"Raiders" Triumphs Again in Limited IMAX Engagement

The fedora, the bullwhip, the iconic jacket, it can only be one man...Indiana Jones!

Bringing Raiders of the Lost Ark back into theaters was not only a genius way for us to revisit the first of the iconic Indiana Jones franchise, but in typical George Lucas fashion, also a way to introduce younger audiences to the man with the bullwhip and fedora (if a certain Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hadn't already scared the masses away four years ago). That's all fine and nostalgic, but at its core, the re-release of Raiders back into theaters (and for the first time in IMAX as well) is primarily marketed to capitalize on the upcoming Blu-Ray release.

It Doesn't Get Much More Disturbing than "Oogieloves"

Teletubbies' distant cousins perhaps? It only goes downhill from here...literally

The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure is simply the most traumatizing, seizure inducing dribble to make its way to the big screen in a very, very long time. Even the trailers, which ran before pretty much every family film over the summer, didn’t disguise the fact that it was in the same vein as ‘Teletubbies' and 'Thomas & Friends.' Instead of those creepy, nonsensical, TV-tummy Teletubbies, we're stuck with Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie, three Oogieloves who go on an adventure to find five golden balloons for Schluufy's birthday. And yes, Schluffy just so happens to be a pink pillow. CONTINUE READING

"Timothy Green" Too Cute for Its Own Good

Timothy (CJ Adams) doesn't let secrets of nature stop him from finding a friend 

The Odd Life of Timothy Green certainly owns up to its gimmick of being a tad bit odd. After all, the titular pre-adolescent, Timothy Green (CJ Adams) isn't exactly your ordinary kid. One rainy night, Timothy magically emerges out of the ground and ends up in the spare bedroom of a North Carolina couple (Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Garner), who want children, but can't medically produce them. This all happens after Cynthia (Garner) and Jim (Edgerton) brainstorm all the ideal qualities their dream child should have and box up and bury their notes in the backyard (coincidentally the same exact spot where Timothy came from).  Yes, it's all the elements of a magical fairy tale, but the ultimate kicker is that Timothy has leaves protruding from his ankles. Odd...right?  CONTINUE READING

"ParaNorman" Conjures Up Early Halloween Magic

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) ventures into the woods to stop an 300-year-old curse

It's never too early in the year to start feeling those haunting vibes of Halloween. With competition like Hotel Transylvania and Tim Burton's stop-motion Frankenweenie already staking claim in the fall season, ParaNorman finds itself in an uphill marketing position. The only good thing to coming out quite early is that ParaNorman satisfies as an appetizer for those caught up in witches, spirits and zombies. To save his town from a 300-year-old curse, Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) has to combat all three one way or another. But Norman isn't your ordinary kid in some ordinary town, he's a medium, who's ridiculed and bullied by his friends, his family and the townspeople who don't quite understand his gift. CONTINUE READING

Pixar Extends Perfect Streak with "Brave"

Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) attempts to escape the clutches of demon bear, Mor'du. 

Maintaining a perfect track record is no easy feat, but with one miscalculation, one misstep, and years of top notch brand building and loyal fan base crumbles overnight. Those are exactly the waters Pixar’s been treading in the past year. Cars 2 may have generated strong sales from everything slapped with the brand name, but critically the Mater-driven sequel was panned overall. So it’s understandable if audiences are leery to embrace Pixar’s thirteenth feature, Brave. Not only is Brave Pixar’s follow-up to the Cars sequel, but it’s also marks several firsts for the studio: first fairy-tale, first female lead and first film directed by a woman (until leaving the project due to “creative differences.” CONTINUE READING

"Recall" Remake is a Forgettable Futuristic Ride

Following Arnold Schwarzenegger's lead in the original, Colin Farrell visits Rekall to uncover a hidden past.

Either it’s pure coincidence or perhaps the perfect dumping ground that yet another remake or reboot originally starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is slated for the end of summer theatrical schedule. This time last year, Marcus Nispel’s disastrous reboot of the sword-and-sorcery classic Conan the Barbarian left audiences wondering what other fond memories can Hollywood ruin? Considering not only Conan, but countless other revisions gone terribly wrong, we as audiences have the right to be skeptical of the latest updated spin on another Schwarzenegger cult classic, Total Recall. 

Nolan's "Batman" Finale Rises Among Superhero Supremacy

The fate of Gotham hangs in the balance as Batman (Christian Bale) and Bane (Tom Hardy) collide.

It’s impractical to even bother trying to compare “The Dark Knight Rises” to its predecessors, “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.” The three installments making up Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking superhero trilogy are so remotely different from one another that the Caped Crusader himself remains the only constant amidst the coming and going struggles against psychological, moral and physical villainy. Set eight years after the previous film, Batman continues his self-imposed exile from vigilantism after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes. That is, however, until Gotham City is threatened to its core by the masked terrorist, Bane (Tom Hardy) and his cataclysmic agenda. Bane is a juggernaut that shouldn’t be feared just on bulk size alone, but when combined with his calculating genius mind, the end for Gotham has finally arrived. CONTINUE READING