Nick Nack Goes To The Movies

It's been a long time coming, but another horror franchise was looming large in my to do bin for episode content.  I've tackled some of the modern classics, and with The Conjuring franchise in the rearview mirror, it dawns upon me to take on the other Patrick Wilson spooky multi-movie series.  So Insidious o'clock, here we are.If you like hauntings and family dramas with emotional resonance, this is the franchise and episode for you.  I break down the confusing, but important, chronological order you should watch these in, show you who the real MVP and main character of the franchise is, and lastly, try not to, but inevitably compare Insidious and Conjuring.Make sure to let me know what you think of this horror franchise.  Hit me up on social to share if you have had any emotional resonance or tears shed watching any of these movies at @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Instagram, Tik Tok, Letterboxd or Twitter.  It may surprise you which movie I cried at.

2023 and the holiday season may be coming to a close, those things are true and time is relative.  But before that all takes place, I want to look back at the latest and potentially greatest season horror movie to come out.  Thanksgiving is not a very movie-laden holiday outside of Spider-Man, Black Friday, and not this spooky slasher named aptly for the same holiday, Thanksgiving.  So if you like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer but want even more seasonal specific references with some super Bahstahn accents and a good amount of gore, this is that gift that could continue to give year after year.  But hey, will this movie eat and leave neither crumbs nor leftovers?  Or, will this be one overcooked turkey of a film?  There is only one way to find out so watch that movie and let's figure it all out together.  And once you do, please let me know what you think of this turducken of a horror holiday whodunnit of a movie.  Hit me up on social to share if you are thankful for this or not at either @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Instagram, Tik Tok, Letterboxd or Twitter (I guess you could call it X if you want).

It may not be a stellar entry for the DCEU.  But somehow it encapsulate the ups and downs and the best and worst of the not so long-standing franchise.  If nothing else, the Flash movie exists.  This is a movie that has been long expected and gone through multiple ideas and revisions as the future looked bright-ish for this latest cinematic universe and now it looks dead in the water. The hype going into it was unbelievable, fans and the entirety of the DCEU was counting on this movie with a troubled production history and everything else going on to either save the franchise and be the next step forward or to end thing arguably in the cleanest most concise way ever and wrap up a decade of plot threads.  Needless to say, that was a lot, maybe too much on this movie.But as a super hero movie fan, I had to tackle this movie.  It has been far too many months since I last graced the podcast airwaves, so here we are to bring about the end of the DCEU (until Aquaman 2 that is) and talk about how this last entry wrapped things up and how it stands as a solo and final outing for the Flash.Make sure to stop by all your favorite socials to find us at either @nicknackmovies or @nicknack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Letterboxd.  Share all your thoughts on The Flash now that we have all had months to process it and maybe see it for the first time on Max.

It is another catchup episode of Nick Nack Goes to the Movies, and thank goodness they say good things come to those who wait.  It may not be as new to theaters, but we have a jam packed triple feature here.  Timely considering I just did a double feature of back to back movie viewings at Marcus Theaters.  Not the Barbenheimer cinematic event, this is something more casual.So you wanna know what I am talkin here?  Do ya?  Well it is these cinematic beauties, or are they beasts?  Only you will find out by listening to me talk on the end cap to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Vol. 3.  After that, we could not just talk about one super hero movie.  And while that The Flash movie will be discussed eventually on here, this is not that time.  Instead it is indeed another Marvel movie, just not an MCU one.  The second of the animated Spider-Man movies from Sony, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse could be an important milestone to this eventual proposed trilogy showing that Sony still can do it.Lastly, this movie might not be a super hero movie, but with the suspension of disbelief, you might as well consider all of the Fast & Furious franchise something closer to these super hero movies.  The amount of people coming back from the dead and surviving things with the power of family, I will let you sort out where you classify these and the latest one, Fast X.But pull up a comfy chair and a blanket, be you at home or your own office blanket, and take a listen to my take on this current cinemascape.  All that and more on Nick Nack Goes to the Movies.  And if you want more, check out all of our socials on every platform, not Threads yet, at either @NickNack_IC or @NickNackMovies !

Well hey you, long time no chat?  But now is the time to get reacquainted with one another as well as some of the movies that have been around the theater scene.  If you like video game adaptations and want to see another Jack Black musical bop, well good, we are talking about The Super Mario Bros. Movie .  If you like nerdy things, Chris Pine, and nerdy adaptations, we got Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.  Lastly, if you want to see if lightning can strike twice with Shazam's sequel, and if the DCEU can go out on a high note with one of the last few entries.  All that and more are here for this Nick Nack Goes to the Movies new(ish) to theaters catchup edition, the latest of the bunch.  If you do want to send me one of those AMC D20 popcorn things from the D&D movie or just want to talk what you've seen or are excited to see in theaters next, hit me up on social @NickNack_IC or @NickNackMovies on Instagram, Tik Tok, Letterboxd, and Twitter!

The Scream franchise has a special place in my heart.  It may not be the scariest franchise out there, in fact, I can almost guarantee it is not, but it does something nothing else has really come close to.  It takes a genre in slashers that people love and it plays with that notion of film lovers, it puts them in the movie.  It has fun with the tropes of the genre without outright mocking them.  This movie franchise references other horror franchises in a love letter to the slasher genre and also 6 movies deep now with Scream IV, it respects and references its own history and lore.I have so many good things to say to this franchise, it helped me on the path to other slasher and horror franchises like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and even the Conjuring.  Think of this as my gateway to it all, in a similar way that a lot of people may view M3GAN getting people into the genre.  But this has maybe a little less cringe with its pop culture nods.  And starting way back in the 90's, this franchise has evolved while still keeping a few main characters integral to the story over the years and not doing a full cast swap every movie after killing everyone off.But now that I history dumped and showed my love for this franchise, 6 movies is a lot.  The question we will answer today, can this franchise continue to churn out screams of joy rather than scares of another series too long in the tooth that is drained of what made it special?  Can it continue to adapt and remain relevant and not something that just peaked in the 90's?  Let's figure that all out, right here, right now, on Nick Nack Goes to the Movies!

After every non life-threatening medical issue ever to start off 2023 and some work travel, we are back baby.  Back on your podcast airwaves, back with season 4, and Nick Nack is indeed back to theater for some movies.  We ended last season with a Marvel movie so now we have to start this one with, you guessed it, another Marvel and specifically MCU movie.  A ton of fun movies came out at the end of 2022, but I had to talk about the start of Phase 5 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.  Ant-Man has been the franchise of fun in the MCU up to this point.  Does this third entry continue that trend?  Does Jonathan Majors bring something special for the future as the next long-standing big bad?  Find out all of that and more on this episode of Nick Nack Goes To The Movies.  Make sure to let us know your take on this and the rest of the MCU up to this point on social at either @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and yes, especially Letterboxd, where you can find my entire rankings list for the MCU.

It is time to say goodbye to the MCU, well Phase 4 at least.  Let's be real, we know of at least 2 more phases in the works.  But Black Panther: Wakanda, or Black Panther 2 is the end cap of big screen movie entries for this phase, of course we have Disney Plus shows and a few seasonal specials.  So this is the perfect time to recap one of the more highly anticipated entries of this phase.  We of course we all excited for the latest Spider-Man entry, but this had to be right below that.  But this movie had the a lot of tasks placed on it outside of the normal expectations for being a good movie in the fairly up and down phase for the MCU.  Not only did this, and every other movie of this phase have that question of what the long standing goals for the over-arching MCU were.  It also had to tell a good story that honors it previous leading actor, Chadwick Boseman, while also moving on from him and simultaneously finding a way to address his real world death.  So let us figure out together how this movie manages to work through all these important and lofty goals and to what degree.  Let me know on social @NickNackMovies and @NickNack_IC on Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, and Letterboxd where you can see my latest full MCU rankings, now 30 films deep.

There is a lot of change afoot for DC Comics in regards to their live-action presence.  First the DCEU now just the DC Universe.  That "The World Needs Heroes" trailer that had one independent project and 3 DCEU projects  was quickly short-changed to just the well-received The Batman movie and only this one movie, Black Adam, came out in this year.  The last of these DCEU, now just DCU movies, The Suicide Squad, came out all the way back in late July in 2021.  With all this talk from Black Adam leading man Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson about this being a new era for DC with his character at the center of it, and all the behind the scenes changes with James Gunn taking charge of a super confused direction for these movies, this movie does potentially take the lead for the future direction of this entire storyline and continuity.  What will the end result be for these movies.  Will this franchise rise from the ashes to challenge Marvel, or will this franchise continue to wallow in despair with the uneven track record it is currently known for.  Also, be aware, this episode will for sure be an appreciation episode for all Pierce Brosnan does not only in the super cool role of Dr. Fate, but just overall.  So be excited for that and more on this super episode of Nick Nack Goes to the Movies!

Another episode is here just in time to ring in and close out the greatest time of the year, this Halloween eve you can celebrate the season in 2 unique ways with 2 franchises.  Want some family friendly fun?  Check out the sequel almost 30 years later, Hocus Pocus 2 and all the bewitching fun that may or may not bring.  And after that, for a nightcap for something a bit scarier, you can hear how the 5th continuity timeline for this 13 movie series ends.  All things Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, and everything else as Halloween Ends...for now at least.  So if you want to watch a slasher or a festive spooky musical, you got it all here.  But the important question you will have answered here, do these sequels cut above the rest?  Can you add them to your holiday seasonal viewing year after year?  Find out that and more, including my Letterboxd ratings for both movies, on this episode of Nick Nack Goes To The Movies.  And make sure to catch up and get more NNGTTM content on social, either  @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and more!  Let us know there what your favorite spooky season viewing staple is there!

Another spooky vampire or otherwise horror movie out and about, and here I and this podcast are to talk all about it!  Will you accept this invitation to this episode about the newest thing to sink your teeth into, The Invitation?  This episode has everything you could want.  Horror things, references to gothic architecture and Hallmark movies, romance, and a debate about the multiple portrayals of vampires and zombies in modern media.  But most importantly, this is a piece about a woman grappling with loss and loneliness, dismantling the patriarchy and finding herself along the way.  Things we can all relate to, this feminist anthem written and directed by women, it just has a vampire set dressing.  So yeah, you should absolutely flock to the theater to see this one and let me know on social at either @NickNack_IC or @NickNackMovis on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, or Letterboxd if you liked it and if this movie inspired you to tackle down the walls of the patriarchy too?

While August and all of the summer blockbusters are mostly behind us, I wanted to take one long overdue look at some of the early August movies to grace theaters everywhere, especially my default one, Marcus Theaters.  So  this episode, it is time for you to catch a ride on the Bullet Train and hope you don't leave a trail of too many Bodies, Bodies, Bodies along the way.  On one hand, you have a certified bop that should be considered one of the best summer movies of the season with none other than Brad Pitt, and a ton of other quality actors.  On the other part of this double feature, you have Pete Davidson in a horror movie with a bunch of teens and or young adults that looked like it could be similar to Scream, and it was made by A24 the horror company who definitely does some good, but also made, Men, which you know, is too weird for even me.  So let's dive into these once more before we take a pause from going to theaters and look towards the newer final frontier of entertainment media with a few streaming service stories!What was your favorite summer blockbuster?  Let me know on social at either @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Letterboxd, and every other social media platform that exists!

Another scary movie, and you know what that means?  Yes, I had to talk about it, especially with the Jordan Peele name on it, that is like the seal of approval for the genre these days.  And with it comes the movie trip to see the latest of these, Nope, with a few friends on the show as fellow Nopers to give not only their Letterboxd ratings, but also, all of us try and come up with the moral or message of the movie.  That may be hard here with there being so much you can take away from this film staring Black Panther and Black Mirror's Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer from both Scream the TV series and Scream Queens, and The Walking Dead legend Steven Yeun!  So join all of us, this pack of movie-going people, as we dissect this new age alien movie, and see if you should also say, yup to seeing this modern day Jaws movie with feelings, or if you need to say nope and not get sucked into the hype. Let us know what you thought of this latest scaretastic movie filled with trauma and deep therapy and grief overcoming moments with the occasional dance breaks on social at either @NickNack_IC or @NickNack Movies on Letterboxd, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, and all of the social media platforms you can think of that still function!

On this episode of Nick Nack Goes To The Movies, we have another mixed bag of horror and super hero content.  And likewise, the mix not only includes genres, albeit ones you loyal listeners are super familiar with, the blend of scares and supes.  The big mix is once again expectations.  A big budget MCU movie, the juggernaut of movies and now shows with Disney Plus, versus a short story adaptation with one name brand actor to that movie's roster.  Ethan Hawke is a fine actor, but it would be tough to take him over Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and so many more!  But through the entirety of this podcast episode, let us look and examine the differences and interest levels and execution of both these movies and see which reigns supreme.  Will you answer the call of The Black Phone, or can lighting and thunder strike twice?  Let me know your take on social at @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Letterboxd.

Welcome to another episode of Nick Nack Goes To The Movies.  With nothing crazy coming out that I was dying to dedicate to a whole episode.  I wanted to tackle a longstanding horror franchise that had been on my desk for ages, in the early inception of this podcast.  And with the day that it was, I was curious for a 4th themed horror something or another too.  And we did I Know What You Did Last Summer already, so it was time for this franchise to have a Final Destination on this movie review podcast.  5 movies to go made from 2000-2011, it has been a bit since we tackled a full franchise, but this was the one to bring those episodes back for a bit before we get lost in the Summer blockbusters like Nope and the latest Thor movie.  And there are some name brand enough actors in this, horror legend Tony Todd along with Sean William Scott, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and of course Courtney B. Vance.  While this franchise might not get the love others do as a complete body of work, there are some cool ideas explored throughout, and that first one and a few really cool set-piece moments that really do traumatize you from everything in the world.  So let's be afraid of the world together and get through all of this franchise on HBO Max and see if we make it through!  What is your favorite of the bunch and what is your take on them as a whole series?  Let me know on social at Nick Nack Movies and NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Letterboxd.

This episode of Nick Nack Goes to the Movies takes one the newest entries in some late 80's and early 90's classics.  The 6th and potentially final movie end-capping the second dynamic dinosaur trilogy, Jurassic World: Dominion, and the sequel that nobody anticipated ever coming, Top Gun: Maverick.  So, the theme of this episode quickly became how different franchise have come back to make a sequel entry.  For Jurassic Park World, it was the end cap of a second trilogy, for Top Gun, it was, becoming a franchise adding a sequel entry a bit under 30 years after the original took flight.  Let’s see the if this is a flight simulator of success or if we are entering danger zones.  Are these franchises prehistorical and need to be extinct, or are these movies breathing new life into them!  These movies have some big name actors including Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, and Sam Neil to name a few.  And of course the hit track, Danger Zone. But what do you think, did these movies move the needle for you?  Did Top Gun need a sequel and will we ever see another Jurassic Park movie?  Let me know that and your favorite dinosaur on social, @NickNack_IC or @NickNackMovies on Tik Tok, Instagram, Letterboxd, and Twitter.

It is time loyal listener for another super-stuffed episode of this pop-culture podcast.  This episode of Nick Nack Goes to the Movies is all about the Black Mirror franchise.  In the spirit of long lasting franchise marathon binges, we have given this the American Horror Story treatment.  I got through all 22 movies/episodes in two weeks and here we are.  If you want to be horrified by technology that seems far off, but shockingly isn't, if you want to reflect on the world that is, or if you just want to feel some small sense of overwhelming dread, have I got an anthology series for you.  The mini-movies are the best thing for fans of a certain type of horror, and while most of these are dark, and depressing, as they should be, they are all well made and a few are actually pretty fun.  Some may be too weird, dark, or messed up, but nothing will be as weird as Men of course.  And the cast of these is stacked, there will be some actor that you will be really excited to see in at least one or a few of these.  It could be Hannah John Kamen, Jerome Flynn, Anthony Mackie, John Hamm, Haley Atwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniel Kaluuya, Yahah Abdul Mateen the second, Miley Cyrus, or someone I didn't mention here yet!  MCU, Game of Thrones, James Bond, and more mainstays are littered in these 22 episodes.   So go watch these episodes on Netflix now, and make sure to let me know your favorites and Letterboxd order/rankings.  Let me know on social at Nick Nack Movies or NickNack_IC on every social platform including Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and more!

The latest from Marvel and the Cinematic Universe is here!  And while that could also be applied to Moon Knight on Disney Plus.  I am actually referencing the latest MCU movie to come out, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.  The latest of these movies to hopefully provide more clear concrete direction for the MCU, spoiler alert, it does not.  But what it does do is blend the horror and super hero genres fairly well, even though I would have obviously been cool with the even darker R-Rated version.  And while this is a surprisingly divisive movie, I think it get's the job done.  The storytelling is good, the cameos are amazing, even if a few mainstays for the Wanda and Strange storylines are left on the cutting room floor a bit.  Yes, that ice cream song is bad bad, worse than the Spider-Man 3 dance or even the Morbius dance.  But outside of that, let's talk more about the pros, and some of the not so pros of this movie?  And of course let me know your take on this Doctor Strange movie on social at either NickNackMovies or NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Letterboxd, where you can find my updated entire MCU movie ranking list!

It is time for another magical episode about a film franchise, albeit not as long standing or even particular sturdy one.  While we all want to talk about multiverses and strange doctor men, first I gotta get my notes out there to you on not only the latest Fantastic Beasts film, Secrets of Dumbledore, but also the middle less than stellar entry, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and of course the original.  So let's take a trip all the way back to 2016 when we were just excited for Eddie Redmayne and a new Harry Potter/Wizarding World movie.  These may not be perfect, but I have a soft spot for all three, especially when Jude Law is on screen or any of the three actors in their take on Grindelwald.  And of course, Dan Fogler is a champ in these and brings so much fun to this period-piece historical fiction franchise that while I want five movies, will most likely be done at three, just hopes and dreams like the Ayer Cut, the Snyderverse, and the 6 hour Andy Muschietti cut of It!  But let's take a look at all three of these, and see the good, and yes, the bad, of them.  And of course let's chat on them all on social @NickNackMovies or @NickNack_IC on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Letterboxd!

On the latest episode of this movie review podcast, I am not gonna recommend this one.  I like super hero things, and I like horror things.  Hypothetically this sounds like it would be a power blend of both genres with the latest Marvel adaptation, Morbius.  That being said, this movie was not it.  And honestly, kind of what you expected from the trailers.  There is a dance scene that tries to rival the Spider-Man 3 monstrosity, but that was devastating in the best possible way.  This movie just has a bit of an uninspired lead and a lack of direction.  There are a few good enough moments, but that is not enough sadly.  But come check out my full take on this movie and let me know what you thought on social at NickNack_IC or NickNackMovies on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok.   And if this wasn't the best there was, it was not, what movie are you most looking forward to coming out next?