Hollis Films

"Harry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares." - IMDB When it comes to these movies, I don't usually compare to the books that much. Most of the Harry Potter films aren't too bad at being good adaptions while also being good stand alone films. But when it comes to Goblet of Fire, I prefer the book way too much to fully enjoy it. We're at the part of the series where books tend to be much thicker to allow the movies to be perfectly adapted. Goblet of Fire did it's best, and is still a decent movie. But like I said, the book is superior. We've entered the era of post Columbus & Williams, but that doesn't mean cast & crew faltered. We still had David Heyman, Stuart Craig, and Steve Kloves at the helm. Mike Newell and Patrick Doyle did okay as Director and Composer. As for cast, all the actors portraying those from Durmstrang & Beaxubatons were good,

Here's a list of my favorite Cartoon Christmas Specials. When I say Christmas Specials - I don't mean the classic stopmotions or Charlie Brown - I'm talking about single episode holiday specials of some of my favorite cartoon series. Here are just 8 of some of the best Christmas specials from cartoon shows you probably know and love. The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas Let's start with one of the most iconic cartoon shows of my generation. Rather than go for a special spin on a regular episode, Powrpuff Girls gave a whole hour long mini movie special. The movie saw Princess Morbucks switch the Naughty-Nice-List equilibrium via a heist to the North Pole to ensure that she receives presents from Santa while the rest of the world gets nothing but coal. In Powerpuff Girls fashion, our favorite trio sets off on a mission set things right on Christmas night. It was exactly what you'd expect would happen during a Powerpuff Christmas special.  Codenam

"Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams, despite his lack of talent." - IMDB Synopsis Ed Wood is such a huge stand out, not just as a movie, but as a Tim Burton flick. The black and white is a huge factor in this. But the movie also has a biopic vibe to it in a very old fashion way. The film is set in old time Hollywood. The costume and set design do a good job of replicating the feel of the time period. The story is sweet, to put it shortly. The individual arcs of Ed & Bela alone are the heart of the film. We feel for Bela Lugosi as the withering the star, and cheer on Ed Wood as the horrible film director. However the passion for film making is a major theme here as Ed struggles to make his dreams come true, and that's something we can all relate to. The true story of the real life Ed Wood on it's own is bizarre and interesting. While Wood didn't succeed the way he wanted to, he still left quite the lega

"A young Colombian girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers." - IMDB Synopsis One of the main things that made me love this movie was the cultural representation. My "2nd family" is Colombian, so I was really excited to see their heritage come to life in a colorful, beautiful animated Disney movie with songs written by the Lin Manuel Miranda. I knew I would walk out of that theater feeling happy and I did. From the character design, world design, soundtrack, the way they danced, and even just sitting through the credits seeing all the Latino cast & crew that worked on this movie, I was just really impressed with how Disney treated the representation overall. While this was a very wholesome Disney film, I don't think it even reaches top 50 Disney movies for me. Not saying I disliked. I literally cried three time because I related to Mirabel so much. I really don't think it'll be seen as a big hit

"An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more." - IMDB Synopsis Fight Club really deserves the right to be called a 90s classic despite premiering at the end of the decade. The style of this movie fits in with it's time - the music, costuming, lighting, and cinematography really helping with this. The concept itself is of course the ultimate highlight. The idea of this secret society revolving around people beating each other up evolves to reflect flaws of society that are still pretty relevant 20 years later.  While the writing can surely speak for itself, the cast really delivers excellent performances that bring these characters to life. Brad Pitt as the very charismatic rebel, Tyler, is a true stand out. Helena Bonham Carter as Marla is a wonderful supporting character. Of course, Edward Norton is the center as the Narrator. He displayed the character's development wonderfully as this miserab

"Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy." - IMDB Synopsis Dune is a remake of the original movie from 1984. From what I heard of that film, I can tell you right now that this latest adaption of the beloved book is much better. Honestly, what stands out to me is how much time we spend learning about this intricate established fictional universe. A film like this is at a risk of breaking the show-don't-tell rule in film making, but I'd say they did a good job with that. We're told some important facts via narration and the national geographic documentaries Paul watches. But we see for ourselves what the political climate is like in this world through the eyes of Paul and a few other characters.  Not everyone would be too attracted to the slow burn that world building can be. But for people that are able to watch the

"Guts is a skilled swordsman who joins forces with a mercenary group named 'The Band of the Hawk', lead by the charismatic Griffith, and fights with them as they battle their way into the royal court." - IMDB Synopsis Watching Berserk for the first time, I was very immersed in the aesthetic & time period of the show. I think, even after 20+ years, it's a very unique setting and feel. If you want a good medieval times anime, Berserk should be your go-to. The highlight for me, of course, was the 3 main characters - Guts, Griffith, and Caska. Guts by far had the most interesting story. We see how he went from an outcast little boy to a man, and then from a hardcore soldier to a friend. His experience with Hawks changed him and it was fun to see throughout his journey. Griffith was, however, the most interesting character. He always came across as mysterious yet trusting, almost like a godly figure to others (of course). He had an airy and almost flirtatious perso

"Teen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe, and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities." - IMDB Synopsis What is so great about this movie is that it's so easy to get into. You don't really have to be a Spiderman fan to appreciate the art, animation, and story. It's also a well written stand alone feature, so it's not like in the MCU where you gotta watch X, Y, and Z in order to understand A. And of course, given the title, it's a fun multiverse adventure. Of all the films and tv episodes that play around with the concept of parallels universes, Into the Spider-Verse must place in the top 10 at least. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Movie a couple years back. Just looking at the art style, it's easy to tell why. I'm not an artist or animator, so I cannot even describe in words how amazing the animation is, story aside. I especially love it when they incorpora

"Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster." - IMDB Synopsis Whenever there was a road trip, I had the same 3 DVDs to choose from to watch on the portable DVD player. Monster house was one of them, so the nostalgia factor is pretty significant for me. Since then, I've made it a tradition to watch it every Halloween. After all this time, I still see it as a classic to watch every spooky season. What stands out to me the most are the characters & the comedy. Hate to admit I see a lot of myself in Chowder, but I do. The main & side characters work really well together to bring the hilarious bickering that is the dialogue. It's my kind of humor, & I unapologetically quote the movie time to time. The animation is very unique. The art style goes a long way, but the motion capture solidifies the original look to the overall animation. When Monster House was made, mo-cap was still on the rise, just being imp

"Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back." - IMDB Synopsis I saw this in theaters when it first came out. I had no idea what to expect, but sure didn't expect to laugh as much as I did. This movie is more funny than scary, if I'm being honest. I was in tears a few times. However, there were a couple moments that made me feel uncomfortable or disturbed. I know there was that whole trailer with the disgusting old lady, but every time I see that scene, I'm horrified. I'm also very claustrophobic, and there were two instances that messed with that fear of mine as well.  The visual casting of the grown up losers is literally phenomenal. Specifically with James Ransone as Eddie, Jay Ryan as Ben, and even Andy Bean as Stan. The adults did so well in passing on some key traits their childhood counterparts had. Eddie is hands down my favo

"A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends." - IMDB Synopsis Angel is the next show on my list and will enjoy this Halloween season with our favorite hot vampire. But for now, let me go back to a marathon I had last year. I watched the entirety of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time ever in just a few months. Some episodes were epic & some episodes were annoying. The show was full of characters that were so easy to connect to, and sometimes I felt characters got  annoying too. But when the credits started after the series finale episode, I had to sit back & take in the experience. Even after 20+ years, Buffy stands on its own & still should be regarded as one of the best shows of all time. This show was definitely revolutionary for its time and raised the bar for all horror shows to come after it. The writing was hit or miss, but every actor always gave the

"Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion." - IMDB Synopsis Now, my fellow Halloween fans, tell me: How many times do you listen to "This is Halloween" during the spookiest time of the year? Well I know I've been known to play the entire soundtrack on loop for the entire month of October. Danny Elfman really perfects the haunting and enchanting tone of the tale that is Nightmare Before Christmas. Honestly, I think I may have seen the movie maybe a dozen times, but listening to the soundtrack, yeah, that's gotta be at least hundreds of loops. Oogie Boogie's song and Jack's Lament would definitely be in the top three songs along with This Is Halloween. And just a side note to add to audio, the casting was well done. Shout out to Ken Page, Catherine O'Hara and Danny Elfman for carrying the movie with their awesome voice acting. While this is Tim Burton's

"The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out." - IMDB Synopsis I've seen almost every Tim Burton film. He's by far one of my favorite directors of all time. Each movie is so stylistic, gothic, and heartwarming (even Sweeney Todd). But it all started here - Beetlejuice. Right from the start, you see the different "Burtonisms" that you see in every Burton movie. Tim Burton has a unique art style that's easy to recognize. And like all his other movies, Beetlejuice really delves deep on very human issues despite the fantasy aspects. And of course it's not a true Burton movie without an enchanting score by Danny Elfman.  Good directors seem to know how to cast their films perfectly. Beetlejuice is no exception here. Catherine O'Hara is a true standout in this movie as Delia. Of course the star of the show is Michael Keaton as the demon himself, an i

"In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town." - IMDB Synopsis When I first saw this film, what stood out to me was the duality of the story. Like one half was the horror film about the town of Derry, while the other half was a coming of age story of a group a friends during their summer break. The film gave enough time for us to know each individual kid and grow emotionally attached to them and their bond with each other.  The casting was absolutely phenomenal for this reason. All the kids were extremely talented and had great chemistry with each other. I absolutely adored Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie. Finn Wolfhard, who was an up and coming star at the time, was a joy to watch. Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, and Jeremy Ray Taylor as Bill, Beverly, and Ben stood out as well. And of course, Bill Skarsgard as the infamous clown, It, w

"A contemporary prequel to Psycho, giving a portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years, and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is." - IMDB Synopsis Now, this show took me by surprise. As a fan of the original film, Psycho, I had certain expectations. But this show blew all of them right out of the water. Cast Freddie Highmore and my love for the movie were the initial reasons why I added this to my watch list. I grew up watching Highmore in films like Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and the Spriderwick Chronicles. His portrayal of Norman is really the greatest role I've seen him in in the 15+ years I've watched him. He was able to present so many different sides of the character, from the sly, charismatic Norman, to the emotional, innocent Norman, to the Mother. As the seasons progressed, so did my awe and admiration to one of my favorite actors of all time. Especially in those final seasons, I was