Share: The Nun II is the latest lackluster addition to the now ninth movie in the Conjuring franchise, making it part of the largest and most boring horror movie franchise to date. Continuing on where the first film left off, “The Nun II” is set five years after the events of “The Nun” and follows the life of Sister Irene, now living at a new convent, when she’s asked by the Vatican to investigate a string of demonic murders across Europe. The trail of bodies …
‘One Piece’ sets sail for success in vast seas of live-action TV
Share: The long-awaited live-action adaptation of the world’s top-selling manga, “One Piece,” has hit Netflix as of last week (August 31). But as with any adaptation, it begs the question of whether or not this is any good, or if it’s a waste of time like many attempts at live-action anime adaptations. The eight-episode season put out by Netflix squashes the negative expectations held by fans of the series and/or other anime consumers. At the moment, it is ranked 3rd in this week’s Netflix TV …
Review: Day Trip kicks off summer rave season and it was epic
Share: We made it, friends! Summer is finally here and the sun has been shining extra bright over Los Angeles. To celebrate, I rang in the first weekend of the season the right way, at Day Trip Festival. Insomniac’s Day Trip Festival returned to Long Beach, CA right at The Queen Mary’s waterfront on June 24-45, showcasing some of EDM’s hottest house music artists as well as rising house artists. Despite Day Trip selling out of tickets all year long, this highly anticipated festival strictly …
‘Beau Is Afraid’ amuses and confuses in odd audacious odyssey
Share: There’s little to be afraid of in “Beau Is Afraid,” a surprisingly not-so-scary comedy from one of the most exciting horror directors, Ari Aster. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, it’s the sort of comedy where everyone, including the audience, is in on the joke. Everyone except for Beau, who is relentlessly tortured by any and every absurd creative choice Aster could imagine. Not every ambitious idea works in the film’s favor, yet the ungodly fever dream remains hilarious in a perverse, perturbed sense of humor. Beau …
As vampire stories go, ‘Renfield’ kinda sucks
Share: Chris Mckay’s modern day Dracula horror-comedy is one to be remembered, if not for the wonderful talent of the people in front of and behind the camera, then for its lackluster plot. What began as a wonderfully delightful movie filled with equal parts comedy and drama, ended in a less than satisfying way, leaving the audience wanting more from such a spectacular cast. Nicolas Cage delivers us a Dracula that far exceeded all expectations, a terrifying yet hilarious performance that undoubtedly became one of …
‘The Secret Conversations’ does more for McGovern than it does for Ava Gardner
Share: Some 34 years after she was dubbed “The Most Beautiful Animal Alive,” a financially struggling, physically ailing Ava Gardner contracted a journalist to ghostwrite her memoir as the less humiliating alternative to pawning off her old jewels. So began the working relationship between writer Peter Evans and Gardner. The relationship would span across a year and ultimately culminated with Gardner abruptly withdrawing her permission to publish. This didn’t stop Evans’s estate from posthumously publishing “Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations,” in 2013. The book was …
‘Air’ is the slam dunk story of Nike’s game changing shoe
Share: A movie about Michael Jordan who is considered the best basketball player to exist and one of the greatest athletes of all time certainly isn’t exactly rare. That’s why “Air” sets out to tell the lesser-known story of how a group of employees at Nike came together to create a shoe specifically for Jordan so he could switch his endorsement. Despite the expansive amount of awards Michael Jordan has received over the course of his life including the incredibly rare switch from the NBA …
New Mario Bros. movie is a warp pipe to the mushroom kingdom
Share: The Mario franchise has come a long way from a simple Donkey Kong arcade game. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does a fantastic job of displaying every aspect of the Nintendo universe, from the comedy to the animation, to the soundtrack, there was no visible weak spot. Recently after quitting their steady plumbing job, Mario and Luigi,who are played by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, test their luck and attempt to start their own plumbing company. With hardly any success and limited external support, …
Lana Del Rey expresses her most authentic self in vulnerable new album
Share: Lana Del Rey née Elizabeth Grant’s ninth studio album titled “Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?”, released March 24, 2023, is proving to be her most vulnerable album in her over a decade-long career. Those unfamiliar with Del Rey may look at the abnormally long and somewhat cryptic album title and subsequent song and be deterred, while fans would expect no less from the singer-songwriter. The song “Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?” Which was the …
Ghostface revitalizes the slasher sub-genre in ‘Scream VI’
Share: Despite being far and away from the sleepy California town of Woodsboro, the Ghostface killer is back in action in “Scream VI”, and this time, he isn’t playing around. To put it simply, this movie kicks ass. It has something for everyone from the die-hard “Scream” fans to the people just trying to see a sweet horror flick. From the character work to the setting and the kills, everything is put together masterfully. This film picks up, timely, a year after the events of …