Cinemavino

Our Best Picture Series continues with Gladiator! Sean and I have very different opinions about this 2000 classic.

To read my full review, click here!

This is final week of my paternity leave! We're adjusting to life with twin newborns. It's been both hectic and awesome. Stressful and amazing. We could be happier. Or sleepier.

Thank you all so much for sticking with us these last couple months. For our final repeat episode, we'll take a look back at one of my favorites: The 90s classic, Con Air.

As my paternity leave winds down, let's go back to one of my all-time favorite movies, The Lion in Winter. The boys hadn't seen it, so it was great to introduce a new classic. Stay tuned, new content drops on 1/31!

*From September, 2021.

Hey everyone! This episode is just a quick update on our upcoming schedule, plus it features a throwback to four years ago, and an episode you may have missed.

New content is coming soon!

Hey everybody! Hopefully you've had a good holiday season, and have enjoyed our Christmas content! My wife and I are six weeks into having twin newborns, and we're slowly settling into a new normal. As such, I'm going to gradually build to introducing new content for Cinemavino!

Here is a quick update on everything you can expect in the new few months. Also, I'll detail where you can follow us, and how you can help choose what movies we'll discuss. Check it out!

As I continue to help take care of our brand new twins, enjoy this look back at When Harry Met Sally, a rom-com in which New Year's Eve plays a crucial role!

Our Christmas Series wraps up with one you wouldn't expect--Gremlins! The story begins with Oklahoma folk/country singer Hoyt Axton, playing inventor/two-bit entrepreneur Randall Peltzer. In a Chinatown antique store, Randall secretly buys a mogwai, or a cute, mischievous, fantastical creature, from the owner’s grandson. This adorable furball has three big rules—don’t expose it to light. Don’t get it wet, and don’t feed it after midnight. The former will cause it to reproduce like tribbles, the latter will cause it turn into a larger, more monstrous and destructive creature. 

Mr. Peltzer takes the mogwai to his 20ish son, Bill, played by Zack Galligan, as a Christmas present. Naturally, the three rules get broken, and all hell breaks loose.  

Also stars familiar 80s actors like Phoebe Cates as Billy’s coworker and love interest. And Judge Reinhold as Billy’s asshole boss. Cates and Reinhold would previously co-star in another iconic 80s hit. Fast times at Ridgemont High.

Our Christmas Series continues with Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas! The story: Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, leader of Halloween Town, a community of goblins, ghouls, vampires, werewolves, and abominations. Jack wanders in a malaise of frustration and restlessness, until he discovers a portal into Christmas Town, where everyone is joyous, caroling, and exchanging gifts. 

Now motivated, Jack plans to take over Christmas, thus displacing Santa Claus—or Sandy Claws. Of course, this is a Christmas movie, meaning Jack will have to discover the error of his ways and learn the true spirit of Christmas. 

Our Christmas Series begins with a 90s classic! Hook has a combination of premise, cast, and crew that would inspire a movie executive to hand over blank check: A sequel to Peter Pan, with Robin Williams as an adult version of the character. Dustin Hoffman as an aging Captain Hook, and Julia Roberts as TInkerbell. A three actors are the prime of their careers and popularity here. 

First act of the film has Williams as Peter Banning, a 40ish career-driven yuppie who barely has time for his wife and two kids. They venture to London over Christmas holiday to see his caretaker Wendy (Maggie Smith). During this trip, Banning’s kids are kidnapped, and Wendy drops a bomb: She is the Wendy from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan series, and he is the title character. Captain Hook has kidnapped his children and demands a rematch. 

The second act of the film has Peter venturing to Never Land, where he must rediscover his youth, and relearn to fly, fight, and crow. The final act is, of course, the battle between Pan and Hook.