For "Magazine Dreams," it's been nothing less than a nightmare.

A once-rising star in Hollywood, the off-screen controversies involving lead actor Jonathan Majors derailed his career and this film. Jonathan Majors was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, in March 2023, leading to charges of misdemeanor assault, harassment, and aggravated harassment. Prosecutors alleged he twisted her arm, struck her head, and caused injuries. In December 2023, a jury found him guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment, but not guilty of intentional assault or aggravated harassment. The conviction was based on recklessness rather than intent. Following the verdict, Marvel Studios dropped him from his role as Kang the Conqueror, and his career faced significant setbacks.

"Magazine Dreams," in which Majors gives what might have been a career-defining performance, was the talk of the festival circuit back in 2023, just prior to these incidents. It was picked up by Searchlight Pictures, who outbid Neon, Sony Pictures and others, and it was expected to be one of their major pushes during awards season.

That all went away. "Magazine Dreams" was shelved, and the distribution rights were quietly returned to the filmmakers. The independent Briarcliff Entertainment - whose highest-grossing previous film to-date was the Liam Neeson thriller, "Blacklight," back in 2022, which grossed under 10 million domestically - has taken a chance on "Magazine Dreams." And I'm glad they did.

Controversies and all, this is a film worthy of being seen. And trying to put the personal stuff aside (if you are unable to, I don't blame you), Jonathan Majors not only gives the best performance of his career, he gives one of the best performances by ANYONE in recent years...an all-in, undeniable performance that crafts one of the most haunting on-screen characters of the past decade.

While the beloved Looney Tunes characters are familiar and respectful, these aren't exactly your parents' Looney Tunes.

"The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie" is shockingly the first all-animated Looney Tunes movie ever released in movie theaters. It's also not being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures...that duty is being handled by the much smaller Ketchup Entertainment, which is why this film might feel a bit "under the radar" for most.

And while this weird, zany sci-fi story is quite harmless, it also feels a bit uninspired. It's been nearly 100 years since the release of the very first Looney Tunes animated short...and this is what we've all waited for?

Everybody loves Pattington, the Peruvian talking bear that winds up living a proper British life in London with his adopted human family, the Browns. So much so, that he's appeared in nearly 30 books since 1958, when he first appeared in the classic  novel "A Bear Called Pattington," by author Michael Bond.

This is the first Pattington film since Bond's death in 2018, and the third in the surprisingly great film series that has not only been a success at the box office, but also with critics ("Pattington 2" held the rare 100% RottenTomatoes rating with over 250 reviews, until some boob famously posted a rotten score, surely to grab personal headlines).

After a rare, underwhelming year in 2024, The Oscar-Nominated Short Films are back in a big way in 2025.

As they have been for the past 20 years now, SHORTS is bringing ALL of these short films to a theater near you (To find showtimes in your area for the Oscar Shorts, click here). Beginning February 14th and through Oscar Sunday, March 2nd, you can experience these amazing films on the big-screen...and in fact, that's the only place you'll find them leading up to the big awards show.

The Live-Action and Animated programs - 10 short films in all - are being presented as one matinee, with an intermission between the categories. You can then buy a separate ticket to watch all of the Oscar-nominated Documentary Short films.

Not only will this help you feel out a more accurate Oscar ballot, but these short films are among the best films - of ANY length - that you'll see all year.

The major bone that I have to pick with "Dog Man," is that the titular character is actually the least interesting of the bunch. But that doesn't stop it from being a successful, if not all that stellar, family-friendly adventure.

It was a year of personal and professional change, but that didn't keep me away from the movies.

As 2024 ends, I'd like to share with you my Top Films of the Year. Gone are the days when I would see between 200-300 films per year...I've admittedly seen way fewer films overall this past year than in recent years, but I still see WAY more than most. If a favorite movie of yours does NOT appear on this list, I will leave it to your imagination as to whether or not I didn't see it, or if I just didn't like it. I will give you a few reveals: First, I did see "The Brutalist" - a film appearing on almost every single critic's Year-End Lists - but I just didn't like it. At all. Sorry not sorry! I also regrettably missed "Megalopolis," a movie I was dying to see (not that it's appearing on ANY Year-End Lists). And finally, I saw and enjoyed "Wicked," but not enough for it to make my list.

And with those controversial statements behind us, I bring you my favorite films of 2024:

I have to admit: When I walked out of the theater after screening "Mufasa: The Lion King," the new prequel and sequel to the CG-realistic 2019 version of "The Lion King," I had a smile on my face. Indeed, there are some good messages and the movie got better, faster, stronger, as it went along, culminating in what felt like a satisfying conclusion. 

But the more and more that I thought about what I had just seen, the more I felt...underwhelmed. The animated original, from 1994, was and is of course a modern classic. And I was one of the lonely critics that actually embraced the 2019 version (that last movie only ended up with a 51% on RottenTomatoes.com).

Especially when I started comparing it to what had came before, I began to feel like the franchise deserved better. "Mufasa: The Lion King" doesn't feel like a pure cash grab in the way that, say, the straight-to-DVD "The Lion King 2" did. And yet, there is no real reason for its existence other than to ravage the dead carcass - like a hyena might - of yet another Disney classic, squeezing what little life might be left so that the masses can feed.

When the tribute to James Earl Jones at the start of the film carries more weight than the film itself, there's a problem.

Fifteen years in the making, and every bit of blood, sweat and tears poured into "Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom" is apparent.

Matt Busch’s "Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom" is an impressive feat of independent filmmaking that feels like cinematic comfort food—familiar, adventurous, and deeply satisfying. Known for his work as a professional illustrator on various Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones projects (and much, much more over his 30+ years in the industry), Busch proves he’s more than just a renowned artist; he’s a capable, bold and passionate storyteller. And what he was able to pull off from a technical standpoint - on a budget of around a paltry $200,000 - simply defies all logic or explanation.

As a film critic for 15+ years, having seen thousands of films over that span, I can say with full confidence that I've never quite seen anything like this. Independent filmmaking and blockbuster popcorn movies have never been mashed together in this way, nor did I think such an amalgam was even possible. Busch has some brass balls for even attempting such a massive undertaking, and what he's been able to accomplish is nothing short of a mind-boggling achievement. And it's singular: It might take until the actual year 3477 for another creative talent such as Matt Busch to come along, because there is NOBODY else who could have even come close to making this project work in the way that he does.

This self-made film, crafted by a self-made man is available for pre-order on Apple TV+ as of December 20th, 2024, and it hits various VOD platforms on January 3rd, 2025.

​I simply cannot recommend this film enough. Read on for my full review.

"Gladiator II," standing on its own, is a serviceable sword-and-sandal action movie. It's when compared to its 2000 predecessor, "Gladiator" - a film that was nominated for five Oscars, winning for Best Picture and Best Actor - where it seems falls short, unable to capture the depth or gravitas that made the original a modern epic.

A divisive movie if there ever was one, 2019's "Joker" was a movie that I was absolutely enthralled by. Not even considering Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning (and well-deserved) performance, it was a movie that took an inspired, serious deep-dive into the causes-and-effects of mental illness, using a well-established and iconic comic book villain as its lens. It was nuanced, gripping and did not offer any easy answers. Was Phoenix's Arthur Fleck born mad? Or was he the predictable end-product of a broken and corrupt societal system? By the film's end, he had inspired the poor and down-trodden citizens of Gotham City...but was Arthur truly the actual Joker that we all would come to know as the arch-nemesis to Gotham's eventual hero, Batman?

(Read my review of the original "Joker" here).

With it's incredible, record-breaking box office success - grossing over 1 Billion dollars and breaking the record for highest-grossing R-Rated film of all-time, until this year's "Deadpool & Wolverine" surpassed it - it was perhaps inevitable that a sequel was demanded, if not required.  Lady Gaga signed on to play Joker's comic book love interest, Harley Quinn, and it was announced that both Phoenix and director Todd Phillips would return. It made fan-boys salivate at the curious announcement that "Joker 2" would actually be...a musical? I guess it could make sense...we are dealing with a master anarchist, a man so crazy and unpredictable that in his world, anything can make sense.

Everything was teed up for "Joker: Folie a Deux" (translated from French as "madness shared by two") to be a massive success. It ends up being one of the most egregious misfires in recent movie memory.

***Spoilers are to follow, be warned.***