It’s been about thirty years since Nintendo allowed one of their IP’s to be translated in to a feature film, and now that video game movies have upped the ante in substance, the time is right for a return from the Mario Bros. Their mascot Super Mario makes his big screen return in a new animated feature from the studio that gave us the (ugh) Minions. In spite of that fact, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is really quite good, and dare I say one of the best video game movies ever made. As with most IP’s of Mario’s ilk, there was some ballyhoo around casting decisions made for his return, but “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” comes out looking quite shiny.
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
There’s always a point where fiction begins to catch up with reality, and even sometimes forecast it, and we’re at a pivotal point of pop culture where artists are commenting on the class divide. What with the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer, now more than ever the film world is ripe for commentary through various genres. We saw it with “Glass Onion” and we basically see it with “Triangle of Sadness” which wears its social satire on its sleeve, and relishes in its darkness and penchant for spitting on social structures.
My 5 Favorite Mario World Characters
With tomorrow being the release date of the highly anticipated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and it arriving theaters, I thought it’d be a good chance to list some of my all time favorite Mario characters from the Mario universe. I’ve grown up with the Mario games, playing it on NES as a small child, and religiously playing his games on SNES, N64, and even the Nintendo DS.
What are some of your favorite Super Mario World characters, and or villains?
Bettie Page Reveals All! (2013)
In tribute to what would have been Bettie Page’s 100th birthday on April 22nd, Music Box Films has re-released “Bettie Page Reveals All!” To this day there’s something about Bettie Page that no one can quite pin down. She’s a Conservative woman with immense charm and sexual allure, and there’s never been anyone who could top it. Even today with so many admirers and imitators, Page remains in a league of her own. She was the idea of sexual liberation in a Conservative society, and to this day she remains a symbol for repressed sexuality and liberation.
Western Wednesdays: The Show Down (1921)
SYNOPSIS:
Orphan Betty Gray’s [Marcella Pershing] inheritance is taken by her greedy guardian Gunnison [Ed Burns], who increasingly profits off his ill-gotten gains. Gunnison hears that “Snapper” Walton [Art Acord], a man whom Betty fancies, aims to do away with him and confides in Betty that Walton is untrustworthy. Walton, on his way out of town, attempts to bid farewell to Betty, but she won’t have anything to do with him.
Dead Silence (2007): Collector’s Edition [2 Disc 4K UHD/Blu-Ray]
I think with the massive reputation James Wan has built, as well as the large success he’s had with genre films, the modern horror icon’s weaker works have aged well. “Dead Silence” was initially considered one of Wan’s lesser genre fare, but in light of a lot of his contemporary entries, “Dead Silence” has come full circle. It’s now become a somewhat underrated genre gem, and I think in spite of its obvious flaws, it’s another of James Wan’s ace horror films.
The End of the Squirrel (2022)
Death is inevitable. And it’s not too often we can stare it in the eyes and welcome it with open arms. “The End of the Squirrel” is a refreshing, kind of heartbreaking take on the zombie apocalypse, where everything goes wrong and its heroes simply… accept their fates, once and for all. They’ve done everything they could do, and now it’s a matter of how they go out.