A SEQUEL ‘UPDATE’ THAT DOWNGRADES THE FRANCHISE In 2023, moviegoers were introduced to the sci-fi horror hit M3GAN, a film that quickly became a viral sensation across TikTok and other social media platforms. Directed by Gerard Johnstone and starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, and Jenna Davis, the story followed an artificially intelligent doll who develops self-awareness, and
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A GIANT MONSTER SEQUEL THAT STANDS TALL ON FAMILIAR GROUND In 2022, Netflix unleashed giant-monster mayhem drawn from the depths of Norwegian folklore with Troll, directed by Roar Uthaug. Starring Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Gard B. Eidsvold, and Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, the film followed a small team racing to stop an ancient troll awakened in the mountains before
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THE BOSS: UNPLUGGED AND UNDERWHELMING Biographical dramas have long been a point of cinematic fascination for Hollywood, drawing talent both in front of and behind the camera to bring real lives to the big screen. Though the biopic genre is hardly new, its allure remains strong: filmmakers continue to chase that delicate balance of capturing the essence, mystique, and
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A VISUAL MUSICAL FINALE THAT SOARS – EVEN IF IT DOESN’T DEFY GRAVITY Are people born wicked, or is wickedness thrust upon them? This enduring question lies at the heart of Wicked, the 2024 fantasy musical that reimagined the intertwined destinies of Elphaba and Galinda. Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle
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END OF LINE…. In 2010, Walt Disney Studios released Tron: Legacy — a long-awaited follow-up to 1982’s sci-fi cult classic Tron — re-opening the neon-lit digital frontier of disc wars and light-cycle duels for a new generation. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film starred Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, and Jeff Bridges. It followed Sam Flynn,
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FAITH, FAMILY, AND FOOTBALL While major film studio companies like Disney, Paramount Pictures, and Universal have dominated the movie landscape for years with their plethora of notable releases, smaller studios have emerged, with a more niche preferences….religious evangelical cinematic narratives. These “faith-based” studios offer more than just filmmaking entertainment, but rather enlightening tales of courage and faith around the
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LONG LIVE DOWNTON ABBEY! In 2022, audiences were once again “cordially invited” into the world of the Crawley family and their loyal staff with Downton Abbey: A New Era. Directed by Simon Curtis, the film—set in 1928—followed the Crawleys to the south of France as they unraveled the mystery behind the Dowager Countess’s unexpected inheritance of a villa. Lavish
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A “FANTASTIC” ADDITION TO THE MCU FAMILY The cinematic journey of the Fantastic Four has been marked by a bumpy and uneven path, with several attempts to bring this superhero family to the big screen. The first official iteration began in the 90s with The Fantastic Four (1994), a film that was never officially released, and is considered non-cannon in
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LEAPS & MISSTEPS TO A PROMISING NEW SUPERHERO ERA The DCEU was a cinematic universe built around the shared stories of DC Comics superheroes, establishing origin tales, interconnected character arcs, crossover events, and a consistent ensemble of settings and cast members. It all began in 2013 with Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder, which laid the foundation for
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A TRUE “DISNEY” PRINCESS PROBLEM Back in 1937, Walt Disney Studios released its very first animated feature film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Inspired by the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the film—supervised by David Hand and directed by a team of five sequence directors (Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben
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