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Tag: VOD

The 10 Best Films of 2023
Features, Film, Reviews

The 10 Best Films of 2023

It's time to take a look at the best films of 2023. I managed to view over 120 new releases this year and there was a lot to love. Despite the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild striking this year, there was a wide array of movies to choose from. The true impact from those strikes will not likely be felt until next year, although the box office of several releases this year were likely less than they could have been due to a lack of promotion. It wasn't all doom and gloom for the overall business - 8 feature films crossed the $200 million mark in ticket sales and 'Barbie' ended up grossing over $636 million domestically. The films below weren't necessarily the biggest hits, but they are the ones that have lingered the most in my mind. Emma Stone stars in 'Poor Things,'...
Timely Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Creator’ is a Visual Marvel (Review)
Features, Film, Reviews

Timely Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Creator’ is a Visual Marvel (Review)

'The Creator' is set in the not-so-distant future. In 2070, humans are at war with artificial intelligence. Director Gareth Edwards has a knack for crafting inventive sci-fi thrillers that look far more expensive than their actual budgets. In 2010, he made a film called 'Monsters' that was made for under $500,000 using consumer-grade software and edited on a laptop. It didn't make a lot of money at the box office, but managed to get the attention of Hollywood. It led to him rebooting the Godzilla franchise in 2014 and helming 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' in 2016. Gareth Edwards' 'The Creator' (Courtesy of 20th Century Studios) With this latest film, he took $80 million and, yet again, made it look like a film with a much higher budget. There may not be any shots in the fi...
What to Watch: December 2023 Streaming Preview
Features, Film, Reviews

What to Watch: December 2023 Streaming Preview

If you’re looking for something new on streaming in December we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your December streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see? Newly Available on VOD this December The Holdovers (PVOD, available now) Killers Of The Flower Moon (PVOD, December 5) The Persian Version (December 5) Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (December 5) Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (PVOD, December 13) The Delinquents (December 13) Immediate Family (December 15) Priscilla (PVOD, December 15) Trolls: Band Together (PVOD, December 19) Anatomy of a Fall (December 22) Not yet scheduled, but likely: Silent Night https://youtu.be/AhKLpJmHhIg?si=Jj-hksVnF2xQmk6T *PVOD titles are fresh from thea...
What to Watch: November 2023 Streaming Preview
Features, Film

What to Watch: November 2023 Streaming Preview

If you’re looking for something new on streaming in November we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your November streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see? Newly Available on VOD this November The Kill Room (available now) Dumb Money (Digital purchase only, November 7, rental on November 21) Scrapper (November 7) Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (November 7) Dicks: The Musical (PVOD, November 10) The Other Zoey (November 10) The Creator (PVOD, November 17) Oppenheimer (November 21 - get ready for 'Barbenheimer' at home!) Five Nights at Freddy's (November 28, available now on Peacock) https://youtu.be/bmr8YmwnZ3w?si=qgn3kqGkKJDDZ9rl *PVOD titles are fresh from theatrical release and generally rent...
Looking to Experience ‘Barbenheimer’ at Home? You’ll Have to Wait!
Features, Film

Looking to Experience ‘Barbenheimer’ at Home? You’ll Have to Wait!

In 2023, the most unifying cinematic moment of the year was thanks to the unlikely 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon. Few could have predicted that Greta Gerwig's enthusiastic comedy based on the iconic Mattel doll and a historical drama from Christopher Nolan about the creation of the atomic bomb would create a perfect double feature. Instead of being rivals, 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' brought people to movie theaters in droves. And not just in America. The two films were wildly successful around the globe. When both films were released in late July, it was clear that 'Barbie' would be the big box office winner, but both films earned their fare share of ticket sales. In fact, 'Barbie' is the biggest box office hit of the year, with a global gross of over $1.4 billion. 'Oppenheime...
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ May Make You a Skeptic (Review)
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‘The Exorcist: Believer’ May Make You a Skeptic (Review)

With 'The Exorcist: Believer,' director David Gordon Green has taken another legacy horror series and updated it for modern times. Whether or not he has succeeded in that is debatable. I was a fan of his 2018 reboot of the 'Halloween' series, but stretching that into a new trilogy felt unnecessary. Now, the plan is for another new trilogy using the backbone of 'The Exorcist.' I gotta say, it feels like Green should stop while he's ahead. This is not to say that 'The Exorcist: Believer' is unwatchable. Far from it. The first half of the film is rather compelling. Unfortunately, things change once efforts are made to tie the new storyline into the original tale of possession from the 1973 classic. Leslie Odam Jr. is Victor, an overprotective single father raising his teenage dau...
What to Watch: October 2023 Streaming Preview
Features, Film

What to Watch: October 2023 Streaming Preview

If you’re looking for something new on streaming in October we’ve got you covered. Per usual, the month is packed with horror movies to bring the scares for Halloween! Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your October streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see? Megan Suri stars in 'It Lives Inside' (NEON) Newly Available on VOD this October The Equalizer 3 (PVOD, October 3) The Nun II (PVOD, October 3) Joan Baez: I Am A Noise (October 6) Fremont (October 10) It Lives Inside (PVOD, October 10) Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (PVOD, October 10) The Lost Weekend: A Love Story (October 13) The Origin of Evil (October 13) The Miracle Club (October 17) https://youtu.be/wu8CzVfik-4?si=u_3yEIkI50UBII_P *PVOD...
Jennifer Lawrence Delivers Plenty of Laughs in Raunchy ‘No Hard Feelings’ (Review)
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Jennifer Lawrence Delivers Plenty of Laughs in Raunchy ‘No Hard Feelings’ (Review)

With four Academy Award nominations and one win (for 'Silver Linings Playbook') under her belt, 'a hard-R teen comedy' No Hard Feelings' is not the first place you might expect to find Jennifer Lawrence. Inspired by an actual 2013 Craigslist ad, Lawrence stars as Maddie. She is a young thirtysomething struggling to keep it together in Montauk, New York. When the government starts knocking to collect back taxes on the house she inherited from her late mother, Maddie takes a local couple up on an unusual offer. Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) is a socially awkward teenager who has grown up coddled and comfortable. He has so experience with dating or sex. His desperate parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) take out a Craigslist ad looking for a woman to show him the ropes befor...
What to Watch: September 2023 Streaming Preview
Features, Film

What to Watch: September 2023 Streaming Preview

If you’re looking for something new on streaming in September we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our picks for what you should add to your September streaming watchlist! What are you most excited to see? Newly Available on VOD this September The Elephant Six Recording Co. (available now) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (PVOD, available now) The Adults (PVOD, September 5) Strays (PVOD, September 5) Landscape With Invisible Hand (PVOD, September 8) Barbie (PVOD, September 12) Final Cut (September 12) The Unknown Country (September 12) Dreamin' Wild (September 26) https://youtu.be/PCzXf5ZiE3k?si=E5VzX62RRvKb72kU *PVOD titles are fresh from theatrical release and generally rent or sell digitally for $19.99 (or higher). All...
What We’re Watching: The Films of William Friedkin
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What We’re Watching: The Films of William Friedkin

Legendary director William Friedkin died of heart failure on Monday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 87. He leaves behind a storied legacy and twenty narrative features, along with a handful of documentaries in his wildly eclectic filmography. Many of his greatest films are available digitally and physically, but only a handful are streaming on subscription services right now. All films below can be rented or purchased from the usual suspects (Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, etc.). Streaming sites noted where applicable. William Friedkin on the set of 'The Exorcist' The Heavy Hitters The Exorcist - Warner Bros. is currently prepping a 4K Ultra HD release of this 1973 horror classic that includes the original theatrical version as well as the extended director's cut....