FOLLOWING FILMS

Jurassic World: Rebirth arrives as both a return to roots and a bold step forward, reigniting the thrill of seeing dinosaurs on the big screen. Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, the film leans into everything audiences come to these stories for—spectacle, suspense, and the awe of prehistoric life—while tightening the focus to a survival adventure that feels intimate and grand at the same time. From its very first images, the movie reestablishes the island as a place of mystery and danger. Edwards fills the screen with sweeping vistas of mist-shrouded cliffs, vast jungles, and ancient valleys where the dinosaurs roam. The scale is breathtaking, and the creatures themselves are rendered with astonishing realism. One early sequence shows a herd of titanosaurids moving through a riverbed, their immense bodies mirrored in the water, creating a moment of pure wonder. Later, the reappearance of the mosasaur rising from the depths of the ocean blends terror with majesty, a...

When Lost in Space landed in theaters in 1998, it was meant to be the start of something big. New Line Cinema invested heavily in reviving Irwin Allen’s 1960s TV series, hoping to create a sleek, modern franchise that could stand alongside the likes of Star Wars or Independence Day. Instead, the movie opened to mixed reviews and quickly became a box office curiosity. Yet, looking back today, the film feels far more interesting than its reputation suggests. It’s a flawed but ambitious piece of late-90s science fiction that combines family drama, spectacle, and a dash of camp in ways that make it a fascinating and surprisingly enjoyable watch. The story is set in the near future, with Earth in decline from environmental collapse. The Robinson family is chosen to lead a colonization mission to a distant planet, traveling aboard the Jupiter 2 to ensure humanity’s survival. But thanks to sabotage by the scheming Dr. Zachary Smith, the mission goes wrong, and the Robinsons find themselves st...

Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, released in 1950, remains one of the most haunting explorations of Hollywood ever put on film. Both a biting satire and a gothic tragedy, it examines fame, ambition, and the corrosive effects of illusion with a sharpness that has not dulled in the decades since. The movie is as much about the culture of the dream factory as it is about the particular characters caught in its snare, and that dual focus gives it a timeless quality. While it is anchored in its own era of silent stars fading from memory, the themes of disillusionment and the cost of chasing celebrity are as relevant now as they were in mid-century Los Angeles. The story is told through the weary eyes of Joe Gillis, played with cynical charm by William Holden. Joe is a struggling screenwriter in Hollywood, drowning in debt and desperate for work. The film opens with his death, floating face-down in a swimming pool, while his own sardonic voiceover begins to narrate the events that led him th...

Savage Steve Holland’s Better Off Dead is one of those rare teen comedies from the 1980s that stands out not because it strictly follows the John Hughes mold, but because it leans into absurdism, surreal humor, and cartoonish exaggeration while still telling a surprisingly sweet story about heartbreak, self-worth, and second chances. Released in 1985 and starring John Cusack in one of his earliest leading roles, the film has since become a cult classic, loved for its offbeat tone, quotable lines, and unforgettable side characters. At its core, the film follows Lane Myer (Cusack), a high school student in a snowy California suburb whose life falls apart when his girlfriend Beth (Amanda Wyss) dumps him for the smug and ridiculously vain ski team captain Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier). Lane, convinced he has nothing left to live for, makes a series of comically botched suicide attempts. These dark gags are played entirely for slapstick, and while the subject matter might sound grim, the execut...

Few films embody the strange, glittery spirit of 1980 quite like Xanadu. Directed by Robert Greenwald and starring Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck, and screen legend Gene Kelly in his final film role, Xanadu is an oddball hybrid: part musical, part roller-disco fantasy, part mythological romance. On release, it was dismissed by critics and struggled at the box office, but in the years since it has transformed into something of a cult phenomenon. It’s both a dazzling relic of its time and a strangely sincere love letter to imagination, art, and the dream of reinvention. The story is almost childlike in its simplicity. Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) is a frustrated commercial artist in Los Angeles, stuck replicating album covers when what he really wants is to create something original. His life is upended when he encounters Kira (Olivia Newton-John), a radiant young woman on roller skates who appears seemingly out of nowhere. What Sonny doesn’t know is that Kira is actually Terpsichore, o...

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...