Adventure
SXSW Review – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons & Dragons has long been a game played by kids who grew into adults or just adults who fell in love with the gameplay and imaginative scenarios. Personally, I never played the game; my only exposure is through films and television shows. For some…
READ MOREFilm Review – Shotgun Wedding
Shotgun Wedding (2022) contains enough screwball antics to forgive its ridiculous story. It blends both romantic and action comedy genres, going through the hijinks of both, and having fun doing so. The characters are bit too wacky to be believable – frankly, most of the actors…
READ MOREFilm Review – Avatar: The Way of Water
If there’s one thing James Cameron cannot be accused of, it’s taking the easy route. Whether it’s killer aliens, cyborgs from the future, or the sinking of an unsinkable ship, Cameron has always strived to push the limits of movie showmanship. But it’s not just the special…
READ MOREFilm Review – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) is a mesmerizing stop motion animated film. No stranger to fantasy and horror, del Toro – along with co-director Mark Gustafson – have taken a timeless story and breathed new life into it. This is not the same Pinocchio of the 1940 Disney…
READ MOREFilm Review – Disenchanted
Enchanted (2007) came as a surprise in how it balanced a traditional fairytale with a modern sensibility. It worked to undermine the familiar tropes of princesses, dashing heroes, and evil witches – and yet it had such an earnest sensibility that it can win over the…
READ MOREFilm Review – My Father’s Dragon
Cartoon Saloon, the studio responsible for the acclaimed animated features Song of the Sea (2014) and The Secret of Kells (2009) has returned with yet another marvel in My Father’s Dragon (2022). The film is reminiscent of the best Studio Ghibli efforts, in how it mixes fantasy and adventure with real life themes.…
READ MOREFilm Review – Hocus Pocus 2
I should get this out of the way: I am not as enamored with Hocus Pocus (1993) as others of my generation. For many kids that grew up in the ‘90s, it has become a touchtone of nostalgia – required viewing every Halloween as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)…
READ MOREFilm Review – Pinocchio (2022)
When Walt Disney released Pinocchio (1940) as its second feature length animated film, it cemented both the man and the studio as cinematic titans. Not only did it prove that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) was not just a flash in the pan success, but that animation can…
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