Tag: reviews

Top 15 Best Movies of 2011

AdamLeave a comment

Just like I did last year when I went over my top 15 favorite films that came out in 2010, I decided to carry that along to this year and share what my top 15 favorite films from that came out in 2011 were. And as I said last year, time sure flies by and it’s BAFFLING to me that it’s already been 15 years since 2011 occurred. It was a year that brought me nothing but good vibes throughout and it simply makes me nostalgic for a more earnest and innocent time throughout our daily lives, particularly when there was a much proper balance between social, television, AND internet.

However, I don’t think 2011 was as strong of a year for film as was 2010. As a matter of fact, I would probably say that among the years for films throughout the 2010s, this might just be the weakest year for film of the decade in my humble opinion. Not to say it was bad overall (Even the weakest years for films ALWAYS has plenty of winners that are worth seeing!), but there’s not a ton of films this year that I believe stands out among the rest of the 2010s. Although 2011 was among the best years of the decade when it came to video games, 2011 wasn’t quite up to par when it came to feature films.

I still do have 15 films that I want to share as being my absolute favorites of 2011 but I only have about five honorable mentions I want to share. Although I did originally have five others films for honorable mentions, those were mostly films that I really liked or throughout were just fun rather than films that were truly great in my eyes if that makes sense.

Honorable Mentions:

  • 50/50
  • Arthur Christmas
  • Attack of the Block
  • Bridesmaids
  • Rango

Also, FYI, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is NOT on this list because…..I didn’t care for it too much. Sorry, not sorry!

Now, onto to the main top 15!

15.) Fast Five

Yep, I just had to save a spot for the very best Fast & Furious movie to date! Every action scene, from the car chases to the hand-to-hand combat to the heist missions, is very well done, the stunt work from every member of the team is so good that they all deserved an Oscar, the supporting cast is at their absolute best and most well utilized here, the family drama and tension has never been more personal, and introduces the most charismatic actor of the series that acted as the perfect “shot in the arm” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. This was the one where it felt like the whole thing came full circle, paying off four movies of ill-conceived plots and delivering a spectacular climax in the heist mission that is easily the most stand out sequence in the entire franchise. It’s gloriously excessive, dumb, and over-the-top but it still feels Fast & Furious! Fast Five is the best that this franchise has gotten and is just as good as these kind of films can possibly get in general.

14.) Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Despite a lackluster marketing campaign and being released during the height of reboots/remakes era in Hollywood, Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended up being one of the more welcome surprises in recent film history. Andy Serkis gives an outstanding motion capture performance as Caesar, by far the most engaging protagonist in this series and seeing how his story begins is equal parts thrilling and emotional. Sure, the human characters are about as thin as they come but that’s okay because there’s more than enough time with the apes to make up for that. If the majority of reboots and remakes were anywhere on the level of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we would have virtually nothing to complain about.

13.) The Descendants

If you want a perfect example on how to do a good old fashion “dramedy”, look no further than The Descendants. George Clooney is able to take an impressively mournful turn here, playing a man who is forced to deal with the frustration of a loved one’s passing. With a tight script, great cinematography, and terrific performances to boot, this is definitely worth watching if you are in the mood for a “dramedy”! Just make sure you bring yourself a handkerchief if you chose to do so.

12.) Source Code

There is nothing that excites me more than an awesome and uniquely original sci-fi film. Smart, thought-provoking, and with a refreshing premise, Source Code does everything it possible can with what it has to work with, with strong acting, an engaging narrative, and interesting characters to help hold the entire picture without having you think too much about any nagging plot holes or loose ends. Duncan Jones was able to shine quite brightly with First Moon and with Source Code, he was able to make lightning strike twice.

11.) Warrior

I would be lying if I said Warrior wasn’t the most sports heavy movie I’ve ever seen that hits the exact same beats that you would expect for these kinds of movies. However, that still doesn’t hold it back from being a gloriously entertaining and tense experience regardless. Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte are all great here, the direction from O’Connor is on part every step of the way, and it’s a film that’s able to find satisfying payoffs to everything it builds up too, making for an emotionally rewarding experience by the time the credits roll. Yes, you have seen this story before but that still doesn’t hold back Warrior as being a damn fine way of telling it.

10.) Drive

While director Nicolas Winding Refn can be extremely hit or miss for me, he was able to fit quite well for me here with Drive. This is a hypnotic, character-driven crime thriller about a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a gateway driver for criminals. That description right there pretty much tells you that this is one crazy, chaotic ride but in the best way possible. All the performances are great in it (particularly from Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Albert Brooks), the score from Cliff Martinez is haunting, the script is well-though out and multilayered, and the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of Mr. Winding Refn, Drive is still a film I would highly recommend.

9.) The Adventures of Tintin

You wanna talk about the best Indiana Jones movie that is somehow NOT an Indiana Jones movie, look no further than The Adventures of Tintin. It’s got some of the main people that were involved in the Indiana Jones franchise from Spielberg to Kennedy to Williams, there’s an adventure that leads to the main character needing to look for a McGuffin before it falls into the enemy hands, there’s plenty of action set pieces that the main character will have to go throughout their journey, and it even has an unlikely sidekick or two that sounds like the most oddest yet awesome pairing ever. However, the one element that Adventures of Tintin captures just as well with the original Indiana Jones trilogy and arguably does it better than either Indiana Jones movie that has come out in the 21st century thus far, capturing that exact feeling of adventure, excitement, and discovery. The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most overlooked animated movies in recent memory, one of Spielberg’s best films in the 21st century, and is just a terrifically enjoyable ride all around.

8.) X-Men: First Class

After The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine came out, the X-Men franchise felt about as good as dead. Thankfully, Matthew Vaughn was able to bring the series back to new heights with the excellent (No pun intended!) prequel known as X-Men: First Class. This really felt like a proper origin story about the very first members of the X-Men becoming a team along with the start of the biggest love-hate relationship ever with Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr. The cast are all excellent and have perfect chemistry with one another (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender might just even better than their older counterparts!), the action is fun and inventive, the soundtrack is great, and it’s able to fit all the requirements needed for a prequel film without the baggage that tends to weight these kinds of films down. The film’s villains could have been fleshed out more (Even if Kevin Bacon is clearly having a blast in the role!) and yes what they do with Darwin absolutely SUCKS but as a whole, X-Men: First Class is the real deal and one of the best installments in this franchise.

7.) Captain America: The First Avenger

Might be a hot take but Captain America: The First Avenger was my personal favorite of the build-up movies leading up to The Avengers. It had such a warm and nostalgic feel to it that I can’t help but be in the mood to watch it whenever it’s on TV. Even before it became cool to like Captain America, The First Avenger made me respect and admire the character of Steve Rogers in ways I never imagined. He’s a good guy just trying to do good things and do what he believes it’s right for himself and others. Chris Evans is terrific as Steve Rogers along with co-stars Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, and the absolutely beautiful Hayley Atwell. Even the montage scene that is everyone’s biggest complaint didn’t bother me, even if I wouldn’t have mind an extra 15 to 20 minutes. With it’s warm tone and sense of wonder and optimism threw out, this is one of my personal favorite movies not just in 2011 but also in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe! Also, you are a robot if you don’t tear up at or near the end.

6.) Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol

Here is where the franchise would be taken things to the very next level. Brad Bird is able to make a stellar first impression in his live-action debut by delivering a Mission: Impossible installment that at the time in 2011 was the biggest and the best the M:I franchise has ever gotten in terms of action, scope, and delivering the most impossible mission imaginable. This is also where you would certainly feel the fantastic chemistry that Cruise would have with his cast members such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton (who I’m still awaiting her return to the franchise). The main highlights of this installment include the gripping as hell opening sequence in the prison, the “girl boss” fight between Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux, and of course, the intense, breathtaking set piece in Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest mountain in the world. The main downside is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, containing conflicts and motives that I constantly keep forgetting about every single time that I watched it. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol is still excellent and did it’s job at keeping the series fresh four movies in. Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).

5.) The Muppets

It’s the freaking Muppets! What else needs to be said?!?!

4.) Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2

There have been plenty of big grand endings to long-running franchises that has come before AND after this film released in July 2011. Some of hit hard, while others hit too far. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2 was able to hit the exact target without any prior baggage dragging it down. This finale of a long-running film franchise based of a beloved book series was able to save the very best from last, with the direction, acting, cinematography, and score taking to a whole new level and finding some way to bring all eight films to a very fitting and conclusive circle. Yes, author J.K. Rowling is still……J.K. Rowling but if you are to take that knowledge through a rearview mirror, Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2 remains one of the most grand and satisfying conclusions in recent cinema history. It’s never easy nailing the final chapter but thankfully, this was able to do just than and then some.

3.) Moneyball

If you have been following me on here since the beginning, you would know that I absolute LOVE baseball and movies. And very few things are as satisfying to me when BOTH of the things I love are brought together. Moneyball is a great inside look to the “analytical” side of not just baseball but all of sports, showing the early days of when the analytics would be the main driving force of decision making from management and showing proof that you don’t need the biggest payroll in the role in order to win. Brad Pitt is perfect as Billy Beane, easily one of his best performances to date, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymore Hoffman (RIP!) are equally great in supporting roles, the script is tight, witty, and feels appropriately baseball, and the actual baseball scenes, while few and far between, are equally as well-done as the rest of the picture. Maybe it could be my bias with the love of the sports but if you ask me, Moneyball is an absolutely perfect sports and baseball movie that I will continue to rewatch time and time again.

2.) Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of the rare sequels that not only is as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. Instead of doing the same old same old, it actually does something new and different. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point, as well as just being one of the most beautifully done sequences in animation film history! (You are a robot if you did not cry during that scene!) Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s possibly one of the best animated film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.

1.) The Tree of Life

Here’s the truth: I have only ever watch this film ONE time and I don’t ever plan on rewatching again anytime soon. However, it’s that one watch of The Tree of Life that made for one of most magical viewing experiences I have ever had watching a film, so much so that I don’t ever want to watch it again because I don’t want my one experience being taking away from me. Terrence Malick delivers a complex, thought-provoking, and incredibly beautiful piece of filmmaking, not only perfectly portraying the perfect traditional family values lifestyle but also one of the most honest to god interpretations of life as a child and losing your innocence. With perfect direction, perfect cinematography, perfect visuals, perfect acting, perfect editing, and perfect imagery, The Tree of Life is a one of a kind cinematic experience that I will think about for the rest of my life. I don’t know if I ever will watch it again but man, sometimes one time is just enough.

Summer 2026 Box Office Breakdown

AdamLeave a comment

Movie theaters are back! Or that’s at least what I’ve been hearing for the past month or two! Ever since that disastrous turn of events that shut down the whole world for a year or two, movie theaters all around the world has seen a significant decline in ticket and concessions sales. That hasn’t stopped Hollywood from doing everything in their power to keep the movie theater going experience alive. Even in the age of streaming, pirating, and Tik Tok, this is a battle that the movie making folks in southern California (and other parts of the world) are willing to fight until they suddenly can’t.

And I don’t think there has been a period of time that has determined just how “well” movie theaters are going throughout the 2020s than this year’s lineup of summer blockbusters, especially since we are entering the latter half of the 2020s. Six years removed of movie theaters being shutdown and two years of infamous strikes, this is probably the most “back to normal” feeling that Hollywood has felt since pre-Covid. If this summer saw yet another underperforming two to three months, then there must come serious questions as to how long movie theaters have before they go extinct.

However, now that summer of 2026 has come and gone, it’s time to see the results of how all the main feature films did in movie theaters everywhere. And the results are…….surprisingly positive. While there are certainly some baffling duds that do raise cause for concerns for certain IPs, there were plenty of notable successes that were so successful that it practically made up for all those duds. Because of that and more, 2026 is looking to be hands down the best year for movie theaters since 2019! And for the first time since Covid, that actually is saying something!

In case you are wondering how I am judging this data, I am gonna look at a chunk of wide releases that came out at the start of May to the near the end of August. I’m gonna list the film’s budget, how much the film made at the box office, what the projected break even point likely was, how much the film gain in profit, and whether or not it should been seen as a success, flop, underperformance, or break even point for the studios.

I’m only gonna use math that most tend to use when judging how a film does at the box office. Mostly by taking the budget, times that by 2.5X to cover the whole budget surrounding production and marketing, and seeing how much money it made or lose as a result.

Again, that is not the case for EVERY single one of these movies and this is NOT a direct result as to how the studios view each film from a financial standpoint. This is just my personal guess and opinion as to how each one of these films should be viewed as.

Plus, it’s also worth mentioning that ever since Covid, the definition of “success” is now quite different in the eyes of many producers in Hollywood. Who’s to say that just because a film didn’t do so great in it’s opening two weeks in theaters that the studios sees it as a failure when it became a big hit on digital and streaming? That alone could make it a “success” in the minds of studios.

It is worth remembering that a film’s overall success isn’t just determined based on how it did in theaters but also how it fared in terms of digital, streaming, and physical media sales. Just because not enough people showed up in theaters to give the film profit doesn’t mean people didn’t show it’s support when said film became accessible to all of our home media.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this analysis and gives you a good indication of how films are still thriving/struggling in movie theaters!

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Budget: $100 Million

Box Office: $692.8+ Million

Break Even Point: $250+ Million

Gain/Lose: $442.3+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

While hardcore fans have certainly debated the quality of this 20 years in the making sequel since it’s release, there’s no denying the massive cult following the original film has gained since 2006. And it’s that exact cult following that showed up in drones to support yet another adventure with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Whether it’s because of it’s timely story of AI and digital taking over the fashion industry or just wanting to spend more time with these characters, The Devil Wears Prada 2 was an absolute slam dunk for both Disney and 20th Century Fox. I wouldn’t be shocked if a third film is being discussed right at this very moment.

Mortal Kombat II

Budget: $80 Million

Box Office: $129+ Million

Break Even Point: $200+ Million

Gain/Lose: $71+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop

Although this was certainly an improvement over the 2021 original (which grossed $80 million when over half of the movie theaters around the world was close), I doubt it’s enough for Mortal Kombat II to be considered a success in the eyes of Warner Bros. Whether it’s because of the multiple delays or divisive reception that the first one got among critics and fans alike, Mortal Kombat II just couldn’t seem to win over folks, despite it being more positively received than the original. Unless digital and streaming can come in to save the day, I would not expect a third film to be released anytime soon.

Obsession

Budget: $750,000

Box Office: $750,000

Box Office: $505.7+ Million

Break Even Point: $1.875+ Million

Gain/Lose: $493+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

The breakout hit of the summer that is still leaving the higher ups at Hollywood shaking their heads, wondering how in the world they did NOT see this coming?! A supernatural horror film that is fully original being made by a YouTuber that hardly anyone in the industry heard about and feature a cast of actors and actresses that hardly anyone in the industry heard about, ending up being one of the most shocking success stories in modern film history! Obsession was able to defy any sort of expectations that might’ve been leveled against it and then some! Throughout the summer, it went toe-to-toe with the likes of Star Wars, He-Man, DC Comics, Disney Live-Action, and the great Steven Spielberg…..and actually WON! Congrats to Curry Baker, Inde Navarrette, and everyone involved with Obsession, enjoy this glorious success, you deserve every bit of it!

The Mandalorian & Grogu

Budget: $165 Million

Box Office: $345.7+ Million

Break Even Point: $412.5+ Million

Gain/Lose: $66.8+ Million Loss

Verdict: Underperformed

I called it at the beginning of this year and I (unfortunately) was completely right! It’s still baffling that Disney and Lucasfilm thought that Star Wars’ triumphant return to cinema should consist of three to four episodes of a Disney Plus series that most people stop caring about over half a decade ago. With the near non-existence marketing and a very vague plot synopsis, The Mandalorian & Grogu was more in-line with the The Clone Wars animated film from 2008 than any of the “official” Star Wars films (And that’s totally NOT because both films where originally meant to be several episodes of their own respective shows and JUST so happens to have Jabba the Hutt’s son in it). I’m sure Disney Plus numbers and merchandise will be enough to save this from being a complete financial disaster in the eyes of stock holders but the fact it’s solely reliant on that is a good indicator just where Star Wars is right now. Let’s hope that Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling are up to the task of restoring the legacy of Star Wars next year with Starfighter or else the Dave Filoni era of Lucasfilm could be over before it even begins.

Backrooms

Budget: <$10 Million

Box Office: $394.1+ Million

Break Even Point: <$25+ Million

Gain/Loss: $371.5+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Another surprise “original” hit that no one saw coming. Granted, unlike with Obsession, Backrooms already did have an established fanbase, as it is based on a series of web shorts on YouTube created by director Kane Parsons. However, that still doesn’t change the fact that it was still able to stand strong on it’s own and even surpassed many other established IPs this summer that I’ve already mentioned. Perhaps if the audience’s reception was on the level of Obsession, it might’ve been able to gain enough legs to cross the 400 million dollar mark. Even so, another terrific success story that will surely usher in a new era of filmmaking among social media influencers, for better or worse (most certainly worse)!

Scary Movie (2026)

Budget: $30 Million

Box Office: $231.4+ Million

Break Even Point: $75+ Million

Gain/Loss: $156.4+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

The return to form horror spoof franchise was able to make it’s 13-year long return look pretty easy. Despite the negative reviews and divisive fan reception, it was still able to make it’s money back and then some, becoming the highest grossing Scary Movie sequel to date (inflation aside). Between this, last year’s The Naked Gun, and the upcoming Grown Ups 3, it looks like we are now seeing the doors being open for more raw horror/anti-woke/politically incorrect comedies for the immediate future. And I’m sure it will absolutely NOT get old and tiresome very fast!

Masters of the Universe

Budget: $170+ Million

Box Office: $114+ Million

Break Even Point: $285+ Million

Gain/Loss: $171+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop….but

In almost ALL circumstances, Masters of the Universe (2026) would be seen as an absolute bomb, barley able to make pass just a $100 million globally despite it’s $175 million budget and being based of the He-Man IP. However, when it comes to Amazon MGM and Mattel, they are clearly looking more at how the film does in terms of streaming and merchandise numbers. And thus far, Masters of the Universe (2026) has been a MASSIVE hit for both Amazon Prime AND for Mattel toys/action figures! Similar to last year’s F1, the purpose of the film’s existence isn’t so much to make all the money in the world at the box office but more to introduce He-Man to a new generation, hoping that the film itself will be remember upon leaving movie theaters everywhere and gain new fans among younger demographics. And if the strong numbers for Amazon Prime and Mattel are any indication, we MIGHT just see Masters of the Universe continue in some way, shape, or form in the future. Again, if we are looking at just box office numbers, it’s an absolute flop! But whether or not Amazon and Mattel both feel that way remains to be seen!

Disclosure Day

Budget: $115 Million

Box Office: $241+ Million

Break Even Point: $287.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $46.5+ Million Loss

Verdict: Underperformed

Despite the marketing painting this as a glorious return to form for Stephen Spielberg and the OG “disaster” film of the summer, Disclosure Day most certainly didn’t live up to the box office projections that Universal thought they were getting. Although it did get decent legs in the latter half of it’s theater run (most likely due to it being the only main “adult” film released until The Odyssey), it’s polarizing response from audiences clearly didn’t help, with many feeling like the film didn’t live up to it’s title. Even as someone that is a strong defender of the film, I definitely understand those that want a film to be a complete package with no loose ends whatsoever would be disappointed by it. There could be a chance that this film will find it’s audience in terms of digital and streaming but I’m sure Universal and Spielberg themselves thought that THIS would be the breakout original hit of the summer…..and it just wasn’t.

Toy Story 5

Budget: $250 Million

Box Office: $1.136+ Billion

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $545+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Despite everyone and their mom constantly claiming that this series should have ended after 3 until they are blue in the face, that didn’t stop Toy Story 5 for being yet another $1 billion grosser for Mickey Mouse and crew, performing as the highest grossing Toy Story film to date (Again, inflation aside!). It’s timely plot involving tablets and electronics taking over the lives of modern children most certainly played a benefit to the audience’s glowing response to it, along with seeing our cowgirl Jessie getting more screentime than last time out. And unlike another big animated film released this summer, it had a decent seven-year long wait that kept enough distance from audience to justify another Toy Story adventure that they would want to see. Post-Toy Story 3 naysayers be damned, I’m sure Disney and Pixar will be coming out with a Toy Story 6 with Buzz Lightyear front in center sooner than you would think (Just don’t make it like Lightyear, please!).

Supergirl

Budget: $170-$186 Million

Box Office: $126.4+ Million

Break Even Point: $425-$465+ Million

Gain/Loss: $298.6-$338.6+ Million in Loss

Verdict: Flop

Another big flop that I (unfortunately) saw coming from a mile away. From it’s questionable release date to it’s lackluster trailers to it’s nightmare PR, Supe’s cousin had a hard time finding any sort of audience in the theaters this summer. As I sadly predicted, Supergirl was the most heartbreaking bombs of the summer, falling into the same “female-led movies made for men” wheelhouse with 2024’s Furiosa and last summer’s Ballerina, only not having any fandom goodwill attached to it. Mr. Gunn and company better hope that Man of Tomorrow delivers next summer or else this new DC Universe might just be over before it even got a chance to settle in, (and that’s not even mentioning the GIANT elephant in the room that’s about to swallow Warner Bros Discovery up).

Jackass: Best and Last

Budget: $10 Million

Box Office: $27.8+ Million

Break Even Point: $25+ Million

Gain/Loss: $2.8+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Broke Even

For a movie that had little to no marketing and was basically thrown into movie theaters at the very last second, this is about as good as it could get. I don’t know if this has to do with Paramount realizing the shift away from streaming and shift towards movie theaters or Mr. Ellison proving his point on releasing up to 30 films a year once he acquires you know what, I’m at least glad that Johnny Knoxville and friends were able to get Jackass: Best and Last in the seats for their last hooray! If only they actually bother to market the damn thing and over half of the movie wasn’t just deleted stunts from the previous movie! Only then, this could’ve ended up being among the highest grossing Jackass films of all time.

Minions & Monsters

Budget: $85+ Million

Box Office: $514+ Million

Break Even Point: $212.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $301.5+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Yes, this will (likely) be the lowest grossing installment in the Despicable Me franchise by quite a big margin and was clearly affected by circumstances such as the World Cup, America’s 250th birthday, the massive heat wave, and potential audience fatigue of those walking, talking corn puffs. However, thanks to it’s very tight budget and billions of dollars earned in merchandising, Minions & Monsters still made more than enough to be considered a hit. However, considering this is the SEVENTH overall installment with the Minions since 2010 and the THIRD installment that we have gotten with them since 2022, it might be time for Illumination to take a break with their beloved/infamous mascots and revisited some of their other properties. And considering that Universal are dipping their toes back to the wells of Shrek and The Secret Life of Pets, it seems they might be doing just that. This is STILL a success but it might be a little while before we are reunited with Gru and the minions once again.

Moana (2026)

Budget: $250+ Million

Box Office: $315+ Million

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $310+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop

I don’t know if the motive to do a live-action remake of a Disney animated film that came out just ten years ago had to do with corporate greed or The Rock needing a quick hit after his attempt at jumpstarting DC Comics (Black Adam) and going for an Oscar (The Smashing Machine) fell flat but Moana (2026) could have NOT made the higher ups at Disney particularly happy regardless of which way you look at it. Even in a crowded summer of family friendly blockbusters, I don’t think people expected for this to fail THIS hard! Maybe it was just way too early to do a live-action remake of Moana OR the audience fatigue with these live-actions remakes are settling in with Lilo & Stitch (2025) being just a fluke?! Regardless, Disney might need to start carefully considering which animated classics they chose to do a live-action remake for to avoid big losses like this for the future.

Evil Dead Burn

Budget: $20 Million

Box Office: $72.3+ Million

Break Even Point: $50+ Million

Gain/Loss: $22.3 Million in Profit

Verdict: Broke Even

Releasing a horror film like this in the middle of summer is still a baffling choice in my mind, but that didn’t stop Evil Dead Burn from doing JUST enough to keep it from being a total failure. Even with the lack of marketing or the possible franchise indifference now, I don’t think Warner Bros should be too upset with how this did, especially compared to their other failures in 2026. A Spring or Fall release date might have faired this much better but considering this was released under the worst circumstances, this was still good enough.

The Odyssey

Box Office: $250 Million

Box Office: $1.555+ Billion

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $930+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Perhaps the profit numbers are a bit exaggerated with extra marketing and budget numbers probably added in there, but make no mistake, The Odyssey is a MASSIVE hit! The haters can point to the inflated numbers and the amount of “ghost” seats in the theaters all they want but you would be lying through your damn teeth if you claim that Universal is NOT happy with the results for The Odyssey. Christopher Nolan sought out to make a definite version of The Odyssey that will go down in history as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the decade and he did just that. What’s even more crazy is that it is STILL selling out seats over two months later, which can push this to $1.7+ Billion total by the time it finally gets let out of theaters. Between this and the next movie I’m about to talk about, this was the one-two knock out punch that the summer movie season DESPERATELY needed to save any kind of face from it’s overall shortcomings! Rock on, Nolan!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Box Office: $225+ Million

Box Office: $2.335+ Billion

Break Even Point: $562.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $1.772+ Billion

Verdict: Hit

Let’s be honest, NONE of us saw this coming! Sure, we all knew that Spidey was gonna be an easy billion dollar hit but I don’t think anyone expected THIS! Not only managing to outgrossing one of the most successful films of all time in No Way Home (which included THREE Spider-Men and all of their memorable villains) but it’s able to stand up their with the likes of Avatar, Titanic, and Avengers: Endgame, by being one of the ONLY two billion dollar grosses of all time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was able to deliver the right amount of twists and turns and surprises that are to be found here, all which work as not just fun fan service and crowd pleasing moments but also plays actual, legit importance of a role to the film’s overall themes and messages. You have the Punisher, the Incredible Hulk, *SPOILER ALERT* and Yelena, A.K.A. the new Black Widow, that are present and accounted for here. Yes, I know the buzz killers out there will bring up inflation and the ACTUAL number of ticket prices but come on, regardless if this movie came out in 2026 or 2006, this is still an INCREDIBLY achievement. Tom Holland and Zendaya better put their retirement plans on acting on hold because with the way things are going on, Sony and Marvel are gonna make them do their roles until they are 90! (*whispers* UNTIL YOU ARE 90! *whispers*)

The End of Oak Street

Budget: $80-92 Million

Box Office: $107+ Million

Break Even Point: $200-$230+ Million

Gain/Lose: -$93-$123+ Million

Verdict: Flop

The verdict here is quite a head scratcher. Considering it’s overall positive reviews, it’s superbly talented cast, and tackling a genre sandbox most mainstream moviegoers absolute LOVE in dinosaurs, The End of Oak Street should have been an easy mini-win. Whether it’s because of it’s high budget or controversy surrounding the film’s AI-generated marketing, it seems like dinos don’t sell to the audience unless it’s related to something Jurassic Park or World. Maybe it will gain enough legs down the road and streaming numbers to pump it up to the break even point, but yeah, quite disappointing.

Insidious: Out of the Further

Budget: $18 Million

Box Office: $110.3+ Million

Break Even Point: $45+ Million

Gain/Lose: $65.3+ Million

Verdict: Hit

While it’s too early to claim if this will be up there with among the most highest grossing films of the franchise, Insidious: Out of the Further still manages to continues the series overall consistency in box office numbers. Regardless of it’s release date, Insidious still seems to do just fine no matter when it comes out. It may no longer reinvent the wheel for horror but it’s still able to make the best out of it’s limited budget and can keep the brand going just as long as enough people still show up for it. Bring on Insidious 7!

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie

Budget: $40 Million

Box Office: $125+ Million

Break Even Point: $100+ Million

Gain/Lose: $25+ Million

Verdict: Hit

This would probably be at the break even verdict had this movie came out a few months ago but since it will likely still be in theaters at least for another month and there’s no major kids movie coming out until Forgotten Island, I’m willing to bet it will make more in profit in terms of theater, digital, and streaming that Paramount will be more than happy with the results of Paw Patrol. Like a handful of successes this summer, just keep the budgets low and deliver on crowd pleasing thrills and you will be surprised how much money you will get back as a result.

When you take all the box office results into account with the ways that most film analysts use to determine if the movie is a success or failure, this summer has had a total of TEN movies that should be considered hits, five movies that should be considered bombs (with one potential exception thanks to streaming), two movies that underperformed, and two other movies that did just enough to break even.

With these results, I am more than happy to say the movie theaters are indeed coming back and for the first time since Covid-19, it seems like it is FINALLY headed towards a positive direction. Yes, it’s a shame that The Mandalorian & Grogu and Disclosure Day underperformed as they did and Supergirl and Moana (2026) were the gigantic bombs that they were, there was just WAY too much success stories to completely right this summer off.

You had Toy Story 5 being another billion dollar animated grosser for Disney, you had The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Scary Movie (2026) being able to ride the legacy-quel wave to become solid hits, you had The Odyssey being the massive theatrical event that it was advertised to be and practically bringing back the good old days of movie theaters, you had Spider-Man: Brand New Day killing all Marvel/superhero fatigue narratives yet again to become only the THIRD two billion dollar juggernaut of all time, and of course, you can NOT forget two of the greatest cinematic success story in recent memory than with Obsession and Backrooms. Even a low grossing franchise installment like Minions & Monsters was STILL able to cross the half billion dollar mark and gain plenty of revenue for Universal and Illumination Animation. Throw early year hits such as Scream 7, Hoppers, Project Hail Mary, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Michael and I would say that movie theaters have been eating quite good for 2026.

While I don’t know movie theaters will EVER be able to capture the same magic they were able to before 2020, 2026 is prove that there is still a massive audience and demographic for the film going experience. This might just be the start of a big shift that we are seeing with how we view our entertainment. With streaming prices going up, more studio mergers happening, and owning digital media no longer having that special ownership feeling as physical media, you can sense there’s a chance of vibes, especially among younger audiences, of the way they go about seeing the newest film releases.

Because of that and more, there is still plenty of hope for movie theaters! There are still plenty of changes that need to be made (lower ticket prices/concessions, longer theatrical windows, longer time waiting for films to come to digital/streaming, more movie subscriptions/clubs….etc.) but if studios keep going with this direction while being able to contain a sustainable budget with most big movies they released, there might still be hope for movie theaters yet!

How Coyote vs Acme Is A Miracle

AdamLeave a comment

Coyote vs Acme is set to hit theaters this weekend. This is the latest film from Warner Bros Animation and Ketchup Entertainment, following last year’s collaboration with The Day The Earth Blew Up, that is based on the 1990 magazine article from The New Worker, titled Coyote V. Acme by Ian Frazier, with elements from Looney Tunes to follow suit. In this latest live-action cartoon incarnation, we see Wile E. Coyote, enlisting a billboard attorney to sue the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him alleged faulty products.

When looking underneath the surface, Coyote vs Acme doesn’t seem all that special. It’s being directed by Dave Green, who hasn’t directed a film in a decade, with the last one being the completely disposable TMNT: Out of the Shadows (2016). It’s being co-written by Jeremy Slater, the writer of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire and Mortal Kombat II, two very fun but VERY dumb films which the plots falls apart when you think about it for a split second. And it’s being co-produced by Christopher DeFaria, whose last film was the complete and utter live-action cartoon dud that was Tom & Jerry (2021) (You forgot that movie existed, didn’t you?!)! Sure, you do have James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Superman (2025)) attached to the project (although even he hasn’t had the best track record in recent memory *cough* Supergirl (2026)*cough*), it got some fun members to the cast such as Will Forte and John Cena, and there are a few projects that I haven’t mention that the creative team is attached that MIGHT make it seem worthwhile (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves mafia united!) but as a whole, you may wonder why this film is such a big deal to the movie industry when it seems like it could be yet another forgettable “cartoon in live-action” movie for kids and families.

To answer that question, we have to take look back at the development history of Coyote vs. Acme. Not strictly because of how hard this film was to make from a creative side of things but more so from a business side of things. This is a film which it’s own mere existence is one of the better Hollywood underdog stories in recent memory. A film that only exist because of online reactions and backlash and NOT because the heads at WB actually wanted to release it. A film that nearly disappeared and vanished before our very eyes in the form of a snap from Thanos but was somehow resurrected and is about to be released in theaters worldwide this weekend. Because of all of that and more, Coyote vs Acme‘s own existence is quite simply a miracle.

The development of Coyote vs Acme actually began around this time in 2018. You had Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War, and Renfeld) as the film’s producer and Jon and Josh Silberman (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) attached to write the screenplay. In December 2019, Dave Green was hired to direct the film, with the likes of Samy Burch, Jeremy Slater, and James Gunn joining the creative team the following year. The cast got hired in early 2022, with the likes of Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena joining along for the ride, and the live-action filming took place in New Mexico from March to May 2022, with post-production finishing off later on that year.

When looking through those lenses, it sounds like a completely fine production with not much trouble to be found. Sure, it might’ve took a while until the actual filmmaking took place (The film was first greenlight in 2018 after all) but that was likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic that happened in 2020 and 2021, which cause movie theaters all around the world to be shut down and the major studios just beginning to dip their toes into the world of streaming services.

The real question is why did it take so long to release? If the filming was already complete in 2022, that means that this had to have been in the back burner for over FOUR years! What happened from behind the scenes that it took nearly half a decade for the film to get an actual release? To put it simply, studio politics happened!

In 2023, Warner Bros Pictures was in absolute SHAMBLES, with a net lost of millions of dollars and being stuck with so much debt due to the Covid-19 aftermath AND the recent merger with Discovery from the prior year. In order to cut a good chunk of their losses, head CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, David Zaslav began to scrapped finished films that he had absolutely no faith in just for the sake of tax write-offs. This led to the infamous cancellations of the likes of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, both films in which had wrapped up filming/voice recording but never got the chance to be finished in post-production. Despite there being pleas within the entertainment industry to release those films in finished form, they would never get to see the light of day due to the studio deciding to erase all footage of it completely, giving it ZERO chance of getting leaked out or pirated online anytime soon, if ever.

On November 9th, 2023, Warner Bros announced that Coyote vs Acme would be the next film to get axed. Even though the film was already completed and ready for release, the studio heads still felt releasing it in any way, shape, or form was not worth it, preferring to claim it as a tax loss of about $30 million dollars. This move led to so much outrage and controversy on the internet and through communities of film and animation. Several filmmakers left angry phone calls to Warner Bros, expressing their frustration at this latest move from them, leading to others cancelling upcoming meetings with them and going on strike because of it. After the recent tax write-offs of Batgirl and Scooby, it was the write-off of Coyote vs Acme that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for everyone.

However, five days later on November 13, it was reported that the leaders of WBD had changed their mind and would allow the creative team of Coyote vs Acme to shop the film to other distributors. It was reported that Amazon, Apple+, and Netflix were all interested in buying the rights to the film but no hard offers were reported. The film had been screened for more studios, including Paramount and Sony but nobody would still budge. Despite the film’s very positive test screenings take took place before AND after the film’s faith had a giant umbrella hovering over it, no one seemed interested enough to claim it for themselves.

In February 2024, it was reported that Warner Bros Discovery rejected the bids given by Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount. The heads wanted $75-$80 million to sell the film but no one was willing to meet their price. Because of that, WBD was once again considering shelving and deleting the finished film entirely, again claiming it as a tax loss. During a Q4 earnings call on February 23rd, 2024, WBD took a $115 million write-down but didn’t completely confirm the cancellation of the film. Yet again, this led to a rapid response from filmmakers and film lovers all across the globe.

After the film was reported to potentially getting cancelled, this lead to even more online criticism than before. The hashtags #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme and #SaveCoyoteVsAcme emerged on Twitter, there was improvised exchange between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck at the 51st Annie Awards which Daffy said, “I hate to be political, but release Coyote vs Acme!”, and industry figures such as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Michael Chaves, and Daniel Scheinert all expressed their support for the film, all giving it high praise after getting access to special screenings of it, believing it was more than worthy of a worldwide release. However, despite all of the noise and support from top to bottom, none of it seemed like it would matter.

In that same month, Will Forte released a public statement addressed to the cast and crew after seeing the final cut of the film: “I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie. […] Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.” A year later, Lana Condor confirmed that the film had a “funeral screening”, just like Batgirl did, when the news broke out of the film’s cancellation. Despite the two-year long fight with the top executives at Warner Bros Discovery, it seems like the fate of Coyote vs Acme would be sealed, joining alongside Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt of being wiped away from existence, almost like it never happened at all. That was until a certain studio decided to come in with the clutch!

On March 19th, 2025, it was reported that Ketchup Entertainment was in talks to acquire all right to the film from Warner Bros for approximately $50 million! Following it’s acquisition of the domestic distribution rights for The Day The Earth Blew Up, Ketchup expressed interested in the project and wanted another partnership with WBD to release the film in it’s entirety. Despite initially wanting $75-$80 million, Warner Bros Discovery accepted the offer and agreed to give the film a full theatrical release. This led to the film getting an early screening at San Diego Comic Con on July 25th, 2026 (likely as a special thanks to film fans for fighting for the film’s release) and getting a full worldwide release on August 28th, 2026.

To say Coyote vs Acme‘s mere existence is a miracle would be an understatement. This was a film that was on the BRINK of being wiped away before our very eyes, all for the sake of tax write-offs and cutting debt due to WBD’s pure incompetence and NOT because of the film itself. Yet, somehow and someway, the entire cast and crew were given a chance to release their film that had already been completed four years ago onto the big screen for the whole world to see. I don’t even need to see the film at all to know that this is a special story in of itself.

Although the early reviews have been very positive and the box office projections seems to track it as being the highest grossing domestic opening for Ketchup Entertainment, Coyote vs. Acme‘s own existence is worthy of being shown on the big screen. Whether the actual finished film is good or not or makes a profit or not is irrelevant (which is why I won’t be giving it a full review), the fact that filmmakers and loves of cinema were able to fight back against the studios and forced them to release the film in of it’s entirety is THE breakout story of Coyote vs Acme. The fact that the actual film is confirmed to be quite good and it might just make it’s money back is the special icing on the cake!

Perhaps miracles are still possible! Than in of itself might just be enough to give one hope in not just entertainment but perhaps the whole world!

My Sonic Cinematic Universe Fan Cast

AdamLeave a comment

Well, things are pretty tense in the world right now. Whether we are talking about wars raging on in the Middle East or two studios who have already merged before are preparing to merge once again, there’s a lot on the minds of people all across the world! Because of that, let’s take a break from doom scrolling through all of this chaos and have some fun by fan casting characters for the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise from Paramount Skydance, soon (?) to be Paramount Skydance X Warner Bros Discovery.

This is a franchise of films that has been a surprising success since the original film came out in 2020. A large reason for that has to do with some of the pitch perfect castings that have gone around with this franchise, being able to make fan favorite casting feel just right without coming across as forced or desperate. Even though the majority of them are big well-known celebrates, the Sonic franchise has managed to do celebrity castings about as good as it can be. These might not be roles that are gonna win them Oscars but it’s just something they can have fun with it without thinking too much about it.

I mean just look at the casting we have gotten thus far!

Ben Schwartz as Sonic The Hedgehog

Jim Carrey As Dr. Robotnik/Gerald Robotnik

Colleen O’Shaughnessy As Miles “Tails” Prowler

Idris Elba As Knuckles The Echidna

Keanu Reeves As Shadow The Hedgehog

Alyla Browne As Maria Robotnik

Kristen Bell As Amy Rose

As the Sonic franchise continues to expand with live-action movies and shows, there’s no doubt that more characters are going to be translated onto the big screen in theaters or at home. Because of that, I’m gonna give you all my take and what I believe would be the best possible casting choice for each one of these characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Just a reminder, these are all just MY personal choices and fan casting. It’s nothing to write home about or take super seriously. This is all just for fun! Nothing more, nothing less!

Now, let’s dive deep into my castings, shall we?!

Ben Kingsley As Metal Sonic

Now granted, Mr. Kingsley has already been casted in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 AND it is widely spectacled to be a voice acting role. Nobody knows who exactly that will be but could you imagine if it was Metal Sonic?! Kingsley has played multiple kinds of roles throughout his career and he should be able to make voicing Metal Sonic look like a walk in the park! If you’re not convinced, just go back to his role in Iron Man 3 were he was “playing” the Mandarin, that should be more than enough to convince you that he’s more than capable of tackling a menacing villainous role! While there is certainly debates within the Sonic community as to whether or not Metal Sonic himself needs his own voice, Ben Kingsley as Metal Sonic would almost certainly answer that question with a definite “YES!”

Jennifer Lopez As Rouge The Bat

Fun fact: Did you know that the design of Rouge the Bat was inspired by the sexiness of Latin-American women, most notably Jennifer Lopez, who was the definite IT Latino girl of the 2000s. Because of that, who better to cast as Rouge than the woman who was basically an inspiration for her. JLO hasn’t had the greatest track record with voice acting roles with movies like Antz, Home, and a fifth Ice Age movie you probably didn’t even know existed until now. However, JLO feels like the perfect fit for Rouge the Bat, perfectly displaying that 2000s nostalgic vibes era for when Rouge herself originated from AND having that right, seductive voice presence for the character. There are rumors that Paramount is hesitating on introducing Rouge in these movies because they don’t want to “awaken” something in young boys but come on guys! Man up, put Rouge in your movies, and cast the Latino GOAT that is Jennifer Lopez!

Roger Craig Smith As E-102 Gamma/E-123 Omega

Yes, that’s right! I got not just the current voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the gaming side of things but also the current voice of E-123 Omega himself. If Jeff Fowler and company had no problem casting the current gaming voice for Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) in the movies, then I don’t see why they would have a problem of adding in Roger Craig Smith as well. Plus, it would be incredibly nice if the makers of these films can find any sort of role for Roger to play as in these movies, even if it just a nice little cameo like in the Wreck-It Ralph movies. Just because he can’t play Sonic in these movies doesn’t mean he should miss out on playing E-102 Gamma or E-123 Omega themselves whenever their time comes.

Karen Fukuhara As Cream The Rabbit

While most recognize Karen Fukuhara in live-action as Katana in Suicide Squad (Que the “THIS IS KATANA!” memes) and Kimiko/The Female in The Boys, she has had her fair share of experience in voice acting as well, with the likes of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Craig of the Creek, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts just to name a few. Because of that, Karen should have no problem in voicing an incredibly cutesy character like Cream the Rabbit (and even Cheese if she wants to do that as well).

Michelle Yeoh As Vanilla The Rabbit

Michelle Yeoh is a gifted actress who has played many different kinds of roles throughout her career. However, I always feel like the best kind of roles for her are ones where she plays the nice, caring figure that can give perfect guidance to those around here, just see her as Soothsayer in Kung Fu Panda 2. For a character that’s suppose to be super sweet and loving, what better woman to play here than Michelle Yeoh?! Some might argue she’s too old for this voice role (She is heading towards her mid 60s!) but considering Michelle herself is an award-winning actress, she would certainly find a way to make it work.

Nick Offerman As Big The Cat

Again, just like Ben Kingsley, Mr. Offerman has already been casted in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and is too widely speculated to be a voice role. If it were up to me, I would have Nick voicing everybody’s “favorite” giant purple (male) cat! The man has had plenty of experience playing comedic relief characters and basically acting as a comedian himself throughout his career. With his delightful voice and sense of humor, I think he could make even the biggest Big the Cat haters like myself change their opinions of the character drastically. He would make Duke Nukem himself proud (Yes, that’s who first voiced Big the Cat in the games btw!)

Lupita Nyong’o As Tikal The Echidna

Here we have the Helen of Troy herself as Tikal the Echidna. While Lupita Nyong’o has had plenty of success on the big screen with The Odyssey and her Academy award winning turn in 12 Years A Slave, she has also had her high points in her career in voice/motion capture roles such as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Raksha in The Jungle Book, and Roz in The Wild Robot. Because of all of that and more, I don’t see any working actress today that would serve as a more perfect parallel to Idris Elba’s Knuckles, the last of their kinds, than Lupita as Tikal.

Simi Liu As Espio The Chameleon

If it were up to me, to voice a character like Epsio, you should cast someone that has had experience with martial arts, his own independent agency, and standing firm on his own two feet. While someone like Jackie Chan might be a tad too far stretched, let’s have Simi Liu, A.K.A. Shang-Chi himself, to be the voice of this popular chameleon. It just seems all the more fitting to cast an actor that’s connect to some foreign ethnicity, as the character has some resemblance with fictional characters who have mastered martial arts.. Mr. Liu is Chinese in real life, which makes this casting for Espio rock solid.

Colleen O’Shaughnessy As Charmy Bee

Since we already have Colleen voicing Tails in this cinematic universe, you might as well keep her on as Charmy the Bee as well. There’s not much more I have to add to it than that.

(FYI, did you know that Colleen actually started voicing Charmy before she started voicing Tails?! She literally voiced Charmy in Sonic Colors DS (Yes, the character did appear in that version?) AND in the original Sonic Generations. The more you know!)

Jack Black As Vector The Crocodile

Oh, come on! You just know that Jack Black had to add SOME sort of role in this franchise! This is a man that has great experience with voice acting roles (Po in Kung Fu Panda) and ESPECIALLY in recent video game adaptions (Bowser in The Super Mario Bros movies, Claptrap in Borderlands, and Steve in The Minecraft Movie). And with it comes to amount of characters that are left in the Sonic series that haven’t been taken, him as Vector the Crocodile could absolutely work! Jack Black is masterful at adding the right mix of silly and resourceful that he has added with many of his voice acting bids and would be the ideal fit among the remaining Sonic characters that have yet to be introduced and/or casted yet. Oh, and PLEASE let him say, “FIND THE COMPUTER ROOM!!!!”

Hayden Christensen As Silver The Hedgehog

I remember when Hayden Christensen was rumored to be playing Shadow the Hedgehog. While that role ultimately went to Keanu Reeves, Silver the Hedgehog should be completely up for grab for Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader himself. Much like his iconic character in the Star Wars franchise, Silver is a character that has his own unique force powers, a personality that borderlines between whiny and pure naiveness, and is someone that is willing do everything in their power to complete their mission for those that they care about. I was going back and forth between Hayden and Michael Cara for Silver the Hedgehog but when it comes to what actor would be the absolute GOATED casting that would get fans excited AND be the perfect fit for the character, my vote goes to Hayden Christensen.

Brie Larson As Blaze The Cat

This might be a hot take (No pun intended!) but I legit believe Brie Larson would be a great fit for Blaze the Cat. She has already had recent voice acting experience among video game adaptions, with Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and I strongly think she can apply that same level of commitment and energy to a character like Blaze. And much like her most famous/infamous role in Captain Marvel, Blaze is a character with special powers, struggling to keep her emotions in check, and must learn to work together with others because she can’t do everything on her own regardless of how powerful she is. Because of that, I can’t think of a current actress that would be a better fit for Blaze the Cat than Brie. Sure, many still fancast her as Samus Aran for a potential Metroid movie but I don’t see why she can’t voice Blaze as well.

Keegan-Michael Kay & Jordan Peele As Orbot & Cubot

Here we have everybody’s favorite comedic duo playing the two characters that basically act as the comic relief side duo of the Sonic series. Jordan and Keegan already got their time to shine as the duo they are in animation in Toy Story 4, with the latter already dipping his toes into the world of video game adaptions as Toad in The Super Mario Bros movies. With the star power these two have shared all across the world, they can easily make voicing Orbot and Cubot work by just playing themselves in voice roles once again.

Ryan Bartley As Sage

Just like with Roger as Omega and Colleen as Tails/Charmy, I see no reason to recast Sage and see every reason to just bring back Ryan Bartley as the character. She’s the only voice actress to voice Sage thus far and unless Sega decides to dump the current cast come Sunday morning, they might as well just keep Ryan, who is basically the definite voice for Sage at this point. So, yeah!

Adam Driver As Infinite

Let’s be honest, you all saw PLENTY of Kylo Ren within Infinite when you played Sonic Forces. An immense foe who claims to be all powerful and hot stuff but when you look underneath, he’s basically a whiny manbaby who throws a tantrum whenever something doesn’t go it’s way. (Never forget, “I AM NOT WEAK!!!!!”) So, why not just get Kylo Ren himself in Adam Driver to voice Infinite. Yes, you can argue that Mr. Driver would be basically playing a diet version of his character from Star Wars but the same could be said about the likes of Keanu Reeves as Shadow, who is basically a more kid friendly version of John Wick, and other examples that I’ve mentioned before. Plus, his recent casting as Mr. Sinister in X-Men (2028) proves that Adam is NOT opposed to starting in well-known IPs. So, yeah, Adam Driver as Infinite!

Glen Powell As Jet The Hawk

We got the hottest shot actor currently working in Hollywood playing the hottest shot character in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Talk about a match made in heaven! Glen has already had recent voice work in the realm of video game adaptions by taking on the surprise character in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, A.K.A. Fox McCloud, and in the realm of animation such as Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Rick and Morty, All Hail King Julien, and Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous. While I’m sure Powell’s schedule is busier than ever at the moment, I’m sure Paramount would find some way to get him in the recording booth for a few days if Universal was able to do so with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie without a problem.

Issa Rae As Wave The Swallow

Here’s another fancast that I have in mind for no other reason than just why not?! Issa Rae has took a handful of voice acting roles in recent memory such as Jessica Drew in Across the Spider-Verse AND the Honey Queen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. A brand new voice role in the Sonic franchise should seem like a no-brainer to her. She is already locked in to an exclusive deal with Paramount to do her own work, I imagine they would offer her a role in one of their most successful franchises at the moment if she wants too. Because of that, I have her as Wave the Swallow.

Jason Momoa As Storm The Albatross

I’m gonna say straight up front: THIS is who I originally wanted to voice Knuckles before anyone was casted. There is no other current actor that is perfect at playing a lovable knucklehead (No pun intended!) than Jason Moama and Knuckles just seemed like a perfect fit. However, since Idris Elba now helms the role (perfectly) as Knuckles, that would still make Jason available to play Knuckles’ rival in the Sonic Riders series in Storm the Albatross if Jeff Fowler and crew ever wanted to adopt those games into live-action. Everyone likes Jason Moama and this casting would certainly work wonders as Storm.

Clancy Brown As Zavok

One of the GOATTEST voice actors of all time playing the lead of the most forgettable foes ever in the history of Sonic the Hedgehog! Of what amount to basically Dollar Store Bowser, Clancy is more than a capable actor to find some sort of depth and dimension in a character that is rather shallow in the games. I can only see Jeff Fowler taking on the Deady Six when they are finally running thin on ideas to keep this cinematic incarnation of Sonic going but if he gets around to it, casting Lex Luthor/Mr. Krabs/Savage Opress as the main baddie of the Deadly Six in Zavok would work perfectly.

Ke Huy Quan As Master Zik

As a young child actor, Ke Huy Quan always tend to play the role as the “student” when it came to martial art roles or as a fight choreographer, whether as Short Run in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or as an assistant fight artist in X-Men (2000). However, now that he is older now, it’s time for him to play the role of the teacher. He got a taste of that in his Academy award winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once (along with Michelle Yeoh herself), and it would be ideal if he got a chance to voice a character that has one main trait as basically discount Mr. Miyagi. Key Huy Quan as Master Zik would be that right role that I imagine he has been waiting for to tackle in voice roles.

Matthew Lillard As Zazz

Is there anyone better that can voice the most crazy and over-the-top character in the Sonic franchise than Shaggy and Stu himself?! I’m pretty sure your answer is No! Because of that, cast the GOAT Matthew Lillard as Zazz!

Danny Devito As Zomon

Anyone that has Danny DeVito fancasted as either Big the Cat or Vector the Crocodile is dead wrong! However, Danny DeVito as Zomon would be dead RIGHT! I just hope age doesn’t play a big factor in his vocal performance (He is now 81 btw!). If he’s still in the mood to do voice roles, this would be the right fit for him within the Sonic franchise.

Keke Palmer As Zeena

I don’t know very many actresses that can make a character whose whole personality basically amounts to, “I’M A GIRLY GIRL IN A GIRLY WORLD!” but man, would Keke Palmer find some entertainment in playing exactly that character. Also, I just like Keke Palmer and want to see her in more stuff.

Pete Davidson As Zor

Everyone’s favorite “emo” actor voicing the most “emo” character in the Sonic franchise. Plus, Pete Davidson’s more fun roles usually are among voice acting, at least if Dog Man and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is any indication.

Tony Hale As Chip

Tony was able to play the most lovably annoying character in the Toy Story franchise as Forky. It makes all the sense in the world that he would be able to voice the most lovably annoying character in the Sonic franchise as Chip, A.K.A. *SPOILERS FROM SONIC UNLEASHED*! I’m sure there’s plenty other well-known actors out there that can voice Chip easily but just because Toy Story is still on my mind at the moment, I think Tony Hale would work well as Chip.

Bob Odenkirk As Professor Pickle

The GOAT Saul Goodman playing the GOAT Professor Pickle!

I don’t think I need to say anything else other than that!

Mason Thames As Professor Pickle’s Assistant

This was honestly the hardest one to find since there’s not many well-known male actors working today that have plain red hair and has the tendency to be playing comedically awkward characters that are solely designed to be a meme. In this case, let’s just go with Hiccup from the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movies and leave it at that!

Stephen Lang As The G.U.N. Commander

Technically, there’s already several G.U.N. commanders in the Sonic movie franchise thus far but, just in case they decide to put the focus on the OG G.U.N. commander from Shadow the Hedgehog, you gotta go with Stephen Lang. The man proved in the recent Avatar sequels that he’s still in great shape and still capable of playing these action roles despite his older age. If Paramount decides to give him a call to play basically the same character he’s played in the Avatar movies, he will certainly walk away with the easiset paycheck in his life.

Scarlett Johannsson As Topaz

Scarlett Johansson might just be the most popular actress in Hollywood through the past decade. Whether she’s kicking ass as Black Widow or in the Jurassic World franchise, audience are STILL showing up to see her in action whenever she has a new movie coming out. I have no doubt Paramount will want to continue to ride that wave by finding some role for ScarJo in this franchise. While many still fancast her as voicing Rouge the Bat, I think playing a human character in the Sonic franchise feels more fitting for her. You will certainly have to age up Topaz than how she was in Sonic X but Scarlett should be able to make this character work in live-action without a shadow of a doubt.

Kevin Michael Richardson As Black Doom

Ngl, I was REALLY wanting the late great Tony Todd voicing Black Doom, especially after his great performances as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Locus in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us (RIP King!). However, another actor who would be perfect as Shadow’s biggest arch nemesis would be Kevin Michael Richardson. Richardson is one of the best and most beloved actors in the voice acting community for at least the past 25 years, finding roles into every single one of your favorite cartoons as a child and even in recent animated films such as Minions: The Rise of Guru, Trolls: Band Together, and The Super Mario Bros movies. He may not be a well known Hollywood celebrity but he would damn sure make voicing Black Doom seem like an absolute cakewalk. So much so that I’m shocked that SEGA never hired him to voice the character in the first place.

Stellan Skarsgård As The Duke of Soleanna

Would Jeff Fowler and company DARE to tackle the story of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)? Well, considering the Knuckles series made our favorite red echidna having the flames of disaster as main canon, then I’m willing to bet Yes! If that ever does happen, Stellan Skarsgård seems like a solid match to play the Duke of Soleanna. I was originally thinking of Anthony Hopkins here but he’s getting too old in age, whereas Skarsgård still has a few more years left in him to be able to take on a role like this.

Mckenna Grace As Princess Elise

There’s probably no young actress that you have seen being inserted into every one of your favorite franchises that is NOT Zendaya or Sydney Sweeney. Whether it’s Marvel, Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, Paw Patrol, or anything else, McKenna always has plenty of presence both on screen AND in the voice booth. Much like with other human characters mentions, you would have to aged up Elise a tad bit to make this casting work but Ms. Grace would fit the role as the princess of Soleanna like a glove and make a more than believable friendship bound between her and Sonic. Just PLEASE leave out all of the bestiality stuff from the game, please and thank you!

Josh Brolin As Mephiles

That’s right, I’m going ALL the way here! I have the most diabolical villain in Sonic history being voiced by the most diabolical villain in Marvel history in Thanos himself! Granted Brolin hasn’t had THAT many voice roles outside of Thanos in Marvel Animation and as George Washington in Ken Burn’s The American Revolution miniseries but I’m sure he would have plenty of fun in the voice booth as the character who did the unforgivable sin and actually killed our beloved blue hedgehog. You know you want to see Thanos as Mephiles as much as I do! Dread it, run from it, destiny will ALWAYS arrive!

Fadel Ragheb, The Hype Guy As Sonic Man

I mean………if there has to be a Sonicman in the movies……why not him?! JS!

Better him than say…..Mr. Beast!

Top 10 Best Movies of 2026 (So Far)

AdamLeave a comment

Hey, everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your 4th of July weekend! As we exit June and enter July, that means we are already halfway through 2026! Because of that, I might as well give you all my pick for the top 10 best movies of the year so far!

Keep in mind, I have not seen every single movie that has released in 2026 and there might just be a critically praised movie that you love that I have just not gotten around to yet. Also, these rankings are NOT set in stone and are subject to change as the year goes on. For all I know, my #10 on the list could possibly end up being my #1 favorite movie of the year.

Although there is still PLENTY of films to come out for the remainder of the year, these are the ten films that has affected me in the best ways for the first six months of 2026!

10.) Backrooms

While I’m not quite on the love boat with this one, I’m sure as hell on the respect boat. I love the original atmosphere and unique setting that Kane Parsons has created here, making the backrooms itself a fascinating place to explore whenever we are able to get to it. I did wish the overall narrative had more meat to it and Parsons didn’t have to keep coming up with contrived excuses for his characters to keep showing up to the backrooms. And I’m still scratching my head on the resolution to the whole thing. However, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are great here and there are still plenty of seeds that have yet to be grown in the world that is Backrooms that I’m curious to visit yet again in the future. I can see this being a series of films that only gets better from here on out. 

9.) The Sheep Detectives

Well, what do you know. Who would’ve guessed that a film about a literal talking sheep in live-action could end up being this heartwarming and cozy?! Even if it can be a bit too silly at times, The Sheep Detectives just tugs at your heartstrings in the best of ways and Hugh Jackman is as much as a welcome presence as he always has been on the big screen. If you are someone that adores the new Paddington movies, this might just well in your wheel house.

8.) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

It made have taken a second try but 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is able to deliver the complete full package I wanted from the previous 28 Years Later film from last year, while standing as perhaps the best installment in this franchise since the original. The acting is terrific, the horror and gore will disgust you in the most delightful ways imaginable, and it is still able to follow the franchise’s overall themes by continuing to offer fresh, new, and different perspectives about a world that has plunged into total chaos without taking you out of it or even inviting comparisons to the world that we are currently live in. I sure hope this is able to find it’s audience through digital and streaming because if not, then MAN are they missing out!

7.) Hoppers

Hoppers is a showcase of what happens with Pixar allows themselves to let loose and forge their own path to creativity. The film has it’s own distinct animation style that compliments the storytelling without it being too overbearing or “in your face”, the characters are all likeable with their own relatable goals that anyone can get behind, it’s easily among the funniest Pixar movie in years, and despite prior reports of Disney’s efforts to downplay the themes of environmentalism, it’s able to get that exact message across in as much of a profound way as Pixar was able to in 2008 with Wall-E. It may take it’s time in getting to that exact point in the ways that it was intend and does have one or two cringeworthy lines about how “aware” it is of it’s own premise but the pay-offs by the latter half of Hopper makes it the whole experience feel worth it! While there are those out there that claim Toy Story 5 or Minions & Monsters as their animated film of the year, I’m still sticking by this one.

6.) Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die

After coming out of the closet making the criminally underrated A Cure For Wellness, Gore Verbinski is back to take a stance on the biggest global crisis at the moment, Artificial Intelligence. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die sees Sam Rockwell from the future to give us all a warning on how the robots and machines are taking over and it’s up to choices that we make now that can set the course to a much brighter path forward. The cast is greats, the visuals are aces, the ending is as poignant it comes, and it’s super refreshing for a movie to not have any subtly whatsoever to get it’s message across. Although Verbinski’s direction won’t be suitable for anyone, this is a solid watch.

5.) Send Help

Can we point out how much of a miracle that a film like Send Help exists? In an age of sequels, reboots, remakes, and legacy-quels conquering the film landscape and sucking up the remaining creative energy that Hollywood might still have, films like these are becoming more diamonds in the rough in the film industry. Thankfully, someone at 20th Century Fox or Disney was wise enough to give a blank check to the godfather of horror and superhero movies in Sam Raimi, his first original horror film since 2009’s Drag Me To Hell! Send Help is yet another worthy addition to Raimi’s Hall of Fame of Horror! It’s able to capitalize on it’s simple yet effective premise thanks to it’s two charismatic leads, it’s incredibly visionary direction, unapologetically excessive gore, and a script that will keep audiences on their toes the whole way through. Even if the ending leaves out a bit too many unanswered questions, it’s still an absolute blast of a motion picture that is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

4.) Disclosure Day

Despite it’s polarizing reception, Disclosure Day is a very entertaining and engaging ride that makes for another fine addition to the “NOT a Marvel/Star Wars/IP movie” collection of the 2026 summer movie season. The cast is terrific, Spielberg is clearly having a blast making a movie about aliens again, and the screenplay is able to have it’s cake-and-eat-it-too, operating as both a solid thriller and a layer filled character study that will have plenty of delightful “explain” videos made for it. Not every single question the audience have will be answered but the ones that does is given a proper answer while the ones it choses to leave in the balance might just be for the better. It may not be quite S-Tier Steven Spielberg but Disclosure Day is more than enough proof that the godfather of blockbuster cinema still got plenty in the tank left in him and should still be treated with grace and dignity with each new film he releases. Even if not everybody will buy what Disclosure Day has to say about humanity and how the truth can lead to unity, it is bittersweet to see Steven actually try and perhaps that is what matters more than anything.

3.) The Furious

Have you been wanting to see a spiritual successor to The Raid 2 for the past 12 years?! Have you been anxious to see a balls-to-the-wall non-stop action thrill ride in the 2020s that is NOT John Wick?! Did you want to see a movie that takes the same plot and premise surrounding stopping human traffickers as Supergirl (2026) but done right?! Well, look no further than The Furious! An action packed masterwork that has no agenda other than delivering on over-the-top fight scenes, performing some of the greatest stunts and practical set pieces you have seen in years, and give you simplistic characters with human goals that you want to root for! Sometimes, there is nothing better for a film than riding with pure simplicity, without a care in the world of what lengths and leaps of logic it is willing to go to deliver the goods. Regardless of what way you chose to watch it, please check out The Furious ASAP!

2.) Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is an incredibly well made, extremely well acted, and very well paced sci-fi thriller that works not just as a faithful adaption of the critically acclaimed book from Andy Weir (The Martian) but it also stands strongly as it’s own cinematic experience and a thematically moving think tank surrounding art and science . There is not a single second that is boring or uninteresting, Ryan Gosling is pitch perfect in the lead role as Grace and has great chemistry with his so-called co-star, it has a perfectly controlled tone that knows when to be funny, serious, and moving when it’s absolutely required, and even if you can see the inspiration from your favorite sci-fi flick from the 2010s (Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian, Arrival, Mr. Gosling’s own First Man! Take your pick!), it is able to have it’s own unique identity while telling a distinct story about the importance of loyalty, friendship, unity, and sacrifice. While it’s certainly not the most flawless film I’ve ever seen and I’m sure there will be nits to be picked from fans of the book, I can’t imagine Project Hail Mary being a better version of itself than what Mr. Lord and Mr. Miller was able to deliver here.

1.) Obsession

The most talked about film of 2026 is my absolute favorite thus far! I don’t think I’ve seen a film where the whole message of “Be careful what you wish for!” has been executed this well and scary! The directing by Curry Barker is top notch, the performances are all great, it has a nice blend of horror thrills and laughter that I don’t any other director would be able to combine brilliantly, and the ending still haunts me weeks after seeing the movie. It’s also makes for a perfect subversion to have the main protagonist practically being the villain of the film, being forced to face the consequences of the choice he made strictly for his own pleasure. Inde Navarrette deserves a damn Oscar for her performance and it’s yet another brilliant original horror film to go with all of the other brilliant horror films we have gotten so far this decade! If this is the future for not just original horror but original films in general, there might just be a light at the end of the tunnel for future cinema.

Happy 250th Day everybody! Enjoy with prosper!

Jackass: Best & Last (2026) Movie Review- Saving The Worst For Last

AdamLeave a comment

This is gonna be a review where the subtitle of the movie is gonna make it sound much worse than it actually is. If you are someone that goes into one of these movies looking for nothing but laughs, stunts, and your favorite MTV cast and crew putting each other up with extraordinary pain for sh*s and giggles, you will get plenty of that with Jackass: Best & Last. However, if you are someone that is looking for brand NEW stunts, brand NEW laughs, and brand NEW ways of your favorite MTV cast and crew putting up with extraordinary pain for sh*s and giggles, you will likely be disappointed here.

Jackass: Best & Last is not so much it’s own complete Jackass movie as much as it is a full presentation special for Paramount Plus with a bunch of deleted scenes from the other Jackass movies shoehorned in. Whether this became a theatrical release because Johnny Knoxville and company couldn’t bear the thought of saying goodbye to his franchise on a streaming service or to follow through on David Ellison’s ill-conceived promise of releasing 30 films a year once it snatches up Warner Bros Discovery is beyond me, but you will find yourself with just as much laughs and giggles looking up Jackass YouTube videos or watching any other Jackass film on Paramount Plus than you would watching Jackass: Best & Last in theaters.

I have no doubt Jackass means much to this cast and crew, especially if putting up with over 25 years of taking shots to the nuts and getting a million different concussions until you’re 50 is anything to go by (which, YES that infamous part of the Jackass Forever trailer DOES get brought back here). And to the film’s credit, the opening sequence with Johnny performing his very first stunt and the end credits that acts as a tribute to the history of Jackass is very well done, making for the only times where bringing back certain scenes from the other movies is justified (Other than that one bit taken out of Bad Grandpa of course! A.K.A. Easily the best of the Jackass franchise).

The rest of the film is either a compilation of cut out stunts from the other Jackass movies that never should’ve been cut out in the first place, member-barries that references other jokes and sequences in this franchise that you’ve already seen before, and new stunts and sequences that don’t feel as fresh because it involves our cast and crew who are clearly growing out their roles of taking so much hurt to their bodies. I certainly did get some laughs along the way but I could have easily gotten as much by just watching other Jackass videos or popping up any other Jackass movie.

I’m not gonna act like every Jackass movie is a masterpiece, except for Bad Grandpa (That is as much of a comedic masterpiece as it gets, but at least each one offers fresh perspectives while unlocking new, creative, and downright STUPID ways of making you belly chuckle and get tears out of you from laughter. Jackass: Best & Last seems to just exist to get one last nostalgic dollar out of you before Johnny, Steve-0, Chris, and Wee-Man become too crippled to even imaging doing dangerous stunts out of a wheel chair.

I get that these guys are getting old and have their limits now but if that was the case, this could’ve easily worked wonders as either a tv special on MTV and/or a streaming special for Paramount Plus. It would given these guys the right amount of length to do their stunts without going too overlong over it and would have easily killed it in the ratings. But because these flicks are as cheap as they come, squeezing in a few extra bucks wouldn’t hurt. Which, hey, in this day and age, I ain’t complaining about theaters getting more movies to play that people want to see but it certainly doesn’t help in the case of Jackass: Best & Last.

Although this is ultimate a negative review for me, I don’t have any strong emotions or ill will to Jackass that this mid final installment will have a lasting impact on me for the near future. Johnny and friends clearly have had the time of their lives putting through pain and scrutiny just for our own amusement. Even if that is incredibly dumb, I tip my caps to them for having the literal balls to go through all of that. However for me, when it comes to Jackass, I’ll just pop in Bad Grandpa and call it a day!

What The Success of Obsession and Backrooms REALLY Means!

Adam1 Comment

The two films that everyone is talking about at the moment are Obsession and Backrooms! Two films that are not only very good horror film debuts from talented young blood that originated straight from YouTube but they also managed to steal the spotlight away from the latest Star Wars film, The Mandalorian & Grogu! As the newest addition to a galaxy far and away completely crashed and burn at the box office in just it’s second weekend in theaters, Obsession and Backrooms was able to perfectly pick up that slack, with the former gaining some of the best box office legs from any film in recent memory and the latter awarding A24 their biggest opening weekend in their history.

To say this has opened the eyes and ears of the film industry would be a massive understatement! The success of these two films are clearly proving several points all at the same time! Not only is it proving that successful original films are indeed alive and well with a clear audience desire for them but it’s also proves that Gen Z does indeed love going to the movie theaters and are basically the group that is gonna help keep the movie theater going experience alive for the foreseeable future. You just need the right kind of films that is able to perfectly capture the hearts of the right kind of audience and they will show up in drones! While there have been plenty of other examples in recent memory to back up those claims, the success of Obsession and Backrooms is something truly special!

However, there have been a few bold claims that many are saying after these two horror flicks were able to give The Mandalorian & Grogu a run for it’s money this weekend! Not only does this mean that Star Wars as a whole is officially dead but blockbuster flicks based on long-running established IPs are officially dead! Never mind the fact that The Devil Wears Prada 2 was able to secure double the grosses that the original made just a month ago! Never mind the fact that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is getting so close to a billion dollars that it can TASTE IT! Never mind the fact that the likes of Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, Moana (2026), Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Dune: Part Three, and Avengers: Doomsday are still having yet to come out for the rest of the year, short-budgeted horror films made by YouTubers is the ONLY future of filmmaking and Obsession and Backrooms is prove of that! I find that line of thinking to be incredibly flawed!

Don’t get me wrong, Obsession and Backrooms are both INCREDIBLE cinematic achievements for Curry Baker and Kane Parsons! I’m proud of the fact that these films are thriving whereas corporate slop like The Mandalorian & Grogu are being rejected! It’s prove that audiences do indeed have some bit of standards for the quality of today’s films that they chose to spend their hard earned money on, especially in our not practically great economy! But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, there is still a big place for big blockbuster films, it’s just that there is now a big place for original and thought provoking films as well!

Just imagine you are an owner of a movie theater right now! Would you be really applauding the fact that a big blockbuster film like The Mandalorian & Grogu is tanking hard at the box office all because previously lesser knowns films such as Obsession and Backrooms is killing it? Do you really want one big film to flop so hard that a couple of other smaller films can fill whatever sinking hole that other film caused? I’m pretty sure your answer is gonna be a clear no!

Movie theaters want and NEED both of these kind of films to succeed. They need the kind of films from beloved and established IPs to do absolute gangbusters at the box office AND they need the kind of lower budgeted and more independently made films released to help fill in that big hole in between each newly released big film that comes out to cover for any potential theatrical drought they might have. While I’m sure movie theater owners are more than happy that Obsession and Backrooms are selling tickets at a daily pace that I don’t anyone could possibly imagine, they would also prefer that The Mandalorian & Grogu would also be a big hit as well as a special icing on the cake.

The big question that everyone is asking after Obsession and Backrooms is what can Hollywood and movie studios learn from this? Should they take more changes with young and famous YouTubers and social media influencers and less on folks coming straight out of film school? Should they pump the brakes on corporate slop and remember to put quality over quantity with their biggest IPs? Should they just give up on big IPs such as Marvel and Star Wars all together because of their recent track record and invest more in originality of any kind? While those are the kind of questions that everyone is asking right now, I think one important one is being left out. That one question being: Why not leave room for more?

Why can’t we have huge blockbuster films that are huge events and potential billion dollar grossers every year AND also have impressive original films from young filmmakers that is also able to make bank at the box office each year? Shouldn’t we be encouraging BOTH of those kinds of films to exist side-by-side each other? It’s not like we have to live with one instead of the another, we can actually live in the best of both worlds for a change. There should be room for both big feature films AND little original films to shine! THAT is the kind of diversity and variety that the industry will need if they are to thrive in the future!

With more and more mergers coming into fruition, more independent films such as Obsession and Backrooms are needed now more than ever! After acquisitions such as Disney buying Fox and Paramount buying Warner Bros, it’s clear that studios are going to put the majority of their focus on pumping out big blockbusters films and less on smaller and more independent films. There will always be one or two of them that will be able to squeeze through the system but for the most part, you are likely to get more Minecraft movies than you would films like Sinners and One Battle After Another. Holes will need to be filled to plug in that gape for fresh and original films to still be able to shine, providing that variety of selected films made for theaters that major studios aren’t bothering to invest in anymore. That is where films like Obsession and Backrooms will be able to come in and why indie studios such as A24 and Focus Features exist.

I have nothing against main blockbuster films being released just as I have nothing against films like Obsession and Backrooms blossoming in theater screens before our very eyes. My question is: Why can’t we be championing both? We should be celebrating when good blockbuster films do well at the box office AND when good independent films do well at the box office as well. We don’t have to cancel one in favor of the other. And I’m sure movie theaters from all across the world would agree with what I just said.

After the success of Obsession and Backrooms and the underperformance of The Mandalorian & Grogu thus far, I do hope this isn’t so much a sign that audiences are tired of blockbuster films and hungry for strictly independent films but more that they are hungry for QUALITY and less on slop. While I know less than stellar films such as Lilo & Stitch (2025) and The Minecraft Movie were able to make big bucks at the box office with Minions & Monsters and Moana (2026) likely to join them next month, the fact that actual great recent films like Sinners, F1, Project Hail Mary, and now Obsessions and Backrooms were able to become the financial smash hits they did should be a statement that quality DOES matter for a film to be successful and not just brand recognition.

The biggest takeaway right now should be that audiences have a desire to see ANY kind of films in theaters that is guarantee to give them their full money’s worth. No matter if it’s a blockbuster or an independent film, audiences still want to go to movie theaters, studios just need to keep giving them a reason to do so. And the fact that it’s been confirmed that the past month has had the highest box office grosses for May since 2019 should speak volume to that!

Tune in next time after the studios learn the absolute WRONG lesson from everything I just said, while giving a blank check to MrBeast to direct whatever the hell he wants and Disney announces The Devil Wears Prada 3 and Toy Story 6 very soon!

Also, I might as well give my mini-reviews for both of these movies!

Obsession– Probably my favorite film of the year thus far! I don’t think I’ve seen a film where the whole message of “Be careful what you wish for!” has been executed this well and scary! The directing by Curry Barker is top notch, the performances are all great, it has a nice blend of horror thrills and laughter that I don’t any other director would be able to combine brilliantly, and the ending still haunts me weeks after seeing the movie. It’s also a nice little subversion to have the main protagonist practically being the villain of the film, being forced to face the consequences of the choice he made strictly for his own pleasure. Inde Navarrette deserves a damn Oscar for her performance and it’s yet another brilliant original horror film to go with all of the other brilliant horror films we have gotten so far this decade! Highly recommended! I give this a perfect four out of four stars!

Backrooms– I’m not quite sure I’m on the love boat with this one but I’m sure as hell on the respect boat. I love the original atmosphere and unique setting that Kane Parsons has created here, making the backrooms itself a fascinating place to explore whenever we are able to get to it. I did wish the overall narrative had more meat to it and Parsons didn’t have to keep coming up with contrived excuses for his characters to keep showing up to the backrooms. And I’m still scratching my head on the resolution to the whole thing. However, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are great here and there are still plenty of seeds that have yet to be grown in the world that is Backrooms. I can see this being a series of films that only gets better from here on out. I give this a three out of four stars!

Michael (2026) Movie Review- Put Up (Song) Or Shut Up

AdamLeave a comment

Welp, I don’t know if there’s any way I can do this review without getting cancelled by someone. This latest biopic from the most beloved/controversial musician of the past 50 years in Michael Jackson was always guaranteed to be a total success or failure in the eyes of many. For those that just wanted to be reminded of the good old days of little MJ and put themselves in the shoes of someone that was able to experience pure pop rock peak in the man’s prime, Michael (2026) will be seen as an absolute W! For those that were hopping it would dig a deeper dive into MJ’s personal life, hard hitting dilemmas, and even ask the million dollar question as to whether or not those allegations that hauntedly followed him throughout his career would be addressed, Michael (2026) will be seen as a massive L!

And I almost just want to stop the review right there! Similar to 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Michael (2026) is not interested in revealing things about Michael Jackson that you didn’t already know and would rather handwave any noticeable cracks on the man’s legacy in favor of delivering the cinematic equivalent of a greatest hits album, playing through the songs that everyone knows and loves while making everyone in the theaters feel like they were with the man’s musical journey all along. This is strictly the Michael Jackson you remember on the big stage and NOT the one off of it.

If all of that sounds okay for you, then you are going to dig this movie. If not, then you are better off watching Leaving Neverland, the biggest scam of a “hit piece” ever conceived outside of whatever the hell Fox News was saying about Fred Rogers back in the day. It’s not entirely free of criticism when judging by it’s own merits, with a rather underutilized supporting cast and the most abrupt ending from an entertainment medium since The Last of Us, but for what it’s worth, Michael (2026) is able to put up song and shut up about everything else to make for an enjoyable musical montage that is worth seeing in complete IMAX for anyone that is a fan!

Premise: The story of “King of Pop” Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson). From his childhood as the star of the Jackson 5, through times of abuse by his father Joe Jackson, to breaking away and making the hit album Thriller and claiming his independence as a solo artist.

There are PLENTY of ways you can look at Michael through some rather cynical lens. Even if you take away purposedly leaving out anything about the so-called allegations (which was originally planned until they decided to completely re-shot the ending, causing the film to be delayed from it’s initial October 2025 release date), this is a biopic you can easily mistake as being more in-line with a typical concert movie. Oh sure, you get your backstory about Michael’s troubles with his father and within his own family and how that contributed to this rise to stardom, as well as one big life-changing event that nearly took a hit on his legacy (Again, NO, it’s NOT the allegations!). However, as the very last sequence that got added in through re-shots showcases, this is all about Michael Jackson: The Musician and NOT Michael Jackson: The Person. This is a musical biopic that wants nothing more than to put up song and shut up with anything else.

The good news is that the music is still so damn good! Nearly every scene where Michael sings each one of his iconic songs is a joy to watch and a treat for the ears! The sound design is outstanding, Antoine Fuqua directs the hell out of every single musical sequence, the scenes specifically designed for IMAX makes the whole experience worth that price of admission alone, and it’s able to perfectly capture the atmosphere and pure aura of Michael Jackson in his prime! Even if Michael Jackson: The Person is barely presence on screen, Michael Jackson: The Musician still slaps just as hard all these years later.

The other good news is Jaafar Jackson is able to perfectly slip into his uncle’s shoes as the legend himself. He makes you buy that he is Michael Jackson about as well as anyone possibly could, being able to capture Michael’s mannerism and star power in ways that I don’t think anyone expected when he was casted. Even the dramatic scenes that might feel very surface level and emotionally cold to the cynical mindset, he’s able to add his own unique certain layer to it that feels in spirit with his uncle and in spirit of himself as his own actor. He’s able to perfectly convey the whole journey of every hoop and leap of faith that Michael Jackson had to go through to get to what he is known as today. Quite simply, if it wasn’t for Jaafar Jackson being so good in this role, this film would have failed big time.

It’s unfortunate how the rest of the cast gets quite the short stick. Outside of Colman Domingo’s terrific performance as Michael’s abusive father, Joseph, there’s not much material for the rest of the star studded cast to make an impression. The rest of Michael’s family feel like they are only there due to absolute obligation (outside of Michael’s sister Janet, who declined to be portrayed in the film) and the relationships that Michael has with his agency with the likes of Mike Myers, Miles Teller, and Laura Harrier feels like a complete afterthought. I understand some of that has to do with personal and legal reasons but the film could have done a much better job at representing them even with the limited material they are given to work with.

There’s also the way the film concludes. It’s no secret that the ending of the film had to be changed significantly. Not just to reshot the entire third act so it did NOT cover the allegations against Michael Jackson that had already been resolved and proven to be false but also find a way for the film to end on a complete note after scraping the initial plans to have the film be split into two. While the song they chose to end it with was perfect, it is rather anticlimactic to have the final word of dialogue shown being about how Michael Jackson’s story will continue. Whether that is referring to another film being made or Michael’s legacy continuing beyond his early days will be determine by the box office but man, it almost feels like things were just getting started and then the film just…..stops.

Michael (2026) will be seen as a success or failure depending on what you are going to this film looking for. Do you just wanna see a mild sneak preview of Michael’s beginning and having his nephew perform your favorite songs on the big screen? If you do, then you will be happy. Do you want to see an extensive look of what went on from behind the scenes of Michael’s life and how that contributed to his rise to fame outside of just songs? If you do, then you will be disappointed.

If I were to judge Michael (2026) based on the entertainment scale and the experience I had listening to his songs performed in pure IMAX. I say it’s a solid three out of four stars.

If I were to judge Michael (2026) on standing on it’s own as a biopic and extended look of perhaps the most famous pop singer of all time. I say it’s a in-the-middle two out of four stars.

I guess if I were to combine both ratings. It would average around to a two and a half out of four stars.

Make of all that what you will!

Other comments:

  • Sorry that this took me a while to upload! I was busy for the past week with attending a wedding and covering from a mild cold! I have plenty of more pieces in the works for next month and onwards! Be on the look out for all of those!

Top 10 Biggest 2026 Summer Movies- Box Office Predictions

AdamLeave a comment

We are approaching May, which means we are officaly enterting the summer movie season! The time of the year where the big blockbusters of the year are front and center in movie theaters everywhere now that the kids are out of school! Because of that, it’s time to do a list of what I believe will be the top highest grossing films of the summer!

With Hollywood continuing to struggle in the movie theater business post-covid, only God knows how many more summer movie seasons await. Although, theaters have been picking up great momentum in the box office as of late with the likes of Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it’s unclear how long they will be able to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the year and even the future.

I think the 2026 summer movie season will give a big indication as to whether or not Hollywood is still recovering from the post-covid era of struggling to get people’s butts into theater seats or will this be the beginning of a resurrection for summer movies! We can only cross our fingers and hope for the best!

And considering I’ve been seeing multiple people put their own predictions of the top 10 biggest summer movies in terms of profit, why not throw my own hat in the ring and do my own list of this?! Keep in mind, these are the movies that I believe will be the highest grossing of the summer, not the ones that I desperately want to be at the very top. This list is not a matter of anticipation or movies I think will be objectively the best, this is a list of the movies that I believe will be the most to least successful in terms of the top 10 movies of the summer.

Also, this is a ranking based on box office numbers worldwide and NOT domestic. That list would be harder and more complicated for me to judge. This is how I feel the box office numbers will hold for summer movies WORLDWIDE from late April to mid August. Could I be dead wrong on every single one of these? Absolutely! But hey, it’s fun to be able to make predictions, right?!

And yes, I am throwing Michael in there. Even though it’s a movie that’s coming out in April, I think that gives up more “summer movie season kick off” vibes than The Devil Wears Prada 2. Just like how Infinity War and Endgame gave off more “summer movie season kick off” vibes….than whatever the heck released in the first week of May in 2018 and 2019!

Time to jump right in and put my predictions on what I believe will be the top 10 highest grossing films of the summer!

10.) Supergirl

Release Date: June 26th

Box Office Projection: $350+ Million

It’s very difficult to find any positive signs here. From it’s questionable release date to it’s lackluster trailers to it’s already nightmare PR, Supe’s cousin will have a hard time finding any sort of audience in the theaters come June. Even Jason Momoa won’t be the selling point that DC is hoping he will be. Unless the quality of the film ends up being nothing sort of stellar, with Elemental-like legs to help pull it through, I expect Supergirl to be one of the more heartbreaking bombs of the summer, falling into the same “female-led movies made for men” wheelhouse with 2024’s Furiosa and last summer’s Ballerina. Mr. Gunn and company better hope that Man of Tomorrow delivers next summer or else this new DC Universe might just be over before it even got a chance to settle in, (and that’s not even mentioning the GIANT elephant in the room that’s about to swallow Warner Bros Discovery up).

9.) The Mandalorian & Grogu

Release Date: May 22nd

Box Office Projection: $400+ Million

Who in their right minds thought that Star Wars’ first trip back to cinema since 2019 should involve an extension of a streaming series that ended three years ago and peaked in quality over five years ago?! With the near non-existence marketing and a very vague plot synopsis, The Mandalorian & Grogu looks more in-line with the The Clone Wars animated film from 2008 than any of the “official” Star Wars films (And that’s totally NOT because both films where originally meant to be several episodes of their own respective shows and JUST so happens to have Jabba the Hutt’s son in it). The good news is that it will have two weeks to itself, including Memorial Day weekend, before having to go up against any real competition, and if the budget is tight enough, it won’t need to make a fortunate to avoid a Solo: A Star Wars Story-level financial disaster. It looks harmless enough with the fan favorite characters from the Disney era in Mando and Grogu at the forefront, with the G.O.A.T. Sigourney Weaver thrown in there for good measure. If this doesn’t make any noise once June rolls around, it might be up to good old Ryan Gosling to salvage what’s left of the Star Wars IP come this time next year with Star Wars: Starfighter.

8.) Discourse Day

Release Date: June 12th

Box Office Projection: $475+ Million

This could easily come back to burn me later on down the road but every summer, there’s always tends to be one original film that’s able to break out at the box office in ways that nobody expected. Last year, that film was F1. This year, I can see Discourse Day being that film. Maybe it’s because it’s a Steven Spielberg film and the whole “Are aliens real or not?!” question that the film is asking has become strangely relevant in recent months (Thanks, Obama!), but I can see this shocking everyone in amazement to at least edge around the half billion dollar mark. This film’s potential level of grand success is all about the timing of it’s release and if the word-of-mouth is able to be on the level of Project Hail Mary. Films like Sinners, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and the two others I mentioned has shown that audiences are indeed hungry for more original stories/experiences on the big screen, the solid quality just needs to be there. And if the quality is there, don’t be surprised to see Discourse Day defying every expectation this summer.

7.) The Devil Wears Prada 2

Release Date: May 1st

Box Office Projection: $625+ Million

If there’s one thing we should all learn by now, it’s to NEVER underestimate the power of women. Films like Barbie, Wicked, and last winter’s The Housemaid has shown that the ladies will ALWAYS show up in drones to see films in theaters that are specifically made for them. The original Devil Wears Prada turns 20 years old this year and has gained a MASSIVE cult following throughout the past two decades. With the return of the OG cast of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, it’s strong marketing, and massive trailer hype/viewership, I fully expect The Devil Wears Prada 2 to kick off May on a high note and be the big film to beat next month.

6.) The Odyssey

Release Date: July 17th

Box Office Projection: $750+ Million

To be sure, a film like this making at least 750 million dollar signs in this day and age should be seen as a MAJOR accomplishment! There is no other filmmaker working today other than Christopher Nolan that could generate this level of excitement with a project like this! However, I don’t see The Odyssey being on the same level as Oppenheimer (which made $975+ million in 2023), as it won’t have the “Barbenheimer” hype attached to it despite it tackling a more “universal” story. Not to mention, the potential loss of its IMAX screens after it’s first two weeks due to Spider-Man: Brand New Day could greatly affect repeated viewings for its theatrical release! Christopher Nolan is perhaps the one director working today to where his name attached to a film alone will guarantee box office success (Every film that Nolan has directed since 2008’s The Dark Knight has been able to achieve this mark, even Tenet in 2020, A.K.A. the covid year!) and The Odyssey should be no exception! However, the road to doing Oppenheimer level numbers will be much tougher for Mr. Nolan this time around!

5.) Moana (2026)

Release Date: July 10th

Box Office Projection: $800+ Million

Moana is undoubtedly one of the most popular Disney brands right now, with the original animated film being the most streamed movie ever on Disney Plus and its sequel making a billion dollars just over a year ago! What will likely hold this live-action remake back other than the crowded family summer movie season is its lack of nostalgia factor! Live-action remakes like The Lion King (2019) and Lilo & Stitch (2025) were able to be the billion dollar grossers they did BECAUSE of the nostalgia attached to those films, which gave kids enough time to grow up, become nostalgic for the original animated Disney classics, and have raised kids of their own to share the theatrical experience with! Moana (2026) will be coming out at a time where the original animated film won’t even be fully 10 years old yet (It released in November 2016 btw) and just a year and a half after its animated sequel came out! It will still be a big success since the Moana brand is still strong but the lack of the nostalgic hook will prevent this from making a billion dollars!

4.) Minions & Monsters

Release Date: July 1st

Box Office Projection: $850+ Million

Since 2010, Illumination Animation has been able to crack the code on how to make crowd pleasing animated flicks for young kids, forcing their parents to take them to the movie theaters every other summer to see the newest Despicable Me and Minions movie that comes out. In regards to the installments that have come from this franchise post-covid, Minions: The Rise of Guru was able to make $940+ million in 2022 and Despicable Me 4 made $971+ million in 2024! Due to a much more crowded summer than in 2022 and 2024, having to compete with other family flicks such as the one-two Mickey Mouse punch of Toy Story 5 and Moana (2026), I do expect Minions & Monsters to take a decline as well, in a similar way that last summer’s Jurassic World: Rebirth was a slight decline with the other Jurassic Park/World movies. Even if this one ends up being slightly inferior to it’s predecessors and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t the $1.5+ billion juggernaut I predicted (Silly me!), Illumination and Universal should be eating just fine with their animated feature films in 2026!

3.) Michael

Release Date: April 24th

Box Office Projection: $950+ Million

I don’t care if the pre-sales numbers have been iffy thus far and the behind-the-scenes drama will put a giant raincloud throughout the press release, THIS is one that I can see being a global phenomenon. Michael Jackson is no doubt the most popular musician of all time, gaining worldwide appeal from all across planet Earth. With the high trailer numbers and the multiple generations of fans that MJ has gained throughout the course of several decades, there should be no reason to doubt his annual biopic will be a huge theatrical success. If the legs are strong and it ends up pleasing the masses enough, I can see Michael topping Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest grossing musical biopic of all time. This seems like the kind of film that will get people who don’t go to theaters anymore off their couches, similar to the likes of Top Gun: Maverick and Barbenheimer. Even though this film will be released in April, this will likely be seen as the true kick-off to the summer movie season of 2026!

2.) Toy Story 5

Release Date: June 19th

Box Office Projection: $1.1+ Billion

Although I was harsher on this one in my initial box office predictions earlier this year, this has grown on me quite a bit in recent months. To compare the box office numbers of the last two Toy Story movies, Toy Story 4 made $1.073+ billion about nine years after Toy Story 3, which made around $1.066+ billion. That’s less than a seven million dollar increase between these two films despite being nearly a decade apart! However, with it’s iPad storyline being very timely and the trailers seeming to promise a more traditional Toy Story adventure than Toy Story 4 did, I can see Toy Story 5 surpassing the previous film just enough to take the crown as the big family film of the summer, even from Disney’s own Moana (2026). Even if the film stumbles in quality or ends up being a punching bag on the internet like Toy Story 4 became after it’s release, there will still be plenty of kids and families that will go see this film in theaters to make it at least flirt with the billion dollar mark!

1.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Release Date: July 31st

Box Office Projection: $1.3+ Billion

Even in an era where superhero fatigue is at an all-time high, Spider-Man will ALWAYS be a box office draw no matter what! Him and Batman have proven themselves to be perhaps the lone superhero IPs that can still draw box office hits in the most uncertain times of the genre, at least if the successes of 2021’s No Way Home ($1.9+ billion), 2022’s The Batman ($772+ million), and 2023’s Across the Spider-Verse ($690+ million) is anything to go by. And NO, this will NOT be a No Way Home box office juggernaut but that should be expected considering this will (likely) not have the nostalgia of the good old days with William Dafoe and Tobey Maguire attached to it. I expect similar numbers to Far From Home (which made $1.1+ billion high off the heels of Avengers: Endgame), if not a bit more. Between the additions of notable Marvel characters such as The Punisher, Hulk, and whoever the heck Sadie Sink is suppose to be playing along with there being a decent amount of time since the last Spider-Man movie came out to build hype (No Way Home turns HALF a decade old this year btw!), Brand New Day will stand proud as the #1 film of the 2026 summer movie season, proving Spidey can defy ANY realms of superhero and Marvel fatigue!

1.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day- $1.3+ Billion

2.) Toy Story 5- $1.1+ Billion

3.) Michael- $950+ Million

4.) Minions & Monsters- $850+ Million

5.) Moana (2026)- $800+ Million

6.) The Odyssey- $750+ Million

7.) The Devil Wears Prada 2- $625+ Million

8.) Disclosure Day- $475+ Million

9.) The Mandalorian & Grogu- $400+ Million

10.) Supergirl- $350+ Million

As for other movies that missed the list:

  • Masters of the Universe (2026)
    • $325+ Million
      • I went back and forth between Supergirl and Masters of the Universe for the #10 spot but I went with Supergirl because I believe superheroes still have more appeal with Gen Z and Millennials than Masters of the Universe has with baby boomers. Even if the quality is on the level of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves like I expected to be given it’s Travis Knight taking the wheel here, He-Man just doesn’t seem like a popular brand in the year 2026. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film ends up losing Amazon quite a bit of money.

  • Mortal Kombat II
    • $175+ Million
      • Even if the first film was a bomb in 2021 (when half of movie theaters around the world will still closed), Mortal Kombat II should do quite well, with it being giving a more proper theatrical release and the trailers promising to deliver the goods the fans wanted that they didn’t get from the first film. Even if it will do numbers closer to Five Nights At Freddy’s than Minecraft, Mario, or Sonic, I don’t think WB will be too upset with the box office results. I only wonder if it was wise to delayed the picture from it’s original fall release from last year.

  • Scary Movie (2026)
    • $200+ Million
      • If Scary Movie is able to be on the same level of quality as last year’s The Naked Gun, then I can see the sixth entry riding the successful wave of Scream 7, opening the doors opening for more raw horror/politically incorrect comedies for the immediate future.

  • Evil Dead Burn
    • $50+ Million
      • Evil Dead Burn will likely end up being as buried and forgotten as ME3AN 2.0 was last summer. Again, what is it with these horror films getting the most bizarre release dates imaginable?!

  • Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
    • $150+ Million
      • This will prove that Paw Patrol is still….a thing that exists for kids. But, it’s also coming out at the tail end of summer and when kids start going back to school so….yeah.

  • Jackass: Best and Last
    • $100+ Million
      • Johnny, please take us ALL home with Jackass: Best and Last! Just take us all home!

Hoppers (2026) Early Movie Review- The Best Avatar Movie To Date

AdamLeave a comment

There’s a line in Hoppers that is quite the eye roller. You might’ve already seen it in the trailers but it’s when the two doctors, Sam and Nisha, explain to Mabel, the main protagonist, what the actual concept of Hoppers is suppose to be. And it’s during that moment where Mabel says how the concept of a human using sci-fi tech to transferring themselves into a nocturnal animal in the hopes of forming a relationship within the inhabits of a forest and preventing a demise of that said forest from the government is just like the movie, Avatar! It’s in that moment where you think you know which movie you are getting with Hoppers because the film directly tells you it! And for the first half of Pixar’s latest original, that is basically the movie you get.

Yes, we get to see the main protagonist’s hivemind be transported into that of a realistic beaver robot. Yes, we get to see to see the main protagonist interacted with other beavers and animals among an enchanted forest, which she realizes they are all just as human as her. And yes, we get to see a town’s government try to destroy that forest in favor of their own personal wants and needs for that forest. While that is all competently done in an entertaining enough way, it’s when the second half comes around and pulls the rug from underneath you (everyone will know EXACTLY the moment that I am talking about) that Hoppers fully forms into it’s own unique identity. And that identity makes it the best Avatar movie since well…...Avatar. And even then, it might just be better than that!

Hoppers is a showcase of what happens with Pixar allows themselves to let loose and forge their own path to creativity. The film has it’s own distinct animation style that compliments the storytelling without it being too overbearing or “in your face”, the characters are all likeable with their own relatable goals that anyone can get behind, it’s easily among the funniest Pixar movie in years, and despite prior reports of Disney’s efforts to downplay the themes of environmentalism, it’s able to get that exact message across in as much of a profound way as Pixar was able to in 2008 with Wall-E. It may take it’s time in getting to that exact point in the ways that it was intend but the pay-off by the latter half makes it all the more worth it.

Premise: When scientists discover a way to transform human consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel (Piper Curda) uses the new technology to uncover mysteries of the animal world that are beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Hoppers is an animated feature with a lot on it’s mind, not so much interested in pushing itself in one certain directions but multiple, imaginative directions. Director Daniel Chong is able to explore the wonders of it’s premise, trying to create a world with logical problems that ben solved with the most logical answers imaginable. We see that perfectly through the main protagonist Mabel, a college girl who is fighting for animal and environmental rights, who wants to make a positive change in her hometown. However, as the film constantly states over and over again, it’s not as easy as it seems because the world itself isn’t one for solving logical problems with logical answers.

As much as Hoppers makes it’s case of being a story about optimism and unity, it’s not naive. It’s able to have that right brain in it’s head throughout the actions made by the characters without needing to contradicts itself to get it’s point across (Alyas, Raya and the Last Dragon!) A good example of this is with the character of King George (Bobby Moynihan), the leader of the beaver monarch. King George is someone that believes that everyone is a good person deep down, something which Mabel clearly disagrees with because of her past experiences with people. As much as she wants to be on King George’s side, she can’t because she know deep down that the ideal world that King George has in his head doesn’t exist. There’s a difference between an idealist and being a realist (something which a certain silver hedgehog from another certain franchise led by furry animal can attest to).

However, just because everyone can’t be a good person doesn’t mean you can at least change who they are if you work hard to do just that. Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) may seem like a one-sided greedy mayor on the service but allow him to see a different perspective on the way things function and how it affects others and it might just lead him down a much better path than he expected. It’s further proof on how Hoppers isn’t just a story about how everyone should be kind and good-hearted when they are not but some might just be able to when they are given the perspective of someone from the “other side”, or in this case….a beaver.

This is basically what makes Hoppers a distinct animated parallel to that of Avatar, and in many ways is a better film than any of the three hugely successfully but ridiculously expensive sci-fi opera adventures. While James Cameron was able to use the premise of a human being leaping into the body of another species to tell a story of a man going against the grain of his own kind in favor of helping out an indigenous tribe, Hoppers uses that exact same premise to tell a more complicated and layer story about an interloper who wants to make a positive impact on a community and have it lead to the best of both worlds for both her kind and the endangered animals she is trying to save.

When it comes to the other aspects as well, Hoppers is still quite rock solid. While the animation style won’t be to everyone’s taste (especially if the “civil” reaction to the animation style of Turning Red had anything to go by), it has enough novelty in it’s own cartoony style that benefits the way it tells it story in ways that are both funny and effective. The voice cast is quite strong, with Piper Curda and Jon Hamm being the main standouts as the main protagonist and antagonist respectively, with other worthy work done by the likes of Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, and Merryl Steep respectively. And despite having plenty of moments of levity, emotion, and even some shock value (again you will know EXACTLY the one turning point scene I’m talking about, it’s able to have a perfectly controlled tone that never contradicts one scene or the other. Oh, and it’s ALWAYS nice to hear SZA’s voice when doing music.

I won’t said that Hoppers is an instant Pixar masterpiece on par with the likes of Up, Inside Out, Coco, or Soul. As I said, the film takes a while to get it’s engine going, playing like the standard “human turns into animal” premise the trailers depicted it as along with one or two cringeworthy lines about how aware and “meta” it is of the kind of premise it is taking inspiration off. It’s once things are put into place and the film starts throwing more twists and personal dilemmas into it’s conflicts that the film become more than meets the eyes. It’s a film you have to be patient wait but I assure you, your patience will be awarded by the halfway point.

After last year’s Elio, it seemed like Pixar was no longer able to make original and thought-provoking animated films with a distinct message of it’s own without it getting gutted like a fish by the higher-ups of Mickey Mouse. However, Hoppers, seems to prove otherwise. It’s prove that Pixar is still allowed to make original films that are smart, wacky, funny, complex, and enough relatable and charm that it might just become a hit among mainstream audiences. While it might fall just short of a classic, Hoppers is prove that perhaps we can make a difference! Enough said!