Independence Day: Resurgence Begins Its Box Office Trek With Decent Thursday Night Box Office

If there's one blockbuster this summer that's always felt like an unpredictable fellow, it's Independence Day: Resurgence (a movie that I'll be seeing this morning and hopefully will have a review up for that one as early as tonight). This Roland Emmerich movie has had meek marketing but it does feel like there might be more potential nostalgia for this property than there is to, say, see the Ninja Turtles and X-Men in perfunctory adventures just two years after their last romp. The Thursday night box office for the title doesn't seem to indicate quite how it'll do over the weekend, but it looks like it might be on track to at least avoid becoming a total dud over the weekend.

Steve Jobs Review

Now that I'm juuust old enough to put my younger years into a larger context, it strikes me that 2010 may have been one of the most formative cinematic years of my entire life. That specific period of 365 days brought out a number of important films that shaped me, including Toy Story 3, The Other Guys and the first Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan and Edgar Wright films I saw on the big screen (hell, I could ramble on for hours on the personal importance of just Scott Pilgrim vs. The World!). Another film from that year that has cemented itself in my subconscious? The Social Network.

Kristen Schaal Gets Much Deserved Major Role In Melissa McCarthy Movie Michelle Darnell

Us Kristen Schaal fans are a special breed. We all discovered her a different way (I found her out in the Summer of 2010, thanks to her supporting role in Toy Story 3 and a prominent moment in the Dinner For Schmucks trailer), but she sticks around in the consciousness of all who encounter her, thanks to her sharp comic timing and excellent voice work, namely in Bob's Burgers.

A Look At The Highest Grossing Movies Of The 21st Century

In the first 14 years of the 21st century, a wide variety of films have come around to arise as champions, in that they became the biggest movies of their respective years of release. Looking over the movies that have managed to achieve such a feat, I was surprised to see high quality features usually (emphasis on usually) top the years box office. The Avengers, Toy Story 3, The Dark Knight, The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King and Avatar (yes, I know I lost respect from many of you right there) are all excellent films that managed to make untold amounts of moolah.

Home Alone Is Mildly Inconsistent, But Surprisingly Effective Yuletide Cinema

Welcome to 25 Days Of Christmas Pop Culture! From now until Christmas Eve, I'll be tackling one piece of Christmas pop culture! It could be a book, movie, TV special, song....so long as it's festive for this time of the year, it'll be checked out in this daily column!

I see a lot of people talking about how movies were better "back in the day", which always makes my eyes roll. People have always wanted good storytelling when they go to the cinema, that's never changed. Frankly, I'd actually say the years top movies are indeed better than they used to be. The past few years top features have included The Avengers, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Dark Knight and Toy Story 3, all excellent films. Bizarrely, the biggest movie of 1990 was not Goodfellas or Awakenings, but rather Home Alone.

Toy Story 4 Is Coming, Purely For Storytelling Reasons, We Assure You

The whole reaction to PIXAR making sequels in recent years has pretty much boiled down to people on the internet announcing the company is "losing its soul" or "selling out". I've felt that's more than a bit hyperbolic; sure, Cars 2 was underwhelming, but the Toy Story and Monsters Inc. continuations ranged from great to astoundingly incredible. But this newest sequel puts my faith in the company to the test. PIXAR is embarking on a fourth Toy Story.

Birdman Review

On A Wing And A Prayer

Films have the power to say things of incomparable substance. Some of the greatest filmmakers of all-time have used the medium of cinema to bring to life the kind of movies that help shape a generation via their underlying subtext and themes. It's neat to see any person undertake the mission of making a film that says something truly important, and it's pretty obvious that Birdman director (who also serves as one of the features four writers) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu truly believes with all of his heart and soul that he's saying something meaningful within each and every frame of Birdman. I'm sure it's meaningful to him, and more power to him if it is. But for me, the message of the motion picture is like the movie itself; cluttered and underwhelming.

The List!!!: Five Great Animated Sequels

In The List!!!, I do a list that just reeks of being click-bait, analyzing a particular topic or subject that pertains to something major occurring in pop-culture. This week, in honor of How To Train Your Dragon 2, I take a look at five great animated sequels.