We've started a new tradition in our house during this COVID-19 crisis, and that's a night where we gather and watch a movie the whole family can enjoy. Hence we call it Family Movie Night. The films aren't limited to cartoons and traditional kid movies. My boy is eight, so he can get into a variety of films. But we started with Disney and Pixar's Onward, as it just hit streaming, and comes from a reliable brand. Hands down, this is one of Pixar's best. It has humour everyone can enjoy, some vibrant animation, and a solid, fun and surprisingly emotional story. All things one expects from Pixar, only more so. The world of Onward is much like our own, only with fantasy beings living in a world with vehicles, houses, phones and computers, because using them proved easier than conjuring their own special kind of magic. However, Elvin teenage brothers Ian and Barley need to seek out some magic in order to spend one more day with their deceased father. It'...

The New Mutants was supposed to come out two years ago. Rumour has it there were going to be reshoots, but it turns out the delay was a result of Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox. Now, the Mouse House is ready to unleash director Josh Boone's take on the Marvel-mutant property. The New Mutants is intended to be a horror film set in The X-Men universe. A ballsy move for Fox when they were behind the project, but a smart way for Disney to promote it. This feels different than the MCU movies, and could be a fun take on the super-hero genre. Observe: The New Mutants stars Anya-Taylor Joy, Charlie Heaton and Alice Braga. It hits theatres April 3. Source: 20th Century Fox

My wife and I have a Christmas tradition, which is we go see a new Star Wars movie together on the years one is released. We wait a week or so to avoid the craziness that comes with a new entry in the franchise, and have yet to be disappointed. That's right, we liked Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! I admit, I was a little leery about this one, as critics and fans have been less than enthusiastic. And the film does get off to a bumpy start, with a shaky first act and far too much exposition early on. Then things settle into the story, and the fun begins. Sure, a lot of the humour doesn't work, and for a good chunk of the running time The Rise of Skywalker plays like any other decent Hollywood blockbuster. It's got the action, the spectacle and it's entertaining. That's all great, but it didn't feel like Star Wars. Then something happens toward the end of the second act... something I didn't expect... and The Rise of Skywalker became a Star Wars movi...

OK, so we were all a little surprised to learn Emperor Palpatine would return for The Rise of Skywalker. It was the kind of filmmaking move guaranteed to get fans talking, and amp up excitement for the final chapter in the Skywalker saga. Today, Disney and Lucasfilm dropped a bomb of sorts with a new clip teasing the role Palpatine has played in the Star Wars universe since the end of Return of the Jedi. It's a bit spoilery, so you've been warned. All I know is I'm just a little more excited for this one than I was about 10 minutes ago. You ready for this? View this post on Instagram Nothing will prepare you for the end. Watch an exclusive clip from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. See it in theaters December 20! Get tickets: (Link in Bio) A post shared by Star Wars (@starwars) on Dec 12, 2019 at 11:25am PST YES! There's new marketing content hitting the web daily intent on getting us super stok...

There's less than a month to go until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theatres, and the Disney marketing machine is in full swing. I was hesitant to post this clip, which came out earlier today. Like many, I want to go into this thing as cold as possible. Then I said "what the hell" and watched it anyway. And now I post it here for those of you who also have a Devil-may-care attitude. Enjoy! The Rise of Skywalker hits theatres Dec. 20, and J.J. Abrams and company have promised to conclude the entire Skywalker saga with this one. Then we get a three-year break before any more stand-alone films surface. Oh, and this ninth entry in the series clocks in at two hours and 35 minutes, so go pee before it starts. Just FYI. Source: Star Wars

So the backlash against The Last Jedi resulted in a movement calling for a boycott of the final film in the Skywalker saga. Yes, people have that much free time on their hands. Wonder what that's like? Looks like the movement officially collapsed following the unveiling of The Rise of Skywalker's final trailer last night, as Atom Tickets reports it sold more on-line tickets in one hour for Skywalker than any other film in history, including previous title holder Avengers: Endgame. The fact The Rise of Skywalker and Avengers: Endgame are technically Disney flicks means the Mouse House is having a very good year! Forbes reporter Scott Mendelson took to Twitter to deliver the news: For what it's worth, @atomtickets is reporting that #StarWars #TheRiseOfSkywalker sold more tickets in the first hour of pre-sales than any movie in the company's history, besting #AvengersEndgame . — Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) October 22, 2019 Does this surprise anyone?...

The headline says it all. With the streaming wars in full swing between Netflix, Disney, Apple and CBS, the Peacock network, otherwise known as NBC, is getting into the game. They're bringing back their beloved franchise from the late 70s to help fight the battle... Battlestar: Galactica. Because everything that's old is new again, obviously. Did you know Battlestar: Galactica was previously, and successfully, rebooted on SyFy from 2004 to 2009? Little is known about the latest incarnation, other than Mr. Robot showrunner Sam Esmail is involved, and the series takes place within the same universe as the 2004-2009 run. I grew up with the original Galactica, and enjoyed the 2000s redo very much. I don't know how much I can give a shit the third time around, but I'll try. We're curious to see how the streaming wars play out. Disney has Star Wars, Apple has Jason Momoa's new series, and CBS has Star Trek. The NBC service, which is called Peacock, debuts Ap...

It's been five years since test footage for a Deadpool movie leaked online, a move that was met with such fan enthusiasm that 20th Century Fox went and greenlit an R-rated adaptation of the character. The rest, as they say, is history. Deadpool and Deadpool 2 were massive hits despite not being family friendly. This begs the question of what will happen to future Deadpool movies now that Fox is owned by Disney, which is all about family friendly.

Box office prognosticators are predicting it will be a big hit, but those of us who saw the original animated Lion King back in 1994 have a hard time getting excited for Disney's "live action" retelling. The fact that early reviews say it's pretty much a shot-for-shot remake don't help and Howie's enthusiasm much either.

Don't worry, Star Wars nerds (which I am one of), The Rise of Skywalker still comes out this December. But Disney has unveiled a full slate of films through Christmas of 2022, and the next round of flicks from that galaxy far, far away are gonna be a few years out. According to the fine folks at io9 , the next Star Wars film after Episode IX won't appear until the weekend before Christmas, 2022. Then we'll get three new Star Wars films every second Christmas after that.

The motion-picture event of the century is now upon us, and the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has reached endgame.... The Avengers: Endgame that is! And your hombre's From The Basement are here to prep you for it. Jason and Shawn talk Endgame, predict how well it will do at the box office, and if there are any real challengers to this film's status as the Biggest Movie of All Time. What are their thoughts? Stick with us!

There comes a time in everyone's life where they must venture out beyond the borders of their neighbourhood and explore the larger world.  The same is true for fictional characters- after all: how else are they going to go on an epic quest if they stay in their comfortable residence, eh? After an accident damages the "Sugar Rush" game, the plug on it is pulled.  With her subjects now homeless, Vanellope and Ralph must set out beyond their arcade to find the piece that'll fix the game. Will our heroes survive the internet?  Will the internet survive Wreck-It Ralph?

Nothing about that headline makes any sense, but what do you expect from a weekend that offers us the latest Disney live action adaptation of an animated classic, and a movie about anti-abortion activism? If that doesn't derail any train of thought, we don't know what will. But Jason, Shawn and Howie are on the Radio NL 610 AM Morning Show to talk the films Dumbo and Unplanned, as well as what to watch at home this weekend.

There's been much speculation (not really) as to why Deadpool 2 was trimmed to a PG-13 rating and is about to be released on moviegoing audiences once more (next week, I think). Was it money? Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox and wanting to make the R-rated Marvel product more family friendly? Pure, outright greed? We here in The Basement could continue this debate (I think Howie and I discussed this a few weeks back), but why Wade (get it) in when we can let Wade Wilson and Fred Savage answer these, and other questions, for us (we're lazy)?

I'm going to say up front that this is one animated film that I was super looking forward to watching and reviewing, since I loved the first one... but you know what they say about getting what you wish for... After being arrested for a battle with The Underminer, the Parrs face a return to a mundane existence... until Winston Deavor approaches them with a plan to make "supers" legal again. While Helen returns to duty as Elastigal, Bob adjusts to "normal" life as a father... with superpowered kids...

The times they are a changing, as Warner Bros and Universal Studios look to shorten the length of time a film plays in theatres, in favour of a quicker jump to digital and the home market.  When I was a wee lad, it wasn't unusual for a movie to stick around our local cinema for weeks, even months. I remember Raiders of the Lost Ark playing in town for 30 to 40 weeks - that's seven or eight months! The last movie I remember getting such a long theatrical run was Titanic, which played for almost a year.

Summer is pretty much half over, and that means the majority of summer blockbusters are out, and what few big movies remain are still a week or so away. And that means there's very little for Jason, Shawn and Radio NL 610 AM Morning Show host Howie Reimer to talk about this week. Just kidding! They always have stuff to talk about!

Alright, the weekend is upon us and everyone's focused on some well-deserved R and R, and probably a liquor drink or six. But before we let you go -- at least until the next episode drops on Sunday -- we've got a few news items for your eye and ear holes. First up, how about that teaser for Netflix and Marvel's The Punisher that debuted at the tail end of The Defenders?

Mike S back with another installment of " The Animated Addict "!  This time, I discuss Disney's 2016 release, " Moana "- starring Auli'i Cravalho as Moana, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the demi-god Maui. In the distant past, the demi-god Maui stole the heart of the Island Mother Te Fiti.  This unleashes a plague upon the Earth- one that slowly spreads and devours all life it comes in contact with. Moana, the daughter of a Polynesian chief has felt the call of the ocean from a young age.  She soon discovers that the ocean itself has chosen her to return Te Fiti's heart- with the help of Maui.

Mike S hijacking The Basement for a review of a film in a genre that I'm addicted to: animated.  You might think that's odd for someone who loves horror movies the way I do. But that's just how I roll the potatoes. The first animated feature I'm going to review is 2015's " Inside Out " by Disney/Pixar. So, let's get those potatoes rolling...