BE REEL

(Source: IMDb )  Growing up in the 1990s, there were very few movies and TV shows featuring characters and groups of people that I genuinely identified with, particularly outcasts and those who weren’t perceived as “cool kids” by comparison. From the earliest Nicktoons (Doug Funnie, anyone?) to Saturday morning fun on ABC (looking at you, Recess ), and, of course, several live-action comedies from Disney, it’s these categories, in retrospect, that have held up against the more popular types for me. With the latter in mind, one of the funniest entries in this roster (especially for us Millenials) was a comedy about overweight kids who attend a summer camp, only for the new owner to turn it into a weight loss regimen.  Right off the cuff (or should I say, scale?), I’m not sure Heavyweights (a co-production with Joe Roth’s former Caravan Pictures company) is the kind of movie that could be made today, what with all the apparent fat shaming. (Eddie Murphy’s remake of The Nutty Pr...

(Source: IMDb )  In 2008, actor-filmmaker Ben Stiller made a satirical sendup called Tropic Thunder . It featured a star-studded cast of both acclaimed and comedic actors mocking the state of Hollywood. One of them included a foul-mouthed studio executive played by none other than Tom Cruise—which left many people reportedly bewildered when they found out it was him.  Known primarily for action tentpoles as well as doing his own stunts, many people may forget that the Mission: Impossible veteran has had a varied screen career as a younger actor throughout the 1980s and into the 2000s. As such, Cruise’s credits range from familial dramas ( Rain Man ) to war epics ( Born on the Fourth of July ), legal thrillers ( A Few Good Men ), horror ( Interview With the Vampire ), sports comedies ( Jerry Maguire ), and heavy ensemble pieces ( Magnolia ).  This year, under the direction of Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Cruise almost completely disappears into the role of a larger-than-life oi...

(Source: IMDb )  Forgotten Island (2026)  Raissa and Jo have been best friends since grade school in the Philippines. While the former is smart, undoubtedly nerdy, and has two caring parents, the latter is fearless and rebellious, with her lively grandmother as her sole parental figure. Raissa has ambitions for where she wants to go after high school. Jo, on the other hand, seems stuck where she’s at, with only the memories of her and Raissa’s friendship growing up, as well as the stories and legends that her grandmother (or, Lola) taught her, about a supernatural realm full of demons, creatures, and forgotten memories. On their last night together before Raissa leaves for school in America, a portal on the seashore appears, transporting the two girls to the eponymous dimension for one wild and colorful adventure.  The latest from DreamWorks Animation is an original story that celebrates Filipino culture, filled with myths and legends come to life, as well as the power ...

(Source: YouTube )  Captain Marvel (2019)  Those who wondered what the logo was on Nick Fury's pager at the end of Avengers: Infinity War  got the answer to that the following year. Brie Larson made her MCU debut in an origin story of Air Force pilot-turned-galactic superhero Carol Danvers, who gains superpowers and becomes one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful characters. It also marked the first major superhero movie with a solo female lead since DC's Wonder Woman two years prior. Not to mention the first MCU entry with a female director and composer each.  Released one month before DC’s Shazam (which, ironically, carried the name of Captain Marvel in its original comic book series), this 2019 tentpole —chronologically the second in the MCU, between Captain America: The First Avenger and Iron Man —has a very non-linear structure. The main plot centers around Danvers a.k.a. Vers struggling to remember who she is, the life she may have once had, and ho...