Tag: sonic-3

Best Movies Of 2024

AdamLeave a comment

Another year of entertainment has come and gone so it’s time to look back at some of the very best that it had to offer. It’s been a wild and chaotic year and 2025 is looking to be even more wild and chaotic! That’s why it’s now time to share my picks for the top ten best films of 2024 (that I actually saw)!

A few disclaimers is that I did not see EVERY film I wanted to see by the end of the year. These include films that have gotten rave reviews from critics and audiences such as Heretic, Juror #2, Late Night With The Devil, and The Brutalist. I’ll see them whenever I can but I couldn’t see them on time for this list. Perhaps in the future, I’ll make an updated list of the best films of 2024 and I might include them once I see them. But for now, just know that I couldn’t see every critically darling to come out in 2024. Even so, let’s get on with this list and start with the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

  • A Complete Unknown

  • Abigail

  • Alien: Romulus

  • Boy Kills World

  • Challengers

  • Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

  • Flow

  • Transformers: One

  • Smile 2

  • Young Woman and the Sea

And now, onto the main top 10!

10.) Anora

Here’s a film that can be perfectly described as “Tumblr coded” and have it NOT be a bad thing! What starts off as a casual Cinderella tale about a love at first sight between a man and woman and riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after later transforms into a good old fashion slow burn rug pull that sees the consequences being played of an illegal relationship between a sex worker and an illegal Russian immigrant. Funny, slick, sexy, sharply directed, and featuring one incredible star making turn from Mikey Madison (Please call me!), Anora makes for one of the most engaging and subversive films of the year.

9.) Love Lies Bleeding

What is likely going to be the favorite film of 2024 for every lesbian and bisexual woman out there, Love Lies Bleeding is able to deliver their goods for not only it’s clear target demographic but will even entertain those outside of that. You have two electric actresses in Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian front and center who give everything they have for one another, spot-on direction and cinematography, a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through, and characters who aren’t necessarily good people but you can’t help but root for them regardless. And yes, this film is INCREDIBLY sexy in every way you expected and wanted! Rose Glass is able to deliver an absolute rollercoaster of a motion picture that works as a toxic love story and brutal romantic drama at the same time. It doesn’t matter what gender you are or what sexuality you are, by the end of Love Lies Bleeding, you will thinking to yourself, “LET’S GO LESBIANS!”

8.) Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is just about every Sonic’s fans dream come true! The Sonic characters themselves are at the absolute forefront with more focus than ever, the action and set pieces are all exhilarating and fun, the CGI is a treat for the eyes, there is more fan service and easter eggs than before, it’s able to adapt the storylines from Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog near perfectly, and Keanu Reeves predictably kills it as Shadow, as the character gives more depth and development than he arguably has in any other Sonic medium! It’s also nice to see how Sonic himself has grown through out the trilogy and seeing Jim Carrey bounce off well…..himself is an absolute laugh riot! This is just a series of films that keeps getting better with each installment and if the post credit scenes for this one is anything to go by, the next one could be even better! Is it high art? Probably not! But does it understand the assignment? Hell yeah, it does! Whether you are a longtime fan or a newcomer that has recently got into the series or someone that enjoys a good time, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is an absolute triumph and is my personal favorite video game movie to date!

7.) Furiosa

In an age where studio meddling is at it’s highest in the film business, it’s a miracle that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga even exists in the first place. It’s a prequel of Mad Max: Fury Road, a movie, which despite all the praise it got and the Oscars it won, barley squeaked a profit and made George Miller go to war with Warner Bros to allow Furiosa along with another potential Mad Max: sequel to even happen. This isn’t a film that exists because it’s something that Warner Bros desperately wanted to greenlight. It’s a film that exists because George Miller fought his neck and teeth for to get made. If this really is the beginning of the end of movie theaters as we know it, then I’m at least glad we are going out with bangs like like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. A glorious action packed spectacle that offers a further expansion of the Furiosa character, more depth into the insane world of Mad Max, telling a compelling origin story that stands strong in it’s own right, and makes for a perfect counterpart to it’s already perfect successor in Mad Max: Fury Road. It may not quite reach the height of Fury Road but oh man, is it fun to watch George Miler try to top himself the whole way through. Even if Mad Max: The Wasteland never gets a chance to be made, I’m at least glad I got to see this incredibly well made and well done action thriller about one of the best female action protagonists in recent memory.

6.) Inside Out 2

The nine-year long awaited sequel to Pixar’s surprise hit in 2015 is as every bit of affective, earnest, and heartful as it’s predecessor. Inside Out 2 is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. There are nits to be picked such as having a familiar plot and structure as the original and a wrap-up that perhaps is a bit too squeaky clean by Pixar standards but as a whole, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a natural continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes. As much as plenty of folks have been down on Pixar as of late with it’s abundance of sequels, I sure hope that Inside Out 2 is good enough for them that they can let it all slide and appreciate the film the way it was suppose to be appreciate. 

5.) Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Some will find it pure blasphemy for me to put a mere documentary on a best of year list. However, this is no ordinary documentary, it’s one for the O.G. Superman! Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is exactly what these kinds of films need to be. Not only is it a great examination off the great life of the late great Christopher Reeve, the struggles and obstacles he had to overcome to live out the promising life he once has, and getting the points of views for about every noteworthy person imaginable, but just like with Superman himself, it’s inspiring. Even without the powers or cape, this documentary proves why Christopher Reeve was born to play Superman. He wasn’t just some old fashion superhero, he was a noble person that inspired us to be the best possible version of ourselves and not let any personal tragedies get in our way to move forward. If that’s not the sign of an exceptional documentary, then I don’t know what is.

R.I.P. Christopher Reeves

The world misses you more than ever!

4.) Nosferatu

It might feel odd how there’s gonna be generations that will now remembers Nosferatu for this remake and NOT from SpongeBob SquarePants. But you know what, after how excellent this 2024 remake is, I can definitely tolerate it. Nosferatu (2024) sees Robert Eggers firing on all cylinders here, crafting a slow burn yet engaging re-telling of this classic monster mythos in gorgeous and unexpecting ways. The performances are top-notch, the filmmaking craft is on full display, and the amount of vampire blood and carnage will certainly be enough for horror fans that crave for those in their vampire horror flicks. It’s hard to tell if this will stand the test of time as the original 1922 version but no doubt, Nosferatu (2024) is a more than worthy modern update on such as classic tale.

3.) Dune: Part Two

Thus far, no one has been able to stop this sci-fi masterpiece! If Dune: Part One acted as Villeneuve setting the training wheels on his bike in motion, Dune: Part Two sees him being able to successfully take those training wheels off and pushed that bike down the hill with good graces. Nearly all that set up that amounted in Part One has immensely satisfying pay offs in Part Two. The action and set pieces are taking to a whole new level, every single member of it’s talented, stacked cast get their own moment to shine, the cinematography is absolutely jaw dropping and makes the IMAX experience 100% worth it, and it’s able to push all the right buttons on making a perfect sequel, instantly comparable to the likes of The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, and The Dark Knight. This is an instant sci-fi classic that will likely go down as one of the best cinematic experiences that I along with plenty of others will have all throughout 2024. Even if it’s not quite my favorite film of Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two will likely go on to be his most successful film to date and one that shall get the attention of the remaining moviegoing audience that aren’t yet familiar with his name. If the majority of big movies were even half as good as Dune: Part Two was, we would be living in cinema paradise.

2.) The Substance

What might be the most shocking and talked about horror film of the year, The Substance is the kind of film that will easily push new boundaries to the horror genre, so much so that it even got the Academy’s attention with it’s best picture nomination. This makes for both a brilliant commentary on the impossible beauty standards of women in the entertainment industry set by men and the perfect gore porn fiasco that tops itself constantly throughout it’s entire runtime. It pull no punches here, once you think the film goes too far in what it’s saying or doing, it proceeds to go one step further multiple different times, all the way up to the finish line. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are perfect in playing their perfectly balanced counterparts, Coralie Fargeat’s direction could not be more perfect, and the make-up effects feel so real and authentic that I wouldn’t be surprised if it came out that it’s not actually make up and what happens throughout the film just….happened. All kidding aside, The Substance is the kind of horror film that deserves your attention. It may not be for everybody, but if you stick with the film on it’s own terms, you might be surprised at how bloody brilliant (no pun intended) this experience is.

1.) The Wild Robot

This may be recency bias but I honestly can’t think of a DreamWorks animated picture that is as complex, layered, and impressive as The Wild Robot. It represents the pinnacle of DreamWorks Animation, delivering one last final triumph before they have to rely on tools and resources from other studios the immediate future. The animation is jaw droppingly gorgeous, the characters are all engaging, endearing, and wonderful to follow, the voice cast is all terrific with everyone being 100% committed to their role, the musical score is mesmerizing and carries the film on it’s own on several occasions, there’s is plenty of funny gags and emotional beats that work greatly, and the way it tackles the themes surrounding survival, parenthood, kindness, purpose, and coexistence is nothing short of marvelous. The amount of plates is able to spend in the air at once and how many hoops it dares to jump through is able to make the film stand out in ways that it had no business of doing so. This is animation and multilayered storytelling at it’s finest and The Wild Robot might just be the next prime example for that. Thank you to all the folks at DreamWorks who worked in-house for the company and I hope the very best awaits you in the future!

Why Sonic Is About To Become More Popular Than Ever

AdamLeave a comment

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to hit theaters very soon and it’s perhaps the most anticipated movie for the rest of 2024. In what has been a very chaotic year, what better way to cap it all off than with our favorite blue hedgehog squaring off against our favorite lion baddie in Mufasa just days before Christmas. We’ll see if the box office race ends up being closer to Barbieheimer from July of last year or Memorial Day Weekend 2011 where Kung Fu Panda 2 got dominated by The Hangover Part II (I will still never forgive the world for that!).

Even so, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that it has been a really exciting time to be a Sonic fan as of late. Since the 2020s rolled around, Sonic fans have been getting a lot of new and exciting content to enjoy. You got some new quality games such as Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Superstars, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Dream Team, and Sonic X Shadow Generations, you got some new tv/streaming series with Sonic Prime and Knuckles, and of course, you got the two new Sonic movies with the third one coming out very soon with an insane amount of hype from Sonic fans and even common moviegoers alike. That’s not to say that ALL of the content I’ve mentioned have been successful or critically acclaimed (Sonic Superstars suffered from abysmal boss fights, Knuckles turned into the Wade Whipple Show once the actual plot got going, and just imagine how much of a drop in quality Sonic Prime would have suffered from if Shadow was NOT in it) but for the most part, there has been more good to come from Sonic than bad for the majority of the 2020s.

It’s all of this and more as to why I believe that Sonic is about to achieve a new level of peak with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The kind of peak that this franchise was able to achieve during the Genesis and Dreamcast days. The kind of peak that would put Sonic on the roadmap as an IP that demands to be taken seriously in any form of media. The kind of peak that I thought we were getting with the franchise in the early 2010s after Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. Lastly, the kind of peak that will see the 2020s as being a new renaissance of Sonic the Hedgehog and make the Blue Blur more popular than ever.

This all started with the release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog movie back in 2020. It was a movie that was met with initial controversy due to many fans not taken too kindly to Sonic’s movie design. About a week after the backlash against the movie ensued, director Jeff Fowler announced that they would go back and fix the design of Sonic into a brand new one that would look more faithful to the character. Although this caused the movie to be delayed three months from it’s original release slate of November 2019, it all turned out to be for the better as the movie turned out to be a solid hit at the box office and the casual audience alike. Although it likely would’ve done better in theaters had it not come out before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it was still enough of a success to greenlight a sequel. It was from that moment where the Sonic brand would transform himself into a multimedia movie franchise.

This led to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was considered to be even better than it’s predecessor and the most successful video game movie that does NOT involve a certain plumber with a red hat. It received praised from fans for incorporating many elements from the video games such as the addition of Tails and Knuckles, the Master Emerald, more set pieces that mirror levels from the games, and who could forget the birth of SUPER SONIC!!!! Perhaps the big cherry on top included a post-credit scene that teased the next movie would be focused on introducing the fan-favorite character known as Shadow the Hedgehog, set to be played by the legendary Keanu Reeves.

When it comes to the games themselves, the two main ones that have come out this decade include Sonic Frontiers and this year’s Sonic X Shadow Generations. With Sonic Frontiers, while the initial critical reviews were quite mixed, the fan response was much more positive. The majority of the praise went into the open zones, giving Sonic more freedom to control than ever, the boss fights, the soundtrack, and containing some of the best writing that this series has had in ages, particularly involving the characterization of the main cast of characters we’ve all come to known and love over the past few decades. It definitely had it’s flaws, particularly the unpolished cyberspace levels and a handful of unnecessary elements added to the gameplay (*cough* Pinball level *cough*), but even the more mixed reviews agreed that it was a step in the right direction compared to the last few main Sonic games and set the future of Sonic with a really solid foundation to build upon with upcoming games.

With Sonic X Shadow Generations, it made for perhaps the most well received Sonic game that the series has had in a very LONG time. It gained a reception that it has perhaps not been seen since the days of Sonic Adventure or the Gameboy/DS adventures with Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush. Not even the original Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations got this amount of praise attached to it at the time which both games came out. A 2024 remaster of Sonic Generations updated to modern consoles/PC would have been satisfying enough to longtime fans of the series but what makes this one stand out stronger than most is it’s inclusion to a brand new story mode involving fan-favorite Shadow the Hedgehog. It’s able to do Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury even better than the actual Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. With incredibly unique level designs, crazy and out-of-this-world set pieces, masterfully done remixes, a gameplay style that manages to combine the best elements of Generations and Frontiers respectively, and even quite a touching story about Shadow and the two people he cares about the most in Maria and Gerald Robotnik. This even manages to make Black Doom less lame. That’s how good this game is!

When it comes to the other games that have come out in the past four years, they were mostly a mixed bag but nothing that indicated a complete and total failure. Sonic Superstars could have been a solid and newly original 2D Sonic game but suffered big time from the inclusion of it’s new mechanics and horrible boss fights, Sonic Dream Team made for an enjoyable mobile game but could have fared much better as an actual console game, and The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is about as good of an April Fools Joke as one could hope and made for one unique love letter to the fans. Even so, there has yet to be a single Sonic game to come out in this decade that gained as much of a universally negative reaction on the levels of Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. If that alone is not a step up from the past two decades, then I don’t know what is.

And now we are about to have Sonic the Hedgehog 3 arrive worldwide in theaters! Not only is this meant to cap off to what SEGA originally dubber 2024 as the “Year of Shadow”, but it might just be the thing that expand Sonic’s popularity even further than ever before. Just imagine the numerous amounts of possibilities that can come from the Sonic franchise if Sonic 3 is a hit!

We’ll have more film installments and tv/streaming series that could expand upon the cinematic universe of Sonic even further, we’ll have upcoming that will receive more hype and anticipation than before because of newer fans that will be getting into the series, and we’ll see a new appreciation for Sonic that we perhaps have not seen throughout the entire 21st century. If Sonic 3 delivers, I would not be surprised if any if not all of these outcomes are possible.

Even so, there is more reason to be optimistic about the future of Sonic the Hedgehog than ever before. And I imagine that optimism will only grow once Sonic 3 is released to the general public and we get updated on what future Sonic games, movies, and shows is set for the future.