Low Budget Movie Buff: Movie Reviews

High flying kicks and furious fists. Primal screams and energy blasts. Magic balls heralding almighty dragons.  And the timeless tale of belief and friendship against the forces of evil.  This is Dragon Ball, a franchise that feels like a fever dream of supernatural martial arts whimsy slammed together with space operatic sci-fi. And truth be told, it's a combination that somehow shatters the threshold of absurdity, while still enrapturing the masses with simple, but heartfelt messages regarding the power of grit, determination, and faith in oneself.  This franchise has countless memorable moments involving its flagship character, Goku, most of which come by way of his epic throwdowns with legendary baddies like King Piccolo, Raditz, Vageta, Captain Ginyu, Cell, and Majin Buu. But arguably, his most iconic throwdown was against everyone's favorite, almighty space-nazi, Freeza. It's a rivalry so iconic that creators of the show decided to resurrect it with a globally relea...

A heavy shadow falls over the dominion of Earthrealm, as a slew of dark titans step forth and threaten full annihilation of any soul foolish enough to stand in opposition. Their blood-soaked hands and power-hungry spirits shall not be denied their konquest. Or so they emphatically claim. Yet still a chosen few rise to the occasion and greet death at its door. These champions armed with only the might of their fists and the fire in their hearts, ready themselves for the fight of their lives. And so it is that when all stand across from each other, each holding the fate of their world in the balance, a booming voice rings out, exclaiming … Round 2. Fight! And so blood hungry spectators return in droves to catch the long-awaited sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat , effectively called Mortal Kombat 2 . This time around, the thunder god, Raiden, and his chosen champions from the previous installment seek to recruit aging action star Johnny Cage to help defend Earthrealm in yet another Mortal K...

My name is Levito Mock-toya. I’ve watched this movie. Now prepare to listen … to me talk about it. A tale of swashbuckling antics, a sweeping romance, and long sought revenge. 1987’s The Princess Bride, adapted from the novel of the same name, is a fantasy adventure cult classic comedy like no other. One that since its release has captured the hearts and minds of many movie goers. But all these years later, in the prime year of 2026, does the late, great Rob Reiner’s fantasy epic hold up? With a star studded cast consisting of Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, André the Giant, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane bolstering such a seemingly timeless, heartfelt, and heroic tale, it’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t. But in this golden age, or perhaps just thoroughly saturated time of fantasy-spectacle cinema, can The Princess Bride even begin to compare or dare to keep relevance on any level? I suppose that’s a...

Uninspiring in its appearance. Barely interesting in its premise. Floundering in its conviction. When it comes down to it, 2024’s Breath seems to aim at being nothing more than a passage of time in no measure of impressive or insulting manner, unless you consider the time lost in watching it an insult in of itself. So then what, pray tell, is such a movie good for? What worth does it offer in any real way? Because as a theatrical experience, I’d be an utter disappointment. From the comfort of one’s couch, it may not even be worth having on in the background. But what about as an inflight showing? Do the conditions of coach class crammed seats become numbed with its viewing? Does it in any way pacify the many other pains and annoyances of laboring high altitude travel? If so, it may be the only suitable way to enjoy such a flick. So does it do the trick? Let’s get into it.  This supposed sci-fi thriller Breath weaves a fairly straight forward tale of single mom-scientist, Maya ( ...