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Kung Fu Panda 4 March 10, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark As time has proved, it’s a risky choice for a franchise to leap beyond a trilogy and into a fourth entry. For every John Wick: Chapter 4 , Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ; there is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cyrstal Skull, The Bourne Ultimatum , and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides . DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 falls more into the latter bucket by providing the expected stunning visuals, yet also displaying an overfamiliar story that signals a franchise running out of steam and bound to implode. Kung Fu Panda 4 ’s biggest flaw is its script; penned by recurring writers Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and newcomer Darren Lemke. While the three previous entries mixed plenty of laughs and memorable moments, there wasn’t a single laugh-out-loud moment here, not even for the younger members of the audience. It didn’t help that most of these attempted jokes are featured in a senseless plot. Po has taken the next step in his journey by fulfilling the position of spiritual leader for the Valley of Peace. Because of this, he must step down as The Dragon Warrior and look to find a successor. As he does this, yet another power-hungry villain in The Chameleon (Viola Davis) threatens China by harnessing the powers of all of Po’s past villains. Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai all return, with Tai Lung being the only one in the spotlight since Ian McShane was the only original voice actor of the trio to come back. Also missing are Furious Five, with their absence being attributed to “other duties.” Of course, Jack Black returns as Po, a character he never seems to take for granted. He’s up to his usual antics, which is enough since seeing Black do his thing is enough of an enjoyable time. Viola Davis’ inclusion in the franchise is great on paper, but it’s not as great in execution considering her character’s copied and pasted motivations. Although he’s not given much screentime, Dustin Hoffman still phones it in as Shifu, which also marks his first appearance in a studio film since 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) . Zimmer returns to the maestro’s corner, collaborating again with Steve Mazzaro. Although there are no outstanding pieces, the duo does provide an interestingly Eastern-sounding rendition of “Crazy Train” during a chase sequence. And that’s not the only cover song to be prominently featured, with Black and his band, Tenacious D, covering Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” during the end credits. It’s a better use of Black’s musical talent than “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros Movie . Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like a dishonor to the franchise, with almost every aspect being inferior to the previous entries. Even the DreamWorks opening credit logo lacked the personality it once had. From a franchise that has always been willing to take risks, this fourth outing is safe and forgettable. Audiences were wishing for more skadoosh, but they got more of a whimpering pow instead. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Lee September 26, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Lee had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Roadside Attractions will release it in theaters on September 27, 2024. There are a lot of famous actors in Lee - Kate Winslet, Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard, Noémie Merlant, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Josh O’Connor are just a few - but only one of them is playing a character. Everyone but Winslet, who also spearheaded the project and serves as producer, seems to be playing WWII dress-up. The same can also be said for screenwriters Liz Hannah, Marion Hume, and John Collee, and director Ellen Kuras, the latter being the most disappointing considering her impressive career as a cinematographer, aiding the creations from visionary auteurs such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jonathan Demme, and Michel Gondry. Things open in 1977 as a young journalist (Josh O’Connor) interviews Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller (Winslet in dodgy old age makeup, also a hindrance for Andrea Riseborough) about her life. Lee never fakes putting on a friendly persona, believing that all interviews are investigations and that no one can understand the whole truth. But she goes on, recounting her younger days. By 1940, she was at a crossroads in her life, too old to remain the pinup supermodel she was in her 20s, and not taken seriously as a photographer and journalist because she didn’t have a Y chromosome. When World War II breaks out across Europe, Lee finds herself a job at Vogue , although she’s forced to stay and photograph the home front instead of being on the frontlines like she wants. But that opportunity comes soon enough, putting her down a charging path around wartorn cities and landscapes with LIFE photographer David Scherman (Andy Samberg). As the only woman in a sea of dead and dying men, Lee offers a different perspective on the carnage, taking pictures of the civilian women who are just as beaten and battered, as well as the normalities of past lives that have become extinct. Kuras mentioned during the TIFF introduction that Winslet started pushing for the project in 2015 during the afterparty for The Dressmaker (also premiering at TIFF). The eight years of grueling work to get to this moment are evident on the screen, with Winslet delivering a movie star performance full of glamor and depth. She carries the entire emotional weight of the film, doggedly wearing it as she trudges deeper into hell. The culmination comes as she and Scherman are some of the first Americans to witness the atrocities of Buchenwald and Dachau. Kuras treats these moments with sensitivity and poise, reigning in Alexandre Desplat’s score, allowing the silence to do the talking. But apart from that moment, much of Lee is as flat and uneventful as a North Dakota landscape (trust me, I’ve driven through my fair share of those). Kuras or the script offer Winslet any aid in giving an inside look at Miller, instead opting to follow the conventional Wikipedia model for a biopic. We get the who, what, when, and where of Miller’s life, but rarely do we get a satisfactory answer to why. Lee Miller lived a life worthy of a Kate Winslet performance, but she also deserved a movie that captured her story with the same level of interest. It’s neither good nor bad, just plainly forgettable. And with a subject like this, that’s probably the biggest sin to commit. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Awards Update: Final Pre-Festival Predictions August 26, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Welcome to an ongoing series where I cover the 2024/2025 awards season. On a regular basis, I will update my Oscar predictions, taking into account the new information that has been received since the last update. Full predictions in every category can be found on the Home and Awards page. The runners have taken their positions on the starting block. All that can happen now is for the gun to be fired to commence the next phase in the awards race. Save for Telluride, which won’t reveal itself until the day before the festival commences (although hints from Venice Artistic Director Alberto Barbera and premiere designations by both TIFF and NYFF have pretty much confirmed every title that will appear in the mountains), every fall festival has unveiled their slate for the year. I did a piece a month ago analyzing these lineups and what they mean for the Oscars. But that was done before TIFF added 20+ new titles a few weeks ago, and NYFF finalized their Main Slate and Spotlight section, which calls for a refreshed look at how everything stands just before the onslaught commences. Between his two features as a director, The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux , Brady Corbet has steered far away from the Oscar conversation. Most of the information we have on his new film, The Brutalist , seems to fall in line with that same trajectory. It carries a 215-minute runtime, is said to be nightmarish at times, and has ambitious swings. It also doesn’t have a North American distributor at the moment (Focus Features holds International rights). But the sight of it going to Venice, TIFF, and NYFF does project a lot of confidence, and there’s been more than a few rumors that it’s an absolutely gorgeous masterpiece. I don’t have it any of my predictions at the moment, but I’ll be the first to slot it into more than a few categories if those rumors turn out to be true. Of course, a good start at the festivals is only one step of the journey, and I’m skeptical about its prospects outside of the critical establishment. I’ll be seeing it early in the morning on my second day of TIFF, and it’s by far my most anticipated film of the festival. Other films on the bubble in terms of my predictions are Saturday Night , Hard Truths , and Nightbitch . Also recently announced to be making the trek from Venice to TIFF are The Room Next Door and Queer , with both venturing to NYFF a few weeks later. The trailer for Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut looked stunning, hinting at a sumptuous score by frequent collaborator Alberto Iglesias and performances by Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. I feel confident in at least two of those three being nominated for their work, with Almodóvar possibly making his way into the ever-crowded field of Best Adapted Screenplay. Two films that will be premiering at Telluride are Nickel Boys and The Piano Lesson , both adaptations of lauded source material. Oscar-nominated documentarian RaMell Ross co-writes and directs the former, with a cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Hamish Linklater, and Daveed Diggs. Its selection as the Opening Night film at NYFF bodes well for its chances in many above-the-line categories, the same areas that The Piano Lesson will also be vying for with its all-star cast. The Netflix film will be stopping in Toronto after Telluride, a smart play to get the crowds behind a long-overdue Oscar campaign for Samuel L. Jackson. Good reviews, sympathy for Danielle Deadwyler’s snub a few years back, and the backing of Netflix could make this film a worthy contender. Just as we have to entertain the possibility that one or more currently heavily predicted awards players will flounder, we also have to consider that there’s a hidden gem buried somewhere. For a film I hadn’t heard about until a few weeks ago, the Telluride-TIFF-NYFF journey that The Friend will be taking has certainly piqued my interest. TIFF also has two underdog sports dramas in Unstoppable and The Fire Inside , both repped by Amazon MGM and slated for release in the winter. Likely half of my predictions will be proven wrong or right within two weeks, meaning this is pretty much the last time to try and hope-dict stuff into reality. I’ll be on the ground at TIFF for all ten days, seeing almost every film mentioned in this article. Stay tuned for reviews, recaps, and a new slate of predictions immediately afterward. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen

Movies That Made More Money Than You Think August 7, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen In the modern world of cinema, the power of recognizable brands often sets the stage for box office success. However, now and then, something unique emerges that not only captivates audiences worldwide but also defies all expectations by amassing colossal profits beyond anyone's wildest imagination. These are the movies that made way more money than they were supposed to, shattering records and redefining the very essence of success in the film industry. One ground rule is that each selection for this list was released in 1990 or afterward. This is approximately the time the modern box office landscape was born, with multiplexes overtaking the long-standing mom & pop movie theaters. It’s also hard to compare and analyze box office performances from several decades ago, as it wasn’t uncommon for a movie to be in theaters for months on end. Both Gone with the Wind and The Sound of Music were in theaters for over four years upon their initial release, which certainly gave them an advantage towards becoming two of the highest-grossing films ever. Several metrics were also used to make these selections, such as the amount of money the movie made, how much it was expected to make based on projections and the performance of similar movies, and its overall cultural relevance (or lack thereof). From underdog productions battling against all odds to star-driven blockbusters soaring to unprecedented heights, each film on this list has a unique tale to tell. Ghost (1990) ($500 million) 1990 was the year of surprise hits. Pretty Woman, Home Alone , and Dances with Wolves all hugely outgrossed expectations. But the best of the bunch was Ghost , a bit of female counterprogramming from Paramount against the boy-friendly summer titles of Die Hard 2 and Back to the Future III . Mixing steamy romance, crime drama thrills, the supernatural, and comedy, the film was the prototypical four-quadrant release. Its PG-13 rating wasn’t too risque for conservative viewers, while still pushing the envelope enough to entice teenagers. It opened #2 at the box office in July just behind the second weekend of Die Hard 2 . It would remain in either of those top two spots for the following nine weeks and would retain the same theater count (1700) until November. It had the third-highest domestic gross ever (behind E.T. and Star Wars ) before Home Alone dethroned it that holiday season. It’s a simply astounding feat for a film that has never inspired sequels, spin-offs, or even merchandise sales (at least not yet). What Women Want (2000) ($375 million) It’s hard to envision it now, but Mel Gibson was, for a brief moment, a romantic leading heartthrob. The $34.4 million opening weekend for Nancy Meyers’ film was the highest ever in December at that time and even bested Gibson’s action-oriented films like Ransom and the Lethal Weapon franchise. An EW poll found that nearly half the audience saw the movie for Gibson, who would receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (losing to George Clooney for O Brother, Where Art Thou? ). The film ended with $180 both domestically and internationally, claiming the fourth best worldwide cume of 2000. Meet the Fockers (2004) ($525 million) Gone are the days of star-driven studio comedies being at the top of the box office charts. Meet the Fockers earned the highest-ever Christmas Day gross at $19.5 million in 2004, even beating the previous’s year champion, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . The character of Greg Focker was almost as lucrative as Harry Potter and Peter Parker that year, with the comedy sequel finishing its box office run with over half a billion dollars. It was Robert De Niro’s highest-grossing film for fifteen years until it was beaten by Joker in 2019. The Da Vinci Code (2006) ($760 million) While many films on this list accumulated their huge grosses due to good reviews and word of mouth, neither of those was the case for The Da Vinci Code . The film boasts a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes and was the recipient of several rounds of booing during its premiere as the opening film of that year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film was also banned in several countries such as parts of India, Egypt, and China (after it had played for a few weeks), and was boycotted by several religious groups. None of those factors stopped audiences from flocking to the film that summer. It amassed a near-record worldwide total of $224 million on its opening weekend, thanks in part to the immense popularity of the novel and the star power of Tom Hanks. Over 70% of its $750 million total gross would come from international territories, with a similar breakdown occurring for the film’s two disappointing sequels: Angels & Demons ($500 million total) and Inferno ($220 million total). 2012 (2009) ($770 million) Sure, disaster movies are pretty dependable at the box office because of their simplistic storytelling and bang-for-your-buck visuals. But does it make much sense that one of the most forgettable entries in that subgenre, Roland Emmerich’s 2012 , is also one of the most successful? 2012 was boosted by a viral marketing campaign that latched onto the urban legend of the world ending in the year 2012. Comcast even blocked out a ten-minute chunk of time on nearly every genre to show a clip of the film. Even with a less-than-ideal leading man in John Cusack, the film accumulated almost $800 million worldwide. Almost 80% of those dollars came from overseas, as the film was the first $700+ million grosser to make less than $200 million stateside. True Grit (2010) ($250 million) It only took twelve days for this Western remake to become the highest-grossing film within the Coen brothers’ filmography. The strong critical reactions and awards buzz helped the movie double its opening weekend projections, pulling in over $25 million during the holiday weekend. There was also the advantage of the Coens dialing down their eccentricities for this film, delivering a more conventional crowdpleaser that had a more long-lasting theatrical appeal. It ended up being one of the highest-grossing Westerns ever, finishing with $171 million domestically and $81 internationally. That holiday window happened to be the coronation of star Jeff Bridges, who also appeared in the chart-topping TRON: Legacy . Black Swan (2010) ($330 million) While it is nice to see Oppenheimer and Barbie sparking a renewed conversation about the merits of “original” programming at the box office, it is still a little disheartening to see that this same conversation was taking place over a decade ago thanks to Black Swan . Strong interest in Darren Aronosky’s film started from the viral marketing campaign, which didn’t commence until just a few weeks before the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The buzz out of the fall festivals matched the enthusiasm online, something relatively unheard of for an arthouse movie. Along with the strong critical remarks it received, especially for Natalie Portman’s lead performance, one of the biggest benefits of the movie was that it was somehow able to appeal to nearly every demographic. Arthouse cinephiles were excited about a new Aronofsky film, dance and theater fans got a unique reimagining of Swan Lake , and horror junkies were treated to a dark psychological tale of obsession. The film would gross over $100 million domestically, all before it even had been released internationally, with many of those dates pushed up to capitalize on the demand. In the end, it grossed $330 million worldwide on a $13 million budget, placing it as the second biggest sleeper hit of 2010. What was #1 you ask? The King's Speech (2010) ($480 million) Everything Everywhere All at Once ’s worldwide gross of $140 million puts it near the top half of Best Picture winners in the modern era. But that total doesn’t even match the domestic cume of The King’s Speech , which only accounted for a little less than a third of the film’s global take of almost $500 million. Tom Hooper’s film is the second-highest-grossing Best Picture winner of the 21st century, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (which stands so far ahead with over $1 billion). Between claiming the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, having the highest per-theater-average opening weekend of the year ($350,000), and receiving a yearly best of twelve Oscar nominations, success followed The King’s Speech everywhere it went. It was hailed as one of the most successful British independent films ever only after a month of release, overcoming the controversial R-rating it received. The film also made over half its money after the Oscar nominations were announced, with the compelling exploration of friendship and resilience resonating deeply with viewers. American Sniper (2014) ($550 million) If asked to guess which film conquered the North American box office in 2014 most people would defer to a franchise film such as Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 , or Captain America: The Winter Soldier . Those would all be good guesses (they each placed within the top five), but sitting on the throne was 84-year-old Clint Eastwood with American Sniper . Showing the power of appealing to middle America and controversy about its messaging, American Sniper grossed $90 million in its opening weekend, more than double what it projected to do. The A+ CinemaScore and awards attention kept it at the top of the box office for the next six weeks, where it would end with over $350 million domestically and $550 worldwide. It still stands as the highest-grossing war film ever (not accounting for inflation) and is only behind The Passion of the Christ and Deadpool as the highest-grossing R-rated film in North America. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

MSPIFF 2023 Preview April 10, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen I'm excited to announce that I'll be covering the Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival for the first time this year! As a cinephile, I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting films. Whether it takes me around the world, or right to my own backyard, I look forward to discovering some hidden gems, meeting other film lovers, and celebrating the art of cinema. Follow me for updates on my festival experience, and let me know if you'll be there too! In this article I've previewed most of the film I'll be seeing, with a few more listed here: The Beasts, L'immensità, Somewhere In Queens, Revoir Paris, Walk Up. *All film descriptions and pictures have been supplied by the festival program* BlackBerry An irreverent look at the incredible rise and stunning fall of the world’s first smartphone. Writer/director Matt Johnson is joined on screen by Jay Baruchel ( This Is the End ) and Glenn Howerton ( It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ) in outstanding seriocomic turns that have us rooting for the doomed misfits behind this incredible true story. Cairo Conspiracy From Tarik Saleh, the director of the award-winning The Nile Hilton Incident , comes a bold, nuanced thriller set in a complex world Westerners rarely see. It centers on a gifted student from a small village who is offered a scholarship to Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, the power epicenter of Sunni Islam. Dreamin' Wild What if a childhood dream came true–-but thirty years later? Singer Donnie Emerson’s dream of success suddenly came true as he approached 50 years old. While it brought hopes of second chances, it also brought ghosts of the past and long-buried emotions to the whole family. Flamin' Hot Flamin’ Hot is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon. Other People's Children When dedicated high school teacher Rachel (Virginie Efira) falls in love with Ali (Roschdy Zem), it’s not long before she also falls for his 4-year-old daughter Leila. Rachel must decide whether to embrace the inherent entanglements of her current situation, including the looming presence of Ali’s ex-wife Alice (Chiara Mastroanni) or strike out again on her own. Polite Society A merry mash-up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, Polite Society follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood. R.M.N. From writer/director Cristian Mungiu ( 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days ), this gripping drama set in rural Transylvania looks at the ethnic conflicts, economic resentments and personal turmoil roiling a Romania still in thrall to some dangerous traditions and beliefs. The arrival of Sri Lankan migrants adds fuel to the fire. Showing Up A sculptor preparing to open a new show must balance her creative life with the daily dramas of family and friends, in Kelly Reichardt's vibrant and captivatingly funny portrait of art and craft. Tori and Lokita Eleven-year-old Tori and 16-year-old Lokita are vulnerable African migrants, trying to make their way In contemporary Belgium, but their already precarious circumstances grow more complicated when the government refuses to give Lokita residence papers. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Foe October 25, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Five years from now Saoirse Ronan and/or Paul Mescal will have an Oscar in their hands. When that happens we’ll look back through their careers, highlighting all the films that led them down this path. For Ronan, we’ll be starting with her groundbreaking child performances in Atonement and Hanna . Then we’ll fondly remember her navigating female adolescence with Greta Gerwig in Lady Bird and Little Women . For Mescal we’ll start on television with Normal People , and then the explosion of Aftersun and All of Us Strangers . And then for both of them, we’ll see a movie titled Foe that came out in 2023 that they starred in for writer/director Garth Davis. We’ll sit back and think long and hard because we can’t remember if we have or haven’t seen it. Eventually, the memory of seeing it (probably on Amazon Prime) will come back, followed by a sad thought about how a movie starring two of the best actors of a generation amounted to absolutely nothing. Taking a page out of Jane Campion’s (whom he directed alongside for the television series Top of the Lake ) playbook from The Power of the Dog , Davis has his native Australia stand in for the barren American Midwest. The year is 2065 and things are as predictably bleak as we expect them to be. Water and fertile land are some of the most valuable resources, making farming a near-extinct occupation. Hen (Ronan) and Junior (Mescal) still hold on to that way of life in their own way. They live in a crumbling farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, with Hen working as a waitress and Junior as a line worker at the local poultry farm. They seem content with each other, which makes the arrival of a stranger (Aaron Pierre) all the more unnerving. This stranger has a proposal: Junior has been selected (conscripted would be the better word) to be a part of a mission on a space station far above Earth. Hen wouldn’t be left alone, instead, a perfect clone would be made of Junior to take his place while he’s away. This stranger must stay with the couple for a while to gather all the information needed to make this person-to-clone transition as seamless as possible. Adapted from the novel by Iain Reid, Foe can’t decide between being a parable about relationships and A.I., or a literal story about life on a desolate Earth. It picks somewhere in the middle, dooming both sides as they each need full commitment in order to work. The introspection of clones taking the place of humans has been done better in Blade Runner and Swan Song starring Mahershala Ali. Does it really matter if a clone is just as lifelike as a human when the characters aren’t interesting? There are also so many facts about this world that leave so many open questions. Why is Junior so special for this program? What exactly is this mission? If the clone is so perfect, why can’t they just send it into space? Why do Hen and Junior only listen to music from the mid-1900s and drive a beat-up pickup truck that would barely be worth anything in 2023? Some of these questions are nitpicks, but the lack of any gravitas surrounding the thematic material makes these stand out even more. The two leads do everything they can to keep things interesting, a job they can do with ease. They run the entire emotional gamut with their performances, but none of it registers due to Davis’ detachment from the material. Each of them is forced to overact once the third-act twists come into play. Everything feels so forced by then that it’s almost comical. But it’s not a total trainwreck, so it’s just rather tediously bad. Son of Saul cinematographer Mátyás Erdély captures the landscape beautifully, showcasing the mystifying wonder that keeps people like Hen and Junior tethered to this patch of dirt. If only Davis could have done the same with his direction and script, as most of his decisions steer away from that intrigue and end up being as interesting as dirt itself. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Beekeeper January 10, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s only the second week of January and 2024 already has its best bad movie of the year. The Beekeeper is a downright terrible on any “objective” scale; cheesily written, stupidly conceived, overly serious, acting so hammy it might as well be served for Christmas dinner, and a mountain of ludicrous twists and turns that leave you howling in disbelief. It’s everything I wanted and more in January, a month known for being a haven to the unwanted offspring of major studios (see Monster Trucks , Dolittle , and the already-forgotten Night Swim ). Jason Statham plays… Jason Statham (obviously). But more specifically, he plays Adam Clay, who is both a retired and current beekeeper. How does that work, you ask? Well, he’s a current beekeeper in the literal sense that he keeps bees on a farm, one owned by Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). Both of them have their own little slice of heaven, a quiet life cut off from the modern world. But that heaven becomes hell once Eloise is the victim of an online scam. You know, those ones where you get an email from a Nigerian Prince who will pay you $1 million in the future if you just send him $10,000 today? Except this time the predator is not a foreign dignitary, but a bunch of “crypto bros” who’ve watched The Wolf of Wall Street too many times without getting the point. They steal everything, including the $2 million in an account Eloise manages for a children’s charity (those bastards!). This is where Adam being a retired beekeeper comes into play. A beekeeper is a sort of super assassin given carte blanche by the US government to carry out whatever acts they determine are necessary to “maintain the hive.” Things were always professional with Adam, but now they’ve made it personal. And when a beekeeper has their sights set on you, it’s near-certain the only way to escape is through a body bag. Having a James Bond/John Wick super-spy called a “beekeeper” is only the tip of the iceberg in the mountain of lunacy that is Kurt Wimmer’s script. I’d challenge you to take a shot every time Statham drops the word “the hive” or says “I’m just a beekeeper,” but that would make me liable for an alcohol-related death. To be honest, cutting a shot down to just a sip would still be dangerous. Wimmer must also be a card-carrying member of AARP as the movie stops dead in its tracks for Statham to speechify about how scamming the elderly is worse than robbing children, as kids have their parents to look after them. There’s even a one-liner about estate planning before a bad guy gets flung to his death. Wimmer and director David Ayer (yes, the director of Suicide Squad , which this movie proudly advertises as a badge of honor) try to craft a message around Adam being a Robin Hood figure who is fighting for the little guys. Though the concept of a relentless killing machine chopping his way through a bunch of preppy douchebags for “the people” is so hilariously undercooked and poorly thought out that it nears parody. A second-act twist about the real occupation of a supporting character does muddy the morality and almost makes Wimmer and Ayer’s stance feel a little dangerous, but the threat of a Joker -esque situation that rallies the incels is nonexistent on account of the shark-jumping that immediately proceeds it. There’s no need to comment on Statham’s performance, as you get exactly what you expected (and likely came for). Jeremy Irons is too old for this shit and having fun with that fact, lighting up every scene he shares with Josh Hutcherson playing the most punchable little shit to hit the screen in quite some time. Even Minnie Driver shows up for ninety seconds to widen her eyes and act terrified once she learns that a beekeeper is on the loose. The Beekeeper is what mindless action movies should strive for, although I’m not sure Wimmer and Ayer would be able to share how they’ve crafted a movie that is both self-aware and totally oblivious to being so bad it’s good. Hey, even a blind squirrel can find a nut every once in a while. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Fabelmans September 10, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Fabelmans had its World Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Universal Pictures will release it in theaters on November 11. From the opening scene of his most personal film yet (that’s quite the statement), Steven Spielberg lays all his cards on the table. Done in a single take, we find the young Spielberg stand-in (named Sammy Fabelman) scared to see his first movie: Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth . His father pulls him aside and attempts to explain the entire machination process of how films are projected onto the screen. This tactic doesn’t go over well, so Sammy’s mother takes him to the other side, and simply explains that “movies are dreams that you never forget.” In the end, the mother wins out, with Sammy’s reaction to the film being a combination of unexplainable terror and wonder. Through this scene, we get a thesis statement on Spielberg’s approach to filmmaking. He’s a born storyteller, pouring his mother’s heart into every frame. And he’s also a master craftsman, leaning on his father’s engineering mindset to construct fantastic sequences that defy belief. The more The Fabelmans tell its story, the more that thesis becomes clearer. We learn how one man could be attracted to making movies about a killer shark, a world-traveling archeologist, friendly and unfriendly aliens, the Holocaust, American presidents, World War II, and even modern-day dinosaurs. Seeing The Greatest Show on Earth , specifically the train crash scene spurs, something in Sammy. He feels compelled to recreate the memory with his own camera and train set, which he does to his mother’s amazement. A passion is quickly born, one that often gets caught in the crossfire of the distraughtness of the Fabelman family over the subsequent years. Just as he’s done with every genre (except for Westerns, which he claims to be interested in doing for his next project), Spielberg conquers the recent trend of directors making their autobiography about how they fell in love with cinema. You can feel the pure joy Spielberg has in recreating his early 8mm films. Janusz Kaminski’s exquisite Capra-esque lighting and Michael Kahn’s (who's been with Spielberg since Close Encounters of the Third Kind ) editing provide that extra needed touch to every moment. And John Williams’ uncharacteristically sneaky score always finds its way into your heart. Of course, being a Steven Spielberg film means that The Fabelmans contains an overabundance of emotion. But fret not all of you that are allergic to the Spielbergian touch, because here it’s used to tell a much more layered story. With the help of his Munich and Lincoln screenwriter Tony Kushner, Spielberg also shines a retrospective light on his parent’s marriage, something he never understood as a child. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano both do wonderful work as Mitzi and Burt, respectively. It’s easy to see how these opposites attracted to each other, and how that opposition eventually won out in the form of divorce. Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle plays the part of Sammy for the large majority of the film. Hopefully, his great performance here will be the first of many to come. Two other performances of note are Seth Rogen as the unofficial Uncle Benny and Judd Hirsch as Sammy’s maternal great-uncle. Both urge Sammy to continue his moviemaking passion in their own way, with Hirsch stealing the show in the two scenes he has. The Fabelmans is a collection of Spielberg's greatest hits, all delivered to their greatest effect. There’s laughter, tears, and wonder in this story that is much more than the sum of its parts. If Spielberg climbs the Dolby Theatre steps to collect his third Best Director Oscar, then it will be one of the few long overdue wins that came at the right time for the right project. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Pinocchio September 15, 2022 By: Button Tyler Banark Yes, Disney's live-action remakes may lack the heart and genuineness of their animated counterparts, but as long as they get the views, the execs at the mouse house could care less about anything else. With Pinocchio being the latest victim of the conglomerate's cash-grabbing strategy, it gives a keen reminder of where the jingle from the opening studio logo comes from. I have no personal connection to the original 1940 film, but I couldn't pass on it with Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks attached. Despite their good intentions, Pinocchio is another run-of-the-mill live-action remake of the mouse house that still left no room for creativity. Hanks is the movie's main selling point as Geppeto, a lonely old clockmaker who wishes for nothing more than a real son in his life and not the titular wooden puppet he made. After making a wish, the wooden boy comes to life and wishes to pursue the dream of becoming a real human boy. Although similar to the source material, Zemeckis' Pinocchio had some new characters, such as Fabiana, her marionette Sabina, and Sofia the seagull. These new characters are nuanced and don't add much to the story, but they never feel unnecessary. None of the characters felt out of place, mainly because this is a remake, and if you know the story, you know what you're in for. Aside from Hanks, the cast as a whole seemed a bit inconsistent as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Jiminy Cricket felt odd with him doing a weird voice, while unrecognizable, that creeped me out. Whenever he spoke, I wasn't sure if JGL was trying to do a caricature take on the role or if what he was doing was spot on with what the character was supposed to be. On the other hand, Keegan-Michael Key fit in as Honest John; he brought that energetic charisma from his Key and Peele days, which helped a lot, given the role consists of him being a mischievous fox. Lastly, Luke Evans has a small role as the Pleasure Island coachman. He does a musical number, and that's it. However, after doing this and playing Gaston in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast , I'm convinced that he enjoys doing these lifeless films. The movie's effects are worth mentioning, as this movie is a massive CGI fest. If I had a dollar for every shot in this film that I could tell was from a green screen, I'd have a fortune. Whether it was kids sliding down a mountain of candy or seeing fake water splash into Hanks' face, the effects were distracting as they could easily take viewers out of the movie. The worst part about it was anytime Pinocchio had a close-up; he looked like a cartoon character in the worst way possible. The good thing about the effects here is that they don't seem reminiscent of the motion capture from two Zemeckis films from the 2000s resembling the uncanny valley: 2004's The Polar Express and 2009's A Christmas Carol . Finally, it's been occurring to me that Zemeckis seems like a director that's way beyond his prime and needs to call it quits. I think he's only made one movie since Cast Away that I'd consider be solid, and that was 2015's The Walk . I know he didn't mean any poor intentions to Pinocchio , but when he's making a film such as this for a studio like Disney, one would think he'd be allowed to take some creative liberties. Unfortunately, this is not the case here, and it shows. The only time I felt this wasn't the case was during the finale, Gepetto gave a mini-monologue, and it hit hard enough to the point where it drove me to tears. To make matters worse, Disney has some unnecessary Easter eggs and callbacks to other films sprinkled throughout that are cringe-worthy. Overall, Pinocchio is a remake not worth the time and energy to watch. Unless that is if you're a fan of the original and want to watch it for nostalgia. It may be released only on Disney+, which is pretty deserving, given how much quality and substance this movie lacks. You can follow Tyler and read more of his thoughts on movies here . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Good Liar November 21, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen London octogenarian Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) is a career con man, swindling those less fortunate enough to fall into one of his schemes. One day, as part of an online dating scam he occasionally pulls, he meets Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren), a recent widower who turns out to be worth nearly three million pounds. Roy’s plan is simple. He’ll get in close to Betty and gain her trust. Eventually, he’ll set the trap and she’ll fall right in. He’ll take her money and disappear forever to repeat the cycle all over again with someone else. Unfortunately for him, this job isn’t as simple as initially thought. Dark secrets start to reveal themselves, leading to a game of cat and mouse where the role of the cat and the mouse intermittently change between the pair. No longer is Roy playing for money, he’s now playing for his life. Director Bill Condon weaves this thriller with confidence from beginning to end. That confidence does not make him faultless, but it does give the film an extra bit of gravitas that puts it above the usual crowd. The beginning contains a much lighter tone as it introduces our two main characters. But like all good thrillers, the niceties of the two are just a facade to deflect from the tension swelling underneath. Over time the dark material begins to bubble to the surface, eventually bursting out in a climatic fashion. All good classic mystery films have a score that compliments the director’s work. Luckily for Condon, composer Carter Burwell delivers a dignified set of strings. In the moments where Condon over or undersells the material, Burwell’s score is right there to pick up the slack. And in those moments where Condon gets it just right, the music is also right there with him to elevate what’s on-screen. An adaptation of Nicholas Searle’s novel of the same name, the screenplay for The Good Liar by Jeffrey Hatcher can be appropriately labeled as B-level Hitchcockian. With a title like The Good Liar , you can expect a few twists and turns along the way, albeit here they are a little too overt and easy to see. But even though you know a twist is coming, the real mystery is finding out what it is. Admittedly, some of the twists are impossible to predict due to a lack of setup or are oftentimes so ludicrous that they defy any realistic expectations. Fortunately, Hatcher embraces that feeling of throwing care into the wind. He revels in the somewhat trashy storytelling and only tries to make the material more entertaining than believable. It’s not perfect, but it makes for a much more enjoyable watch once you come to terms with the outlandishness of what’s going on By far the biggest attraction for the film is its two main stars, each having a ball in their juicy roles. For eighty years old, Sir Ian McKellen possesses the physicality of someone a little over half his age. His movements, especially within his face, do more to speak for his character than the dialogue. Just by watching you learn more about his character and become increasingly attracted to him. Equally as great as McKellen is Dame Helen Mirren. She’s made it a thing recently to be in more showy roles that demonstrate her skill. So far that strategy has been a good thing because her immense talent has sold many roles that would have been wasted by lesser actresses. Here you can see the delight in Mirren’s delivery as she chews the scene. Her sparring sessions with McKellen are by far the best moments of the film. You know those novels you find in the airport that are a bit dumb and only bought for some time-wasting entertainment? Well, The Good Liar is exactly that for movies. It may be a bit preposterously muddled to pull off its ambitions and isn’t as good as some other films of the same genre, but what it does have are suspenseful thrills led by two legendary actors giving great performances. So even if this airport novel is the ultimately inferior option, it does its job just well enough to leave you satisfied. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Bohemian Rhapsody November 12, 2018 By: Button Hunter Friesen Making a biopic about Freddie Mercury and Queen is a truly difficult task for anyone to accomplish. Trying to condense the life of the greatest lead singer of all time into a feature-length film is next to impossible. Attempting this feat is Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody , which unsurprisingly isn’t able to do justice to its subject matter. Still, the film makes up for what it lacks by containing great musical performances and a mesmerizing performance by Rami Malek as Freddie. Singer has never been good with emotions throughout his career and that clearly shows here. He desperately struggles to deal with the more human scenes and the difficult relationships Freddie had with many of his closest friends and family. Most scenes feel hokey as they try every shameless tactic to get the audience to care. The film also uses a straightforward method of telling the story. The plot basically boils down to a glorified Wikipedia article that tracks the history of the band from start to finish. By the end, everything that is learned feels like surface details that could easily have been explored more. Singer may not be an emotional filmmaker, but what he does have going for him is his ability to be a showman. The many different concert scenes are a treat to watch as they play back some of the band’s greatest hits. Eventually, it all culminates in the famous Live Aid performance that blows away all expectations. The film beat for beat recreates the historic moment and makes you feel like part of the electric crowd. Penned by Anthony McCarten, the script for Bohemian fails quite badly at various points. The most apparent problem is the truly atrocious dialogue that ruins many moments that are supposed to be heartfelt. Any scene with Mary and Freddie immediately becomes a sappy mess and dashes away any hope of connection to the characters and their relationship. It can also be said that the script fails to defend the film’s 134-minute runtime as it never dives deep enough into Mercury’s troubled life. Background details are given about his upbringing and the strained relationship he had with his parents. However, these elements are treated with minor importance and don’t make an impact on Freddie as a character. On a brief note, there is a small subplot with Mike Myers cameoing as a record producer who objects to the band’s unconventional ways. Myers comes off as a cartoon and the whole storyline reeked of desperation to get a slight laugh out of the meta-joke. Lastly, Freddie’s sexuality is briefly touched on and with very little detail that it never truly feels that important even though it became a defining part of his image by the end of his career. The script never gives an explanation for why and how Freddie is gay, just the fact that he is. His sexuality becomes the main storyline by the end of the film, but by then it’s too little too late. Freddie Mercury always seemed like the type of person who would be impossible to properly portray on screen. Rami Malek defies that logic and delivers a pitch-perfect performance. Apart from the singing voice, Malek recreates the mannerisms and overall presence of Mercury down to the letter. He brings a kind of contagious energy that lights up the screen every time he grabs the mic, giving us a sense of what it might have been like to be in front of Mercury as he performed. The rest of the cast do an alright job, but really none of them matter compared to Malek. Lucy Boynton is pretty good as Mary Austin, Freddie’s wife at one point and lifelong friend. Boynton does what she can with the terrible dialogue and tries to salvage each scene she shares with Malek. Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, and Joseph Mazzello play the rest of the band. Each of them is average and just kind of floats around in the background as Freddie takes center stage. Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t a good film when put together as it fails to be a serviceable biopic about the band and its larger-than-life lead singer. However, the film is still a very fun time that delivers when it comes to musical thrills and will have you banging your head and listening to Queen for weeks after. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Top 10 DreamWorks Animated Movies March 7, 2024 By: Tyler Banark A child sitting on the moon fishing accompanied by a fairytale-like fanfare. What more could you ask for from one of Hollywood's simplest and most recognizable studio logos? With Kung Fu Panda 4 on the horizon this week, DreamWorks Animation has another installment of one of its many beloved franchises. While it has evolved over the years, the studio has never lost sight of its humble beginnings. In their 25-year history, they’ve proven adept at rivaling Disney through their ability to tell stories of different substances and styles. And unlike the Mouse House and Illumination (who never fail to rope audiences in with their vexing mascot and bland style), DreamWorks has never shied away from being themselves, even if the result isn’t always exclamatory. Nevertheless, they still crank out consistently amazing movies, and here are the ten that have stuck with me the most. 10. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) I wouldn’t go so far as to describe animated movies as campy, but if there’s one that fits that mold, it’s this 2009 gem. Led by a voice cast of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, and Stephen Colbert, Monsters vs. Aliens makes for a wacky monster movie that pokes fun at kaiju movies and old sci-fi cult classics like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman . Rogen gives one of his most underappreciated voiceover performances here as B.O.B., a dimwitted gelatinous mass lacking a brain. The film isn’t one of DreamWorks’ most talked-about works, but rest assured, there are a few lovers of this movie like myself out there. 8. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) As the follow-up on the studio’s biggest surprise hit, How to Train Your Dragon 2 greatly expands the world of Berk and its inhabitants. Hiccup continues his research of dragons and the possibility of them and Vikings living in harmony. The sequel introduces Cate Blanchett’s Valka, Hiccup’s long-lost mother, and Djimon Hounsou’s Drago, a man looking to control all dragons. Their additions add to the already impressive returning voice cast. Throughout the trilogy’s run, each entry made the case that it was worthy of top accolades, but there was always something else pushing it aside. The first and third entries were defeated by Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 , and the middle chapter ran into The Lego Movie and Big Hero 6 . 8. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) The conclusion to one of the most underappreciated trilogies ever, The Hidden World finds Hiccup and Toothless facing the ultimate test of a ruthless dragon hunter and his army, all while discovering a hidden realm where dragons live in peace. The animation is top-notch, and the cast is wonderful as always, especially Jay Baruchel, who never failed to make his case as to why he was the best choice for Hiccup. F. Murray Abraham joined the cast as the antagonist, Grimmel, who, like Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 , knows how to counter and confound his opponents. Director Dean DeBlois went all out to make The Hidden World a fitting conclusion to a decade-spanning trilogy, with John Powell’s score remaining consistently soulful, just as the series was as consistent in overall quality. 7. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) As a big welcome back to not only the Shrek universe but to DreamWorks as a whole, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish took some of the biggest risks audiences have witnessed from a DreamWorks property. It not only switched gears in animation styles by following the storybook look of The Bad Guys , but it also featured the scariest representation of death in a family-friendly movie. Thanks to Wagner Moura’s spine-tingling voiceover work, the Wolf is one of the best villains in recent years. However, The Wolf wasn’t the only baddie here making a statement for himself. Big Jack Horner, voiced by John Mulaney, displayed his ruthlessness by being willing to kill one of his henchmen without remorse. Puss is written with complexity as he grapples with mortality and anxiety, capped with further commentary on how our time in life is short and shouldn’t be wasted. 6. The Bad Guys (2022) Based on the popular children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys flew under the radar when compared to the studio’s other works. Not only was it the best animated film to come out that year, but it was also one of the first to show Into the Spider-Verse ’s impact on the industry, as the animation is far different than anything done before by DreamWorks. The Bad Guys steers away from the typical computer-generated look and goes for something more storybook-like. It pulled me in immediately through its opening scene: a long take of Wolf and Snake eating breakfast before pulling up to a bank for another heist. On the surface, it’s just an opening scene that the typical viewer could just brush off. However, if you’re like me, you’ll notice that DreamWorks made a subtle homage to Quentin Tarantino and his crime flicks (more specifically, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction ). Sam Rockwell led an excellent cast; including Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Zazie Beetz, and Richard Ayoade. 5. Kung Fu Panda (2008) A remarkable feat that safely introduced young audiences to martial arts movies, Kung Fu Panda not only featured the witty humor audiences came to expect but also a compelling character arc for Jack Black’s Po. The movie provided resonant motifs of never giving up and that answers can be found in the unlikeliest places. Black had an impressive supporting cast around him, including Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and Ian McShane as one of the best villains in studio history who is both menacing and understandable. Kung Fu Panda cemented DreamWorks’ second most successful franchise, and it’s never been far behind a certain green ogre… 4. Shrek 2 (2004) Shrek 2 is one of the rare sequels to equal its predecessor. Not only did it raise the stakes, but it distanced itself enough to the point where it could be a standalone, feel-good movie. Shrek 2 also featured a great villain in Fairy Godmother, who is nice on the surface but reveals her true intentions by trying to get in between Shrek and Fiona. The sequel also introduced us to the irresistible Puss in Boots, who solidified himself as a franchise favorite to the point where he got two spin-offs. There’s also a strong soundtrack, with the highlights being the movie’s anthem, Accidentally in Love, and Jennifer Saunders’ cover of Holding Out For a Hero . 3. Shrek (2001) A landmark film of a generation and the first film to win Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars, Shrek is DreamWorks’ golden child. It put the studio on the map and provided a wake-up call to Hollywood that Disney isn’t the only source of animation, while also spawning three sequels and two spin-offs. During its run, Shrek went on to become the first animated film in almost sixty years to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the first to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars, and Eddie Murphy became the first actor to receive a BAFTA nomination for a voice-over role by playing Donkey. It threw out audiences’ preconceptions about fairytales, giving us a hero far from Prince Charming on the outside, yet still charismatic and lovable. It made a statement that anyone is capable of giving and receiving love, with the added bonus of several raunchy jokes and clever moments that have become staples of online culture. 2. The Prince of Egypt (1998) The best piece of religious cinema I’ve ever seen and one of DreamWorks’ earliest works, The Prince of Egypt follows the story of Moses and his liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Ancient Egypt. Based on the book of Exodus, it’s one of the few faith-based films to resonate with culture both critically and commercially, with other worlds like The Passion of the Christ and Silence falling on extreme ends of the spectrum. A strong cast including Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Steve Martin, and Martin Short all brought their A-game. The Prince of Egypt is still one of the few DreamWorks movies to feature traditional hand-drawn animation, most notably seen in the climax where Moses parted the Red Sea, and an eerie nightmare sequence told through Egyptian paintings. Music from Hans Zimmer and a soundtrack featuring sweeping songs such as Deliver Us , Through Heaven’s Eyes , and The Plagues , aided in establishing the epic scale and the studio’s legacy. 1. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) If you’re reading this and know this cinephile personally, then this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover, and that’s exactly the case with How to Train Your Dragon . Gorgeous animation with the help of legendary cinematographer Roger Deakin, a stellar voice cast, and a timeless script are just a few of the reasons why the movie exceeded all expectations. Hiccup and Toothless are an irresistible duo, accompanied by many characters that complement them well. Furthermore, John Powell’s score is one of the best, if not the best this critic has ever heard. It’s easy to listen to, and you can’t help but smile when you hear our duo’s themes. This first chapter also lays the groundwork for one of the most consistent animated trilogies ever, never going overboard with the worldbuilding, leaving enough to be discovered and built upon in said sequels. Through Hiccup, the movie conveys that you should never be afraid to be who you truly are, even if everyone around you is different. This method can be applied to DreamWorks as a studio, which is exactly why How to Train Your Dragon is their best. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen