“If you don’t want to be scared in a horror film, don’t close your eyes. Close your ears.”   – Eli Roth A good horror director knows that most of their audience will already be established horror movie fans. And for longtime fans of the genre, they grow savvy to the ways of horror tropes and cliches. I think one of the most important aspects of a successful horror movie is subversion. Subversion of expectations and assumptions to deliver a surprising and effective payoff. The

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” —  Thucydides  Over the years the term blockbuster has become more and more synonymous with shallow entertainment. Mindless spectacle meant to visually capture your attention while providing little else. It’s something to watch while eating your popcorn and chugging a soda pop. It’s an afternoon killer. Empty calories. Sometime

It’s not often that I can start off a most anticipated list having already seen a couple of the movies. But it’s been a weird start to the year and I’ve been sick. And I haven’t felt like doing much of anything. But I must persevere. (It’s a head cold and I’m acting like it’s going to kill me) Movies are important to me and have been for most of my life. So talking about what exactly I’m looking forward to seems only natural. This is probably the twentieth time I’ve done this

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”   – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Christopher Booker theorized that nearly all narratives are variations of seven core archetypes: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy, and Tragedy.  Overcoming the Monster:   Jaws, Star Wars Rags to Riches:   Cinderella, Aladdin The Quest:   The Lord of the Rings, Raiders of the Lost Ark Voyage and Return:   Alice in Wonderland,

Director Kevin Williamson, the original screenwriter who helped launch the franchise nearly three decades ago, returns to guide the film with a confident understanding of what makes Scream work.

 Hoppers feels closer to Looney Tunes than classic Pixar, embracing anarchy, irreverence, and rapid-fire absurdity over sentimentality. Daniel Chong layers surreal visual gags, social satire, and moments of anxiety beneath its chaos. The result is a genuinely strange, tonally risky animated film and Pixar’s most interesting effort in years.

“Look around you. You're standing in one of the last great cathedrals in this country, built on the premise that you and you alone are responsible for the consequences of your actions.”  - Robert Duvall as Judge Joseph Palmer When legends of the screen die, as fans we naturally take a look back at their body of work. We remember the greatness. We recall the authenticity. We mourn what will never be. Although ninety-five years old, Robert Duvall’s presence on the silver screen

Set in the Star Wars galaxy soon after the fall of the Galactic Empire, The Mandalorian and Grogu follows legendary Mandalorian warrior Din Djarin and his Force-sensitive apprentice Grogu as they navigate a galaxy still reeling from decades of war.

Set in the Star Wars galaxy soon after the fall of the Galactic Empire, The Mandalorian and Grogu follows legendary Mandalorian warrior Din Djarin and his Force-sensitive apprentice Grogu as they navigate a galaxy still reeling from decades of war.

“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”   – Kenny Rogers   Homage can act as a love letter. As they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." As with all things, there is a fine line between sincerity and insincerity. Even if well-intentioned, a lack of originality in a film’s story—whether in the plot itself or from a more visual perspective—means the audience can pick up on falsities like inorganic di

Welcome to Nerd Alert's Movie Club, our new monthly series where we pick one film, watch it with fresh eyes, and dive deep into what makes it tick. This month, we are tackle Terry Gilliam’s 1995 sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys, a mind-bending meditation on time travel, memory, and whether fate can ever truly be changed.

“We sit here stranded, though we’re all doin’ our best to deny it.”   - Bob Dylan Say what you will about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – it is one of a small handful of MARVEL movies that has an actual distinct style; it stands out. Eternals , however ill-received it may have been, demonstrates cinematography choices that resulted in one of the best looking movies in the entire MCU. With Doctor Strange 2 , it would seem that Feige and the powers that be took a

The Rip is the kind of high-octane, muscular crime thriller Netflix should be building entire weekends around.

On paper, The Wrecking Crew sounds like a Mad Libs fever dream of modern action cinema: Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista headlining an R-rated action comedy, which is as good as it sounds!

“A judicial system is corrupt if truth is denied the right to be a witness.”   - Suzy Kassem Ah yes… January. The month after Christmas when the lights come down and the incessant H&R Block and TurboTax commercials plague our every waking moment to remind us that the most corrupt and incompetent government in the history of this country still expects to collect come April 15th. Along with all this pleasantness comes the end of award worthy cinema and in its place comes what I

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair – One of Us Was There… and One of Us HATES!

Marvel’s latest trailer for Avengers: Doomsday sends a clear message: the MCU has entered the mutant era.

I am but one man. I love movies. I doth proclaim too much! Anyway, here are my top ten movies of 2025. But first, some honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions 14. 28 Years Later Long dormant, the 28 Days Later franchise made a triumphant return with the first chapter in an all new trilogy. 28 Years Later takes the mythos established twenty-two years ago and expands upon it with themes of fatherhood and motherhood. It explores themes of entering adulthood and accepting the frag

In Nerd Alert’s segment One Question, Chase and Jimmy each get one shot to ask the other a single question about movies. No prep. No overthinking. Just honest answers, hot takes, and the kind of movie debates Nerd Alert is known for.

Big industry-shaking news has hit Hollywood: Netflix is reportedly set to purchase Warner Bros., and the Nerd Alert crew has a lot to say about it.