I sat down at AMC on August 6 to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it came with a personal milestone: it was my first time watching a Tom Holland Spider-Man film. Going in without the direct theatrical baggage of his earlier trilogy gave the whole experience a fresh slate, and overall, I walked away genuinely impressed and thoroughly entertained.
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Sometimes, the best pop culture recommendations come from the most unexpected places. In my case, it wasn’t an algorithmic trailer or a glossy film review that finally pushed me into Bikini Bottom—it was a college classroom.
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If you have a toddler or young child at home, you already know that PAW Patrol is practically an institution. But recently, the franchise reached whole new heights by combining two things kids obsess over most: heroic pups and giant prehistoric dinosaurs. Between catching the new PAW Patrol: Dino World movie on the big screen and diving into the brand-new Xbox video game, our household has been fully immersed in Dino Island—and it has been an absolute blast.
Here are my thoughts on both the theatrical experience and the latest console adventure.
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If you know anything about my taste in cinema, you know that Robert Englund is royalty in my book. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare holds the top spot as my absolute favorite movie of all time, and I still have vivid, incredibly fond memories of sitting in a packed theater back in the day to watch Freddy vs. Jason. So when I saw Englund himself post about Pinocchio Unstrung on Facebook, I hesitated for zero seconds. Any chance to see a brand-new Robert Englund movie on the big screen in theaters is an immediate, non-negotiable ticket purchase for me.
Going into it, I expected campy fun, but I didn’t expect just how thoroughly entertained I’d be.
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I finally made it out to my local AMC to catch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in Dolby Cinema, and after sitting with it for a bit, I’ve got some thoughts.
First off, let’s get the big verdict out of the way: it’s a great movie, and it really is something everyone should see at least once. When Nolan takes on a mythic story on this scale, the sheer ambition on screen demands to be witnessed in a theater setting.
That said, my experience came with a few interesting surprises—and a couple of caveats.
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Every so often, a film comes along that doesn’t just entertain you—it quietens the noise of the modern world and completely resets your perspective.
Directors Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis, along with Executive Producers Richard Gere and Oren Moverman, have delivered something truly extraordinary with Wisdom of Happiness: A Heart-to-Heart with the Dalai Lama.
Having watched my fair share of spiritual and philosophical documentaries over the years, I can say without hesitation that this is easily the most profound and impactful documentary I’ve ever seen featuring the Dalai Lama. I was so deeply moved by the experience that I immediately pre-ordered a digital copy the moment the credits rolled.
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I am still recovering from a Saturday night at the theater, and honestly, my ribs might be bruised from laughing so hard. The Invite is an absolute riot.
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If you know anything about my usual taste in movies, Young Washington isn’t typically the kind of film I’d see. Historical biopics can easily feel dry, stuffy, or like a glorified history lecture, so it’s usually a genre I skip. But I decided to give this one a shot anyway, and honestly, it completely exceeded my expectations.
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If you walked into Evil Dead Burn expecting nothing more than the franchise’s signature blend of chainsaws, geysers of blood, and twisted deadite grins, no one could blame you. Director Sébastien Vaniček absolutely delivers on the gore. But now that the dust (and plasma) has settled, can we talk about what this movie is actually about?
Because holy hell, it is heavy.
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I recently took my three-year-old son out for a big afternoon at the movies to catch Minions & Monsters. We opted for the full IMAX experience at our local AMC, and from a pure sensory standpoint, it absolutely delivered. The animation was jaw-droppingly crisp, the colors practically leaped off the massive screen, and the audio design was incredibly immersive. For a toddler, it was a total sensory paradise. He had an absolute blast, completely locked into the visual spectacle from start to finish.
But as the parent sitting next to him, I was a bit underwhelmed by the movie.
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