Ryan Coogler’s “Wakanda Forever” is not the sequel we expected, it’s not the sequel anyone expected, especially with the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman. His loss left a gaping hole in film, and left sadly a budding franchise without its lead. “Wakanda Forever” takes the chance to not only act as a sequel to “Black Panther” but also act as a meditation on the ideas of grief, mourning, and the cost of losing those that we dearly loved in our lives who were important to many.
M3GAN (2023)
Everyone and their mother knows “M3GAN” by now. Its trailer was the viral sensation of 2022, a movie that built anticipation less on press and more on the clout the clips built on formats like Tik Tok. Thankfully director Gerard Johnstone’s horror scifi amalgam lives up to its hype. It’s a breezy ninety minute horror flick about technology run amok, and three female personas battling for domination. And it might be my favorite genre flick of the year, yet.
Five Great Films I Saw in 2022
Normally, this would be a top ten of 2022 after going through a wide variety of movies from the year. But in 2022, I spent five months in the hospital due to awful health complications that left me incapable of doing anything but lying in bed and hoping that I’d recover to full health. While on recovery I did my best to check out some anticipated movies, sadly with little success.
I was able to squeeze in viewings of a lot of movies upon my return home, though. While I wasn’t able to see much of anything in 2022, I was thankfully able to compile a reasonable top five list of great films I managed to find time for during the holidays. The list is subject to change upon viewing more 2022 films, but for now, I’m happy with this top five.
Nope (2022)
“Nope” explores the idea of fame, and sensationalism among other things. Much of “Nope” involves Haywood and Emerald looking for that one big shot that can acquire dreams of wealth and notice. But when they contact an acclaimed wildlife filmmaker, he warns that sometimes fame is “a dream you can’t wait up from.” Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya are wonderful in their respective roles as a pair of ranchers anxiously trying to keep their family’s ranch afloat after the inexplicable death of their dad (Keith David has a welcome cameo). Fate inevitably comes knocking down their doors, as they begin witnessing strange phenomenon in the skies.
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938)
2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.
Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.
Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938)
Directed by: Ben Hardaway
Produced by: Leon Schlesinger
Music by: Carl W. Stalling
Animation by: Volney White
In 1938, Porky Pig was considered the mascot for Warner Animation, and Merrie Melodies. He’s one of the forefathers of cartoon mascots, the one who always gave us that famous outros from Merrie Melodies cartoons where he proclaims “That’s All Folks!” with his famous stutter. It would only make sense that the debut of Bugs Bunny would be in a short featuring Porky Pig. Originally known as Happy Rabbit, Bugs was created and cultivated by a slew of people including Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton, and Charles Thorson initially.
BAD MOVIE MONDAY: NEW YEAR’S EVIL (1980)
Today’s BAD MOVIE MONDAY column is about a film called NEW YEAR’S EVIL. It was released in 1980 and was directed by Emmett Alston. It stars Roz Kelly, Kip Niven, Grant Cramer and Chris Wallace. The film is a pretty good horror movie, but… is it a slasher? I’ve always said that from 1979 to about 1983 every horror movie was trying to force itself into the slasher subgenre, often with poor results, and NEW YEAR’S EVIL is the perfect example of a movie that feels like it was hastily rewritten to fit the trend. So you know what? Instead of a review, I’m going to answer the question of whether or not NEW YEAR’S EVIL is a Slasher Movie, and my answer will be definitive.
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The House (2022)
“The House” is one of the most unnerving and abstract anthologies ever made. Despite its stop motion format, and meticulous attention to detail, “The House” introduces a trio of short films that border on horror but explore more interesting themes. The directors choose to change animation forms through the trio of shorts, and they’re all interconnected with a house that’s basically a menacing character all on its own.