It may be crass and raunchy, but it was impactful — This article contains light spoilers. Hollywood was unprepared for a road-trip comedy with two Asian leads. Studio executives told writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg it wouldn’t work. One studio even suggested that the leads be black and white. Of course, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg won’t settle for less. …

The extreme sports James Bond — Flashback to the early 2000s, when the media advertised everything extreme. Extreme sports and the X-Games were all the rage. There wasn’t a day someone wouldn’t see an “Xtreme” label on junk food or video games. Director Rob Cohen was on an extreme high. His car fantasy, Fast and the…

Go, Speed Racer! Go, Speed Racer, go! — You, in 2008, had a few options for summer blockbusters. There was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, Iron Man. The other option is Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight on the DC side. Or, if superhero flicks aren’t for you, give Speed Racer a try. The Wachowskis-directed Speed Racer…

Reimagining a violent comic for the big screen — Caution: contains spoilers. Let’s rewind to my first day of kindergarten in early 2000. I told my mom if I stayed, could she buy me The Mask? Of course, it’s not ridiculous for a five-year-old to ask for The Mask, given I saw my parents viewing it the other day…

This ’99 film isn’t how I remember it — What are bored children meant to do on a Saturday afternoon? My cousin and I are at her house, bored out of our minds. We were tired of watching cartoon reruns; we needed to watch something else. So, my cousin and I dug through her parent’s VHS collection. …

The first entertaining live-action video game-based film — Primed and ready for the arcades, Mortal Kombat II enthralled gamers in 1993. Producer Lawrence Kasanoff noticed the crazed and went to Mortal Kombat’s publisher, Midway, to play a prototype of Mortal Kombat II before reaching the video arcades. He was delighted with what he played. Lawrence Kasanoff knew Mortal…

Should you stay or should you go? — Steadily approaching, the ticket handler commands the crowds waiting to rip their tickets. Fortunately, the masses moved fast, and I was in the theater room before I could discern it. I found my seat in the theater and watched the previews while waiting for the movie. I was alone for…

A sci-fi dramedy more entertaining than modern Star Trek — Seth MacFarlane’s Star Trek passion project, The Orville, had a rocky start. The first season squandered the talent of the show and left me wondering if it ever will improve. On the day of the series premiere in 2017, I kept saying to myself, “I don’t know. …

Recapturing ’50s B movies for 21st-century filmgoers — I miss rental stores. Before ‘Hollywood Video’ and ‘Blockbuster’ went defunct, my parents and I fancied the rental shop. My folks rented all kinds of movies my adolescent mind couldn’t grasp, as everything scared the living daylights out of me. So, compensating for their movie, my parents would rent me…

Another ’90s attempt to make a fad into a TV show — My parents weren’t the wealthiest people growing up. Being an only child then, my folks would muster any money to entertain me. When my mom shopped at the 99 cents store, she’d let me get a VHS film. Since the movies were dirt cheap, I amassed a collection of forgettable…

Consider myself lucky. Things could’ve been worse. — It’s June 2020, and I sit and watch a movie that intrigued me from the plot alone: a 24-year-old who lives with his mother is attempting to sort out his life. …

Test your abilities to attain total domination — Deep in the hills of Mount Midoriyama, 100 warriors test their skills in the harshest jungle gym no kid can ever imagine. Divided into four stages, the courses they’re about to undertake are difficult and taxing. Passing every stage declares you kanzenseiha (complete domination). The host and fellow warriors parade…

The Merc with a Mouth has a heart — The hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day, is upon us. It’s a perfect time for virgins to pop the big question or mope about because they can’t get a date. Oh, it looks like I’m mopping. It’s okay. The time will arrive when you can decorate your lover with candy or flowers…

The airplane story that stood the test of time — Hi, dear reader. This article may contain spoilers. Proceed with caution. Critics have said parody films aren’t worth producing or watching. Each time a director unleashes one into the world, critics get ready to tear the film to shreds. It’s a good reason filmmakers don’t make them anymore. For a…

A forgotten ‘90s cartoon with spunk and celebrity athletes — In the prehistoric 1990s, companies used athletes to promote healthy lifestyles during children’s television. …

A story of a Christmas VHS I couldn’t get enough of — The early years of childhood were wholesome. It’s the one time in your life you don’t have to worry about responsibilities. You can sit around all day doing whatever you please. I took advantage of my delightful childhood glued in front of the Television. …

A Christmas special unbeknownst to all — The holidays are fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate than with a Christmas TV special. You could watch the classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or you could see a special––which only aired once on TV and disappeared for decades. That film is…

A television block creating decades of cartoon lovers — You wake up one early Saturday morning watching shows on your phone. While scrolling, a cartoon appears that reminds you of the time you were a kid viewing cartoons on Saturday mornings. It makes you wonder what happened to Saturday morning cartoons, and are TV channels still airing them? Don’t touch that dial To…

The Japanese live action fantasy series that failed to gain traction — In the early ‘90s, Saban had initial success with fantasy action series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. With the fame, Saban brought another popular Japanese program to western audiences, Kamen Rider with Masked Rider, in 1995. Kids couldn’t gravitate towards it and it flopped. In 2008, two brothers and major fans…

All American discount heroes — Once the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sprung to life, everyone wanted to have a universe. DC produced its universe, and Universal created the Dark Universe with classic universal monsters. Now it’s Dollar Tree’s turn with Final Faction. Final Faction is a YouTube animated tv show that begun on October 26…