Double Feature: Spiral: From the Book of Saw & The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

Other than having the original release date of 2020 and being delayed to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, what do Spiral: From the Book of Saw and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It have in common?  If the answer is both come from horror franchises created by horror master James Wan, then you are right! Spiral is the ninth movie in the Saw series while Conjuring 3 is the eighth film in the Conjuring-verse. Both franchises have been hit-or-miss unless Wan is behind the camera; having directed the first Saw film and the first two Conjuring films with frightening but fantastic results. Can these latest installments manage without Wan’s guidance?

Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon is a Brilliant Sci-Fi Silent Comedy

Since the days of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, silent comedy is rarely seen these days. It flourished for a time in animation, serving as the template to some of the best cartoons like Tom & Jerry and The Pink Panther. In recent years, Britain has mastered the genre not once but twice with Mr. Bean and Shaun the Sheep. With six seasons and a feature film, Shaun is Aardman's most successful franchise next to Wallace & Gromit, and the first Aardman sequel.

Double Review: Frozen 2 & Klaus

Two animated movies that take place in a winter wonderland. One is a juggernaut that is taking the world by storm, the other is an underdog looking to brave the storm.

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a Misleading Misfire

My what big horns you have.

While there have a been a few live-action Disney remakes that have been surprisingly good, I can't say the same for sequels of live-action Disney remakes. When was the last time 102 Dalmatians and Alice Through the Looking Glass were talked in a positive light? If you were expecting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, to break that curse, you are sadly mistaken.

Cinema Spotlight VII - Andrés Muschietti (Part 3): "It: Chapter Two"

The general consensus with the It mini-series is that Part Two isn't as good as Part One. The less said about that spider, the better. With the same team, lead by Andy Muschietti, can they bring the same quality from Chapter One and greatly improve in the second chapter of the Losers club?

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 6): "Iron Man 2"

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

As the first hero to reveal his secret identity, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has no regrets of his new superheros status. But behind the parties, drinking, self-promoting and self-confidence, the arc reactor that keep's him alive and powers his Iron Man suit, is slowly poisoning him. With no luck on procuring a cure, his days seem to be numbered among other problems. 

Toy Story 4: Superfluous but Surprising.

Forky and Woody

Toy Story is the one that started it all for Pixar. It gave the company its identity, and revolutionized animation as the first movie to fully utilize computer generated imagery. Toy Story 2, being Pixar's third movie and first sequel while still in its infancy, exceeded expectations as being better than the original. At the peak of its prime, Toy Story 3 proved yet again that Pixar could do this franchise no wrong as it gave the story a beautiful resolution. Since then, Woody and the gang have appeared in various shorts and TV specials with no plans of returning for another feature film....or so we thought.

The Secret Life of Pets 2: Same Tricks No Bone

Rooster (Harrison Ford) staring down at Max (Patton Oswalt).

Like its predecessor, The Secret Life of Pets 2 functions more as a series of shorts stitched together and forced to pass off as a feature-length film. They also feel like inferior Pixar movies with the first film bearing Toy Story's plot. The two main leads fight over the attention of their human owner, get lost in the scuffle and have to find their way back home. The sequel resembles The Good Dinosaur with a small and frighted animal learning to face his fears in the wild. But where the first Pets movie at least had a concise story connecting the characters from beginning to end, I can't say the same for Pets 2. 

Godzilla vs Ghidorah: Dawn of Monsters

The Kings Face-off

The 1998 film from Roland Emmerich and the 2014 film from Gareth Edwards are the closest to having watched kaiju cinema. The former being a silly 90's action blockbuster while the latter goes The Dark Knight route on being a more gritty and serious. While the 2014 iteration is superior on a technical and critical level, I have a soft spot for the 98 version; admittedly for nostalgic reasons. While it found life again as an animated series, fans of the original were still non too pleased with Emmerich's vision and welcomed the second reboot from Edwards with open arms. It's success lead to Kong: Skull Island, taking place in the same universe but back in the seventies whereas Godzilla (2014) took place in present time. Thus the MonsterVerse was born.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a Fitting End

Next to Kung Fu Panda, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise remains one of DreamWorks' best in recent years. I really enjoyed the first film, was underwhelmed with the sequel though it still had its bright spots; I have yet to see the television show it spawned (available on Netflix) nor read the books loosely based by Cressida Cowell. Now we reach the end as Hiccup and Toothless take one final flight in How To Train your Dragon: The Hidden World.

The Lego Movie 2:The Second Part Falls Apart but is Able to Reassemble

The Lego Movie seemed to be poised for disaster given the reputation of movies based on toy brands but leave it to writing/directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller on proving us wrong by delivering one of the best animated movies of the decade. For The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, this would be a tough act to follow, with Lord and Miller staying as screenwriters but passing the director's mantle to Mike Mitchell. Can this sequel keep everything awesome or is it time to for these toys to be put away?

Glass May Shatter but Shyamalan Keeps it Sharp

At this rate, you either know the name M. Night Shyamalan or not. The same man who made a name for himself with the haunting but heartfelt ghost-story The Sixth Sense, took a spin at the comic book genre before it became popular in Unbreakable, and was proclaimed the next Spielberg with the sci-fi thriller Signs. This is also the same man whose career took a downturn starting with The Village, the well-intended but maligned Lady in the Water, the horrific but unintentionally hilarious The Happening, and the final nail in the coffin known as The Last Airbender. 

Mary Poppins' Return is Welcome but Unnecessary

While never a fan of the original Mary Poppins I won't deny its innocent charm and cinematic legacy as it holds a place near and dear to many. I wouldn't think that this, of all Disney properties, would get a sequel so late in the game. Fifty-four years later to be precise! I thought this only applied to Harrison Ford movies. Yet here we are, nostalgia is the biggest cash-grabber hence the numerous live-action remakes from Disney and the ones yet to come.

Cinema Spotlight IV - James Wan (Part 8): 'The Conjuring 2'

Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga).

Horror sequels are notorious for not being good as the first movie, but because the genre doesn't require that big of a budget, they are quick to make and still make enough money at the box-office. It doesn't help when most of the time, its not the same people who stay on board after the first installment. Perhaps the Saw movies would have benefited if James Wan stuck around as a director. It certainly helped the Insidious movies as he returned for the sequel with good results; even after passing the torch with the later chapters. Returning back to The Conjuring universe, Wan does it again.

Cinema Spotlight IV - James Wan (Part 6): 'Insidious: Chapter 2'

Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Dalton (Tye Simpkins) Lambert. 

If you recall my take of Insidious, I thought it was a return to form for Horror director James Wan. What you may not know is that on my first viewing, I was severely underwhelmed at the last minute decision of the "made you look" ending. I knew there were sequels but when its in the Horror genre, they are vastly inconsistent. You can imagine my surprise when Insidious: Chapter 2 immediately picks off where the last one ended

Ralph Breaks the Internet But Patches it Up

Before he directed Wreck-it-Ralph, Rich Moore's previous credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, and The Critic. That would explain the movie's use of subversive humor, storytelling and memorable characters. This would be found in Moore's later work Zootopia and Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to Moore's first Disney movie and the first theatrical Disney sequel since The Rescuers Down Under in 1990. (Return to Neverland and The Jungle Book 2 don't count as they were made by a different studio branch at Disney)