TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

As the summer box office season of 2024 comes to a close, the film industry is emerging stronger and more resilient than it was just a few months ago. Alien: Romulus , directed by Fede Álvarez, is leading this comeback , a film that has not only breathed new life into a classic franchise but also brings some hope to an industry that’s been through the wringer . After a period of uncertainty and a string of lackluster releases, Alien: Romulus has electrified the box office, proving that the allure of the big screen is far from fading. Alien: Romulus has done more than just revive the iconic sci-fi horror series—it has blown expectations out of the water. With a domestic opening weekend haul of $45.1 million, the film didn’t just meet its projected debut numbers in the high $20 million range; it nearly doubled them . This stellar performance marks the second-best opening for the Alien franchise, only surpassed by the inflation-adjusted numbers of James Cameron’s Aliens . The film'...

This weekend Disney+ releases Pinocchio in what may be their worst reviewed film in years - at least for their animation to live action remakes. While this weeks' reviews of Robert Zemeckis' Pinocchio definitely set Guillermo Del Toro up for rousing success later this year with his highly stylized, no doubt brilliant "story of a wooden boy you've never heard before," we too have one you've never seen. In fact like this fall's dueling Pinocchios, we also have two. And that's the truth. Let's start with Welcome Back Pinocchio which is a charming Italian produced spectacl e boasting all the classic tropes yet it brings its own sense of wonder and departure from the original 1940 Disney classic. As the story goes, Pinocchio is now a young lad staying out of trouble for fear of being turned back into a piece of wood. But when he gets off track and manipulated into stealing, Pinocchio must learn the hard lessons that enable him to become a human once m...