storyline tropes Archives - Page 2 of 29

Lilo and Stitch is an Ohana Remake

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I did not walk into the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch expecting to cry into my popcorn like it was the funeral scene in The Lion King. But there I was, a… Continue Reading →

Until Dawn: Time-Loop Video Game Horrors

Video game-based horror movies have been around for quite some time, and I’m a big fan of them, even though I’m not an avid gamer. Watching these films feels like stepping into an actual video game, which is one of… Continue Reading →

May 26, 2025

The Last Rodeo: Bulls, Bible Verses and Big Emotions

I know I’ve probably said it at least 100 times, but it bears repeating: as a parent, I’d wrestle a grizzly, “out pizza” the Hut and tiptoe barefoot across a minefield of LEGOs if it meant protecting my child. And… Continue Reading →

May 24, 2025

A24’s Friendship is the Must-See Comedy of the Year

As I pulled up to the Belcourt Theatre for a special screening of A24’s Friendship, I was taken aback by the long line winding around the building. Could this be for that movie? After finally finding a parking spot, I… Continue Reading →

May 15, 2025

Watched The Last of Us for the Emotional Bonding, Stayed for… Two Episodes

Like many viewers, I eagerly awaited Season 2 of The Last of Us. The first season hit hard — not just with its gritty visuals and post-apocalyptic horror, but with the deeply emotional story of Joel and Ellie. As a… Continue Reading →

May 13, 2025

More is More in Another Simple Favor

In 2024, prequels and sequels dominated the box office. Nine of the 10 highest-grossing films were sequels, proving to be major cash cows for successful franchises. So, why not jump on that lucrative bandwagon and churn out a sequel to… Continue Reading →

May 8, 2025

Steven Soderbergh Carries Black Bag to Respectability

Some of the movies that have stuck with me the longest weren’t massive box-office hits or franchise tentpoles — they were the hidden gems that slipped under the radar and hit harder because of it. Films like Bone Tomahawk, which… Continue Reading →

May 5, 2025

Fréwaka: Irish Folk Horror for the Patient Horror Fan

One of my favorite horror tropes is “Don’t Open That Door!” which effectively stirs up fear with just the presence of an ominous door, with no idea what lurks behind it. I particularly dread it when that door leads to… Continue Reading →

April 30, 2025

My Robot Sophia: When Your Childhood Furby Grows Up

When I was a teenager, I owned the ultimate piece of late ’90s technological wizardry: a Furby. Yes, THE Furby: that weird, wide-eyed, gibberish-spouting robot that somehow became the crown jewel of every social circle. While my friends were stuck… Continue Reading →

April 29, 2025

Creep Meets Misery in the Shudder Original, Dead Mail

Imagine stepping into your parents’ dimly lit attic, where the air is thick with nostalgia and the faint scent of old books mingles with mildew. You fumble for the dusty chain hanging from the ceiling, your fingers brushing against the… Continue Reading →

April 25, 2025

Geek Culture, Zombies... and Other Monsters

Tag storyline tropes