Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Another Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which celebrated the 35th anniversary of its theatrical release last year) today...

The last time I saw The Last Crusade at the movie theater—which was an AMC, to be exact—was on June 9, 1989 (according to my personal journal)!

The theatrical poster for INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.

Monday, June 16, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch How to Train Your Dragon (not in IMAX) this afternoon!

A theatrical poster for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Get Ready for SPACEBALLS 2!

After a 40-year absence, Dark Helmet will return in 2027's SPACEBALLS 2.

Earlier today, legendary filmmaker Mel Brooks released the funny trailer below announcing that Spaceballs 2—the long-awaited(?) sequel to the 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs—is now in development!

According to Deadline, Spaceballs 2 will bring back Brooks himself as President Skroob and Yogurt, while Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis (who interestingly didn't come out of retirement from acting for 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife or 2024's Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) will reprise their roles as Lone Starr and Dark Helmet, respectively. Keke Palmer (of 2022's Nope and this year's One of Them Days) and Pullman's son Lewis Pullman (of 2022's Top Gun: Maverick and this year's Thunderbolts*) will appear in Spaceballs 2 as well.

No specific release date has been set yet, but the Schwartz awakens in 2027. Can't wait!

Saturday, June 7, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch the John Wick spinoff flick Ballerina today!

The theatrical poster for BALLERINA.

Friday, June 6, 2025

A Quick Update on STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER...

The promotional logo for 2027's STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER.

So I just read online that Mia Goth—who was amazing in such horror flicks as 2023's Infinity Pool and 2024's MaXXXine—has been cast in 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter...which will be directed by Deadpool & Wolverine's Shawn Levy and star Ryan Gosling.

Unsurprisingly, Goth will be playing the lead villain in Starfighter. According to online reports, Goth will portray an antagonist who's after the young nephew of Gosling's character in the Star Wars spinoff flick. It remains to be seen if Goth's villain will be a former member of the First Order or Final Order...since Starfighter is supposed to take place just five years after the events of 2019's The Rise of Skywalker.

Some Sequel Trilogy characters (like Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron, which would make sense since he's a starfighter pilot) may return in this film!

Star Wars: Starfighter is set to hit theaters nationwide on May 28, 2027.

Mia Goth joins Ryan Gosling on the cast of 2027's STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER.

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Monday, May 26, 2025

Another Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Lilo & Stitch on this Memorial Day!

(I never saw the 2002 original film)

A theatrical poster for LILO & STITCH.

Saturday, May 24, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning today!

The theatrical poster for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING.

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Friday, May 16, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at the California Science Center...

Gettin' ready to watch the 2024 film The Blue Angels in IMAX 3D today!

The theatrical poster for THE BLUE ANGELS.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Monday, May 5, 2025

Remembering GLADIATOR a Quarter-Century Later...

Today marks 25 years since GLADIATOR was unleashed in movie theaters nationwide.

25 years ago today, I went to the AMC 20 theater inside Puente Hills Mall to watch Gladiator for the first time. Needless to say, the Ridley Scott-directed Roman epic starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen was my favorite movie of 2000...and now one of my favorite flicks of all time. Along with the amazing action sequences—ranging from the opening battle in Germania and the re-enactment of the Battle of Carthage to Maximus' (Crowe) final showdown with Emperor Commodus (Phoenix) inside the Colosseum—you also had Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard's hauntingly beautiful music score, and the memorable quotes below:

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity."

"If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the Sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium...and you are already dead!"

"Are you
not entertained?!"

"The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end, your highness."

"Tell me what you've been doing, busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood."

"Am I
not merciful?!"

"The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story! But now, the people want to know how the story ends."

Granted, I had to Google the exact wording to the 'Elysium,' 'busy little bee' and 'the general who became a slave' quotes...but you get the point. Gladiator was also one of the first movies that I talked about when I started my main Blog 25 years ago this October!

Gladiator II was my favorte film of 2024, but its 2000 Oscar-winning predecessor will always be a movie that significantly enhanced my passion for cinema. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Another Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Happy Star Wars Day! Gettin' ready to watch The Amateur this afternoon...

The theatrical poster for THE AMATEUR.

Friday, May 2, 2025

Monday, April 28, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at Regal Edwards...

Since I got off work early today, I decided to watch Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith on the big screen again!

20th anniversary poster art for STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (which celebrates the 20th anniversary of its theatrical release next month) today...

The last time I saw Revenge of the Sith at the movie theater was on July 10, 2005 (according to my personal journal)!

The theatrical poster for STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Friday, April 18, 2025

Thursday, April 17, 2025

A Cool Bit of Casting That I'd Like to See for a Live-Action ROBOTECH Film...

Blackpink's Lalisa Manoban would be great as Lin Minmei, a singer who uses her songs to help Macross forces wage battle against the alien Zentradi, in a live-action ROBOTECH movie.

So in the wake of her rising stardom after appearing as Mook in the hit HBO TV series The White Lotus, it occurred to me that Lalisa Manoban—best known as Lisa on the Korean pop group Blackpink—would be awesome as Lin Minmei in a live-action Robotech film!

For those of you not familiar with Robotech, this classic 1980's cartoon is an American adaptation of three Japanese anime series: Super Dimension Fortress (SDF) Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA. Minmei is a character from SDF Macross.

The reason why I think Lisa would be awesome as Minmei is because this Macross character is an idol singer and film star, just like Lisa in real life, who uses her songs to confuse enemy Zentradi forces as this alien species wages war against the humans living on the SDF-1 Macross spaceship (shown above).

Minmei would be an interesting role for Lisa, as the blue-haired singer is caught up in a love triangle with Rick Hunter (Macross' hotshot fighter pilot and chief protagonist) and Lisa Hayes, the ranking first officer aboard SDF-1.

Minmei would be a scene-chewing role for Lisa—especially when Minmei, or at least a hologram of her, flies off into battle to sing her enchanting songs as Macross Veritech fighters take on the Zentradi in deep space or on Earth.

There have been talks about a Robotech feature film for over 15 years now...with Spider-Man's Tobey Maguire initially taking the helm on bringing this cool animated series to the big screen. When Robotech does get greenlit for production (by Sony Pictures), hopefully Lisa will be considered for a role in this movie.

One can only dream!

Blackpink's Lalisa Manoban on stage at a concert.

A hologram of Lin Minmei sings during a battle between human and Zentradi forces in a screenshot from an episode of ROBOTECH.

Artwork depicting Lin Minmei, Lisa Hayes and Rick Hunter (as well as a Veritech fighter)...the love triangle in ROBOTECH.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Thursday, April 10, 2025

A New, Long-Awaited Category Will Soon Be Presented at the Academy Awards...

A screenshot from 2024's THE FALL GUY, which was directed by David Leitch...who helped get the Best Stunt Design category for the Oscars approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 10, 2025.

It was announced earlier today that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will soon have a new category to present at the Academy Awards a few years from now...for Best Stunt Design!

This award to recognize stunt performers in the filmmaking community has been years in the making, with the first Best Stunt Design Oscar to be presented in 2028—during the 100th Academy Awards ceremony.

Director David Leitch (who helmed 2024's The Fall Guy, 2022's Bullet Train and 2018's Deadpool 2) led the initiative on behalf of the stunt community to bring this new official Oscar category to fruition.

Can't wait to see who'll take home the first trophy for stunt design! This category will honor movies that will be released in 2027, so will Avengers: Secret Wars, The Batman: Part II and Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum be among the first nominees? Stay tuned.

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Another Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch the Oscar-winning film Anora today!

ANORA is the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2024.

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Saturday, February 15, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Captain America: Brave New World today!

The theatrical poster for CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Saturday, January 11, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Gettin' ready to watch Den of Thieves 2: Pantera today!

The theatrical poster for DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

My Latest Take on a Potential Third GLADIATOR Film...

Lucius (Paul Mescal) battles through a horde of Roman soldiers at Numidia in GLADIATOR II.

Why Gladiator III needs to happen even though Gladiator II hasn't broken even at the box office (it still should've made $450 million worldwide as of today): Domestically, The Matrix Revolutions earned far less than The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 (Revolutions made $139 million while Reloaded grossed $282 million that year, according to Box Office Mojo), and Lana Wachowski still got to direct 2021's The Matrix Resurrections. Resurrections only garnered $38 million in North America over three years ago, but still— Warner Bros. allowed this sequel to be made.

Paramount Pictures can always fund Ridley Scott's second legacy sequel to the original Gladiator film with money earned from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (which has a current worldwide box office gross of $338 million). The studio will recoup that investment from 2027's Sonic the Hedgehog 4...and Top Gun 3, which might possibly begin principal photography this year.

Make Gladiator III happen!

Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) rise from the dead in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Happy New Year, everyone! Gettin' ready to watch the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown today...

The theatrical poster for A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.