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...