for the source material make this version a must-see.

Horror, Movies, Reviews12 Comments

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

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Horror, Movies, Reviews

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

January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

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

January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 Mike Manalo

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.

Horror, Movies, Reviews

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

December 25, 2024December 25, 2024 Mike Manalo

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.

Animation, Marvel, Television

NOC Review: A Somewhat Satisfying Send-Off for Marvel’s ‘What If…’

December 22, 2024December 22, 2024 Mike Manalo

Once more into the breach, as we ponder the question one final time. The final season of What If… is officially debuting on Disney+ tonight, with an eight-night event gifting us an episode per day.

Movies, Reviews

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

December 17, 2024December 19, 2024 Michael Lee

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.

Reviews, Star Wars, Streaming1 Comment

‘Skeleton Crew’ Soldifies a Wizard Time of Adventure and Mystery

December 4, 2024December 3, 2024 Lauren Lola

There’s something splendidly meta about seeing kids pretend to have a lightsaber battle, in a galaxy where there actually are Jedi and lightsabers. That’s what came to mind while watching the premiere of the newest Star Wars live-action series, Skeleton Crew, where a group of kids come across an abandoned starship and accidentally launch themselves into space.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘Moana 2’ is a Beautiful Sonic and Visual Feast

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 Michael Lee

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.

Movies, Reviews

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

November 22, 2024November 23, 2024 Mike Manalo

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.

Literature, Movies, Reviews

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

November 19, 2024November 20, 2024 Elijah Isaiah Johnson

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.

Reviews, Streaming

‘Interior Chinatown’ Satirizes Hollywood’s Stereotypes of Asian Americans

November 15, 2024November 19, 2024 Michael Lee

Hulu’s adaptation of Charles Yu’s Interior Chinatown is anything but conventional. The novel’s unique format allows readers to explore the world of police procedurals through the eyes of a background character while also addressing how Asian Americans have been portrayed in mainstream media.