July 2025 ~ FILMYWAPAS

How AI Technology Is Changing Amateur Sports Recording Forever

ADITYA SINGHJuly 31, 2025Review Blog No comments

Last weekend, I watched a youth basketball game where three different parents were frantically trying to record their kids while simultaneously cheering from the sidelines. One dad missed his son's game-winning shot because he was fumbling with his phone's zoom. Another mom's footage was so shaky it looked like an earthquake documentary. Sound familiar?

This scene plays out across amateur sports fields every weekend, but artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming how we capture these precious moments. The days of choosing between being present and getting the shot are rapidly becoming history.

The Traditional Sports Recording Struggle

Amateur sports recording has always been a compromise. Parents, coaches, and players faced an impossible choice: either designate someone to miss the live action while operating a camera, or accept that great moments would go uncaptured. Even when someone volunteered to film, the results were often disappointing—shaky footage, missed plays, and poor angles that failed to showcase the athletic achievements happening on the field.

Professional sports broadcasts spoiled us with their smooth tracking shots and perfect framing, but that level of production seemed forever out of reach for amateur athletics. Until now.

Enter AI-Powered Sports Cameras

The revolution began when computer vision technology became sophisticated enough to understand sports action in real-time. Modern AI cameras can identify players, predict movement patterns, and automatically frame shots with the precision of a professional cameraman. The XbotGo Chameleon AI camera system exemplifies this breakthrough, transforming ordinary smartphones into intelligent filming equipment.

These systems use advanced algorithms to track movement across the field, eliminating the need for human operators. The camera makes split-second decisions about when to zoom, pan, and focus—often faster and more accurately than human reflexes allow.

Game-Changing Features Reshaping Sports RecordingAutonomous Player Tracking

The most impressive capability is jersey number recognition. Coaches can lock the camera onto specific players, following their every move throughout the game. This technology proves invaluable for player development, allowing detailed analysis of positioning, technique, and decision-making patterns.

Gesture-Activated Control

Some AI systems respond to simple hand gestures, enabling athletes to control recording during solo training sessions. A quick wave starts filming, letting players focus entirely on their performance while ensuring every moment gets captured.

Professional-Quality Output

These systems deliver 4K resolution with smooth tracking that rivals professional broadcasts. The difference in quality compared to handheld recordings is immediately apparent—steady shots, proper framing, and consistent focus that makes amateur games look television-ready.

Impact Across Different Sports CommunitiesYouth Sports Parents

Parents can finally watch their children play instead of viewing the game through a small screen. The emotional connection of being present while still capturing memories represents a significant quality-of-life improvement for sports families.

Coaches and Training Programs

AI recording enables detailed game analysis that was previously exclusive to professional teams. Coaches can review positioning, study opponent strategies, and provide players with visual feedback that accelerates skill development.

Content Creators

Athletes building social media presence benefit enormously from consistent, high-quality footage. Instead of relying on friends to film training sessions, they can create professional-looking content independently.

The Technical Evolution

The sophistication of sports AI continues advancing rapidly. Current systems can differentiate between sports, adjusting tracking algorithms for basketball's vertical movement versus soccer's wide-field action. Some cameras integrate real-time scoreboard information, creating broadcast-style graphics automatically.

Cloud integration means footage syncs immediately to secure storage, accessible from any device. This eliminates the frustration of lost recordings due to device failures or forgotten memory cards.

Looking Forward

As AI technology becomes more accessible and affordable, we're approaching a future where every amateur game could have professional-quality documentation. The barriers between recreational and elite sports recording continue dissolving.

The implications extend beyond simple recording. AI-generated statistics, automated highlight reels, and intelligent editing will soon be standard features. Young athletes will grow up with access to analytical tools that current professionals could only dream of a decade ago.

The transformation is already underway. Weekend warriors and youth leagues are discovering that artificial intelligence doesn't just change how they record sports—it changes how they experience and improve at them. The future of amateur sports recording isn't just smarter; it's fundamentally more human, returning focus to what matters most: the game itself.

Permalink

from Review Blog https://everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2025/7/how-ai-technology-is-changing-amateur-sports-recording-forever

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the Kicking the Seat's YouTube Channel Talking "Jurassic World: Rebirth"

ADITYA SINGHJuly 30, 2025Review Blog No comments

I’ll go right ahead and admit. Summer has been busy. I’m a school teacher on summer vacation where every day is a Saturday and the memories blend together. I forgot about one of the opportunities I had this past month to joing Ian Simmons on his Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel. A few weeks back, Ian, myself, and Mark Krawczyk of Special Mark Productions talked about the thrills and spills of Jurassic World: Rebirth. Enjoy this recorded live chat!

*LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#139)*

Permalink

from Review Blog https://ift.tt/RjOD2Ae

Storytelling in Motion: Exploring Culture Through Film and Travel

ADITYA SINGHJuly 30, 2025Review Blog No comments

In a world brimming with stories, two of the most powerful vehicles for cultural expression are film and travel. While film allows us to experience lives and landscapes from the comfort of our homes, travel places us inside those stories—letting us breathe the air, walk the streets, and connect with the people who inhabit them. When these two forces combine, something magical happens: storytelling in motion. It’s a dynamic, immersive journey where culture is not just observed but felt, lived, and remembered.

The Shared Language of Film and Travel

Film and travel share a unique relationship. Both rely on curiosity, the desire to see beyond our own realities, and the need to connect with something greater than ourselves. Cinema captures the soul of a place, often becoming our first window into foreign lands and unfamiliar customs. How many travelers first dreamt of visiting Paris after watching Amélie, or New Zealand after being captivated by The Lord of the Rings? Movies spark wanderlust, and travel brings those cinematic dreams to life.

From the Screen to the Street

Sometimes, it’s not even the grandeur of a blockbuster location that inspires. A quiet alley in Italy, a sunlit beach in Thailand, or a bustling street market in Morocco—these everyday spaces become enchanting when viewed through a filmmaker’s lens. One such captivating location is Bohol, Philippines, a destination increasingly featured in regional films and documentaries. Known for its iconic Chocolate Hills, pristine white-sand beaches, and lush forests, Bohol is a cinematic wonder waiting to be explored in person. Traveling to places like Bohol offers more than picturesque backdrops—it offers deep encounters with history, folklore, and the everyday lives that shape the region’s identity.

Culture Captured on Camera

Culture is not just art or architecture—it is language, gesture, food, belief, and rhythm. Films excel at capturing these nuances. Through storylines, dialogue, costume, and setting, films portray how people interact with their environment and with each other. Think of the traditional Japanese tea ceremonies featured in Memoirs of a Geisha, or the spiritual rituals in Baraka. These moments educate viewers, but when followed by travel, they allow a traveler to witness, and sometimes participate in, these cultural expressions first-hand.

Beyond the Tourist Lens

Modern travelers are no longer content to just “see the sights.” They want to understand the meaning behind them. This is where film becomes more than entertainment—it becomes a guide. Documentaries and independent cinema often spotlight lesser-known communities and issues, sparking empathy and interest. By visiting these regions after seeing them portrayed on screen, travelers can support local economies, engage in responsible tourism, and learn directly from the source.

Cinema as a Window into Complexity

Film often highlights social contradictions and cultural tensions that a tourist may not immediately notice. A film set in South Africa might portray the lasting effects of apartheid; a drama from Iran could reflect the complexities of modern religious life. Travel provides the chance to explore these themes with open eyes and ears, listening to real stories behind the screenplay. This fusion of awareness and presence transforms both the traveler and the experience.

A Personal Connection to Place

There’s also a deeply personal aspect to this connection between travel and film. Sometimes, seeing a story unfold in a place we’ve visited—or revisiting a destination we’ve only seen on screen—can stir powerful emotions. Nostalgia, reflection, even healing. A scene in a favorite movie might suddenly carry new weight once you’ve walked those streets yourself. Conversely, a memory from a trip might come rushing back when a film captures its essence. This emotional layering enriches how we engage with both media and memory.

Film Festivals: Culture in Real Time

Film festivals held in different parts of the world also encourage this cultural crossover. From Cannes to Busan to Toronto, these events are magnets for global storytellers and audiences. Attending such festivals while traveling opens doors to regional cinema and the local cultural pulse. It’s not uncommon for small, local stories to leave lasting impressions on international viewers—and for those viewers to later seek out the places where those stories began.

Streaming as a Gateway to the World

Technology has further blurred the lines between watching and exploring. Streaming platforms now feature a wealth of foreign films and travel-based series, giving viewers the ability to sample cultures with a click. But this digital window can also be a door. A travel documentary about rural Vietnam may ignite a desire to see it in person. A cinematic love story set in coastal Croatia might lead to a real-life honeymoon there. Today, film often serves as the first chapter of a traveler’s personal story.

Cultural Sensitivity Through Storytelling

As travelers become more conscious and culturally sensitive, there’s growing recognition of the responsibility that comes with stepping into another culture’s narrative. Films can prepare us for that responsibility—teaching us the dos and don’ts, the taboos, and the triumphs of the people we visit. Watching local cinema before or during a trip is a form of respect. It shows effort, interest, and humility. It’s a way of saying, “I want to know your story before I write myself into it.”

Conclusion: A Journey of Understanding

In the end, both film and travel shape how we understand the world and our place in it. They challenge stereotypes, build empathy, and remind us of our shared humanity. As much as they transport us outward—to distant lands and foreign customs—they also turn us inward, prompting reflection about our values, our assumptions, and our role as cultural participants.

So the next time a movie takes your breath away, don’t just admire the scenery—consider packing a bag. Likewise, when planning your next adventure, look for films that speak to the soul of your destination. Whether you’re wandering through the rice terraces of Bohol, Philippines, or retracing the steps of a film character through Rome, you’re not just a tourist or a viewer—you’re a storyteller in motion.

Permalink

from Review Blog https://ift.tt/lYNZLsB

MOVIE REVIEW: She Rides Shotgun

ADITYA SINGHJuly 30, 2025Review Blog No comments

SHE RIDES SHOTGUN— 4 STARS

Embedded in the crime thriller trail of She Rides Shotgun, starring Rocketman and Kingsman actor Taron Egerton, is a delicate relationship between a daughter and the estranged father she hasn’t seen for years. Taron’s Nate McClusky, walking with a lean, mean, and tatted exterior, has been incarcerated for several years and, in the opening scene of the film, arrives one afternoon to pick up his 10-year-old daughter Pollyanna, played by the striking newcomer Ana Sophia Heger, from school when her mother is late. The girl knows of her father’s criminal past and raises immediate suspicion when he shows up out of the blue.

LESSON #1: SEEING THE WORRISOME SIGNS OF DANGER OR WRONGDOING— Seen through Polly’s eyes and nervously chewed cuticles, troublesome clues surround Nate’s unannounced arrival. The car he drives is unfamiliar, with broken window glass on the floor and wires exposed under the ignition and steering wheel. Most alarming of all, Nate has Polly’s suitcase packed to hit the road, and he won’t answer questions about where her mother is as they drive in the opposite direction from her home. She sees the man she once admired, but also his old tendencies. We, in the audience, multiply the fear that this may not be a tender reunion situation.

Sure enough, as TV and radio reports pour in, Polly’s mother and new boyfriend have been killed in their home, and Nate is the prime suspect. However, Nate assures his daughter that he’s been framed for the crime, intervening the way he has to save her from the same fate. He is on the run from an ordered “green light” death sentence of his own because of unseen strife and the affiliation sides he chose in prison. The criminal elements hunting him have ties everywhere, including people in high places and badges in their pockets amid the chilly New Mexico setting of She Rides Shotgun.

This brutal urgency forces Nate to go on the lam, trying to scrape together the few dollars he has for a run to the Mexican border. Shedding her initial worries, Polly finds heroism in her father, as he’s doing his best to protect her and restart a life together. It’s in this shared time on the road between an imperfect father and an impressionable daughter that She Rides Shotgun truly unfolds into an impactful drama with a strong familial streak.

LESSON #2: FATHERS AS TEACHERS AND MENTORS— While the conversation topics between father and daughter lean towards a bleak brutality to stay alive against insurmountable odds in She Rides Shotgun, there is a caring heart—hardened as it may be—underneath. For example, we watch Nate try and teach Polly how to swing a baseball to momentarily disable a would-be attacker. Fathers, even former criminal ones, are mentors and teachers. The effort from both sides isn’t clicking at first, but the effort and emphasis become endearing. They are trying hard for each other, because each other is all they have left as hopeful anchors in their respective worlds.

What really elevates this relationship are the small talk attempts at reconnecting that swell to become formative heart-to-heart conversations. Symbolically, seeing what he’s seen, his heart is black while hers is an innocent and feminine pink. Nevertheless, those colors bleed across both of them in affecting ways. When their pursuers arrive or risks need to be taken, the talk between them changes sternly, yet still sweetly.

LESSON #2: “CAN YOU DO THAT FOR ME?”-- Parents try their best to prepare their children for the worst, and She Rides Shotgun poignantly uses a common request tactic to a different effect. Before a moment of risk where a child is going to witness a crime, Nick turns to Polly and instructs her to stay in the car, leave the engine running, keep the doors locked, and, lastly, be brave. He could have rattled that list off and bolted, but the script caps that with him asking, “Can you do that for me?” When parents do that, it’s normally a move gleaning care in trade for automatic compliance from the kid, without further explanation or slowing down to answer additional questions. How often have you used that line, or how often was it used on you back in your youth with an accompanying half-fake smile and batted eyelashes begging for a positive “Ok, daddy” kind of answer?

When that line is used by Egerton’s burdened man here, and it comes out a few times, it feels more meaningful and gravely important. It stings to hear because any moment could be their last together, right when they are finally united and growing closer from within. Moreover, this is not the life whatsoever Nick McClusky wants for his daughter, and it shows in his clenched dread and shed tears.

She Rides Shotgun puts these two through hell with slivers of hope pushing them to carry on. The connection built through the close quarters performances of Ana Sophia Heger and Taron Egerton to lift that sense of drama is exceptional. The camera rarely leaves Heger, making the point of view one of fragility, callousing over with experiences of toughness. Egerton has only hinted at playing a father, an absentee one, in Tetris a few years ago, in his prior roles, making this feature an impressive revelation and demonstration of his emergence and range as an actor.

Taron Egerton doubles down as a producer on this small-budget indie film, extending his clear sense of commitment. Absorbing the barren and beautiful New Mexico topography and seedy underbelly, director Nick Rowland, working on his sophomore feature film and first American film after 2019’s BAFTA-nominated Calm with Horses, selects and squeezes the right elements of tension from Jordan Harper’s source novel of the same name, adapted by Rowland and the duo of Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins of The Night House.

LESSON #3: PUSH UNTIL YOU ARE WEAK— There’s one more great line of mangled wisdom passed on from Nick McClusky that states “push until you are weak,” and it typifies this movie inside and out. Just staying alive is an act of moral compromise for these characters, requiring stamina not to be lost or drained by the ordeal. Likewise, shot in an astounding 25 days with the support of experienced stunt coordinator and second unit director Robert Alonzo (The Batman) in and around Santa Fe and Albuquerque with little margin for error or budget, She Rides Shotgun is a supremely intense movie of mettle, shoved towards endurance, that comes out stronger than ever conceived for one of the best films of 2025.

*LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#1328)*

Permalink

from Review Blog https://ift.tt/gIi0Zrb

MOVIE REVIEW: The Naked Gun

ADITYA SINGHJuly 30, 2025Review Blog No comments

THE NAKED GUN— 4 STARS

For those who turn their noses at the preposterousness of The Naked Gun films, they’re missing the brilliance and difficulty of that style of comedy. If they’re younger, there’s a chance they have not seen slapstick forebearers like Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges who came before the creative team of Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, who built the movie series after their cancelled Police Squad! TV show. All they see and hear are the inappropriate jokes with no appreciation for so many other factors. There’s an art to it, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping director Akiva Schaeffer and his Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers writing partners Doug Mand and Dan Gregor have rekindled this spicy brand of spoof comedy for this brand new throwback sequel.

LESSON #1: AVOID THE LOW-HANGING FRUIT— If you’re asking, off the bat, what is “spoofable” today in 2025, and answer yourself with the cartoonish landscape of world and domestic politics, you’re identifying low-hanging fruit which would be too current and too lazy. Going there would date a parody film immediately, leading it to become an immediate time capsule buried on arrival. With great surprise, The Naked Gun avoids the caricatures of today’s famous faces that would have been utilized in the days of Leslie Nielsen for a humorous treatise on modern cop and action films. This focus, if you could believe it, keeps stakes nice and local versus the previous films, which maybe leaped a shade too far mixing in global terrorists, sitting Presidents, and foreign monarchs.

AARP-aged warrior and long-standing Hollywood tough guy Liam Neeson is Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. of Los Angeles’s Police Squad. Yes, our Taken action star is the son of Nielsen’s original. With another nod to the past, he’s partnered with Capt. Ed Hocken Jr., played by Paul Walter Hauser, genuflecting in the direction of George Kennedy. Don’t ask about any provocative progeny for the late O.J. Simpson’s Detective Nordberg, but enjoy a laugh anyway when the image is dropped.

Anyhow, a bold bank heist opens The Naked Gun, when the imposing, bleach-blond Sig Gustafson (professional movie brick house Kevin Durand) breaks into a safe deposit box to retrieve the ultra-secret P.L.O.T. Device for his tech CEO boss Richard Cane (fellow professional movie villain and old X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star Danny Huston). Arriving on the scene underneath a mask-pull disguise as a skipping private school girl is Drebin to break up the crime in progress single-handedly. A quick string of clues between the bank job and an alleged vehicular suicide Drebin investigated recently links individuals and employees to Cane, inserting Frank’s nose in a social circle of the wealthy where it doesn’t belong and isn’t wanted.

As it turns out, the P.L.O.T. do-hickey is the Primordial Law of Toughness Device capable of pushing out frequencies that convert people back to their instinctual animal state. It was created by the man killed in the auto crash for the opposite purpose of calming people down instead of “calming people up.” He was the brother of one, Beth Davenport (the ravishing revelation that is Pamela Anderson), who is also hot on the trail of Richard Cane. Her vendetta unites with the sleuthing of Frank, and the sparks and shenanigans fly from there.

LESSON #2: THE ART OF OBVIOUS SUBTLETY— As stated before, there’s an art to this kind of comedy style, and it starts with two oxymorons. The first is “obvious subtlety.” Sight gags have been done forever, and they hammer their points home in mostly wordless and symbolic ways. Sometimes, they are done front and center for all to see. Yet, the original and new Naked Gun films both know how to layer them with the rest of the frame’s activity of movement or dialogue. When you see the gag, you know it, but, because it’s blended to a certain degree, it’s a treat to catch it in the moment. This is a movie where the body count of coffee cups triples that of any humans. The Naked Gun, like its predecessors, finds the groove to hide several background gags at a time or plot callbacks that pay off several times, increasing the gratification without feeling overstuffed or noticeably repetitive, especially in a movie that’s under 90 minutes.

LESSON #3: THE ART OF INTENTIONAL CLUELESSNESS— The other oxymoron is “intentional cluelessness.” This speaks to the tone and wherewithal to sell the absurdity present with a straight face. The writers and performers of The Naked Gun know exactly what they’re doing, but carry the need to sell the absurdity with a straight face. The stern control of speech and body language is completely key when phrases are turned with double entendres or idioms are smashed with literal interpretations. The moment the actors wink even the slightest, the jig is up and the ruse is over.

Upholding those traits is a tremendous performance challenge for any cast. Editing a scene to stitch the cheeky repartee together, which is done exceptionally here by Brian Scott Olds (The King of Staten Island), can only help line delivery and cadence so much. The true crispness, ensured with no hesitation, relies on the actors hitting their marks. Verbal choreography becomes just as important as the physical variety. Schaeffer found two fantastic lead vessels for this type of precision in Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson.

Neeson’s gruff line readings, churning with all the gravel of his tall stature, are unwavering with the proper effect of deadpan humor. Who knew ten years ago in Ted 2, that his bit with Seth McFarlane’s bear buying Trix at the grocery store would be his audition tape for The Naked Gun? Sharing stellar scenes toe-to-toe and igniting the film’s relationship chemistry is Pamela Anderson, taking what should be the prerequisite dish role of a spoof and escalating that trope with investment and an equal sense of initiative as the lawman falling for her. Following the awards recognition she received last year in The Last Showgirl for correcting the ditzy image she was saddled with for decades, she continues one of the most rewarding career metamorphosises we may ever see. To hear these two might be a legitimate real-life couple since this film adds to the grinning delight of the movie.

Looking at the sum of all the parts and, to sound trendy, Akiva Schaeffer and this cast understood the assignment of The Naked Gun and passed with flying colors. When Mission: Impossible series composer Lorne Balfe’s muscular musical score slides right into the sass-and-brass fitting this franchise, you feel returned to the matching vein from how cherished and savvy these movies used to be. Best of all, the meticulous joke creation—between foregrounds, backgrounds, and scripted mockery—could not have been better translated to today’s attention spans and merged with the kinetic moviemaking chops of the action genre. Every now and then, there’s an uncorked zinger that will blow right by an off-color line, and the fact that we relish it as much as we absorb the unplanned shock is a testament to the patience of it all and how much they downright nailed it.

*LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#1326)*

Permalink

from Review Blog https://ift.tt/0Irfkqc

Lessons in Loyalty: What Pets in Films Teach About Companionship

ADITYA SINGHJuly 28, 2025Review Blog No comments

Loyalty is a common theme in pet-centered films, and for good reason. Pets tend to be incredibly loyal to their owners, sometimes doing incredible things to get back to their family or to see their owner again. They provide the companionship needed for the owners while just asking for care and love in return. Some of the films that highlight the loyalty pets offer include the following.

Marley and Me

Marley and Me focuses on a couple and their wild Labrador, Marley. They adopt the young dog, and it becomes a part of their life, with hilarious antics testing the limits of their patience. While the movie is hilarious because of the dog, it does also highlight the loyalty between the owners and the dog and the lengths they go to so they can provide pet wellness and comfort when the dog gets sick.

A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose follows a dog who does everything he can to stay with his owner, even after he dies. Once he dies, he is reincarnated and does everything he can to be close to his owner again. He's there through every stage of his owner's life, from growing up to getting married, and continues to find his owner no matter what to provide the comfort and companionship the owner needs.

Hachiko: A Dog's Tale

Hachiko: A Dog's Tale is based on a true story and showcases the resilience and loyalty of a dog. Hachiko walks his owner to the train station each day, then waits for his owner to return to head home together. One day, the owner dies at work and doesn't return. Hachiko, not understanding, continues to wait at the train station, day after day, year after year, hoping to see his owner again.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

In Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, the family leaves to move temporarily to a new location, leaving the family pets in the care of friends. The pets, however, have different plans. They don't want to be left behind, so they set off on an adventure together, heading to where the family is staying to make sure they can see their owners again. This film shows the loyalty of the pets, wanting to be with their owners and doing almost anything to make it possible.

Because of Winn-Dixie

A young child moves to a new town and ends up adopting a stray dog she finds there. As the girl grows, the dog is by her side, helping her learn and grow to be the best person she can be. The dog helps her connect with different people, provides her friendship when she needs it the most, and stays by her side as she learns about the new area, the new people in her life, and more. It's a testament to how much companionship a dog can provide to their owner.

Whether you're looking for a tear-jerker pet story or you'd like to learn more about pet loyalty, each of these films can be an excellent option. The films are powerful reminders of just how loyal pets are to their owners and what they'll do to stay with them and help them. Watch each of them if you're looking for the perfect film about pets, loyalty, and companionship.

Permalink

from Review Blog https://ift.tt/ucZlDes

Top 15 Shortlist for 2025 LGBTQ+ Iris Prize Best British Short Revealed

ADITYA SINGHJuly 28, 2025Movie Marker No comments

Organisers of the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival are thrilled to announce the shortlist of 15 films competing for the 2025 Iris Prize Best British Short sponsored by Film4 and Pinewood Studios. The shortlist was announced on Saturday 26 July at the annual Summer Party Event at Stadium Plaza, Cardiff, home of the Iris Prize. […]

The post Top 15 Shortlist for 2025 LGBTQ+ Iris Prize Best British Short Revealed appeared first on Movie Marker.

from Movie Marker https://ift.tt/jipMoFE

MM Shorts – 2025 North West Independent Film Festival (Award Winners)

ADITYA SINGHJuly 27, 2025Movie Marker No comments

Fresh from gracing the inaugural North West Independent Film Festival (NWIFF) in Preston. Movie Marker sheds some light on their first year winners… Best Student Short Film – FIRE CAT (William Stogden) Whilst often implied that cats have nine lives, you hardly want to see these feline creatures in precarious situations at risk of merely […]

The post MM Shorts – 2025 North West Independent Film Festival (Award Winners) appeared first on Movie Marker.

from Movie Marker https://ift.tt/041cTuF

Happy Gilmore 2 ★★★

ADITYA SINGHJuly 26, 2025Movie Marker No comments

Released: 25 July 2025 (Netflix) Director: Kyle Newacheck Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, Benny Safdie, Haley Joel Osment The nostalgia train hits hard these days. Reminiscing about days gone by and revisiting the things that transcend happiness that may no longer be there. There is no doubt that Adam Sandler has been a comfort […]

The post Happy Gilmore 2 ★★★ appeared first on Movie Marker.

from Movie Marker https://ift.tt/VidhAZY

MOVIE REVIEW: The Bad Guys 2

ADITYA SINGHJuly 26, 2025Review Blog No comments

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Animation

THE BAD GUYS 2— 3 STARS

Ignoring the universal lunacy of the Despicable Me franchise for young viewers, 2022’s The Bad Guys was likely “baby’s first heist movie,” and the brand spanking new The Bad Guys 2 might be their second, unless they have cool mentors who have shown their kids Over the Hedge or the National Treasure duo. For the adults lugged to the show by shirt-tugging kids, not only will you recognize and appreciate the crime fiction tropes played for lighthearted entertainment, but you can pat yourself on the back that you are raising them right. Based on the popular juvenile graphic novels written and illustrated by Aaron Blabey, which have now spanned 20 episodes in nine years, this series of books and movies is a perfect place to start a future cinephile’s love affair with a good caper flick. Give yourself due credit and earn your cool points, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and family buddies.

In the first film three years ago, the crew of master criminals dubbed by the fearful Los Angeles public as “The Bad Guys” completed a mildly successful reformation arc. Comprised of the ring leader Mr. Wolf (Oscar winner Sam Rockwell), the irascible right-hand-man Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), the tech guru Webs (Awkwafina), Mr. Piranha’s flatulent muscle (Anthony Ramos and his golden pipes if a microphone shows u), and the hip master of disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), they learned to find greater mood, wagging tails, and higher satisfaction by doing the right things instead of the wrong things, after dodging their pursuing long-arm-of-the-law, Chief Luggins (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Emmy winner Alex Borstein), foiling the evil plans of the rich guinea pig magnate Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, last seen this summer in The Phoenician Scheme) and engratiating themselves with Governor Diane Foxington (Joker’s Zazie Beetz). With clean records but a tarnished public reputation, the quintet is having a rough time finding regular jobs that will accept them with renewed trust and limited skill sets.

When the news continues to report numerous prizes and artifacts being snatched by a new criminal element using techniques and calling cards that frame the Bad Guys, Wolf gets the bright idea of having his team volunteer to cooperate with authorities as expert consultants for now-Commissioner Luggins to apprehend the unknown culprits. Deducing that the new players are after items made with a rare metallic element called—get this— “MacGuffinite,” they stake out a lucha libre wrestling event with their special championship belt made with the coveted metal to draw out the perpetrators. In doing so, the Bad Guys run into “The Bad Girls,” a trio of female thieves formed by the vindictive snow leopard mastermind Kitty Kat (The Color Purple Oscar nominee and A Minecraft Movie’s Danielle Brooks), the buff wild boar Pigtail Petrova (fellow former Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), and the raven Susan (Natasha Lyonne, doubling down with love interest roles this month), who just so happens to be Snake’s suspicious new girlfriend.

LESSON #1: THE POWER MOVE OF A SUCCESSFUL THEFT— With this premise of rivals and old scores that bends the egos of reformed criminals who know they still have the chops with their consciences trying to further clear their names and become better citizens, The Bad Guys 2 leans on the addictive thrill of the chase that began in the first film where our team might be better off staying bad rather than turning good. The crime professionals in the movie talk about their jobs being more about the “power move” of accomplishing a nearly-impossible task than being about the lucrative loot itself. They’re not wrong. Zipping with outstanding, Lenovo-built kinetic animation for daring heists and wacky chase scenes bouncing over streets and even into space, The Bad Guys 2 plays with those urges and charts a path of topping one power move after another.

LESSON #2: THE ELEMENTS OF A CAPER FILM— In putting audiences through these paces, The Bad Guys 2 continues to be a cheeky primer into the elements of a caper film, something it completely identifies itself to be in the opening credits. As aforementioned, the tropes of heist movies that adults will catch are all over this sequel and progress further from the 2022 franchise starter. Starting with the power move notion from Lesson #1 and the aptly named MacGuffinite prize, this jumpy jaunt adds progression to the steps of “bait the hook,” “the turn,” and “the payoff” with plenty of “don’t trust anyone” warnings, double crosses, and well-scripted plot twists along the way.

The voice cast is clearly having a blast in The Bad Guys 2. Sam Rockwell is a smoothie of the highest order, even in a voice role, and leads the wave of charm. All energy goes through him. The addition of the three ladies reduces the male-dominated banter from Robinson, Ramos, and Maron from the first entry slightly. Yet, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, and especially Natasha Lyonne add an edgy, confident, and even sultry dynamic that classes up the joint and opens the door for extra oomph from Zazie Beetz as a returning equal to the other heavies and heroes. The plot, directed by Pierre Perifel, is admittedly wacky, crowded, and tumbling at a million miles an hour with a second beat-blasting electronic score from Spider-Verse composer Daniel Pemberton, but that’s precisely the suggested speed on the expressway signs for caper films. Buckle up and keep up.

LESSON #3: THEY HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE— Maybe I’m giving The Bad Guys and The Bad Guys 2 too much credit, but these two animated roller coasters really do play out crime movie cliches in refreshingly clever and sanitized ways. The fun preposterousness of it all shows that simpler, proper morals win out while winking at and appreciating the less-than-legal chances to still show off. Rest assured, no kid is going to go home and rob a bank after watching these movies, but they will learn some storytelling savvy that will serve them well when they watch a great heist flick down the road, filled with next-level misdirection, bigger violence, and darker shades of noir. Call The Bad Guys a gateway drug if you must. They have to start somewhere. It might as well be here with a blast like this.