Comcast Sent Me This Box. It Sucks. Here's Why You Should Get One Too

Remember how last year I left Pittsburgh and moved to Iowa and then 6 months later I moved back to Pittsburgh? Well because this year wasn’t bad enough we had to move again. But it’s all okay! Our new place is 100% better then where we spent 2020 and it’s just down the block. Not only that, when we transferred our internet service, Comcast asked me if I wanted this… thing.

Why Iron Man 2 is My Favorite Marvel Movie

The third film in what has become known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a lot riding on it's shoulders. It was the follow-up to Iron Man, the massive hit that started it all. It came out in 2010, after 2009 became so far the only year to lack an MCU release. Most notably, Iron Man 2 was hot on the pre-Avengers hype. It understandably wasn't everyone's favorite, but almost a decade later it's still considered one of the worst out of over 20 of these things. And I find that crazy. It's my favorite!

Return to Oz: A Summer Wars Retrospective

Summer Wars is a 2009 animated film from director Mamoru Hosoda. It was his third feature and a spiritual and personal remake of his earlier Digimon film, Our War Game, which made up the second segment of Saban’s Digimon: The Movie. What makes Summer Wars still so spectacular over ten years later? Read on as I return to this classic anime film.

Recasting the Children of Thanos

When Gamora and Nebula appeared in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, I was blown away by the idea that Thanos adopted a bunch of aliens, trained them to be killers, and pitted them against each other until rivalries formed among them. I was excited to hear that four more of his "children" would appear in Infinity War - imagine my disappointment when they ended up just being generic CGI characters who don't even really have names. I've never done a fancast before, certainly not one for a movie that came out 2 years ago, but that's not going to stop me from fixing this mess.

Disney+ Is Missing All of the Disney Stuff That I Actually Want to Watch

When Disney+ was first announced, I got the vibe that it would just stream Disney and Pixar's animated features, the MCU and Star Wars films, and every episode of the Simpsons for some reason. I was shocked to eventually learn that it would have almost everything Disney. Almost everything. 

The Case for Origin Stories

Everyone is sick of superhero movies being bogged down by origin stories - even the people who make them. In this video I make the case for origin stories, because we need them now more than ever.

My Favorite Movies of the Decade

I wasn't going to do any year end posts because I've kinda gotten over the whole concept. Time is fake and calendars are arbitrary. Nothing of consequence will change on January 1st and the changes that do occur do so over such a gradual amount of time that the culture of early 2010 feels like a different universe to that of late 2019. But Christmas falls on a Wednesday and there's no comics to review this week, so here we go.

What to Expect when Attending an Advance Screening

For the past two years, I have been attending advance movie screenings. Now that I’ve gotten used to the process, I thought I’d share what the experience is like and offer some tips on how you can attend advance screenings yourself and what you can expect from the whole experience.

Black Panther Costumes on Display at Heinz History Center

Ruth E. Carter is the Academy Award-nominated costume designer behind critically acclaimed films including Malcolm X, Selma, Do the Right Thing, and Serenity. Most recently, her work was featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther. I had the opportunity to see these costumes up close at the Heinz History Center.

Digimon: The Movie & the Art of Bad Poster Design

Digimon: The Movie is kinda my favorite film ever made based on my favorite show(s) of all time. It’s ninety minutes of ultimate fanservice for any kid who loved the first two seasons of Digimon: Digital Monsters. But the poster? Holy crap, guys. Read on because I’m going to take it apart piece by piece.

REVIEW: Hunter X Hunter: Phantom Rouge

Since many anime series run for hundreds of episodes and there are manga out there that have so many volumes they require a dedicated bookshelf, I have come to limit my regular manga collecting to just 1 series: Hunter X Hunter. It helps that there is a hiatus going on all the time, so there’s only a new volume maybe once a year. Needless to say, I was very excited for the first ever Hunter X Hunter anime movie! Check out my full review of Phantom Rouge after the jump.

Who Stole the Worst Animated Movie Ever Made?

Foodfight! was a 2012 animated, straight to DVD release about a universe filled with characters and mascots from the world of food products. Think The LEGO Movie but instead of construction workers and cowboys you got Chester Cheetah and Captain Crunch. It received a quiet release, straight to DVD and in only select regions, occasionally popping up in a bargain bin at Wal-Mart. But the virtually insignificant film has a story beyond being pretty terrible - a mystery that remains unsolved today.

REVIEW: Black Panther

When Marvel Studios was born with a mission of producing a connected universe of films based on their less well-known characters, I made two requests: a wizard and a king. Even before Iron Man, I was already bored with science-based heroes. I’m a fan of Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four - but there is more to superheroes and genetics and radiation. I wanted to see a wizard master of the mystic arts. We got that. I didn’t like it. The only other thing I want out of the MCU now is a king of a great African nation. After all these years, the Black Panther is here. Full review after the jump.

REVIEW: Mazinger Z: INFINITY

Mazinger Z, briefly known in the US as Tranzor Z, helped launch the popularity of mecha anime and manga. The first piloted super robot is something of a symbol for mecha fans. Since its creation, multiple manga and anime featuring other versions of Mazinger have been produced. For its 45th anniversary, a special theatrical film was produced by Toei to bring Mazinger Z back to life.

My 10 Favorite Movies of 2017

When I was in college (film school no less) I didn’t see that many movies every year. Going all the way to the theater and paying $10 for something that might be good never sounded like a good time. But for the second year in a row I’ve seen over ten movies, so strap in for another list of my 10 favorite movies of the year.

REVIEW: Naruto Shippuden The Movie Rasengan Collection

What’s better than a Naruto Shippuden movie? Four Naruto Shippuden movies. That’s what you get with the Naruto Shippuden The Movie Rasengan Collection! Across these four films, Naruto and his allies protect females we will never see again, visits places we’ve never heard of before, and use every super cool special attack we’ve ever wanted to see in HD.

REVIEW: Digimon Adventure Tri: Determination

It’s been 3 years since we first found out about Digimon Adventure tri., the sequel series to the original Digimon anime that changed my life eighteen years ago. Thanks to Crunchyroll we’ve been able to see each new chapter of this saga the same day they’re theatrically released in Japan. Last year we got a chance to see the first chapter, dubbed in English, in a special one-night event. And now, thanks to Shout! Factory, we can finally watch Chapter 2 Determination dubbed in English.

REVIEW: K: Missing Kings

K: Missing Kings is the feature length sequel to the anime series simply titled “K.” For a twelve episode first season, K is one of the anime I’ve had the hardest time finishing. I actually did like it. After just the first episode I fell in love with the visuals, the characters, and the action. There was just something about the way the story was told that had me taking weeks off between episodes. Luckily, by the time I finished the series I was pumped for the movie.

REVIEW: Captain Underpants

Captain Underpants is a series of superhero novels featuring loads and loads of potty humor, and it’s something I have fond memories of from my childhood. When I was first dating Katrina I was surprised to find out that Captain Underpants was her little brother’s favorite books. Who knew they would still be around after 20 years? The most popular book series at the Scholastic Book Fair is not only still popular with elementary schoolers, it’s the inspiration for a feature-length animated film released by DreamWorks Animation.

REVIEW: Boruto Anime Movie & Manga Debut

Naruto was one of the first manga series I ever read, back when Shonen Jump magazine was popping up in Gamestop every month. I lost interest long before the cast grew up in Naruto: Shippuden, but I always wanted to get back into it as the years progressed. The long-running story of a boy ninja finally came to an end in 2015, but now Naruto’s got a son named Boruto and he’s blasting onto the scene with a new manga series and feature length movie.