Smallfoot Is A Solid Animated Musical Whose Best Traits Are Also Its Most Unique Ones

Smallfoot is a new animated family movie hailing from director Karey Kirkpatrick (director of the underappreciated Over the Hedge and the widely forgotten 2009 Eddie Murphy vehicle Imagine That) whose best qualities are the ways it tries to be unique and whose weaker aspects come from when it tries too hard to adhere to what it believes conventional American animated family fare has to be. The majority of our lead characters in Smallfoot are Yeti's who reside in a village located on the very top of a mountain. In this village, we find our lead character, Migo (Channing Tatum), who loves his simple life which is primarily spent preparing to take over the duties of his father, Dorgle (Danny DeVito), and adhering to ancient rules written on stones that nobody is supposed to question.

I Spy A Disappointing Sequel Called Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The newest Kingsman adventure follows the typical trajectory of many sequels in that it decides to blow up the scale of its predecessor to massive proportions. "Go Big Or Go Home" as they say and Kingsman: The Golden Circle does go big but it wasn't long into this films running time that I was wondering when I'd be able to go home. Turns out Kingsman: The Golden Circle has also followed the trajectory of many underwhelming sequels in that it's traded in fun and wit for simply a larger scale for its narrative. At least it's able to contribute to 2017's lovely trend of John Denver songs popping up across various pieces of cinema (Logan Lucky, Okja and Free Fire are among the other 2017 titles to make use of this man's music).

"We're Up All Night For Good Fun, We're Up All Night To Get (Logan) Lucky"

The South and its associated culture (and other parts of the country north of the South that hew closely to said country) are weird. Anything to do with redneck stuff is inherently just a little bit off-kilter. Not saying there aren't strange facets of the upper-crust life too (why are fish eggs considered a culinary delicacy among the wealthy again?) but having lived in Texas for over two decades, I'm well-aware of how a large share of the little details of everyday life around here really are just bizarre like certain colloquialisms, fashion traits, and societal faux pas. Filmmakers like Richard Linklater have used that truth heavily in their own films and now Logan Lucky is the newest film to utilize the inherent oddness of Southern customs as a backbone for entertaining cinema.

Please Give Some More Love To The Thrilling And Endearing White House Down

Back in 2013, Roland Emmerich returned to the White House, the location that served him quite well when he blew it to pieces in the first Independence Day movie. But just like returning to the world of Independence Day itself didn't yield any box office results comparable to that 1996 movie, Emmerich's 2013 return to the White House was similarly DOA financially. That's a shame because White House Down might just be the best movie Roland Emmerich's done, one that leans heavily on charismatic actors, over-the-top characters and constantly escalating in absurdity action to deliver the right kind of bombastic blockbuster filmmaking.

What Does The Future Hold For Ghostbusters?

This past Thursday, Sony/Columbia rolled out the debut trailer for their big summer 2016 tentpole feature, Ghostbusters. A reboot of the 1984 Ivan Reitman feature, the teaser debut to mostly positive reactions from publications like Forbes and Hitfix, though patrons on YouTube expressed displeasure with a massive amount of dislikes (its like-to-dislike ratio is worse than the trailers for God's Not Dead 2, Pixels and even the Point Break remake) and numerous introspective comments calling for the death of the four lead actors. In terms of analytics, Pro Box Office noted, when looking at its impact on social media websites and view count across multiple platforms four days into the trailers existence, that "as far as trailer impacts and splashes go, they really don't get much bigger than this."

Hail, Caesar! Review

When ya get down to brass tacks, Hail, Caesar! essentially works as a Coen Brothers directed fan film dedicated to waxing poetic about the various virtues of the assorted genres that were most popular among moviegoers in that era. Does that sound like a complaint? Well, rest assured, it is most certainly not; in fact, the clear devotion the Coen Brothers have for this time period becomes most infectious, while there's also more methodical material (primarily revolving around our lead character) intercut in between their various homages to the films of the past to balance things out a bit.

The Future Has Arrived In The First Trailer For Hail Caesar!

Alright, let's just get past the introduction folks, I know what you wanna see. Behold, the first trailer for the next film from Ethan and Joel Coen, Hail Caesar!

I Was Totally Wrong! Channing Tatum Will Be Gambit After All!

Earlier in the week, I published an article claiming Channing Tatum would be not playing Gambit in the X-Men franchise, a surprise to many considering his passion for the project. Frankly, I had heard from people the night the news broke that nothing was set in stone and that maybe Tatum would end up staying on the project, but in a rare move of pessimism from yours truly, I chalked that kind of chatter to just wishful thinking.

Channing Tatum Will Not Be Playing Gambit In The X-Men Universe

Well this is surprising. Like, this is seriously shocking. There hadn't been weeks of rumored behind the scenes difficulties on the Gambit movie, why, just two weeks ago Channing Tatum made a surprise appearance at 20th Century Fox's Comic-Con panel to promote his future turn as Gambit. He had been spearheading the project for a while now, and frankly, it did feel like he was the only reason it was getting made.

Magic Mike XXL Review

He Works Hard For The Money

A bit of bait and switch occurred for audiences who saw Magic Mike in 2012, as marketing promising two hours of strippers dancing and having a good time gave way to a Steven Soderbergh feature that contemplated responsibility and the price to pay for forgoing the harsh realities of the world. There was still plenty of shirtless dudes gyrating, but the layers found in the movies themes took it to the next level of quality. Surprisingly, the sequel, Magic Mike XXL, manages to be a satisfying follow-up even while toning down the more introspective elements.

Channing Tatums Gambit Movie Just Found A Director In Rupert Wyatt!

The solo Gambit movie, starring Channing Tatum as the titular mutant, has reportedly approached numerous directors in the past to helm the motion picture, with rumors stating that the likes of J.C. Chandor and Darren Aronofsky were approached for the film. Now, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Rupert Wyatt is set to direct the 2016 movie!

Jupiter Ascending Review

Jupiter Girls, You Make The Rockin' World Go Round

One element that really makes certain pieces of great sci-fi, well, great, is it's ability to translate everyday emotions and worries into a heightened and entertaining environment. The grandaddy of sci-fi cinema, Star Wars, is centered on the universal hope that we all have of wanting to defy expectations and become something great. Sure, there's Wookies, TIE Fighters and a rapscallion Harrison Ford running around, but the plot's centered on a very relatable theme.

Spongebob Vs. Channing Tatum Vs. The Dude Makes For A Huge Box Office Weekend (Box Office Predictions)

Three new nationwide releases are coming out this weekend in an effort to take American Sniper away from the number one spot it's held for three straight weekends. Spongebob should accomplish that task with ease, though the other two new releases of the weekend will face more difficulty in this frame.

Foxcatcher Review

A Fox On Your House

"To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It's not about winning and losing; it's about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge." 

That passage of a famous quote from Summer Sanders fits well into the world of Foxcatcher, which is a movie depicting how much the drive to succeed can take a person.  And boy howdy does Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) want to succeed. Oh sure, he got a gold medal at the Olympics, but in his own words, he wants to be the best in the world. John Du Pont (Steve Carell) gives him a chance to do that, as he hires Schultz to lead his team of wrestlers to victory.

The Next Coen Brothers Movie Has A 2016 Release Date!

Whether it's through True Grit, Inside Llewyn Davis, Burn After Reading or the incomparable No Country For Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen have been an unstoppable directing duo in the 21st century after breaking through in the 90's with the likes of Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The duo will have a new movie called Hail Caesar! out soon, with a cast that includes Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.

The Book Of Life Review

Guillermo Del Toro has lent his name to a vast amount of projects since he became a household name with the Hellboy features and Pans Labyrinth. Since the second Hellboy, he's only directed one feature (last years beautifully exciting Pacific Rim), but has produced several more than that. His most recent endeavor as a producer is The Book Of Life, an animated feature from Reel FX and director Jorge R. Gutierrez. Gutierrez makes his debut as a director of a feature length film with this production, his previous defining work being the Nickelodeon program El Tigre.

New Trailer For Foxcatcher Is Sublime And Terrifying

I get scared real easy, I mean, just a simple bump in the night will have me panicking. Many modern horror films though have become so routine in their scares though that even I have a hard time finding anything to be frightened by. But each trailer for Foxcatcher has stirred up feelings of fear in me, with this ominous tone that's just terrifying. Check out what I mean by watching the theatrical trailer for Foxcatcher below.

Will Arnetts Lego Batman Is Getting His Own Movie!

Adam West. Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. Kevin Conroy. George Clooney. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. These are the men who have brought Batman to life over the years through various mediums, with their interpretations of the Caped Crusader ranging from great (Bale, Conroy) to unknown (Affleck) to abysmal (Kilmer, Clooney). But the best version of him yet is the most recent, Will Arnetts turn as Lego Batman in this years spectacular The Lego Movie. And now, that particular version is getting its own film!

Something Cool! 23 Jump Street Is A-Go!

Few filmmakers have had a better 2014 than Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The duo brought The LEGO Movie to glorious life earlier in 2014, and they were also in charge of one of the summers biggest hits, 22 Jump Street. Man, that was a great film. Hilarious, inventive, smartly script, just a terrific movie. And despite what the entertaining credits for that film implied, it looks like another Jump Street adventure is on the way.

22 Jump Street Review

SOMETHING AWESOME!!!

The one problem with many comedies throughout the ages is their ability to just settle. They go with the overly obvious jokes and story choices that just suck all the fun out of the proceedings. Recent great comedies (like The Other Guys, Ted, This Is The End and anything from Edgar Wright) smartly go in unique directions that help strengthen the characters, which helps infinitely in making the jokes land in the best possible fashion. To say 22 Jump Street goes in unexpected directions is an understatement.