FOLLOWING FILMS

When Dean DeBlois announced he’d be directing a live-action remake of his own animated classic, there was a collective buzz among fans. It’s rare for a remake to be guided by the same creative hand that brought the original to life, and that gave this project a built-in authenticity from the start. Fifteen years after the animated film’s debut, we return to Berk to find the same story, the same emotional beats, and the same charm—this time wrapped in a tactile, photo-real world that feels both fresh and familiar. The narrative remains a timeless one: Hiccup, the awkward but curious son of Viking chief Stoick the Vast, lives in a world where dragons are feared and hunted. When he injures a rare Night Fury and discovers it’s not the monster he was taught to believe, he forms a friendship that will alter the course of his village forever. That relationship, between a boy and his dragon, is still the film’s heart, and it beats as strongly in live action as it did in animation. Berk itself ...

Let’s get this out of the way: Poseidon isn’t trying to be profound. It’s not interested in layered character arcs, grand metaphors about man vs. nature, or the emotional fallout of disaster. This is not Titanic. It’s not even trying to be The Perfect Storm. What Poseidon is, though, is lean, fast, and undeniably entertaining—a perfectly calibrated 98-minute sugar rush of fire, water, and pure survival spectacle. Like a fun-sized candy bar, it might not nourish, but it delivers exactly what it promises. Sometimes, that’s enough. From the moment the camera glides around the Poseidon’s sparkling hull in a sweeping digital shot, it’s clear the film wants to impress. The setup is minimal: it’s New Year’s Eve on a luxury cruise liner in the middle of the Atlantic. The guests are dancing, drinking, and toasting under chandeliers and disco lights. Then—bam!—a rogue wave slams into the ship, flips it upside down, and plunges everything into chaos. There’s no slow burn. No hour-long tease. The ...

In 2003, Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot shocked audiences with a slick, brutal reimagining of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic. Just three years later, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning arrived, not as a sequel, but a prequel—an origin story designed to explain how Leatherface became Leatherface. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, this installment doubles down on the violence, strips away any sense of hope, and commits to painting a pitch-black portrait of madness, war trauma, and inherited violence. It may not be for everyone, but for fans of grim, relentless horror, it’s a dark ride worth taking. Set in 1969, The Beginning follows brothers Eric (Matthew Bomer) and Dean (Taylor Handley), who are preparing to ship off to Vietnam. Joining them on a final road trip are their girlfriends Chrissie (Jordana Brewster) and Bailey (Diora Baird). After a run-in with a deranged biker and a shocking roadside encounter with the faux lawman Sheriff Ho...

Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is rightly hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made. A seminal masterpiece of raw terror, it redefined the genre with its stripped-down aesthetic, chaotic energy, and deeply unsettling realism. Its legacy looms large over any horror film that dares to follow in its footsteps—especially those that bear the same name. That’s why the 2003 remake, directed by Marcus Nispel, is such an impressive and often underappreciated accomplishment. Rather than attempting to recreate Hooper’s iconic vision beat for beat, it takes the core mythology and reimagines it for a new generation. The result is a bold, brutal, and atmospheric horror film that deserves to be judged entirely on its own terms. From the first frame, it’s clear that this is a different experience. While the original film’s gritty, documentary-like realism shocked audiences with its unfiltered rawness, the 2003 version chooses a more stylized and cinematic approach. Yet it...

Alliance Home Entertainment has officially announced its exciting slate of physical and digital media releases arriving throughout August 2025, showcasing a diverse mix of genres from classic film noir to modern horror and romantic comedy. With offerings from major distributors like Paramount Pictures, A24, Mill Creek Entertainment, and more, this month’s lineup promises something for every kind of collector and cinephile. August 5 Highlights Sunset Boulevard (Paramount Pictures) Format : 4K UHD, Blu-ray Genre : Drama, Film Noir One of Hollywood’s most iconic films gets the 4K treatment this August. Sunset Boulevard stars Gloria Swanson in a career-defining role as Norma Desmond, a reclusive silent film star plotting her return to the screen. William Holden co-stars as the down-on-his-luck screenwriter caught in her delusions. This definitive edition is a must-own for classic cinema enthusiasts. Better Off Dead (Paramount Pictures) Format : 4K UHD, Blu-ray Genre : Comedy The 1985 cul...

The final chapter in the long-running Fu Manchu film series, The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969), directed by cult auteur Jess Franco, is a delightfully eccentric entry that fully leans into the pulp serial roots of its source material. With Christopher Lee once again donning the iconic role of Dr. Fu Manchu, the film delivers a colorful blend of vintage adventure, Gothic villainy, and camp charm—making it an intriguing watch for fans of classic B-cinema and Eurocult oddities. The story this time revolves around Fu Manchu’s most ambitious plan yet: using a powerful machine to freeze the world’s oceans and hold humanity hostage. This grand scheme involves hijacked ships, kidnapped scientists, and a hidden fortress tucked away in the mountains of Turkey. It’s all gloriously over-the-top—exactly the kind of theatrical plotting you’d expect from a villain of Fu Manchu’s stature. Nayland Smith (Richard Greene) and his loyal companion Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford) once again lead the charge...

As the penultimate entry in the Harry Alan Towers-produced Fu Manchu series, Jess Franco’s The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) embraces pulp villainy with a sly wink and a steamy, sun-soaked backdrop. Exotic, bizarre, and unmistakably Franco, the film combines Cold War paranoia, jungle-set espionage, and sensual danger in a heady cocktail that makes for one of the series’ most distinctive and enjoyable installments. While working within a modest budget, Franco delivers a visually rich and atmospherically strange take on Sax Rohmer’s legendary criminal mastermind. Set largely in the steamy jungles of South America, the plot centers on Dr. Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) developing a new biological weapon: a deadly venom delivered through the kiss of beautiful women under his control. Victims are left blind, poisoned, and helpless—a twisted inversion of the femme fatale trope that fits perfectly within the series' pulp origins. As Fu Manchu sets his plan in motion—targeting world leaders and t...

Amazon Prime’s Fallout Season 1 is a rare achievement in video game adaptations: it manages to honor its source material while also creating a story that stands firmly on its own. Developed by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld), and produced by Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout is set in the same irradiated, post-apocalyptic universe that fans of the iconic RPG franchise have explored for over two decades. But unlike many game-to-screen attempts, this one feels alive, urgent, and most importantly, genuinely fun. The show is set in 2296, well over 200 years after nuclear war devastated the world, turning America into a nightmarish wasteland of ghouls, raiders, mutated animals, and desperate survivors. As with the games, the series blends grim brutality with absurdist humor, corporate satire, and retro-futuristic aesthetics. The result is a series that feels like a mashup of Mad Max, Dr. Strangelove, and The Twilight Zone — a combination that somehow works shockingly well. The plot is ...

In the pantheon of '80s action films, Cobra stands out not only for its relentless action and bat-shit crazy lead performance but also for its memorable set pieces, distinctive character dynamics, and a pulsating synth-heavy score that perfectly encapsulates the decade’s aesthetic. Directed by George P. Cosmatos and featuring Sylvester Stallone in one of his most iconic roles, this 1986 thriller captures the era's obsession with tough, no-nonsense heroes and over-the-top violence. Interestingly, Stallone was originally cast in Beverly Hills Cop but left the project due to creative differences, seeking a more action-oriented and brutal approach.  Cobra  became  his vehicle for that darker, grittier vision. Stallone stars as Lieutenant Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, an LAPD cop with a rebellious edge and a fiercely independent streak. Tasked with protecting a key witness, played by Brigitte Nielsen, from a psychopathic gang known only as "The New World," Cobra tak...

Alex Proyas’s Dark City is a noir-infused science fiction mystery that blends philosophical musings with striking visual storytelling. Released in 1998, it came just a year before The Matrix, and though less commercially successful, it remains a cult favorite and a profoundly influential work in its own right. With a dense atmosphere, shadowy aesthetics, and themes of identity and reality, Dark City is a fascinating meditation on what it means to be human—wrapped in a pulpy detective tale with science-fiction flair. The film opens with protagonist John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) waking up in a bathtub in a grimy hotel room, suffering from amnesia. A dead body lies nearby. He quickly discovers he’s being pursued—not only by the police, led by the world-weary Inspector Bumstead (William Hurt), but also by a group of pale, sinister figures known only as “The Strangers.” As Murdoch scrambles to uncover the truth about his identity and his past, he begins to notice peculiarities about the city ...

In Drop, director Christopher Landon (Freaky, Happy Death Day) crafts a nerve-wracking thriller centered on a devastating dilemma: would you take a life to save the ones you love? The story follows Violet, a widowed single mom attempting to re-enter the dating world after years of grief and recovery. Played with emotional precision by Meghann Fahy, Violet finds herself on a promising first date with the affable and seemingly genuine Henry (Brandon Sklenar) in an elegant, glass-walled Chicago restaurant. But their evening takes a sinister turn when Violet receives a disturbing message via a sleek, anonymous app called DigiDrop: if she doesn’t kill her date before the check arrives, her son and sister will die. What unfolds is a tightly wound 95-minute thriller that feels both classic and timely. The film builds its suspense through confinement, not action. Most of the story unfolds in real-time at their dinner table, creating a pressure-cooker environment that reflects Violet’s psycholo...

Some films don’t just ask for your attention—they seize it. Swordfish, Dominic Sena’s slick 2001 cyber-thriller, is one of those unapologetically brash entries in the action genre that embraces the excesses of the early 2000s while packing enough adrenaline, style, and intrigue to remain a fascinating watch even decades later. At the time of its release, Swordfish arrived in theaters with a storm of controversy and polarized critical reception. But from a modern lens, it’s easier to appreciate what the film was trying to do—and, in many ways, succeeded in doing. This is not a meditative character study or a grounded depiction of cyber-espionage. Rather, Swordfish is a kinetic, neon-lit opera of bullets, code, and moral ambiguity that explores the gray spaces between patriotism, terrorism, and the price of freedom. It’s ambitious, daring, and surprisingly layered if you’re willing to dive beneath the surface gloss. At its core, Swordfish spins a high-stakes tale of hacking and high-tech...

By the time Jason X rocketed onto screens in 2001, the Friday the 13th franchise had already taken audiences through psychic battles, Manhattan alleyways, and hell itself. So where else could it go? Naturally, the answer was space. While that premise sounded like a joke to many at the time, over two decades later, Jason X has become a minor cult classic—remembered not for reinventing the franchise, but for boldly embracing absurdity and delivering pure, unapologetic entertainment. The film begins in the near future. Jason Voorhees—once again captured by the government—is being held in a high-security research facility. After yet another attempt to contain or destroy him fails, he and scientist Rowan (Lexa Doig) are cryogenically frozen. Fast forward 445 years: Earth is an uninhabitable wasteland, and a group of students and researchers aboard a spaceship discover the frozen pair. They bring both back onboard their vessel, the Grendel, where Jason inevitably thaws out and resumes hi...