spiritual sequel Archives - Page 2 of 14

The Music City Film Critics Honor Sinners as the Big Winner of 2025

Sinning equals winning for Warner Bros. this year!

January 12, 2026

The 2025 #HauntLife Movie Awards

Every year I hand out my #HauntLife Movie Awards, a collection of completely fake, deeply personal honors that exist somewhere between sincere appreciation and gentle bullying. These aren’t about box-office numbers, Rotten Tomatoes scores or what film Twitter decided was… Continue Reading →

January 12, 2026

Wicked: For Good and the Price of Playing the Villain

I have spent a large portion of my life pretending to be things I am very much not. In middle school, I pretended I understood whatever band everyone else suddenly swore had “changed their life,” nodding along like I’d memorized… Continue Reading →

January 6, 2026

Will Tron: Ares be Jared Leto’s Final Franchise Fumble?

How many successful film franchises are based on retro-classic video games? A couple that instantly come to mind are Super Mario Bros. and Sonic. I guess a better question to ask is how many successful film franchises have actually been… Continue Reading →

December 27, 2025

28 Years Later: Expectations, Reality and a Very Different Movie

I went into 28 Years Later expecting water. Clean, familiar, maybe a little stale from sitting out too long, but ultimately recognizable. I expected the cinematic equivalent of rehydration, something that would remind me why this series mattered, hit the… Continue Reading →

December 21, 2025

Wake Up Dead Man is Righteous Knives Out Sequel

I grew up around faith the way some people grow up around fire. It was always present, always framed as protective and always capable of doing real damage, depending on who was holding the match. I watched ordinary people gain… Continue Reading →

December 20, 2025

Tapawingo Takes its Cues from Napoleon Dynamite

If you thought Napolean Dynamite was outrageous back in the day, but you were wondering what those types of characters were up to after high school, it’s time to take a trip to Tapawingo, where the small-town charm of a… Continue Reading →

December 7, 2025

Zootopia 2: A Smart Sequel About Prejudice, Truth and Trust

I have always been fascinated by the little snap judgments people make when they think no one is watching. Growing up, I saw it all the time. Someone would clutch their purse a little tighter when a stranger walked by,… Continue Reading →

December 1, 2025

Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story That Needs More Bite

I have always had a soft spot for stories that take something familiar and twist it just enough to make it feel new again. Give me a reimagined fairy tale, a sideways sequel, a villain-centric prequel and I am all… Continue Reading →

November 19, 2025

Derry Welcomes IT’s Comparison to Stephen King’s Hometown

These days, it’s become incredibly difficult to separate the wheat (pop-culture gold) from the chaff (its divisive creator) because they’re eternally connected. Say what you will about his many hit-or-miss adaptations, Stephen King probably feels bulletproof, cranking out book after… Continue Reading →

November 4, 2025

Geek Culture, Zombies... and Other Monsters

Tag spiritual sequel