When you think about Adam Sandler, chances are your mind immediately starts remembering all of the comedian’s famous lines or on-screen outbursts. And while the former Saturday Night Live star is known for his humor, his characters typically have a whole lot of heart, even if you dig deep to find those touching moments. Well, I’ve done just that and came up with 32 times an Adam Sandler character proved he has a heart of gold.

Happy Gilmore Started Golfing To Save His Grandma's House (Happy Gilmore)

Sure, Happy Gilmore didn’t know much about golf etiquette, but he did know how to take care of the people he loved. And there was no one he loved more than his grandma. Adam Sandler’s most famous character went to great lengths to save the family home, which included trying out golf for the first time. Good thing he had a killer drive.

Billy Madison Acted Like He Wet His Pants To Make Ernie Look Cool (Billy Madison)

Was Billy Madison an idiot? Yes. Was he a screwup? Yes, again. But you can’t say he didn’t care (at least later in his life). One of the funniest and most heartfelt moments in Billy Madison came when Adam Sandler’s character acted like he peed his pants so that his young classmate would look like one of the cool kids instead of being embarrassed for having an accident.

Robbie Hart Helped Julia Sullivan Realize She Deserved True Love (The Wedding Singer)

Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer could be one of the most emotional characters of Adam Sandler’s ‘90s run, for better or worse. On the better side, the heartbroken Robbie helped Julia Sullivan plan her wedding to Glenn Gulia, even though he was madly in love with her. He helped her figure out she deserved true love in the process.

Bobby Boucher Helped Coach Klein Overcome His Fear (The Waterboy)

Bobby Boucher became an unlikely hero for South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs to a surprising victory at the Bourbon Bowl in The Waterboy. But it wasn’t just his on-field heroics that saved the day, as the 31-year-old also helped Coach Klein overcome his fears and stand up to his longtime bully, Coach Red Beaulieu.

Longfellow Deeds Bought A Corvette For Everyone In Town (Mr. Deeds)

Longfellow Deeds is probably the most likable Adam Sandler character for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is the fact that he was always looking out for his friends and family, like at the end of Mr. Deeds when he buys Corvettes for everyone in Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire.

Sonny Koufax Took In Julian Instead Of Sending Him To An Orphanage (Big Daddy)

Sure, Sonny Koufax lied about his identity and acted like he was Julian’s dad for most of Big Daddy, but he did it to help keep the young boy out of an orphanage until his real father returned from a business trip. Again, mistakes were made, but the whole experience was life-changing for the toll-booth worker with a law degree.

Paul Crewe Put His Team Before Himself (The Longest Yard)

Paul Crewe is a self-centered, self-destructive, and unlikable prick when The Longest Yard gets started, but by the time this 2005 remake of one of the best football movies is over and done with, he finally puts his team before himself.

Robbie Hart Performed 'I Want To Grow Old With You' (The Wedding Singer)

Robbie Hart wore his heart on his sleeve, or in the case of The Wedding Singer’s final scene, on his guitar. To make Julia understand that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he wrote and performed “I Want to Grow Old with You” with a little help from his friend… Billy Idol.

Happy Gilmore Gave Chubbs The Alligator That Took His Hand (Happy Gilmore)

The alligator may have taken Chubbs' hand, but Happy Gilmore made sure he took out the nasty reptile near the end of this classic sports comedy. Sure, the present led to his mentor falling out of an open window and dying, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Henry Roth Abandoned His Research Trip To Take Care Of Lucy (50 First Dates)

Henry Roth and Lucy Whitmore, one of the many couples played by Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, respectively, had a good thing going in 50 First Dates. So much so that Henry was willing to abandon a long-planned research trip to take care of the woman with some severe short-term memory loss.

Billy Madison Passed Ownership Over To Carl After Beating Eric (Billy Madison)

Adam Sandler’s titular character in Billy Madison had no business running his family’s hotel empire after beating the conniving Eric in one of the most absurd academic decathlons ever put to film. He knew that, so upon winning the competition and the keys to the company, Billy handed the business over to Carl, a man who had worked his way to the top.

Longfellow Deeds Wrote A Moving Poem For Babe Bennett (Mr. Deeds)

Though Babe Bennett was a sneaky TV tabloid reporter trying to get the scoop on Longfellow Deeds in Mr. Deeds, the new billionaire had real feelings for the woman looking into his life. He wrote a poem for his love interest, and it was good it was eventually used as a Hallmark card at the end of the movie.

Sonny Koufax Smoothed Things Over With His Dad (Big Daddy)

Sonny Koufax and his dad never really got along for so many reasons, but the thing that matters is that Adam Sandler’s character put himself through hell to earn respect and smooth things over with his intense father. He could have taken the easy way out and never talked to him again, but he knew how important family was after the Julian experience.

Barry Egan Went To Great Lengths To Protect Lena Leonard (Punch-Drunk Love)

Punch-Drunk Love is one of the best romantic comedies of all time, and one that features a remarkably lovable Adam Sandler character. Like, Barry Egan went to great lengths to win over and protect Lena Leonard in this wonderful Paul Thomas Anderson movie. He even went and confronted an unhinged mattress salesman named Dean Trumbell.

Davey Stone Gets The Whole Town To Support Whitey Duvall (Eight Crazy Nights)

Eight Crazy Nights isn’t Adam Sandler’s best movie, nor is it one a lot of us remember. However, this 1998 animated movie does see one of Sandler’s most obnoxious characters prove he has a heart of gold. Near the end of the film, Davey Stone changes his ways and gets the whole town to support the elderly Whitey Duvall, also portrayed by Sandler.

Michael Newman Cast His Own Desires Aside To Connect With His Family (Click)

Yeah, Michael Newman uses his magical remote control to do some pretty jerkish things throughout Click, but he does come around in the end and decides to put his family’s desires ahead of his own to bring everyone back together.

Nicky Left The Comfort Of His Home To Save His Dad, Satan (Little Nicky)

Little Nicky hasn’t gone down as one of the best Adam Sandler movies, but it does feature one of his most innocent and sincere characters. This is ironic considering Nicky is the son of Satan. Even more ironic when you consider that the whole movie is about Nicky saving his dad, the OG fallen angel, from being wiped out by his evil brothers.

Lenny Feder Brought All His Childhood Friends Back Together (Grown Ups)

Say what you will about Grown Ups, the 2010 comedy featuring the likes of Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, and Kevin James had its moments. On top of the funny parts, the buddy comedy also had a lot of heart, especially when dealing with Lenny Feder’s plans to reunite his friends and make up for lost time.

Zohan Dvir Left The Military To Help Make Life Better For People (You Don't Mess With The Zohan)

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is about as bad as it gets when it comes to Adam Sandler’s movies from the 2000s, but there’s no denying the titular character has a heart of gold. After years of fighting, killing, shooting, and blowing stuff up for his country, the Israeli commando starts a new life as a hairdresser so he can make life better for people.

Dave Buznik Held Dr. Buddy Rydell Overcome His Own Issues (Anger Management)

Dave Buznik has a closet full of issues in Anger Management, which is why Dr. Buddy Rydell moves in with him. Though Jack Nicholson’s character helps out Sandler’s immensely, the student becomes the teacher at times and Dave is able to help the intense doctor overcome some of his own issues in the process.

Longfellow Deeds Stopped Blake Media Shareholders From Selling The Company (Mr. Deeds)

Near the end of Mr. Deeds when Blake Media is about to be dissolved by the shareholders, Longfellow Deeds gives a rousing speech to convince them to change their minds. Knowing what harm will come to the people who have devoted their lives to the corporate conglomerate, it’s a stand he feels he has to make.

Sonny Koufax Went To Court To Fight For Julian (Big Daddy)

Was Sonny Koufax a good son, boyfriend, roommate, or friend? No, not necessarily. However, he did go to Hell and back to fight for Julian in Big Daddy. Yeah, the plan ended up failing and Sonny didn’t get to keep the boy, but he did learn a valuable lesson along the way.

Danny Meyerowitz Put His Dreams On The Shelf To Take Care Of His Dad (The Meyerowitz Stories)

Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories has one great performance after another, including Adam Sandler’s as Danny Meyerowitz. Throughout the movie, Danny puts his family’s needs (mostly his father’s) ahead of his own, putting his dreams on a shelf. These constant acts of selflessness do make him blow up, but hasn’t that happened to us all?

John Clasky Constantly Protected His Kids (Spanglish)

One of Adam Sandler’s best rom-coms, Spanglish is a movie with a whole lot going on. One of the best parts about the movie, and Sandler’s performance as John Clasky, is the way in which the father of two goes to great lengths to protect his kids. It’s admirable, really.

Bobby Boucher Was Willing To Leave Football To Be There For His Mama (The Waterboy)

Bobby Boucher would do anything for his mom, even stop playing football (or foosball as she calls it so many times. Not wanting to hurt his mama anymore in The Waterboy, the 31-year-old football star decided to leave his team if it meant having his dear old mom get out of a coma.

Max Simkin Saved Mr. Solomon's Home (The Cobbler)

Adam Sandler plays a man with the ability to literally walk in other people’s shoes in The Cobbler, which leads to some great and touching moments. One of those comes late in the film when the cobbler comes up with a wild plan to save Mr. Solomon’s home from a greedy and vile slumlord.

Skeeter Bronson Helped Jill Hastings Save Her School (Bedtime Stories)

Is Skeeter Bronson the noblest guy in Bedtime Stories? Not quite! However, he knows when to step up and save the day in this fantastical family comedy. Case in point, remember when he did everything he could to help Jill Hastintgs save her school from being demolished? Someone call Neil Young, we found a heart of gold over here.

Drac, Though Extremely Overprotective, Tried To Give His Daughter The Best Life (Hotel Transylvania)

Drac is incredibly overprotective throughout Hotel Transylvania (and its various sequels), but all he wants to do is protect his daughter, Mavis, from the ills of the world (mostly humans). Yeah, he takes things too far at times, but that’s pretty much the number one job for a dad, even if he’s an immortal vampire.

Donny Berger Finally Put His Son's Needs Ahead Of His Own (That's My Boy)

Donny Berger isn’t the best dad in the world, and he’s not even an okay dad most of the time. However, in That’s My Boy, he finally puts his son’s wishes and needs ahead of his own, even if it’s nearly 30 years too late.

John Clasky Paid Kids Handsomely To Clean The Beach (Spanglish)

John Clasky does a lot of great things in Spanglish, including the time he paid his kids and Flor’s kids a ton of money to pick up glass on the beach. Protecting the environment and helping his kids make some cash is a win-win.

Happy Gilmore Made The Outcasts Of Society Feel Represented (Happy Gilmore)

Happy Gilmore challenged the status quo and made golf a game of the people on his journey to defeat Shooter McGavin and the patriarchy of the sport. Sure, the greens and fairways are a bit more crowded now, but everyone fits in for a change.

Nicky Sacrificed Himself And Ended Up In Heaven (Little Nicky)

Nicky sacrificing himself in Little Nicky is honestly one of the most heroic things an Adam Sandler character has ever done. Plus, it got him to heaven where he finally got to see his mom (and Chubbs) after all these years.

Look, I love Adam Sandler. You love Adam Sandler. We all love Adam Sandler!

So, why was I so shocked to discover then that my students, who are all around the age of 12, also love Sandler? This all came about because several of them interrupted my class to ask me if I knew that he was at their local park the other day.

Now, I don't know about the accuracy of this sighting (perhaps if he was around my school, he could have been scouting out a location for one of his upcoming movies). But, needless to say, I was stunned that they even knew who Sandler was, let alone that they “loved” him. When I asked them what movies of his they loved, these were the ones they told me.

Leo 

When Sandler made a $250 million deal with Netflix back in 2014, I never imagined that that number would be bumped up considerably ten years later.

What I also never imagined was that one of the movies that would be produced with Netflix would be the 2023 animated flick, Leo.

Leo, which CinemaBlend's own Philip Sledge was surprised by how much he enjoyed it, is the story of a class pet who suddenly discovers that his life might be ending sooner rather than later. He decides to escape his confines, only to learn that maybe he was better off right where he started.

A few of my students told me that this was their introduction to Adam Sandler, and that they loved the story first, and wondered who the lizard's voice was second. It also makes sense that my middle school students would enjoy this family-friendly film, as it's silly with just the right amount of sweetness.

Plus, the enemy is a crotchety old substitute teacher, so I suppose it resonates with some of my students, as I'm sure they've dealt with a few of them during my absences.

Hotel Transylvania  

Okay, so Leo was a little surprising to me as some of my students’ introduction to Sandler, but it made perfect sense that most of them learned about Mr. Opera Man himself via his animated series, Hotel Transylvania.

That's because the Hotel Transyvania movies (three of them voiced by Sandler) are a very popular franchise with four films, and they deals with famous Hollywood monsters in silly situations. What more could you possibly want?

All of the movies are somewhat different, but the basic premise is that Dracula owns a hotel for monsters, and that world gets flipped upside down when his secluded daughter falls in love with a human. Hijinks ensue. I can't fault my students for liking this series, because I like it, too!

Pixels 

In this 2015 Chris Columbus movie, Sandler and a host of others fight off aliens who have taken on the forms of old school video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. In a post story scene, it's implied that Josh Gad’s character has children with Q*Bert. It’s…interesting.

But, what's also surprising to me is that 1) my students have even seen Pixels, and 2) some of them consider it their favorite Adam Sandler movie. We were particularly kind to the flick in our review, but many critics savaged the film. Even so, some of my students really love it, so it definitely has that going for it.

Hubie Halloween 

In this modern Halloween classic, the actor plays what many people might consider a loser (something Sandler has portrayed in his best and worst movies quite well over his lengthy career). He loves his town, but most people don’t love him back. In fact, they openly mock him, which is why they don’t believe it when he thinks a werewolf is on the loose. But, things turn up for Hubie in the end of this silly horror comedy.

I’ll be honest with you, not all of Hubie Halloween works, but when it does, it really does. In fact, the only student who picked this as her favorite Adam Sandler movie said that she watches it every year at Halloween. She finds it “spooky, but not too spooky,” which, I believe, every good horror comedy should be.

Happy Gilmore  

If you’re of a certain age, then you’ve likely seen this classic from 1996. In it, Sandler plays a hockey player who also has a knack for hitting golf balls like a pro. This, of course, upsets the snooty “real” golfers who don’t like that he’s entered their sport with his brash and unorthodox ways. It also stars Carl Weathers. Rest in peace, Derick “Chubbs” Peterson.

If I was surprised that my students loved Sandler, I was even more surprised that a couple of them actually love Happy Gilmore, given that it was way before their time. When I asked them how they saw it, they had similar answers: Their dads liked the movie.

And, you know what? That’s cool with me. As a dad myself, I can definitely see myself showing my kids Happy Gilmore one day. But, only when they’re older.

Grown Ups  

I’m not the first person to think this, but Grown Ups seems like the kind of movie a celebrity makes when they can do whatever they want, and decide that what they want is just to make a movie with their friends.

How else can you explain this 2010 film, which has the paper thin plot of a coach dying, and all of the childhood friends basically just coming together to crack jokes for a little over an hour and a half?

Grown Ups (which got a 2013 sequel) was one of my student’s favorite Sandler films, and what he loved most about it wasn’t even the star, but rather, Kevin James (Not even Chris Rock!), who he finds to be hilarious (he also really likes Here Comes the Boom). So, I guess this student really only likes Sandler by association, which is cool, I guess.

Click 

Click is a unique movie, even by Adam Sandler standards. It’s the story of a workaholic who goes to Bed Bath & Beyond and buys a magical remote control that he can use to alter reality. Think of it like one of Thanos’ infinity stones, but way more mundane. With this power, he fast forwards through stuff he doesn’t like, only to realize that life – even when it sucks – is still worth living.

More than a few students said that Click was their favorite pick, and like Hotel Translyvania, it’s not hard to understand why. The magical element makes this an interesting film, but it also has a nice message about not wanting to speed through life and to take your time. It’s a good one.

Big Daddy  

Lastly, my favorite Sandler movie (that isn’t Uncut Gems), is Big Daddy, which is the story of a guy whose girlfriend doesn’t think he’s mature enough, so he adopts a kid to prove her wrong, only to actually mature in the process.

I’ll be honest with you – Big Daddy might not hold up as well today as it did back in the late ‘90s (kind of like Shallow Hal in the early 2000s), as it does kind of feel a little misogynistic in this day and age. But, I still have a certain nostalgic love for this film.

So, it was bizarre to me that one of my students also liked it even though he couldn’t really put into words what he liked about it, other than the fact that he thought it was funny. And, I agree!

Big Daddy, for all its faults, is still a really funny movie, and one that I think is a decent pick for anybody’s favorite Sandler flick.

For more news on all things Adam Sandler, be sure to swing by here often!

Vampires. They are mythical creatures that have been in conversations from storytellers as far back as 1047 A.D. and are not going out of style anytime soon, by the looks of it. Vampires have not only been the center of some of the best horror movies of all time, but have held their own across many other genres from the early black and white days of cinema to recent years. 

If you’re in the mood to dive into a story about the undead who famously need to drink blood to remain immortal and may or may not be repelled by garlic, check out our picks for the best vampire movies. 

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) 

Speaking of vampires inspiring a variety of genres, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez very much proved this with their action horror film (with a twang of western influence), From Dusk Till Dawn. The 1996 movie stars George Clooney and Tarantino as fugitive bank robber brothers who find themselves trapped in a saloon frequented by vampires on their journey to escape into Mexico. 

Stream From Dusk Till Dawn on Max.
Rent/Buy From Dusk Till Dawn on Amazon. 

Blade (1998) 

In the ‘90s, vampire lore crossed paths with the superhero genre when Wesley Snipes starred in an adaptation of the Marvel Comics title, Blade. The movie follows the titular vampire hunter, who is a human-vampire hybrid himself, as he protects the mortal world from evil vampires. It was also one of the first Marvel adaptations that helped usher in the influx of comic book movies. Watch it before Mahershala Ali’s remake comes out in 2025. 

Stream Blade on Fubo.
Rent/Buy Blade on Amazon.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Romance has always followed the world of vampires, and that was beautifully captured in Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive. The 2013 fantasy film stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampire lovers, aptly named Adam and Eve, who have been married for centuries. As Adam becomes depressed by the direction of modern society, the pair’s relationship gets tested when Eve’s little sister (played by Mia Wasikowska) turns up. 

Stream Only Lovers Left Alive for free (with ads) on PlutoTV.
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Rent/Buy Only Lovers Left Alive on Amazon. 

Dracula (1931)

You certainly can’t go wrong with Bela Lugosi’s Dracula in 1931. It’s just about as classic as you can get with vampire movies. Based on Bram Stoker’s novel, Lugosi plays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England to suck the blood of various victims. 

Rent/Buy Dracula on Amazon. 

Hotel Transylvania (2012) 

If you’re looking for a vampire flick to enjoy with the entire family, Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania franchise is a delightful take on Count Dracula. In the 2012 first movie, Adam Sandler voices the vampire as the owner of a hotel geared toward other monsters and a father of a vampire daughter (Selena Gomez), who falls in love with a human (Andy Samberg). 

Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon. 

Let The Right One In (2008)

Sweden’s Let The Right One is one of the most highly-regarded vampire movies of all time. Based on the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also wrote the movie’s screenplay), the film follows a 12-year-old boy who is the victim of constant bullying who befriends a young vampire girl. 

Stream Let The Right One In for free on Tubi.
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Stream Let The Right One In on Peacock.
Stream/Rent/Buy Let The Right One In on Amazon. 

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Hilarious New Zealanders Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement got their hands on the vampire genre for a 2014 mockumentary horror comedy called What We Do In The Shadows. The movie is about a group of vampire housemates who live together in Wellington, New Zealand. That film then inspired a series that is ending with Season 6 in 2024. 

Rent/Buy What We Do In The Shadows on Amazon.

The Lost Boys (1987)

Another comedic vampire movie that has become a classic is 1987’s The Lost Boys. The movie, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring the likes of Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland and Dianne Wiest, is about two two brothers who move to a fictional town in California with their mother only to find out it's a secret haven for vampires. 

Rent/Buy The Lost Boys on Amazon.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt once played vampires together… What else is there to know to sell one on 1994’s Interview with the Vampire? Well, the movie is also based on a bestselling Anne Rice book (Rice also wrote the movie’s screenplay) that follows the story of a 200-year-old vampire who tells his story in the present-day to a San Francisco reporter (played by Christian Slater). 

Rent/Buy Interview With The Vampire on Amazon. 

Thirst (2009)

Famed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, who also helmed Oldboy, The Handmaiden and Decision To Leave, made his own vampire flick with 2009’s Thirst. The movie, starring Parasite’s Song Kang-ho, is about a Catholic priest who turns into a vampire after a failed medical experiment and begins an irresistible affair. 

Rent/Buy Thirst on Amazon.

A Girl Walks Home At Night (2014)

Another gem of a vampire movie from outside of Hollywood is 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night by Persian filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour. The black and white movie touted as a vampire western is about a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who begins preying on men who disrespect women in her city in Iran. 

Rent/Buy A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night on Amazon.

Twilight (2008) 

After Stephanie Meyer led a phenomenon with her vampire romance novels, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson helped make it a hit Hollywood franchise starting with 2008’s Twilight. The movie is about a teen girl named Bella (Stewart) who falls in love with a 100-year-old vampire who goes to her new high school in Washington, and becomes intertwined not only with his “vegetarian” family, but a vampire sociopath who's out for her blood, as well. It’s probably the only vampire movie with its own LEGO set on the way. 

Rent/Buy Twilight on Amazon.

Nosferatu (1922)

Perhaps the earliest vampire film with a commercial following is 1922’s silent German expressionist film, Nosferatu. The classic (and very old) movie is also inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but instead follows Count Orlok as he preys on the wife of his estate agent and the fictional German town of Wisborg. Check it out before Robert Eggers’ 2024 Nosferatu movie comes out in late 2024! 

Stream Nosferatu for free (with ads) on PlutoTV.
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Rent/Buy Nosferatu on Amazon.

So, so many great vampire movies to explore! We may not be immortal, but all these films, from a variety of eras, can help one explore the timeless influence the mythical creature has on cinema! 

Known best from the show, in particular, for his “Weekend Update” segments and “Spade in America” commentaries, David Spade is among the biggest stars to get their start on SNL. He has remained a notable name in comedy, thanks to a pretty successful film career that includes Tommy Boy and The Emperor’s New Groove and his impeccable talent for delivering even the driest dialogue in a somehow lively manner. Our favorite examples of this can be seen below with our picks for the best Spade quotes from the big screen and Saturday Night Live as well.

"Look, Children, It's A Falling Star. Make A Wish" - Saturday Night Live 

Easily the most infamous David Spade quote comes from his revival of “Hollywood Minute” during an edition of “Spade in America,” in which he makes a blunt comment about the state of Eddie Murphy’s career circa 1995. Spade actually came to regret the joke made about the Oscar-nominated former SNL star, whose later box office hit, Shrek, was actually somewhat inspired by Spade’s dynamic with Chris Farley, apparently.

"I Think Your Brain Has A Thick Candy Shell” - Tommy Boy 

Richard Hayden’s (David Spade) feelings about his business and road trip partner, Thomas “Tommy” Callahan III (Chris Farley), in Tommy Boy are summed up perfectly by his response to Tommy’s mentioning that M&M’s have a “thin candy shell.” One BTS fact about the comedy is that the characters’ combative relationship reflected the actors’ on-set attitude toward one another.

"Buh-Bye" - Saturday Night Live 

In a Season 19 SNL sketch, David Spade and host Helen Hunt played aggressively sarcastic flight attendants who cannot wait to send off their travelers after landing. The bit was referenced during SNL’s 40th anniversary special, during which Spade and an attendant played by Cecily Strong told Bradley Cooper, Taylor Swift and more “Buh-bye."

"No Touchy" - The Emperor's New Groove

David Spade’s royal Kuzco has a few notable catchphrases from the underrated Disney animated movie, The Emperor’s New Groove, from 2000. None, however, better represent his vainglorious attitude as his repeated demand of people who get too close to him.

"We Didn't Have Any Pudding In There, Buddy" - Black Sheep 

In Black Sheep — which could have been the second of three David Spade and Chris Farley movies if not for the latter’s death — Mike (Farley) gets nearly crushed by a refrigerator and complains that it caused a chocolate pudding spill in his underpants. To make matters worse, Steve (Spade) let him in on some info that suggests it was not pudding that flooded his undergarments.

"Yeah? Who Does Your Acting?" - Saturday Night Live 

Even outside of “Hollywood Minute,” David Spade still finds a way to hilariously poke fun at A-listers like Vin Diesel, much like he does when playing himself in a sketch from his second SNL hosting gig in 2005. While filming an action movie together, the Fast and Furious movies star (played by Horatio Sanz) tells Spade he does his own stunts, leading Spade to share this sharp dig.

"This Is Yzma, The Emperor's Advisor. Living Proof That Dinosaurs Once Roamed The Earth" - The Emperor's New Groove

A Disney villain who deserves her own movie is Yzma, voiced by Eartha Kitt. She's introduced in The Emperor’s New Groove via narration from David Spade’s Kuzco that doesn't paint her in a very flattering light.

"Well, I Should Hope So, Because I'm Laying It On Pretty Thick" - Tommy Boy

David Spade is a master at playing sarcastic characters — none of which are more iconic than Tommy Boy's Richard Hayden. No line of dialogue from the film spells this defining characteristic out more efficiently than his response to a blank-faced gas station attendant who takes a little too long to realize his customer is being facetious with him.

"In: People That Recognize Me From This Show Even Though I've Only Been On Twice. Out: People That Think I'm Dana Carvey" - Saturday Night Live

It's tradition for SNL to poke fun at cast members who struggle to get noticed during their first year, and David Spade was no exception. He even made himself the butt of this kind of joke during one of his “In and Out” segments on “Weekend Update." During it, he points out his resemblance to fellow ‘90s-era SNL star Dana Carvey.

"Hey, Y, Where's MCA?" - Grown-Ups

Of all the comedy all-stars in the Grown-Ups cast, you could argue that David Spade has many of the wittiest lines. An example is when he references The Village People’s immortal disco hit at the expense of Wiley (Steve Buscemi), whose body cast keeps him in “Y” stance.

"Oh, I'm Balding?" - Hotel Transylvania: Transformania 

David Spade returned to join the Hotel Transylvania: Transformania voice cast as the normally invisible Griffin — who, along with his other monster friends, suddenly becomes human after a freak accident. Upon seeing himself for the first time in a while, he discovers he has lost some of his hair.

"In: Lorne Michaels. Out: Kissing Up To Your Boss" - Saturday Night Live

It is always fun to see SNL actors go meta and pay homage to executive producer Lorne Michaels. One notable example occurs during one of David Spade’s “In and Out” segments on “Weekend Update,” in which he uses the bit’s conceit of judging certain topic’s popularity to earn some brownie points with the boss.

"That's Funny, I Didn't Know Athlete Had Three Syllables. A-tha-lete? That's Ama-za-zing" - The Benchwarmers

David Spade stars alongside Rob Schneider and Jon Heder as a trio of nerdy adults who start playing baseball on behalf of bullied children in 2006’s The Benchwarmers. When Richie (Spade) and Clark (Heder) run into one of their childhood bullies who demonstrates his unique way of pronouncing the word “athletes,” Richie comes up with a funny to turn the tables on him. 

"Hi, I'm Earth. Have We Met?" - Tommy Boy 

In Tommy Boy, Richard struggles to book a flight to Chicago with a reservationist who offers him increasingly unhelpful solutions. The final straw is her offer to book him on a flight returning from Chicago, to which he makes a remark that rivals most of his insults at Tommy’s expense. Even better, the airport employee's response is, "I don't think so."

"It Made Me Wanna Throw 'Like A Rock' At Like His Head" - Saturday Night Live 

Once during SNL’s 19th season, David Spade appeared on “Weekend Update” to express his frustration over famous musicians excluding their greatest hits from their concert set lists. One example he uses is when he saw Bob Seger, who did not play “Night Moves,” inspiring a quip that references another one of the rock star’s best-known songs.

"Bring It On" - The Emperor's New Groove

One of the most memorable moments from The Emperor’s New Groove sees David Spade’s Kuzo and Pacha (John Goodman) floating down a river while tied to opposite ends of a tree truck. When they learn they're approaching a huge waterfall, Kuzco decides, after all he has been through so far, to just face it head-on.

"You Should Go To A Spa, And Then Maybe, You Know, Like Canoe Out To An Island And Just Chill, Like If There's One Nearby, Or Far" - The Wrong Missy

In one of David Spade’s best Netflix movies, The Wrong Missy, he plays a businessman who, attempting to invite his dream woman (played by Molly Sims) to a Hawaiian work retreat, accidentally texts a disastrous blind date of the same name (Lauren Lapkus). One of his many attempts to ditch her is this not-so-subtle suggestion to, basically, get lost.

"In: Edward Scissorhands. Out: Edward Rockhands And Edward Paperhands" - Saturday Night Live

David Spade’s “In and Out” segments were always at their best when he used clever puns. For example, this funny reference to one of the best Tim Burton movies, Edward Scissorhands, was a hit at the time.

"Try Starting Out Life As A Maggot. Nobody Wants To Pet A Little Maggot!" - Racing Stripes

In the 2005 talking animal movie, Racing Stripes, Frankie Muniz voices a zebra named Stripes who aspires to be a competitive horse. Upon meeting the down-on-his-luck animal, David Spade’s character, a fly named Scuzz — whose brother, Buzz, is voiced by Steve Harvey — tells Stripes things could be worse, in reference to his own challenging childhood.

"Did Anyone See Scanners?" - Tommy Boy

In a pivotal Tommy Boy scene, Tommy and Richard learn their company is at risk of being shutdown. To emphasize what kind of horrible, mind-boggling pain this news is causing him, Richard seems to borrow a line from one of the best SNL movies, Wayne’s World, and references one of the best David Cronenberg movies, Scanners. The 1981 horror film focuses on a group of telekinetics whose abilities are so powerful they can, literally, cause people’s heads to explode.

"Uh, Would You Mind Ending This Sketch?" - Saturday Night Live 

In a Season 18 SNL sketch, Seinfeld cast member Jason Alexander plays a man who asks for more juice on his gyro, which the guys behind the counter seem to be a little too enthusiastic about. The joke begins to take on a few too many variations and for a little too long until David Spade puts an end to it by going meta.

"It Puts The Joe Dirt In The Hole" - Joe Dirt

The 2001 comedy, Joe Dirt, traces the adventures of the mulleted title character (played by David Spade) as he tries to find his family — one of which leads him right into a The Silence of the Lambs parody. Similar to Catherine Martin in that Best Picture Oscar winner, Joe finds himself held captive in serial killer Buffalo Bob’s pit, where he is referred to as “It” and forced to moisturize regularly. When Bob is arrested, he uses the same rhetoric in hopes to get the authorities’ attention.

"I Know. They're Called Doctors" - Tommy Boy

In Tommy Boy, Tommy (Chris Farley) proudly asks Richard (David Spade) if he heard about his college graduation, which Richard then acknowledges took a bit longer than it does for the average student. When Tommy tries to prove that a seven-year college stay is not out of the ordinary, Richard then, quite rudely, mentions that that most often applies to people of a specific profession that he didn't study for.

"I Don't Think It Will. I Took The Spark Plugs Out" - Grown Ups 

The guys in Grown Ups are shocked to discover that Rob (Rob Schneider) has a daughter named Jasmine (Madison Riley), whom they find to be very attractive and decide to just stick around and observe her mechanical skills. Kurt (Chris Rock) quips that he would rather the car she is working on remain unfixed, to which Marcus (David Spade) assures that it will.

"You Have A Lovely Wife. They're Both Very Pretty" - The Emperor's New Groove

Pacha (John Goodman) takes Kuzco (David Spade) to his home, only to discover that Yzma (Eartha Kitt) and Kronk (Patrick Warburton) are already there looking for him. When he tries to explain the situation to his wife, Chicha (Spade’s Just Shoot Me co-star, Wendie Malick), the emperor-turned-talking-llama suddenly chimes in and a startled Chicha reacts by hitting him in the face with a frying pan. Apparently, that really sent him spiraling based on how he perceives his new friend’s spouse.

“Did I Catch A Niner In There? Were You Calling From A Walkie-Talkie?" - Tommy Boy

We first meet David Spade’s Tommy Boy role, Richard Hayden, when he picks up Chris Farley’s recently graduated title character from the airport and asks why he hadn’t arrived earlier when his dad (played by Brian Dennehy) tried to pick him up. Tommy swears he tried to call his father but, attempting to recall the number, prompts a quip from Richard accusing Tommy of using a different, less efficient communication device.

"This Here’s Rocky, And He Ain't No Puppy" - Joe Dirt

Throughout his crazy journey, Joe Dirt takes on many odd jobs, including an alligator wrangler at one point. He really doesn't need to size up his scaly opponent, Rocky, for the crowd of onlookers as he is already threatening enough. But comparing the beast to a small doggy is pretty funny.

"I Was Just In The Pool! The Water's Cold. Don't Judge Me!" - Hotel Transylvania 

The first installment of the Hotel Transylvania movies shows us what fearsome creatures do in their spare time, such as taking a dip in the pool, which Griffin (David Spade) does right before his werewolf friend, Wayne (Steve Buscemi), pulls his trunks down in front of their peers. Even though such a prank should have no effect on an invisible man like him, he seems very embarrassed by the ordeal, with a reaction that mirrors one of the George Costanza’s funniest moments on Seinfeld.

"What Are The Odds Of Us Actually Hitting A Lake? My Money Says If Anything, It's Gonna Be A Mountain" - Tommy Boy 

Trying to make it to Chicago as quickly as possible, Tommy (Chris Farley) and Richard (David Spade) pose as flight attendants to infiltrate the next available plane, on which they must fake their way through presenting the safety instructions. Tommy demonstrates the tips and precautions while Richard stays back on the intercom and takes the liberty of poking fun at his travel partner and even satirizing the logic behind flight safety itself.

"This Is Nuckin' Futs!" - Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star 

While not one of David Spade’s better reviewed comedies, 2003’s Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star does have its moments of clever pop culture commentary. For instance, we are sure there many ‘70s sitcom stars who are constantly asked to repeat their characters’ famous catchphrases, much like what happens to Dickie anytime he bumps into a fan. In his case, the quote is something the FCC probably approved with much hesitation.

"Why Would Only My Glasses Be Visible?" - Hotel Transylvania: Transformania 

The monster reversal in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania brings about an interesting revelation about David Spade’s character, Griffin, being that he never actually wears any clothes. His response to Murray’s (Keegan-Michael Key) question regarding his nudity may seem a bit pompous, but, then again, his friends probably should have realized his wardrobe was not visible, too, if they could see his glasses.

"Luckily, My Neck Broke My Fall" - Joe Dirt

While working for an oil company, Joe Dirt (David Spade) makes enemies with a co-worker (pro wrestler Tyler Mane), who challenges him to a fight. Obviously — save his opponent catching fire in a peeing accident soon after — it does not end well for our hero, who is dropped into the dirt on his head. However, as he assures the radio host listening to his story, he was able to survive, thanks to his neck.

We also should not forget about David Spade’s sitcom following his SNL exit, Just Shoot Me, on which he stole the show as perverted Blush receptionist, Dennis Finch. He had some pretty good quotes on that hit NBC show, too, as well as in his hilarious Capital One ad campaign. However, his SNL and movies come up in spades for us especially.

Not even the most successful film franchises in the world are immune to failure. And more often than not a long running series finds its weakest link occurring closer to the middle of its total chain. 

So brace yourself for this list of the lowest rated movies from popular franchises, based solely on the Rotten Tomatoes critic review scores for sagas like the Star Trek and Star Wars movies, plus so many more.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - 21%

If you can’t imagine William Shatner and DeForest Kelly singing “Row Row Row Your Boat” to a confused Leonard Nimoy, you probably haven’t seen Star Trek V. If you thought roasts of Gene Roddenberry’s writing were harsh, try reading some of the reviews for this Shatner directed/co-written entry into the Original Series movies.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - 19%

It’s hard to imagine a world where Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ animated saga actually saw critics panning its existence. But sure enough, before it grew into the phenomenon everyone knows and loves today, the 2008 feature-film debut of this fresh take landed itself at the tail end of the franchise’s review scores. 

A View To A Kill (James Bond, 1985) - 37%

Not even Christopher Walken’s charming villain could save the final entry of Sir Roger Moore’s James Bond movies, A View to A Kill. Throughout the decades of history involved with adapting the literary creation of Ian Fleming, it seems the one where 007 engages in a ski battle set to “California Girls” is seen as the weakest point in the canon.

The Next Karate Kid (1994) - 7%

Shifting to a new lead is never easy for a beloved franchise like The Karate Kid. The bad news for that teen drama saga is that Hilary Swank’s The Next Karate Kid represents the deep end of critical disapproval. The good news is that the spinoff legacy-quel series Cobra Kai eventually made up for it.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) - 25%

How crazy is this: The Twilight Saga’s lowest ranking critical rating is the first part of its epic two-part conclusion?! Now we can’t say for sure that the epic fight scene in Breaking Dawn Part 2 was what put it above Part 1. But can you really say with absolute certainty that it wasn’t?

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) - 36%

Ok Wizarding World fans: you probably called this the moment you walked into the room. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is, without question, the bottom of the magical barrel with critics. Fortunately, the movie that followed, The Secrets of Dumbledore, managed to reverse its critical fortunes.

Jurassic World Dominion (2022) - 29%

This one stings, especially in the face of a franchise that counts Jurassic Park III among its entries. But the reality is that co-writer/director Colin Trevorrow’s trilogy closer Jurassic World Dominion brings up the rear of the RT review parade. C’mon, even critics are allowed to get it wrong from time to time.

Terminator Genisys (2015) - 26%

Somehow, even with Terminator Salvation sitting right there, 2015’s Terminator Genisys takes the crown for the lowest RT rated entry. Perhaps turning John Connor (Jason Clarke) into a villainous cyborg was a bridge too far for some franchise fans to cross; and that's even in light of what Terminator: Dark Fate would do to the character!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) - 69%

Admittedly, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny seems fated to have this spot in the pecking order. Indy’s fifth adventure didn’t exactly inspire fortune and glory during its box office run, and to be fair there were some huge swings taken. But if your lowest rated RT score is a fresh 69%, how bad is it really?  

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) - 16%

Movies like Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts really have turned things around for the Michael Bay-originated franchise. Nowhere is that more clear than the fact that the final Bay directed installment, Transformers: The Last Knight, is the low water mark for the franchise’s critical stores. Unfortunately Sir Anthony Hopkins can only do so much to save a picture. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) - 30%

Fun fact: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is the only entry in the series that’s considered “Fresh” by Rotten Tomatoes scores. That’s kind of wild to consider, especially with how the series’ box office fortunes progressed from that point. And sitting right in Davy Jones’ locker is 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales; which still has a post-credits sting worthy of following up with.  

Rocky V (1990) - 31%

Another easy fish in the barrel, Rocky V is the dead end of Sylvester Stallone’s franchise. A movie so infamous it was technically retconned by 2006’s Rocky Balboa, but it still technically exists in the series. Good luck finding anyone who’ll defend it as their favorite though. 

Men In Black: International (2019) - 23%

Franchise lead changes can be murder on a series, and that seems to be what Men In Black: International did to the popular series of sci-fi comic adaptations. Not even the chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, as well as a murderer’s row of talent like Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, and Liam Neeson could save this one with critics. And be honest: did you remember anyone outside of the film’s leads being part of the cast?  

Home Sweet Home Alone (2021) - 15%

In a saga that has two entries not even rated by Rotten Tomatoes, Home Sweet Home Alone is officially the nadir of the legacy holiday franchise. That fact is only made more dire when you realize it’s the only sequel outside of the first two films that ties into the McCallister Cinematic Universe. That’s right, Home Alone 3 is technically a better movie than this; and that’s not a hard case to make.

Vegas Vacation (1997) - 15%

As sure as you can assume that Audry and Rusty Griswold will be recast, people’s opinions on the National Lampoon’s Vacation series vary quite wildly. While most would call that first film their favorite, Vegas Vacation has somehow become the litmus test for what kind of Griswold fan you are. Bring this one up the next time you’re gathered with family or friends, and see the sparks fly. 

Jason Bourne (2016) - 54%

How could you go wrong with bringing Matt Damon back as Jason Bourne? Apparently that question was easier to answer than previously thought, as 2016’s big resurrection of The Bourne Identity’s commanding lead absolutely cratered upon release. Maybe that previously rumored Jeremy Renner crossover was the move to make after all. 

Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (1995) - 8%

Paul Rudd, beautiful man and textbook example of Golden Retriever energy, sometimes finds himself in a bit of a pickle. Though in all fairness, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was early on in his career, and it’s not his fault that the film went through such a troubled production that there are two different cuts out there. The bright side is that Clueless came out that same year, leaving Mr. Rudd not only hedging his bets, but coming out on top of this gamble. 

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) - 15%

Some franchises you can set your watch to when it comes to the movie everyone despises. While the big action in John McClane’s canon is which Die Hard sequel is best, most everyone can agree that A Good Day to Die Hard is the absolute pits. In fact, some might even rank that car battery commercial Bruce Willis did, in character as McClane, higher than this misfire.

Inspector Clouseau (The Pink Panther, 1968) - 0%

Trivia time friends: Inspector Clouseau is one of two times the classic run of films cast someone else in this titular role. Using the late, great Alan Arkin as the famed French sleuth at this point, it was obvious that you can’t just sub out Peter Sellers at will for this iconic character. As for the other actor that played the role: that would be Sir Roger Moore, credited as Turk Thrust II, in a small cameo for 1983’s Curse of the Pink Panther. 

Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982) - 7%

Remember when horror movies used to have “the 3D installment” to count as a gimmick? Of course you don’t, because it never really survived past Friday the 13th: Part 3. Though other series would try again, both before and after the 3D boom of the late aughts, Jason Voorhees’ adventure through the third dimension of entertainment went over as well as you’d think. On the plus side, it does have an awesome Alice Cooper theme to call its own, thanks to the inclusion of the song “He’s Back.”

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) - 14%

We seem to be on the cusp of a potential reevaluation of 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Some consider Jackie Earle Haley’s portrayal of Freddy Kruger to be quite chilling, and a welcome return to the sinister nature of Wes Craven’s iconic creation. Upon its release however, the film was panned heavily, and much like Friday the 13th, any aspirations for a follow-up were snuffed out. 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) - 55%

Chris Pine can revitalize franchises to a pretty fantastic effect, like he did with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. Even with that experience under his belt, it sadly wasn’t enough to win over critics in the Kenneth Branagh directed Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. On the bright side, we eventually saw Pine nab crazy experimental roles past this point, and Branagh would go on to make his fantastic Hercule Poirot films as well. So maybe the Clancyverse wasn’t their true calling. 

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) - 19%

In the entire history of the live-action Resident Evil films, and yes that includes Welcome to Raccoon City, there isn’t a fresh entry in the lot. So guessing which one is the statistical floor of the Capcom video game adaptations isn’t an easy feat. If you guessed Resident Evil: Apocalypse was that very film, you win a prize: being harsh on what’s arguably one of the better sequels in this wild range of films.

Hotel Transylvania (2012) - 45%

This is a fact that would make anyone go “blah blah-blah.” Out of all four Hotel Transylvania movies, the very first entry is the one that sits at the bottom of the food chain. Which makes the Adam Sandler-led ensemble comedy one of those cases where not one, but two major recastings actually didn’t cause the series to flatline faster than a vampire.

The Transporter Refueled (2015) - 15%

Rule one of entering a franchise: always know your audience. The Transporter Refueled could be seen as forgetting that rule, as the first film to recast Frank Martin saw Ed Skrein stepping into the shoes of Jason Statham. While he seemed to do rather well in the lead, critics just couldn’t help themselves when deciding to send it to the back of the pack.

Night At The Museum (2006) - 43%

Wild fact of the moment: even with a recast animated legacy-quel, Night at the Museum’s very first installment is the lowest rated RT score in the series. Of course, that wasn’t enough to stop the Ben Stiller series from continuing to thrive. So maybe the tablet’s magic extends to the fate of the franchise it exists within as well. 

Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) - 18%

Horror franchises love to go to space in order to spice things up in later entries. However, the Ice Age series technically isn’t a part of that genre, depending on the parents you consult on the matter. In either case, it sounds like that sort of mixup may have been part of why this Scrat-enhanced entry is in stone cold last place.

Rambo: Last Blood (2019) - 26%

“They drew first blood,” but Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo: Last Blood made sure it was the end of an era for the action star’s legendary character. While the first film is considered one of the best action movies of all time, its less than stellar finale had critics ready to move on. To survive a franchise, you’ve got to become someone who knows when to quit while they’re ahead.

Sudden Impact/The Dead Pool (Dirty Harry, 1983/1988) - 53%

Leave it to “Dirty” Harry Callahan to buck the trends, and have not one, but two movies tied for last place. 1983’s Sudden Impact and 1988’s The Dead Pool are both equally rotten in the minds of critics, no matter how many wicked one-liners Clint Eastwood’s hard nosed cop spouts. 

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) - 52%

Maybe they were too old for this mess. Despite ending Lethal Weapon 3 with both Danny Glover and Mel Gibson partaking in that gag that helped make the series famous, 1998’s Lethal Weapon 4 happened, scoring the worst RT score in series history.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003) - 34%

Pop quiz, hot shot: did you expect The Matrix Revolutions to represent the bottom of the barrel for Keanu Reeves’ sci-fi epic? If you think that’s crazy, buckle up for what we’re about to tell you. As it turns out, this is the only Matrix movie that isn’t considered Fresh. How unfair is that?!

The Godfather Part III (1990) - 66%

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corelone recut The Godfather Part III decades after Francis Ford Coppola’s infamous sequel laid an egg ending the Corleone saga once and for all. In its original form, the movie weighed in at a respectable, but still hotly debated 66%. The recut, on the other hand, saw itself clearing an 86% RT rating; and even led to star Diane Keaton’s glowing reappraisal upon its release.

You never know where a popular franchise is going to go when it comes to public and critic opinion. Let that lesson sink in as you reflect on the movies we’ve discussed above, as the notion that the last entry is the worst one can properly be dispelled with the cases we’ve just studied. 

Sony Pictures Animation is not Pixar. It’s not Dreamworks, either, nor is it Illumination, home of all of the Despicable Me movies. Sony Pictures Animation is its own thing, and within its stable of franchises is the Hotel Transylvania movies, which I consider the best series within this studio (when it comes to singular films, though, fan-favorite–and Oscar-winner!–Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the true crown jewel).     

Ah, Hotel Transylvania. The premise sounds deceptively simple, and yet, it still works so well. Take the public domain classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolf Man, etc, and put them all in a hotel together. 

Sure, Pixar’s Monster’s Inc. did the whole, monsters afraid of a human thing all the way back in 2001, but Hotel Transylvania’s strengths have always been more of the moment-to-moment jokes, which makes sense when you have a stacked cast (for most of them) that includes Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, and even the legend, Mel Brooks, for a couple of them. Much like the silly greatness of The Fast and the Furious movies, I find something to love in all of the Hotel Transylvania films. But, which one is the greatest? Well, you’re about to find out.  

Oh, and some spoilers up ahead. If you haven't seen all of the Hotel Transylvania movies, here's how to watch them streaming or by digital rental.

4. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) 

Directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, making it the only Hotel Transylvania NOT directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Transformania also doesn’t have Adam Sandler as its lead role as Drac, but instead has Brian Hull, who does a commendable job taking over. Most of the other actors have thankfully returned. This time, Drac and his son-in-law transform (hence the title) as Dracula becomes a human, and Johnny (Andy Samberg) becomes a monster. Together, they have to find a way to turn back before their transformations become permanent. Fun hijinks ensue.

They definitely did the best they could with this fourth Hotel Transylvania movie. The story moves quickly enough, and it’s fun seeing the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, and the Invisible Man as humans (Especially hot Frankenstein), but the jokes don’t land as often as I would like, and Brian Hull, while good as an Adam Sandler substitute, still can’t hit all the funny registers that Sandler could.  

I know Sandler has recently reacted to poor reviews of his recent comedies, but I think some of these lines would have been better delivered by the man himself, but oh well. Our very own Mike Reyes called Hotel Transylvania: Transformania a “solid series ending,” in his review, and I agree, but it’s still my least favorite in the series. The others are just that good, and I missed Sandler, which I don’t say often enough.   

3. Hotel Transylvania (2012)  

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (in his first feature length gig), and starring Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, just to name a few, the first film is essentially about a father who is worried about his daughter dating, which I know I will one day relate to. Wanting to fool his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez) into believing that humans are dangerous, Dracula stages a fake village with hostile villagers, which makes her believe that humans really might be trouble. But, when one actually slips in (Andy Samberg), and she falls in love with him, Dracula has to do everything in his power to hide the fact that the human isn’t a monster, which leads to some funny moments.

And, I like the first movie. It sets up the universe of this world, and it’s fun. All of the actors sound like they’re having a good time, and the jokes come quickly enough that you never get bored. If I have any complaint, it’s that since this is an origin story for Dracula in this world, it gets a little melodramatic, and it leads to some slow moments. But, other than that, it hits all the right notes, and it’s a great intro into this franchise. I definitely approve. 

2. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) 

Written -- along with Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me screenwriter, Michael McCullers --  and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is just what it sounds like. Drac and the gang go on a cruise, and enjoy some fun outdoors. The regular actors return (Sandler, Samberg, Selena Gomez, etc), but we also get newcomers like Agatha Harkness herself, Kathryn Hahn, as Drac’s new love interest, Ericka. We also get Jim Gaffigan as Ericka’s great grandfather.    

But, therein lies the conflict, and what makes this film so enjoyable, as Ericka’s last name is Van Helsing, which makes her great grandfather the legendary vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing, who is Drac’s mortal enemy. A lot of the fun of this film is seeing Drac fall deeply in love with Ericka, and how it’s his family (notably his daughter, Mavis) who has to be the “adult” in this situation. Plus, the new setting adds a great deal to the cast, making it feel like a justifiable and necessary sequel. It’s not the best Hotel Transylvania, but it’s close. Real close. But, that honor goes to… 

1. Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)  

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (again!), and starring most of the same cast as the original (except for mummy, who is now voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), but also including Mel Brooks as Dracula’s father, Vlad, Hotel Transylvania 2 is everything you could want in a sequel and more. This time, Drac (Sandler) is much more comfortable around humans, even opening the hotel to them. 

But, he’s kind of concerned that his half-vampire grandson isn’t going to turn out to be a vampire, so he essentially kidnaps the kid while his daughter and her husband go on a trip together, and antics ensue (especially when Mel Brooks arrives to ham it up).

Back when it was released, Hotel Transylvania 2 got a 4 star review from this website, and for good reason. It’s the best movie in the entire series. What makes this one really work is that it allows itself to just be fun without any of the melodrama from the first movie. We get great set-pieces (especially the vampire camp), and both A and B storylines of Mavis and Johnny on vacation, and Drac with the monsters and his grandson, are equally enjoyable, with it all coalescing in an awesome, action-packed climax. It’s also the funniest in the series. No doubt about it, Hotel Transylvania 2 is the best the franchise has to offer, by far.   

But, what’s your favorite Hotel Transylvania movie? For more news on all things animation, make sure to swing by (or fly by ) here often.  

I’m sure when you think of some of the best modern comedic actors, there are some names that always automatically pop up, such as the brilliant Adam Sandler, or maybe Kevin James, or even the talented Bill Hader, but one that I feel has been just as amazing in both movies and TV is Andy Samberg. 

From his early days working on Saturday Night Live to some of his latest ventures in movies and television, Samberg has continued to prove his comedic talents for all to see, and today, we’re going to give him the justice that he deserves. Here are some Andy Samberg movies and TV shows that you should watch if you’re a fan of the actor. 

The Hotel Transylvania Movies (Amazon Rentals)

First off on this list, we have a great animated kids franchise, Hotel Transylvania. The series takes place in a hotel run by Dracula (Adam Sandler) in Transylvania, where each movie follows his adventures with not only his family, but his ghoulish friends as well. 

Andy Samberg has voiced Johnny, the only human character in the film series, from the first movie to the 2022 entry, and he falls in love with Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) in the first film, and you can definitely tell that this is Samberg from the moment you hear his voice. He adds so much personality and energy to the character that you can’t help but like Johnny, despite Dracula (at first) not being the biggest fan. It’s a great film series, and you can stream the Hotel Transylvania movies if you're ready to watch 

Buy The Hotel Transylvania series on Amazon.

Saturday Night Live (Hulu)

If you haven’t heard of Saturday Night Live, otherwise known as SNL, you’ve been living under a rock. Saturday Night Live is a long-running primetime sketch series that has aired on Saturday night for more than forty seasons now, with sketches about pop culture, politics, and more. 

Andy Samberg was a cast member on SNL from Seasons 31-38, constantly showing off his talents as not only an actor, but a writer as well. His skillful timing, funny characters, and more helped pave the way for him to star in many other shows and movies, many of which I’m sure you’re going to see after reading this list. But, nothing can quite beat his time on the popular sketch show. 

Stream Saturday Night Live on Hulu.

Hot Rod (Tubi)

Next up, we have one of Andy Samberg’s first big movies, Hot Rod. This comedy tells the story of Rod Kimble, a young man who is looking for his father’s approval, and sees his way in when his father falls ill, and Rod decides to raise money for his heart surgery by doing one of the biggest stunts ever. 

Andy Samberg is truly at his goofiest in Hot Rod, and I mean that in the best way. The story is a little out there and silly, but what more were you expecting from a movie about a stunt man trying to do something ridiculous? Samberg is great in his role as Rod and gives a hilarious performance from the moment he steps on the screen. It’s certainly a fun time. 

Stream Hot Rod on Pluto.
Rent/buy Hot Rod on Amazon.

Palm Springs (Hulu)

One of my favorite movies of 2020 - and not just because there weren’t that many. Palm Springs is a Hulu original that follows two strangers who are both in Palm Springs for a wedding. However, their lives take a turn when suddenly, they are stuck in a time loop, and must find a way out. 

There are so many amazing time loop movies out there, but Palm Springs is just so funny. Not only is the story genuinely enjoying to follow, but Andy Samberg (who received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the film) and Cristin Milioti have some of the best chemistry in a rom-com I’ve seen in some time, while also working well with the awesome sci-fi aspects of the movie. There are so many cool behind-the-scenes stories as well, so be sure to watch the film first before checking those out. 

Stream Palm Springs on Hulu.

I Love You, Man (Paramount Plus)

You want to talk about a funny comedy? Check out I Love You, Man. This film, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, tells the story of a man who doesn’t seem to have any friends, so he decides to go on the hunt to look for a best man for his upcoming wedding. Even when he appears to find the perfect person, however, it causes problems in the rest of his life. 

This film is just wacky from the moment it starts, but so funny. There are so many stars here, like Rashida Jones, J.K. Simmons, and more, but Andy Samberg as Robbie, Peter Klaven’s (Paul Rudd) younger brother, takes the cake. Their scenes together are so hilarious and perfect and really capture the sibling relationship in such a funny way. I could re-watch this film over and over again just for their moments. 

Stream I Love You, Man on Paramount Plus.
Rent/buy I Love You, Man on Amazon.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Cinemax)

I know, that title alone is so silly, but hear me out. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a mockumentary musical movie that follows a pop star who’s career is failing, and now, he must do anything in order to bounce back in the music industry. 

The film, acting more as a commentary on the pop music industry, definitely parodies a certain artist whom we won’t get into for the sake of staying on topic, but Andy Samberg is really great in this. He perfectly captures that attitude and ridiculousness that we would see in music from certain stars, and truly makes this film so hysterical. It’s a shame the movie didn’t do well at the box office, because it certainly deserved more praise. 

Stream Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Cinemax Go.
Rent/buy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Amazon.

Celeste And Jesse Forever (Starz)

If you’re looking for a great romantic dramedy, be sure to check out Celeste and Jesse Forever. This movie follows a couple that married young, but as they grow older, they drift apart to the point of divorce, and try to maintain their friendship despite pursuing other people. 

It doesn’t sound like the film would be funny, but trust me, it really is. Celeste and Jesse Forever is certainly one of Rashida Jones' best movies, but it’s also a shining example of Andy Samberg’s talents as well. His chemistry with Jones is brilliant, and their relationship in the film is a sad yet realistic tale that does, indeed, have a happy ending somehow. I truly do love it. It’s such an underrated movie, in my opinion. 

Stream Celeste And Jesse Forever on Starz.
Rent/buy Celeste And Jesse Forever on Amazon.

The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance (Netflix)

The second voice role on here, we take a look at The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Acting as a prequel to the 1982 film, The Dark Crystal, this Netflix series follows three Gelflings who are on a journey together to reunite their clans in order to try and save their planet from disaster. 

While I do believe that you should give The Dark Crystal a watch first before this, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is truly an outstanding show with master puppetry and brilliant voice acting, including Andy Samberg’s character, The Heretic (a.k.a. skekGra). His eccentric attitude is perfect for Samberg, and you can tell he fully puts every part of his personality into voicing this incredible fantasy character. I’ll still never forgive Netflix for cancelling it after only one season. 

Stream The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix.

Baking It! (Peacock)

What do you get when you combine two former SNL stars and a baking competition? Baking It! This Peacock original, starring Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg as the hosts, follows several teams of amateur bakers who team up to try and take home a wonderful prize in the spirit of the holidays.

While Baking It is focused on the holidays, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it during any time of year, as it really is some of the best feel-good television out there right now, and that’s due in part to the wonderful hosting skills of Rudolph and Samberg. These two have such amazing chemistry and crack some of the best jokes that you’ll be laughing so hard your side will hurt. Plus, this show has grannies in rocking chairs. What’s not to love?

Stream Baking It! on Peacock.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Peacock)

You knew it would be on here. This iconic comedy is one of the best out there. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Andy Samberg, tells the story of Jake Peralta, a detective in a fictitious police precinct known for his immaturity, and follows his daily life alongside his coworkers, as well as his no-nonsense leader, Captain Holt. 

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast is phenomenal, but man, Andy Samberg is just something special on this show. This series combines his comedic timing from Saturday Night Live with brilliant storytelling. The jokes hit, the couples make you smile, the character development is fantastic, and there’s so much more than that to love. If, for some reason, you haven’t seen this show, please, check it out now. 

Stream Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Peacock.

I’m sure that as time goes on, I’ll be able to add more to this list to celebrate Andy Samberg, but until then, you have some awesome movies and TV shows that you can watch. Now, I’m going to go and re-watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and laugh my butt off once more.  

Over the course of a decade, Selena Gomez has been building a very successful music career. She has numerous hit songs, award nominations, and sold millions of records and downloads. Selena Gomez has made a name for herself in the music industry, but she got her start in the film and television industry. She made her television debut in 2002 on Barney & Friends, but really became a household name, among Disney fans at least, when she played Alex on Wizards of Waverly Place. Now Selena Gomez movies and TV shows have evolved to highlight her vast talents and growth as an actress.

For this list, I chose Selena Gomez movies and TV shows that are some nostalgic picks for longtime fans, some of her best and most interesting work, and some TV shows and movies that you may have missed. Let’s explore some of the best Selena Gomez movies and TV shows that the internet has to offer. 

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Only Murders in the Building follows three crime podcast fans who try to uncover who killed someone in their building. They also document their quest by starting a crime podcast. The Only Murders in the Building cast includes Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. 

One of the best things about Only Murders in the Building is the chemistry between the three leads. Martin Short and Steve Martin have appeared in many movies together over the years, including a few of Steve Martin’s best movies, so there is a natural screen chemistry between them. Selena Gomez may not have worked with them before but she fits right into the group. Only Murders in the Building will be back for season 2, and we can’t wait to see the gang reunite and Mabel’s character growth.

Stream Only Murders in the Building on Hulu.

 The Fundamentals Of Caring (Netflix)

The Fundamentals of Caring is a 2016 Netflix original movie that follows Ben (Paul Rudd) as he becomes the caretaker of Trevor (Craig Roberts), a boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Ben and Trevor go on a road trip that leads to them meeting Dot (Selena Gomez), who then joins them on their adventure. 

The Fundamentals of Caring is a very sweet film that explores these three different individuals who are all suffering but find comfort and friendship with one another. It’s one of Selena Gomez’s most charming movies. It’s also a movie that dares its viewers to go out and explore the world to see what or who you find along the way. 

Stream The Fundamentals of Caring on Netflix. 

Selena + Chef (HBO Max)

Selena + Chef is an HBO Max original reality TV series that Selena Gomez hosts. Each episode, she invites a chef to teach her how to cook a certain dish. The show usually features world renowned chefs, Selena, and some of her friends and family.

This is a fun series because Selena isn’t completely inept in the kitchen, but she’s definitely not an expert cook. Selena + Chef is a great cooking show for people trying to learn to cook because Selena also not being an expert helps viewers feel comfortable as they learn right along with her. The recipes are also fairly easy to follow. As of February 2022, HBO Max has three seasons that have been released with Selena + Chef Season 4  one on the way. 

Stream Selena + Chef on HBO Max. 

Wizards Of Waverly Place (Disney+)

Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel original series that aired from 2007 to 2012. It followed Alex Russo (Selena Gomez) and her family as they tried to keep the secret of their magical powers and adjust to typical youth problems.  The Wizards of Waverly cast also included David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera, and David DeLuise.

Wizards of Waverly Place helped launch Selena Gomez’s career. It’s a fun show for families and teens, and anyone who just wants to relive some of Selena’s early acting work. 

Stream The Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney+.
Buy The Wizards of Waverly Place on Amazon. 

Spring Breakers (Showtime)

Spring Breakers follows a group of college friends who decide to go to Florida for spring break. They immediately get sucked into the criminal world through their association with Alien (James Franco). The Spring Breakers cast also includes Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine. Gomez plays Faith, the more innocent and religious one of this group of girls.

Spring Breakers was one of Gomez’s first more risque and less-Disney friendly films. It was one of her first major films after leaving Disney. If you’ve seen the movie, you know Gomez’s part is much more tame than the other cast members, and she’s almost the moral compass of the film. Spring Breakers offers a different look at Selena Gomez but doesn’t completely step away from her clean Disney persona.

Stream Spring Breakers on Showtime. 
Rent/buy Spring Breakers on Amazon.

Another Cinderella Story (Amazon)

Selena Gomez joins the Cinderella franchise with Another Cinderella Story, a film about Mary, a girl who dreams of taking the dance world by storm. Since it’s a Cinderella movie, of course it has some of those elements from the original fairytale, such as a handsome prince type character played by Drew Seeley, a wicked step-family,  and a big event that will get the main girl noticed. 

Another Cinderella Story is a cute family friendly movie that’s great to watch if you want the classic Cinderella story with a modern twist. It’s a fun movie and another good one to turn on if you want a classic Selena Gomez movie.

Buy or rent Another Cinderella Story on Amazon. 

The Hotel Transylvania Movies (Amazon)

The Hotel Transylvania franchise has four main movies. They are Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. This animated film series follows Drac (Adam Sandler) and his family as they run a hotel where monsters can relax from the human world. The Hotel Transylvania main voice cast includes Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, and Fran Drescher. Many of these actors are also part of Hotel Transylvania Transformania voice-cast, but Kevin James and Adam Sandler are not in the fourth Hotel Transylvania movie.

The Hotel Transylvania films are fun for children and interesting enough to keep adults engaged as well. Selena’s Mavis is one of the most interesting characters in the franchise, especially to watch her growth towards adulthood. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is currently available to stream without any additional cost to Amazon Prime members. The other three films are available to rent or buy on video on demand platforms. 

Rent/buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon. 
Stream Hotel Transylvania: Transformania on Amazon Prime.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (Amazon)

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising brings back Mac (Seth Rogen), Teddy (Zac Efron), and Kelly (Rose Byrne) as they’re now on the same team and must work together when a sorority house takes over the neighborhood. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising has many of the same antics that made the first one a success, but this time women are the ones getting crazy and throwing parties.

Selena Gomez has a small role in the film. She plays the leader of a sorority that the three female leads decide to go against by creating their own sorority that lets them party. It’s not a huge Selena Gomez centric film, but it’s a simple comedy if you just want to watch something that won’t make you think too much.

Rent/buy Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising on Amazon. 

Princess Protection Program (Disney+)

Princess Protection Program is a 2009 Disney Channel original movie that starred Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Lovato plays a princess who must go into hiding and ends up living with an average American teen named Carter (Gomez). The two become friends and learn from each other. 

Princess Protection Program is another good pick for Selena Gomez fans who want to go back to the Disney days where Selena and Demi ruled the network. The Princess Protection Program also includes other future stars, such as Jamie Chung and Nicholas Braun. 

Stream Princess Protection Program on Disney+.
Rent/buy Princess Protection Program on Amazon. 

Rudderless (Amazon)

William H. Macy made his directorial debut with Rudderless. It stars Billy Crudup as a man grieving his son, but then uses his son’s music to connect with him. Rudderless also stars Anton Yelchin, Miles Heizer, Felicity Huffman, and Laurence Fishburne.

Selena Gomez has a supporting role in this movie, and it’s one of her few dramatic movies. Rudderless covers very heavy topics, and it has a very strong cast of actors. It’s something to watch if you want a film that’s different from many of the other Selena Gomez movies and TV shows. Also watch Rudderless if you’re not afraid to watch a movie with difficult subject matters, like grief and guilt. 

Rent/buy Rudderless on Amazon. 

The Dead Don’t Die (Amazon)

The Dead Don’t Die is a Jim Jarmusch movie about a small town that faces a zombie invasion. The zombies are drawn to things from their life before they became part of the undead community. Bill Murray and Adam Driver star in this zombie movie. The Dead Don’t Die has an all-star cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Selena Gomez, and Austin Butler. 

The Dead Don’t Die may not be one of the most realistic zombie movies, but it’s a unique take on the zombie tale that gives it a bit of edge and excitement. Selena Gomez is a supporting character, but her role is main enough that fans of the singer won’t be disappointed. It’s also the only horror movie featuring Selena Gomez on this list, so that automatically makes it worth a watch.

Rent/buy The Dead Don’t Die on Amazon. 

There are already a lot of great Selena Gomez movies and TV shows, but the actress and singer continues to grow and take on different and exciting projects. We can’t wait to see the upcoming Selena Gomez movies and TV shows. Catch Selena Gomez next when she returns for Only Murders in the Building Season 2.

Since the franchise kicked off in 2012, the Hotel Transylvania movies have been massive theatrical hits bringing in audiences of all shapes and sizes, and making a ton of cash in the process. But with its fourth installment, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the animated franchise is trying a different release model that will surely be a hit with subscribers of a certain streaming service.

That’s right, as of January 14, 2022, you can watch Hotel Transylvania: Transformania streaming, and we have everything you need to know about how to check out the latest entry in the series that sees the monsters become humans and vice versa. Time to check in at the spookiest and zaniest hotel around…

Where To Watch Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Streaming

Up until August 2021, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was slated to follow a similar path as its predecessors and have a grand theatrical run. But after multiple delays and rescheduled release dates, Sony Pictures sold the upcoming animated movie to Amazon for a staggering $100 million, according to Variety. This deal was bad news for everyone who wanted to set off for their local movie house to watch the animated feature, but great news for anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription.

If you want to watch Hotel Transylvania: Transformania streaming, all you have to do is open the Prime Video app on your preferred device, search it out, and hit play. Or, if you want to make things easy, just check out the link below.

Stream Hotel Transylvania: Transformania on Amazon.

How To Watch The Other Hotel Transylvania Movies Online

But what happens if you haven’t seen the Hotel Transylvania movies before or it’s been quite some time since you watched them last? Worry not, fearless vampire killer, as we have all the information you need in order to watch the first three installments and get all caught up before (or after) you check out Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Stream Hotel Transylvania on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon.

Stream Hotel Transylvania 2 on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation on Amazon.

How People Are Responding To The Latest Entry In The Hotel Transylvania Franchise

Still on the fence about giving Hotel Transylvania: Transformania a try during your next family movie night? Well, several critics, like CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes, have already watched the fourth installment in the franchise and have some thoughts. In his review of the animated film, which he gave 3.5 out of 5 stars, Reyes called it a “solid series ending” that was was fun but had “surprisingly bittersweet results.”

Other reviewers, like John Defore of The Hollywood Reporter, explained that Hotel Transylvania: Transformania has enough style and humor to please its target demographic. Then there were critics like ScreenRant’s Debopriyaa Dutta who said the absence of former franchise star Adam Sandler was jarring at first but that his replacement, Brian Hull, does a fantastic job of filling in.

Why not give Hotel Transylvania: Transformania a spin and see if you agree with what the critics have to say about the fun-loving, family-friendly animated film, even if you don’t think it’s one of the best movies on Amazon Prime. Also, don’t forget to check out our list of all the upcoming 2022 new movie releases so you don’t miss anything on the big screen.

With 288 million followers on Instagram, Selena Gomez is one of the most followed accounts on the social media platform. The 29-year-old actress, singer and producer is among viral celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Beyoncé, who just about everyone follows. Her account is still active as ever as it updates fans on topics such as her makeup line Rare Beauty, glam photoshoots or her upcoming projects, like the new Hotel Transylvania movie. But according to Gomez, she’s backed off social media as of late for her own mental health. 

While speaking to USA Today, Selena Gomez opened about her relationship with social media while discussing the themes of the upcoming movie Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, which has its monstrous characters dealing with the idea of finding self acceptance. In Gomez’s words: 

Like many of us, Selena Gomez deals with the negative impact social media can have on our lives. And as you can imagine, it’s even at a more massive scale because so many people are consuming her posts, liking and commenting on what she writes on places like Instagram. Many of us would be surprised that Selena Gomez actually doesn’t have social media apps on her personal phone due to its ability to “consume” her. Well, except for TikTok... which she is hilarious on.  

As of late, the actress has been known to have fun with various TikTok trends, along with posting updates such as this one, where she’s back on set with Steve Martin and Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building for Season 2: 

Each social media platform has its own pros and cons to it, with Instagram specifically the most condensed with images and people often crafting illusions through posting the best versions of themselves. In the past couple years, TikTok has skyrocketed in popularity, surpassing Instagram in users. One big difference with TikTok is how many of its viral videos seem to be accepting of many more looks and ways of being than the stereotypical Instagram moment, perhaps contributing to Gomez’s decision to keep it on as her only form of social media on her phone. 

The actress still interacts on social media and posts, but she separates herself from it on a daily basis for a big reason many of us are well aware of: it’s incredibly addictive. It’s great to see Selena Gomez finding some balance with social media. You can check out her return to Hotel Transylvania with Transformania, coming to Amazon Prime on January 14. 

Last week, Sony Pictures delayed its next superhero movie, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, from September 24 to October 15. At the same time, it was also reported that the studio was considering scrapping the theatrical release of Hotel Transylvania 4, a.k.a. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, is favor of sending it to a streaming service. Now it’s been reported that this will indeed happen, with the last installment of the Hotel Transylvania film series being set up at Amazon.

Word’s come in that Sony Pictures Animation is closing a deal to sell Hotel Transylvania 4 to Amazon for over $100 million. Although the animated franchise has been a huge moneymaker since the first movie was released in 2012, theaters are now having to contend with the spreading delta variant, and children under 12 are still not able to get vaccinated. That’s an especially big problem for a family-friendly cinematic offering. As such, Variety reports that earlier this month, Sony began exploring alternative methods to releasing Hotel Transylvania 4, and like so many movies have done during the pandemic era, it’s now found a new home on streaming.

Originally Hotel Transylvania 4 was supposed to hit theaters on October 1, but now it’s unclear when the movie will premiere on Amazon Prime Video. Sony will reportedly maintain the rights to Transformania’s home entertainment, linear TV and Chinese exhibition. This is the fourth Sony Pictures Animation movie to be exclusively released on a streaming service, although The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Wish Dragon and Vivo were all sent to Netflix instead. However, it won’t be the first Sony movie to go straight to Amazon, as the Camila Cabello-led Cinderella was set up for a Prime Video launch back in May (although it will still play theatrically in China).

Unlike most of the other major film studios, Sony doesn’t have its own streaming service, so it’s arranged deals to set up its movies on other platforms throughout 2020 and 2021. Along with the aforementioned movies, Sony has also sent An American Pickle to HBO Max, Greyhound to Apple TV+, Happiest Season to Hulu and Fatherhood to Netflix. But the studio is still keeping plenty of movies as theatrical releases, including Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Morbius and Uncharted, among others.

As far as Hotel Transylvania 4 is concerned, the movie sees its monstrous characters accidentally being transformed into humans by Professor Van Helsing’s Monsterfication Ray, while the human member of the family, Johnny, is turned into a dragon. The group must race across the world to find a cure before their transformations become permanent. Transformania sees Brian Hull taking over the Dracula role from Adam Sandler and Brad Abrell succeeding Kevin James as Frankenstein, while the returning cast members include Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Jim Gaffigan, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade and Keegan-Michael Key.

While we wait for Hotel Transylvania 4’s new release date, scan through our 2021 release schedule to keep track of the movies still set to come out for the remainder of this year, or get a head start on next year with our 2022 release schedule.

Just when comic book fans thought it was safe to plan a night out at the movies for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, some news has made itself present. After several previous delays for Tom Hardy and Andy Serkis’ Marvel Cinematic Universe adjacent movie, another push in release dates has landed on the desk of the internet. And apparently, that’s not the only film on the Sony schedule that’s looking to make a move.

Per reporting from Variety, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has slid from its current home of September 24th to its new slot on October 15th. The reason for this new delay is, unfortunately, the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, specifically the Delta variant. But in addition to that particular twist of fate, there’s now a rumor from Deadline that Sony will be sending another one of its animated films straight to streaming, as Hotel Transylvania: Transformania may be giving up its October 1st release date.

In terms of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’s potential shift, this kind of makes sense considering the state of Sony Pictures Animation’s 2021 slate so far. With big releases like The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Vivo both being sent to Netflix during this year’s return to theaters, that strategy may pay off in getting more eyes on that film in particular. This would especially be handy considering former distribution partner MGM has The Addams Family 2 slated for that same October 1st slot itself.

Meanwhile, Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s shift feels like it steers the film into even more complicated waters. October 15th puts Tom Hardy’s anti-heroic follow-up in an opening weekend that should see No Time To Die playing out its second weekend in movie theaters. But what’s worse is the fact that its opening weekend is also the home of the long-awaited Halloween Kills, as well as Ridley Scott’s historical epic The Last Duel.

That isn’t even the killing blow, as October 22nd is set to be one of the busiest days at the movies. So if Venom: Let There Be Carnage has any hopes of trying to keep the legs it has in the second weekend, it may want to move away from the weekend that sees Dune, Last Night In Soho, and Jackass Forever all debuting. Of course, if history is any sort of teacher, the lesson we should learn is to expect the unexpected. That applies to both audience’s tastes, as well as the potential for other delays to change the playing field ever more drastically.

Mark your calendars folks, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage will now be seen on October 15, 2021. And if you want to keep up with the game of musical chairs that is the 2021 release schedule, you can follow along through our own frequently updated calendar. Because if October is any indication, the future just might be filled with a carnage of a different kind.

Since its debut in 2012, the Hotel Transylvania franchise has become one of the most popular animated properties, releasing a total of four films that were all major hits with audiences and critics alike, further propelling the careers of Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, and Adam Sandler. That being said, keeping track of all the different streaming services hosting the movies about a human falling in love with the daughter of Count Dracula at a resort for ghosts, ghouls, and monsters  is a task that is easier said than done.

Fear not, vampire killer, er, lover, as we have put together a nifty guide so you can get caught up to speed on the Hotel Transylvania movies streaming, as well as the animated series you might have missed the first time around.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

On the night he is to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), with all sorts of spooky and kooky characters, Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) encounters the most terrifying one of all: a 21-year-old human named Jonathan “Johnny” Loughran (Andy Samberg) who falls in love with his only daughter. In Hotel Transylvania, the centuries-old vampire tries to find different ways to prevent the two lovebirds from living happily ever after.

Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania on Amazon.

Hotel Transylvania 2

Set years after Mavis and Johnny first fell in love, the 2015 sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 follows Drac as spends some quality time with his grandson, Dennis. Worried that his grandson is a “late fanger,” the immortal grandfather, and a group of his friends, take Dennis to their old summer camp, where they soon find out that a lot has changed in the centuries since they first attended Camp Winnepacaca in this trending Netflix title.

Stream Hotel Transylvania 2 on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania 2 on Amazon.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

Depressed, lonely, and stressed out from years of running a hotel for monsters without a companion by his side, Count Dracula soon gets a new lease on life after boarding a cruise ship and meeting the woman of his dreams. There’s just one problem in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and that is the fact his love interest, Ericka Van Helsing (Kathryn Hahn), is the great-granddaughter of his arch nemesis, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan).

Rent/Buy Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation on Amazon.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, which was the first in the series to not only not feature Adam Sandler as the voice of Count Dracula but also forgo a traditional theatrical release, follows the monsters at the titular establishment as they are turned into humans, and humans into monsters. In a race against time, Drac, Johnny, Mavis, and the rest of the beloved characters introduced over the years attempt to find a way to get things back to “normal.”

Stream Hotel Transylvania: Transformania on Prime Video.

Hotel Transylvania: The Series (2017)

Set years before the events of the first movie, Hotel Transylvania: The Series follows Mavis (voiced by Bryn McAuley) as she and her friends find themselves in all kids of misadventures when the head vampire in charge is out on a special trip.

Stream Hotel Transylvania: The Series on Netflix.
Buy Hotel Transylvania: The Series on Amazon.

Well, now that you know how to watch the Hotel Transylvania movies streaming, all there is left to do is sit down with the whole family and kick off a marathon of thrills, chills, and spills. And though the franchise has come to an end, there are still plenty of great upcoming titles on the 2022 movie schedule that everyone can enjoy, including ghosts, ghouls, and monsters.

With Hotel Transylvania: Transformania just a couple months away, we’ve received our first peek at the movie on Monday and, as we’ve come to expect from the franchise, the fourth and final movie in the Sony Animation series looks to be a ton of fun. However, there will be a major change to the franchise. Adam Sandler has quietly stepped down from Dracula as he’s remained busy on other movie projects... but that’s not the only thing being shifted for Drac.

Adam Sandler’s voice role has been handed off to Brian Hull, who is a voice actor who recently lent his voice to Disney’s Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure and Puppy Star Christmas. In the trailer he doesn’t have a ton of lines, but from what we’ve heard it sounds quite close to Sandler’s performance. Along with the cast change, Drac will also look and act different than he has prior thanks to a pesky Monsterifciation Ray. CinemaBlend spoke to Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’s co-directors Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska about the upcoming animated film, and Kluska shared with us another way Drac will feel different in his return to the big screen. In her words:

For the first time in the Hotel Transylvania series, Drac will lose his vampire sensibility and become human. It happens when his human son-in-law (played by Andy Samberg) decides that he wants to become a monster like the rest of the Drac Pack and his wife Mavis. He goes to Jim Gaffigan’s Van Helsing to do the deed, and in the process Drac gets in the crossfires of a malfunctioning ray and becomes a living, breathing Homo sapien. Check out the trailer below:

The Transformania trailer only gives us a small dose of what to expect from human Drac, but as the directors teased, the character will move and look much differently as a human. It will be fun to see the roles reversed as Johnny tries out being a monster and Drac contends with what being in a human body is really like. Maybe it’ll allow the two in-laws to gain some empathy with one another about what it’s like to be in each other’s shoes.

The movie will finalize the Hotel Transylvania storyline that began in 2012. Even though Adam Sandler will not be involved this time around, the movie has an all-star cast including Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Kathryn Hahn, Fran Drescher and Steve Buscemi. Transformania hits theaters on July 23, part of a schedule that is filled with a ton of other exciting summer 2021 movies.

It’s been almost ten years since we first met Dracula, his daughter Mavis and the wacky monster family in the original Hotel Transylvania movie. Since, Selena Gomez’s vampiress character has found love in Andy Samberg’s human Johnny, gotten married and had their own son amidst some fun ups and downs for the Draculas. The story will officially come to an end this summer with Hotel Transylvania: Transformania and wrap up their love story.

When CinemaBlend spoke to Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’s co-directors Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska, we talked about how Andy Samberg’s Johnny will have a more central role in the movie thanks to the film’s premise following his decision to become a monster in his own right and it goes terribly wrong. Kluska shared what’s next with Johnny with these words:

A key relationship throughout Hotel Transylvania has been this oddball relationship between Drac and Johnny, as their differences often make for some hilarious moments. And as Kluska teased, where things end will come full circle with where they started somehow. As the Transformania trailer revealed, Johnny will accidentally turn Drac into a human, creating a bit of fun irony from where the story began. Kluska continued:

Even though Johnny and Drac will be center to the story, Mavis will have a major role in the final Hotel Transylvania movie as well, as she adventures out to switch Johnny back to human and her father back to a vampire. Check out a first look at the upcoming movie here:

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania will mark the first time Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska direct a movie from the series, following Genndy Tartakovsky helming the franchise for the last three movies. Tartakovsky still serves as a writer and executive producer on the film. He told CinemaBlend of passing the torch to the new directors:

It’s not going to be an easy goodbye to Hotel Transylvania, but it looks like the Sony Animation movies are being handled with care (and a ton of fun) and Johnny wrestles with feeling out of place years after stumbling across the monstrous hotel. Along with Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez’s top billing, it will also once again star the voice talents of Steve Buscemi as Wayne, Keegan-Michael Key as Murray, David Spade as the Invisible Man, Fran Drescher as Eunice, Jim Gaffigan as Van Helsing and Kathryn Hahn as Ericka.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is coming to theaters on July 23. Check out what other exciting releases are coming this summer with CinemaBlend’s 2021 release schedule.

With the summer movie season upon us, many of us are getting ready to enjoy our favorite franchises on the big screen again, some of which with the whole family. One exciting offering will be the final chapter to Sony Animation’s Hotel Transylvania. We’ve just received our first look at the fourth movie, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania and it looks to be filled with laughs… and a brand new monster by a fan-favorite character.

The first trailer for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania has Drac celebrating the 125th year in business for the monster hotel with a stunning party with all of the major characters from the franchise. Then we learn that Andy Samberg’s character Johnny is still super self-conscious about being the odd man out in the family with Selena Gomez’s Mavis. So, he decides to try to be a monster himself, though it doesn’t seem to turn out as planned.

Johnny then turns to Jim Gaffigan’s Van Helsing to help him become a monster in his own right using something called the “Monsterfication Ray.” It doesn’t work quite right on Johnny… because of course it doesn’t and the powers of ray boomerangs itself throughout the hotel. Johnny turns into a host of different monsters before hitting Dracula and turning him human, as Johnny remains a monster. Oops.

Dracula is understandably peeved by his son-in-law as he takes the form of an old man, and by the above trailer it looks like the “Monsterfication Ray” will be causing tons of other troubles throughout the hotel. We even get too good of a look at David Spade’s Invisible Man, who has apparently been naked this whole time. It’s a fun first look at Hotel Transylvania: Transformania ahead of its release this July alongside Snake Eyes and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old.

Transformania follows 2018’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which had the Count, his family and friends going on a cruise and meeting the Van Helsing family. It’s there where Drac meets a love of his own in Kathryn Hahn’s Ericka Van Helsing, who is primed to return for this movie fresh off her wicked role in Marvel’s Wandavision. The movie also sees the return of the voice talents of Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, though Adam Sandler will be replaced by Brian Hull.

The first trailer only offers a fun appetizer to what’s to come in the Hotel Transylvania, but it looks like it will lean into some fun gags from Freaky Friday where Johnny and Dracula will have to be in each other’s shoes, between monster and human. It’s always fun to see those two characters play off each other, and we’re curious how that may conclude the franchise nearly a decade since the Sony movies began. And coming fresh off the release of Sony Animation’s hit Mitchells vs the Machines, we’re excited to see what’s next from the studio.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania hits theaters on July 23 and check out what other movies to look forward to in the coming months with the 2021 movie release schedule here on CinemaBlend.

Although Miley Cyrus is best known as a singer, she’s also collected a number of acting credits over the years, most notably the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana and more recently Netflix’s anthology series Black Mirror. As it turns out, though, she lost out on getting to be one of the stars of Hotel Transylvania because of her decorum around a penis cake. This information came straight from Cyrus herself, who said the following:

For those unfamiliar, Miley Cyrus was originally cast to play Mavis, daughter of Adam Sandler’s Dracula, for the first Hotel Transylvania movie back in November 2011. At this point, Cyrus already had some animated movie experience under her belt with Disney’s Bolt, so getting to participate in this Sony feature would have expanded that portion of her resume.

However, just four months later, Miley Cyrus left Hotel Transylvania and Selena Gomez was tapped as the new Mavis, a role she kept for the following two sequels and will presumably reprise for Hotel Transylvania 4. At the time, Cyrus attributed her exit to wanting to work on her music, but seven years later, she revealed the real reason: evidently some higher-ups weren’t pleased that she bought her then-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth a birthday cake that looked like a penis and then licked it.

I’m curious about the sequence of events that led to Miley Cyrus’ dismissal from Hotel Transylvania. Did the people who kicked her off the movie just hear about what she did? Did they see pictures of her activity around the penis cake? Or were they at the party where this happened and shocked by what they saw? Whatever the specifics were, it resulted in Cyrus losing out on an animated hit that, while met with mixed reviews, would make over $358 million worldwide.

This revelation was part of a Twitter thread Miley Cyrus posted today in response to accusations that she cheated on Liam Hemsworth. The two of them married at the end of 2018, but Cyrus announced earlier this month that they were separating, and Hemsworth has since filed for divorce.

Miley Cyrus used the thread to show how she’s transparent with her fans and the public. Among the other things she shared were that she "fucked up and cheated in relationships" when she was young, lost a deal with Walmart when she was 17 years old for "ripping a bong," swung on a wrecking ball fully nude and claimed that there are more "nudes" of her on the internet than "maybe any woman in history."

She capped off the thread by denying once again that she cheated on Liam Hemsworth, adding that she’s the "healthiest and happiest" she's been in a long time and is in a different place from when she was younger, and that while you can call her many things, a liar’s not one of them.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news concerning Miley Cyrus’ film and television work, including if there’s another penis cake incident that complicates her involvement in a project. For now, keep up to date with the rest of this year’s movies by looking through our 2019 release schedule.

Adam Sandler is a name synonymous with comedy, and few other comedians have led a career quite like his. That paired with the acclaim of his work taking somewhat of a dive in recent years may cause some to take for granted just how many great things he's been in over the years. This list chronicles the best of the best when it comes to Sandler, and should serve as a reminder as to why he's still so popular today. We're dividing these movies up into categories that best represent what Sandler has delivered to audiences over his long career: the '90s, the 2000s, his more dramatic movies, his animated work, his Netflix offerings and a few of his underrated projects.

The '90s

We begin with what many would consider Adam Sandler's peak era, the '90s. When people say they love Sandler, these are the movies that are often referenced, and rightly so because they remain some of the best he's performed in during his career.

Billy Madison

The premise of an adult man repeating kindergarten through 12th grade in order to gain control of his father's business is an admittedly ridiculous premise, but Sandler just makes it so fun the whole way through. The one-liners that can be quoted throughout this movie are endless, and will still get laughs even after multiple re-watches. Much like the O'Doyle family, this film rules.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore fundamentally changed the game of golf, even if it wasn't for the best. This movie is the reason driving ranges ask that golfers not take a "running start" on golf drives and possibly why some younger kids become interested in golfing to begin with. Let's also not forget the iconic "Endless Love" scene that balances romance and comedy in a way Sandler's films have mastered.

The Wedding Singer

A lot of Adam Sandler's iconic films of the '90s had a tinge of romance, but The Wedding Singer is definitely one of the few of this era where romance came before the comedy. While Sandler's performance as Robbie Hart was great, apparently audiences really responded to the dynamic Sandler shared with Drew Barrymore. At least, that's what we're assuming seeing as they were in another romantic comedy together years later.

The Waterboy

One of the best things about Adam Sandler movies is there are some ideas that wouldn't work for anyone else but him. You don't believe me? Try to imagine anyone else playing the role of Bobby Boucher, the all-star college football athlete primarily driven by his rage. This one has plenty of belly laughs, a great performance by Henry Winkler and a notable message that mama doesn't always know what's best.

Big Daddy

Adam Sandler plays an adult man child who essentially adopts a child to win a woman back. Of course, it becomes more than that as the story progresses, and soon his character Sandy has trouble imagining his life without the boy. For older Sandler fans trying to get their teens to get into Sandler's older films, just casually bring up that Cole Sprouse (from Riverdale) tag teams the role of Julian with his twin brother Dylan.

The 2000s

We're now at the 2000s, which was still a good time to be Adam Sandler. This era started off with more of the same comedy projects audiences expected from the actor, but slowly evolved throughout the decade into something entirely different. Enough with the cryptic sentences, let's get back into things.

Mr. Deeds

A good guy gets a lot of money and uses it to improve the lives of others; what's not to love? Mr. Deeds is the perfect combination of feel good and funny, and features great supporting performances from Winona Ryder and John Turturro. Also, it put the dream of putting Hawaiian Punch in water fountains out into the universe, which means there's a chance we too can one day experience that luxury.

50 First Dates

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler get back together again for a film that, while increasingly improbable the longer one things about it, is still pretty great. Kick back, relax and only wonder how long that tape Lucy watches is after the credits roll!

Click

Click was one of those surprise films, mostly because it starts off as the typical Adam Sandler romp and then gets dark real quick. It's a real bummer for anyone looking for the standard comedy, but really great for those looking to be surprised by what becomes a film surprisingly deeper than it initially seems.

The More Dramatic Movies

Comedy is Adam Sandler's main strength, but as many of his fans know, he has a more serious side. While his serious endeavors aren't as celebrated as his typical romps, there are certainly a few gems that fans of the actor should check out. After all, some of these have double-to-triple the critical acclaim of some of his comedies.

Punch-Drunk Love

As stated before, Adam Sandler is good at the whole being funny, but romantic thing. It's worked for him in several films before, and it really peaked in Punch-Drunk Love. It's one of the darker films Sandler's done, and a form of comedy that explores the grim reality of battling loneliness in adulthood. It's a little heavy, but a great ride from start to finish.

Reign Over Me

Reign Over Me may not be the highest rated of the "serious Sandler" genre, but damn if it isn't one of the saddest. Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler do a fantastic job of telling the story of two friends who find themselves in need of each other for totally different reasons. It'll make you cry, even if the plot is a bit uneven throughout.

The Animated Work

Live-action is just one of the places Adam Sandler's taken his comedy, of course, as he's also done a handful of projects in the world of animation. Granted, he's done far less than some other actors and actresses, but there's a couple projects in his animated filmography certainly worth checking out.

Eight Crazy Nights

There aren't a ton of Hannukah movies in general, let alone ones that have a mainstream appeal. Eight Crazy Nights broke that mold, and while it isn't as iconic as some other films, it's certainly worth watching again and again. If 6th grade me was a part of The Academy back when this movie came out, "Bum Biddy" would've at least gotten a nod for Best Original Song.

Hotel Transylvania

Who would've thought a franchise about a Dracula and his daughter running a hotel would be so successful? Seriously, it would be surprising to learn even the most optimistic producer of these movies could've guessed we'd be talking about a fourth movie happening, at least in theaters. Adam Sandler's Dracula may not be the only factor in what makes these films special, but he certainly helps.

Netflix Movies

We're now at a modern era of Adam Sandler, which we like to dub as the Netflix Sandler. Adam Sandler's deal with Netflix has spawned quite a few films, and while most of them haven't been viewed in a positive light, the era is not without its merits. In all fairness, there is less to appreciate, but there are two in particular that shouldn't be missed.

The Meyerowitz Stories

For whatever reason, critics tend to love Adam Sandler the more sad the movie he's in is. The Meyerowitz Stories may have gotten Netflix booted from Cannes but the streaming service can hang its hat on being one of Sandler's most critically acclaimed films of all time and quite possibly the first to get legitimate Oscar buzz. Honestly, that's arguably worth more in bragging rights.

The Do-Over

David Spade and Adam Sandler have worked a lot with each other throughout their careers, but none of it tops their work together in The Do-Over. The chemistry these two have really makes one wonder why the '90s weren't full of these guys co-starring in lots of different movies. Those with a subscription should do themselves a favor, and watch this one immediately.

The Underrated Projects

We're close to the end, which means it's a perfect time to hit the Adam Sandler films that are still great, but have faded in popularity in the years since they hit theaters. Each of these were great at the time, and perhaps may be yet again if the world chooses to embrace them en masse once more.

Bulletproof

Bulletproof essentially solidified in Hollywood's eyes that Adam Sandler has no place in action films, even if it is a comedy. It's a real shame because the film is not nearly as bad as some say, and a rare collaboration between the actor and Damon Wayans. Provided one has low expectations going in, this is a great film from start to finish.

Little Nicky

Hot take, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen has never had better advertising ever. Adam Sandler's odd tale about a son of the devil trying to take over the family business. The film bombed and was viewed as a commercial failure, but it's well worth the price of admission if found on a streaming service or in a bargain bin.

Anger Management

Adam Sandler has had many iconic acting team ups over the course of his career, with some actors and actresses appearing in his films again and again. Jack Nicholson was not one of them, but it really should've happened again after Anger Management. The way these two go at each other throughout the movie is hilarious, and there are so many quotable lines from this one that make it so easy to watch again and again.

Those who think their favorite Adam Sandler movie was unfairly left off the list can state their case in the comments below. For more on Sandler and his fans, read up on the dude who managed to watch one of the actor's films every day for a year straight.

This past weekend, Genndy Tartakovsky's Hotel Transylvania 3 became the number one film at the domestic box office, with a $44 million weekend that brought the franchise closer to its all-time high of the first film's $48 million opening. Considering the legendary animation director was ready to sit out the third installment altogether, this feels like a sign that proves his prowess in the animated medium can, in fact, be trusted on the big screen. With three consistent results in the bank for Sony Pictures Animation, the time feels right to give Tartakovsky back the dream project he never got to deliver: it's time to bring his Popeye film back to the fold.

As far back as 2010, Sony had been playing with the option of turning the classic comic strip character made by the animated shorts of Max Fleischer into a 3D animated spectacular. But Popeye was really something special for Genndy Tartakovsky, as he once revealed that as a child he started learning English with the help of Popeye, so his announcement as the project's helmer in 2012 was practically a dream come true. Eventually, that dream would collapse, with Tartakovsky leaving the project in 2014, leaving Popeye in "active development" at Sony Pictures Animation to this day.

So why now? Why Popeye? Well, for starters, Genndy Tartakovsky has successfully landed three opening weekend wins for Sony Pictures Animation: a studio that could use as many commercial, and critical, successes as it can get. It's been about a year since the debacle known as The Emoji Movie signaled that the regime change in SPA's ranks wasn't totally for the better. Strangely enough, that sea change in the organization was what ended up making the T.J. Miller-starring disaster a priority over Tartakovsky's more old-school passion project, and with his track record only improving after this past weekend, the man's earned this chance on paper.

Better still, Tartakovsky is the best person to give a project like Popeye to, especially when you look at how the Hotel Transylvania films turned out. Through each of those films, you can see that Genndy Tartakovsky can balance a more modern, humorous approach to an animated story with the art style of a classic animated adventure. With the early days of his involvement with Popeye labeling him as planning to make the film "as artful and unrealistic as possible," Tartakovsky sounds like he's always had the right mindset for the property's rebirth.

Perhaps the most important argument for Genndy Tartakovsky's Popeye to become an actual reality is the fact that he's already pitched the best case for its existence through an extremely convincing pitch reel. Back when Sony Pictures Animation was looking to hype the film's pre-production, Tartakovsky put together some rough animation that showed how his Popeye would look and feel. As luck would have it, that reel is still up on the internet, and you can watch it for yourself below:

The footage you've just watched is the best, and most effective proof that Tartakovsky's Popeye is one of the biggest missed opportunities that Sony Pictures Animation has ever squandered. Not only are the looks of characters like Popeye and Olive Oyl preserved from their classic incarnations, but they're given some extra definition to effectively translate their style into a modern, 3D friendly context. Plus, watching the action-packed comedy that takes place in this proof of concept reel has anyone even the slightest bit into 3D animation salivating over just how beautiful this movie would look with the right conversion.

All of the evidence in consideration leads back to the fact that Genndy Tartakovsky is a proven success in the world of animation, and that he should be given back the reins to make Popeye into what could be the successful relaunch of a storied classic. It's an established, time worn brand that has unlimited potential when it comes to being introduced to a new generation. No one thought Paddington was going to be the hit that it was, until writer/director Paul King came along and injected what could have been a soulless cash grab with equal amounts of fandom and heart, turning it into an earnest success. Popeye is Genndy Tartakovsky's Paddington, and if Sony doesn't see that, then another studio should be trying to make this happen on their own dime. In a world obsessed with re-launching franchises with previous brand recognition, this is an opportunity too good to pass up.

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The Hotel Transylvania crew is about to leave their humble abode and take the road on the show. Well, OK, fine. Not exactly the "road." More like the sea. In the third chapter of the wildly successful animated series, Dracula (Adam Sandler), Mavis (Selena Gomez), Griffin (David Spade), Frank (Kevin James) and the rest of the haunted crew are taking a vacation aboard a legendary ocean liner. Things can only go horribly. Now, though, if you own an Alexa, you can take this story outside of the theater and into your home! Here's how.

Beginning today, Alexa customers and their families can enjoy summer bedtime stories voiced by their favorite Hotel Transylvania actors including Andy Samberg (Johnny), Steve Buscemi (Wayne the werewolf), Keegan-Michael Key (Murray the mummy), Fran Drescher (Eunice), and Asher Blinkoff (Dennis). A new story, nursery rhyme, or joke read by the popular cast will be available every day through Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation's nationwide release on July 13.

There are several different ways for Alexa customers to trigger the stories, jokes and original songs tied to the movie, but the process has to begin with a parent saying, "Alexa, open Hotel Transylvania."

From there, Sony has alerted CinemaBlend to a few of the unique commands that a family can give to the Alexa to trigger exclusive Hotel Transylvania content. They include:

In addition to bedtime stories, customers can also set up a custom Hotel Transylvania alarm for Alexa through the Amazon Alexa app. We tested the new technology out, and it looked like this!

Commenting on the announcement, Elias Plishner, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Digital Marketing, Sony Pictures Entertainment, said:

So far, the Hotel Transylvania movies have earned an impressive $833 million dollars globally, with the second movie outearning the first film. That bodes well for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, as the fanbase has grown over the years with new audience members finding the first two stories on DVD and streaming. Play with the Alexa with your friends and family, and grab your tickets for Summer Vacation, which will open in theaters everywhere on July 13.

Trilogies are a tricky thing. While they largely to make tons of money from a captive audience, it can be challenging for filmmakers to create an engaging story for a threequel. Third movies are famously the worst from major trilogies, and now the pressure is on for Hotel Transylvania to break that trend. The animated franchise is changing things up with Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, taking the iconic character of monsters, and bringing them on a monster cruise. This is a bold departure from the first two films, and I recently spoke to franchise director Genndy Tartakovsky about this decision. It turns out that he was ready to walk away from the property, before a family vacation of his own sparked his imagination. As he told me,

You've heard of art imitating life before, right? In this case, Genndy Tartakovsky's real life experience helped revitalize his interest in the Hotel Transylvania franchise. Because while directing and advertising the first sequel may have taken a lot out of the animator, getting the motley crew of monsters out of the Hotel and in a new space allowed for new storytelling and comedic opportunities.

Hotel Transylvania 3 follows the beloved group of monsters 6 years after the events of the second film as they take a family vacation. While we'll follow Dracula falling in love and everyone else getting a vacay, the location of cruise allows for bigger sets and locations. As Genndy Tartakovsky teased during our conversation,

While threequels might have a bad wrap in the movie world, it looks like Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is going to seriously up the stakes and limits of the franchise's world. The first two movies made great money at the box office, so we'll have to see if they can strike gold thrice.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation will arrive in theaters on July 13, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

If there's one genre of filmmaking that always finds a way to accrue amazing casts, its animated features. Because A-listers aren't required to actually be on set together, animated movies can hire stars who want to pick up some extra cash, without the long schedule that usually accompanied a live-action film appearance. The Hotel Transylvania franchise has always featured plenty of big names, including Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, and Steven Buscemi. An upcoming threequel is headed to the theaters, bringing the zany group of monsters onto a supernatural vacation. I recently spoke with franchise director Genndy Tartakovsky, who has also taken on writing duties for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. When asked about the most challenging aspect of the upcoming sequel, Tartakovsky said:

It looks like both directing and writing Hotel Transylvania 3 was challenging for Genndy Tartakovsky. Luckily for him, he's already directed the first two movies, and therefore knew both the characters and all star cast before jumping in.

Genndy Tartakovsky's comments highlighted how Adam Sandler was a bit more hands off on the third Hotel Transylvania movie. Sandler currently has a massive deal producing content for Netflix, keeping busy with the various originals that have hit the streaming service. As such, he had less time to write and work on Summer Vacation than the previous two installments. With another job and slightly less help, Tartakovsky's responsibilities were a bit more challenging this time around.

While Adam Sandler didn't create the characters from the Hotel Transylvania franchise, the comedian/actor/producer did have a strong influence over the first two movies. He ended up co-writing the first sequel, which shows how much say Sandler truly has had with the animated features. While he was a bit more hands off for the threequel, Genndy Tartakovsky also spoke to how writing Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation was still very much about making sure Drac had the right lines of dialogue. As he told me,

Ultimately Genndy Tartakovsky must have done something right, as Adam Sandler ended up once again voicing Dracula. The upcoming threequel will still be very much focused on Drac and his family-- even if the actor couldn't be quite as involved as the previous two installments.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Family Vacation will arrive in theaters on July 13, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Hotel Transylvania series has been a huge winner for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The animated films, following Adam Sandler's Dracula, his daughter Mavis, and a monstrous hotel, are very popular among kids and families (except maybe his own) and have only grown in popularity since the first film. Now, Sony has released the first international trailer for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and it finds Dracula finally getting a break from running his hotel and taking a vacation of his own. Check it out below.

It look like the whole crew will be tagging along when the cantankerous and overworked Dracula finally gets a vacation thanks to his daughter, Mavis. After being forced to leave his hotel, a lot of headaches, including his dad, will be tagging along with him. The change of setting to an inherently ridiculous cruise ship, should provide a lot of opportunities for the kind of silly fun this series is known for, such as Speedo-clad Vlad.

This trailer is more of a teaser in a way because other than the broad strokes we don't get to see what the conflict will be on board this 'hotel, on the water'. But the description of the film gives us a better idea of what sort of hijinks will take place on the high seas. Although initially reluctant, the crotchety Dracula will find something to like about the cruise when he meets the ship's captain Ericka, and a romance begins. No doubt Drac's Pack will be more hindrance than help in the love department. Mavis looks as if she'll be skeptical of the relationship and now becomes the overprotective family member that Dracula was in the first movie. Neither Dracula, Mavis nor the rest of Drac's Pack knows the truth that Ericka is in fact a descendent of the legendary vampire and monster hunter, Abraham Van Helsing.

The first two Hotel Transylvania films excelled at the box office and broke records doing so. The first film, which debuted in 2012, took in $358 million worldwide and 2015's Hotel Transylvania 2 surpassed that with a $473 million total haul. Animated sequels that surpass their predecessors at the box office can be a rare feat. Growing in both worldwide and domestic grosses from film to film is a good sign for Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. The film should also benefit from fans of the prequel TV series that debuted earlier this year on Disney Channel.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation stars Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg. And, despite some initial doubts, Genndy Tartakovsky, was again in the director's chair for the third film in the series. It hits theaters on July 13, 2018. Check out Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and all the biggest movies coming out next year with our 2018 release schedule.

I'm a sucker for something different when it comes to Blu-ray and DVD sets, especially if they come with a fun cover or collectible figurines. Luckily, if you are a lover of sets like these, the major studios often release some really enticing movie and TV releases around the holidays. This year, we've culled through the outstanding sets that the various companies have released and have put together a list of awesome Blu-ray, DVD and even 4K sets that would look good in any home. Check out our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide, below, and let us know if you've already bought any one of these expensive beauties for someone you really, really like.

In addition, if you'd like to take a look at a few of the cool sets that might be available from last year, head here.

The Walking Dead Season 6 Limited Edition Blu-ray

Through the duration of The Walking Dead's run, Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has released special sets for each of the seasons that come with grotesque yet awesome packaging that focuses on some of the most horrific aspects of zombie decay. The Season 6 Limited Edition set is among our favorites, as it features a zombie with its entrails hanging out clinging to a chain on the back of a large vehicle. It's super creative, really and it is based on an original walker design by executive producer Greg Nicotero. The disc itself is the regular Season 6 Blu-ray set, which pops out from underneath the fun plastic packaging; it should be noted this set has a special cover created just for this release. Bonus features include deleted scenes, in memorium segments, a feature on Negan, an extended version of "Last Day on Earth" and more. The set runs on the expensive side, but it's truly delightful. If you'd like to get your own hands on a copy of the Limited Edition release, head here.

Who It's Perfect For: People who relish artwork featuring faux rotten flesh, those who need to relive the "Glenncident" a.k.a the dumpster incident, those who love Negan and anyone who wants to check out some extra special bonus features.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D Collector's Edition

Over the past few years, Blu-ray sets have gotten a little bit away from the use of holographic covers, but I still love it when a Home Entertainment set uses one of these excellent covers. Luckily, that's not the only extra that Walt Disney Home Entertainment's Collector's Edition has to offer. Not everyone has 3D TV in their homes but that doesn't really matter. If you are a superfan of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this is honestly a great set filled with a slew of bonus features, including commentaries with J.J. Abrams, new deleted scenes, a feature looking at the inside of the armory that talks about how weapons were created for the movie, and segments on artistry, the costumes and even the sound in the film. They sound more generic than they are, as they are actually chock full of information, which we've discussed here and here and here. Whether or not you own a copy of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this one is more spectacular in every way. The 3D disc is just a bonus, as A Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and Bonus disc are also a part of the set. Order your own copy of the collectible release here.

Who It's Perfect For: Avid Star Wars Fans, casual Star Wars fans, fans of J.J. Abrams' work, anyone who thought The Force Awakens was alright but is pumped for the future of the franchise, fans of Star Wars newcomer Daisy Ridley.

Person of Interest: The Complete Original Series DVD Set

While many would agree that Person of Interest ended too soon---indeed the disc for the fifth and final season is even slimmer than the others---Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is giving fans the gift of the season: a fun 5-DVD set featuring every single moment from the entire series, plus some bonus features. One of them, "Finale For The Fans," features some of the crew and Michael Emerson meeting up around the show's 100th episode (which came just before the end of the show) to talk about what they are proud of with the series and what they regret. This includes wishing they had had time to explore "Dark Finch" and more. John Reese and Harold Finch will be missed, but maybe there will be more Person of Interest down the line, if we should be so lucky. For now, we can relive our favorite memories with this set. You can order Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's set here.

Who It's Perfect For: Hardcore fans of Person of Interest, plus anyone who likes to listen to Jim Caviezel sounding like Batman. Tech lovers, Bad Robot lovers, Jonathan Nolan lovers and more should all love this comprehensive set, as well.

Game of Thrones: The Complete Seasons 1-6

Now that we know Game of Thrones will be wrapping up after Season 8, the end seems nigh. However, there's an easy way to relive all of your favorite episodes, and to also buy in to some collectible packaging that will look great on any shelf. The new Game of Thrones set features six Blu-ray discs in tidy packaging with a Digital HD copy and exciting dragon cover art. If you know anything about HBO Home Entertainment's sets, you should know they are pretty much the gold standard in terms of bonus features. There are too many across multiple seasons to name, but there are episode guides, there are deleted scenes and there are segments walking us through some of the show's most iconic episodes, as well. There are hours and hours of bonus features to peruse on each of these discs. You can order the full Game of Thrones: The Complete Seasons 1-6 here. If you're only looking for a particular season of the HBO drama, we also highly suggest checking out the Steelbook editions of Game of Thrones, which are solid buys, as well.

Who It's Perfect For: Game of Thrones fans, Game of Thrones fans who want the convenience of a full set of seasons, fans of the show who enjoy slimmer packaging as some of HBO's sets take up more space per season.

Sony Pictures Animation Collection DVD Lunchbox Set

What's cuter than giving your kids a slew of fun, animated movies for Christmas? Giving them a bunch of Sony animated classics packaged in an adorable lunchbox would be the correct answer. The Sony Picture Animation Collection comes with 10 movies: Arthur Christmas, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2, Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2, Open Season, The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2 and Surf's Up. While a lot of sequels are involved, this set comprises most of Sony Animation's recent releases for kids of all ages, and incorporates them into packaging most people can smile over. Give the lunchbox a looksy, here.

Who It's Perfect For: Animation lovers, kids who need lunchboxes, kids who don't need lunchboxes, anyone who enjoys hearing Adam Sandler say "blah blah blah, and fans who like to spice up their DVD shelves.

Star Trek Beyond: 4K Ultra HD Gift Set

Paramount Home Media Distribution made it really easy to enjoy Star Trek Beyond when it hit Blu-ray and DVD earlier this year. One of the most enticing sets was its 4K Ultra HD release, which included more than an hour of bonus features and came with a Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and Digital copy of the film for all of your viewing needs. If you're the type of person who only has one of the 3D or 4K formats, that's OK. It never hurts to have a back-up format, and this set also comes with the added benefit of a USS Franklin Collective. The little ship looks adorable on any work desk, and we can verify that it's equally fun to play with.

Who It's Perfect For: Trekkies, People who enjoy Justin Lin's take on the franchise, people with 4K technology, people with 3D Blu-ray technology, people who generally enjoy playing with toys---err we mean, collectibles.

Independence Day: 20th Anniversary Attacker Edition

Want a Blu-ray copy of Independence Day? Check. Want a large version of an attacker from the film to show off to your friends? Check. Twentieth Century Fox's set revisits the classic film starring Will Smith with some exciting extras, including a large version of the famous alien ship at the heart of Roland Emmerich's film. Two versions of the movie are also available on the Blu-ray: The Theatrical and Extended cuts, not to mention brand new bonus features. If you don't need the collectible, the home entertainment company also released a cheaper version for homes. But again, it's the gift set that really makes this one fun. Order your own copy here.

Who It's Perfect For: Independence Day superfans---especially those who love to quote, "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day." Yeah, for those people, this set is perfect.

Dexter: The Complete Series Blu-ray Set

It's been a couple of years now since Dexter finished its eighth and final season on Showtime. The long-running series ended on a polarizing note for some fans, but we've had some time to take a step back from the drama and the new complete series set really helps us to appreciate the series as a whole. CBS Home Entertainment essentially took all eight seasons worth of discs and repackaged them into a concise Blu-ray set. There are more expensive Dexter series sets out there, but this one is exciting because it comes at a more reasonable price. You can order your own copy of Dexter: The Complete Series here.

Who It's Perfect For: Anyone interested in binge-watching Dexter, fans who haven't caught the series in a while and anyone who just needs a giant picture of Dexter Morgan staring at them from their shelf.

The last couple of TV seasons have seen a lot of reboots, remakes and continuations move forward in the TV realm. This isn’t happening solely among the networks, either, as projects like Limitless have moved forward alongside stuff like Ash vs Evil Dead and Wet Hot American Summer. It’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, as a ton of remakes, reboots and continuations are still in the works for TV audiences everywhere. Some of them are based on really popular properties. Some of them are based on obscure movies. Some of these may ultimately pull a Coach and never live to see the light of day, but we have high hopes for quite a few others. You can check out the list of upcoming reboots et all in the works right now, below.

Rush Hour

Rush Hour was originally a successful movie franchise led by Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Now, the same essential plot will be heading to the small screen in an endeavor that will be led by Jon Foo and Justin Hires.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Moving forward to series. We got the first stills for the show this past spring. It’s expected to hit the schedule at midseason.

What Network Or Streaming Service? CBS.

Fuller House

This TV reboot and spinoff has a lot going for it. We already know most of the original cast is returning and the premise will be very similar to Full House, just in a contemporary setting with D.J. being the widow with kids this time around. Unfortunately, the Olsen twins will not be appearing (although that other set of twins will).

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Picked up to series. Will premiere in January of 2016.

What Network Or Streaming Service? Netflix.

X-Files, FOX

X-Files may have been gone a long time, but thanks to rabid fan interest and some movies, it never totally disappeared. In January of 2016, it’s returning as a limited series that will follow both leads Mulder and Scully as they continue to ask the hard questions and search the unknown.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? It’s coming. The limited series is done, and it’ll air in January.

What Network Or Streaming Service? FOX.

Uncle Buck

Despite John Candy’s family not being too happy about the development, a small screen version of Uncle Buck is already coming together, this time starring an all-black casting, including Mike Epps, Nia Long, James Lesure and more.

What Stage Of Development Is It In?Moving forward to series. Will premiere at midseason.

What Network Or Streaming Service?ABC.

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks was super popular when it first aired on ABC many years ago and has developed a cult following in the time since. A while back, a Twin Peaks revival was put into development, but unfortunately, it has taken absolutely forever to make it to the small screen. Fortunately, some of the cast will be back.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Despite rumors of some on set problems, the Twin Peaks revival is moving forward, and expects to hit the schedule sometime in late 2016 or 2017, depending on David Lynch.

What Network Or Streaming Service? Showtime.

Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest is based on a movie of the same name, but at this point we don’t know if Paramount is looking to bring back the main cast and continue the story or if a whole new team of actors will reboot the franchise. Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Still early in development, but not at the earliest stage, as the Paramount Television project has at least found a home.

What Network Or Streaming Service? Amazon.

Friday The 13th

This classic movie turned TV show has one of the more interesting premises. If it moves forward, it will follow a detective searching for his brother near Crystal Lake. Jason Vorhees will also be involved, because obviously.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? A pilot is being written by written by Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle,but that’s all we know for now.

What Network Or Streaming Service? The CW.

Cruel Intentions

This month, a major network bought a script for Cruel Intentions that would sort-of be a continuation of the movie, following the son of the late Sebastian Valmont and Annette Hargrove. He’ll go to private school, where he’ll deal with similar shenanigans to the movie.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? The early stages. A script with a commitment have been ordered from the movie’s director, Roger Kumble.

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

My Best Friend’s Wedding

A sequel of the original romantic comedy, My Best Friend’s Wedding is set to pick up after the events of the original nineties flick, although obviously Julia Roberts and the rest of the cast are not on board, as it would be set in 1997 following the events in the original movie, and Julianne would be back and living in the big city.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? A script commitment plus penalty has been handed down to the project at this juncture.

What Network Or Streaming Service? ABC.

The Notebook

This remake of the original movie sounds pretty similar to the content people saw on the big screen, although the story would obviously have to be stretched out to fit 22 episodes a season. There’s only so much of Allie and Noah mush that we can take, so the show would also follow the “racial politics” of the era.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? It’s still in early development

What Network Or Streaming Service? The CW.

The Boondock Saints

Original Boondock Saint director Troy Duffy is on board for this project, which is described as a prequel following the MacManus brothers’ origins. Read: No Norman Reedus.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? While IM Global Television was trying to secure a straight-to-series order for this project, it hasn’t happened yet.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No network, yet.

Fresh Prince

This might be the wildest of the wildest ideas, but at least there’s a company on board. Reports indicate Overbrook Entertainment wants The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to return to TV, although it would not feature the original cast. Instead, the “spirit” of the original would be brought back, as would the basic outline.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Early ideas are just being bandied about.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No networks yet.

The A-Team

The new A-Team project is a reimagining of the original series, featuring both women and men in the core group, instead of just a bunch of dudes.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Twentieth Century Fox is currently pitching The A-Team to the networks, though no one has officially bitten yet.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No networks yet.

Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania would be a prequel to the movies, presumably, as early reports indicate the show would follow Mavis as a teenager rather than a mom with a new baby.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Sony is in the early stages of development, but wants to get this on the air in 2016. Given the popularity of the film franchise, it'll almost certainly happen too.

What Network Or Streaming Service?No network yet.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

A continuation of the cult movie starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, Paramount Pictures is reportedly shopping around a cable series sequel. There’s no further details at this time.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Early stages.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No network yet.

24

A couple of summers ago, Fox revived 24 for a brand new chunk of episodes. A second limited series was in the works as recently as six months ago, and now that Kiefer Sutherland has said he doesn’t want to come back, it’s moving forward with a new, young lead. Guiding the new male talent will be an older female agent.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? In the works, without Kiefer Sutherland.

What Network Or Streaming Service? Fox.

Law & Order

While the Law & Order revival hasn’t officially been announced, this is actually one that seems as if it could work. Sam Waterston has already said he wants to do more episodes but scheduling is currently the only problem at this juncture.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Not currently in development, but NBC really wants the show.

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

Lethal Weapon

In this remake, Texas cop and former Navy SEAL Martin Riggs will move to Los Angeles where he is partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh, who has recently had a minor heart attack. Neither will like working with one another. Amusing plotlines will ensue.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? The new project was given a put pilot commitment has been given and Forever’s Matt Miller will write.

What Network Or Streaming Service? Fox.

Hart to Hart

A remake of a popular former TV series, if it moves forward Hart to Hart will feature a gay couple. Lawyer Jonathan Hart will solve crimes with the help of his partner at work and home Dan Hartman.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? A script commitment has been handed down for Hart to Hart.

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

Fantasy Island

Like a lot of these other projects, Fantasy Island should have a similar plot to the original, but there will be a twist. Instead of a Mr. Roarke, the island will be run by a woman.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? The project has gotten a script plus penalty order.

What Network Or Streaming Service? ABC.

In the Line of Fire

A TV version of the original 1993 flick, In The Line of Fire would follow a Secret Service agent who gets the chance to save the President; but because of the long network TV format, it’s expected that there would be plenty of case-of-the-week antics, as well.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Script with a “hefty penalty.”

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

Taken

The Taken adaptation is a prequel series. It'll focus on lead character Bryan Mills as a young man before getting married or having kids. Instead of worrying about his family, he'll spend each episode acquiring his necessary set of skills under the watchful eye of producer Luc Besson who put together the first movie.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Straight to series order.

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

Amazing Stories

NBC has a bunch of these projects in the works, and some of them are more incredible than others. The Amazing Stories revival has prolific showrunner Bryan Fuller. He is writing and will executive produce the weekly anthology series, which will presumably mimic the original.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? A pilot script order has been handed down.

What Network Or Streaming Service? NBC.

Training Day

The specifics are still a little murky when it comes to the Training Day reboot, but the finished product would reportedly focus on the relationship between two cops in Los Angeles in 2015. Once again, one of them will be black and one of them will be white, though in a switcheroo, the older one this time will apparently be white. Fortunately, original director Antoine Fuqua is involved here and is overseeing the larger product.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Writer Will Beale has been hired by Fuqua to pen a script. That was about two months ago; so, it may be finished at this point.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No one is attached, though the major networks are supposedly ready to listen.

Married With Children

The long rumored, much discussed Married With Children spinoff would follow David Faustino’s character Bud Bundy. All of the original cast members have committed to appearing in some form, though since they are all very busy working actors, it’s likely that would be more of an every now and again thing.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? As far as we know, it’s all just excited talk at this point.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No network is attached, though Netflix probably makes the most sense or perhaps FOX, given its long history with the original.

Urban Cowboy

Called a “modern reimagining”, it’s being put together by Hustle & Flow’s Craig Brewer. He was somehow able to make the Footloose remake pretty good; so, don’t count out Urban Cowboy and its love-hate romance themes that are shrouded in country music.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Script commitment.

What Network Or Streaming Service? FOX.

Time Bandits

The new incarnation of Time Bandits has almost no details. It was just casually mentioned by beloved director Terry Gilliam, who claimed he’s working on it. Naturally, fans got really fired up really quickly about the possibility.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Assumedly, very early in the process.

What Network Or Streaming Service? No network yet.

Island of Doctor Moreau

This one is from the creative team behind Sleepy Hollow. It’s technically called Moreau. It’ll follow a disgraced female scientist who moves to an island and opens up a private hospital for her experiments, which may or may not be monsters.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Script Order.

What Network Or Streaming Service? CBS.

The Talented Mr. Ripley

We know the new adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley is being shopped around Hollywood in an effort to find a suitable star and writer combination, but what we don't know is exactly what the adaptation will focus on. Ripley is actually a series of novels, which take him in various directions. In fact, the potential series may even just focus on the character himself and not incorporate any of the scheming adventures he had in the novels.

What Stage Of Development Is It In? Very early. Being shopped around for talent.

What Network Or Streaming Service? None yet.

Hotel Transylvania may not be as emotional as a Pixar film or as musical as a Disney animated feature, but the original film from Sony Pictures is both fun and amusing, and the trailer for the sequel looks very similar. Now, it seems Sony is trying to turn Hotel Transylvania into a much bigger franchise by creating a TV series based around the popular characters. News broke on Tuesday that Sony and Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studio are developing a TV series that would follow Mavis and her group of teenaged friends.

Currently, Hotel Transylvania the series hasn’t officially moved forward with a network or streaming service, which means we don’t know a ton of details relating to the animated program. We do know that Rick Mischel, Colin Bohm and Irene Weibel are executive producing the project. According to The Wrap, the creative team hopes to get it on the air sometime in 2017, so the show would not be premiering in tandem with Hotel Transylvania 2, which is expected to hit theaters on September 25.

It actually makes sense, as the Hotel Transylvania animated series’ description makes it sound as if it will be set in a time period prior to the events in either of the movies. In the show version, Mavis will be a teenager—not a mom with a baby like in Hotel Transylvania 2. Here’s the first trailer for the delightful looking animated adventure.

If Hotel Transylvania the TV series becomes a reality, it won’t be the first animated program to have good luck with TV spinoffs. Dreamworks is actually the king of this sort of programming, having put together multiple shows based on the characters from the How To Train Your Dragon series. The animation company also has a TV series based on the movie Turbo called Turbo Fast.

Currently, Sony hasn’t drawn up any of the specifics regarding who will do the voice work in the Hotel Transylvania 2 trailer. However, the fact that Mavis will be the lead in the potential series highlights the fact that the grownup monsters will be less important than the voice of the teenaged vampire. Mavis is voiced by Selena Gomez in the movies, and maybe she’ll stick around for the show. If that happens, we could even see Adam Sandler, David Spade, Steve Buscemi and more lend their voices on occasion, depending on how much money the animated program wants to spend. If it’s not a lot, we could certainly see the characters get recast, as well.

If you'll pardon the pun, Hotel Transylvania really was a monster hit (sorry, I just really couldn't resist). Costing a tight $85 million for Sony Pictures Animation, the film managed to pull down more than $250 million globally and while it didn't overwhelm critics it managed to get a few positive marks. So naturally it's taking the standard Hollywood path and prepping part two.

THR has gotten word that Sony has already begun development work on Hotel Transylvania 2 and have given a release date on September 25, 2015 (joining epics like The Avengers 2, Justice League and Star Wars Episode VII, all of which are also supposed to come out that calendar year). And the studio is going to need their time because it looks like the project is currently working without a director. Genndy Tartakovsky directed the first movie, but the same studio, Sony Pictures Animation, has already hired him to direct a new version of Popeye, which they have dated for September 26, 2014.

The trade report also doesn't mention if the sequel will retain its voice cast, which included popular names like Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Cee-Lo Green, Selena Gomez, David Spade and Steve Buscemi. The original is set in a hotel for monsters that sees a bit of chaos get introduced when a human discovers the location.

What would you like to see happen in Hotel Transylvania 2? Who do you think would be a good replacement for Tartakovsky if he officially can't return? Let us know what you would like to see in the sequel in the comments section below.

I could see my breath this morning on my walk to get a coffee, which only means one thing. The autumn movie season must be up in full swing. (What did you think it meant?) This week we've got JGL getting loopy, parents combatting evil teachers and Dracula doing the family thing.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week has to offer.

Looper

If I ever got a chance to meet my future self, I’d ask him one question and one question only, “Did Skynet ever get online?” Honestly, that’s all I, and really anyone, should want to know. Otherwise I’m more than content with the whole, “The future is a mystery,” thought process. Life just seems to work out better that way.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a different sort of strategy when confronted with his future self in the form of Bruce Willis: kill the guy. Hey, it’s his job as a Looper after all, kill all targets sent from the future no questions asked. The star of Premium Rush (75%) and 50/50 (93%) has an enviable commitment to his task. Now there’s a guy I want working for me.

And the whole, make JGL look like Bruce Willis, uncanny valley, thing aside, Rian Johnson (The Brothers Bloom-66%, Brick-79%) has a total winner on his hands here. Only one negative review with more than thirty critics weighing in, and they’re throwing around comparisons to Twelve Monkeys and the aforementioned Terminator in the old “Best Time Travel Movies” list. Could we have expected anything less? I mean, in addition to some film success, this guy directed what might be the best bottle episode ever when he helmed Breaking Bad’s “Fly”. In my book, he can do anything.

It’s always exciting when science fiction movies take an old theme (time travel) and get people excited about it again. Rian Johnson, JGL, Bruce Willis and company seem to have done just that. The Rotten Watch for Looper is 91%

Oh boy. Here we go. A movie with a mission. Don’t know if you’ve heard lately, as really no one’s been talking about it, but it seems many people fervently believe the public school system is a crumbling cesspool of laziness and inaction and there’s only one victim: the children. Won’t someone think of the children?!

I’m not here to debate public policy or even really weigh in on the broiling education debate happening in our country right now. As an enlightened human being, I think I’m above that, choosing to spend my time thinking about the inevitable Terminator takeover and whatnot. But I do have an important question I need answered about this flick: why does Maggie Gyllenhaal’s hair keep changing? First it’s short, then long, then short, then long, well you get the point.

This movie is playing for probably one type of person. If you think teachers and the public education system are bad, then you’ll like it. If you think that’s not the real culprit, you won’t see it. If you’re in between, I guess it could sway you. Won’t Back Down concerns the struggle by hot (ish) single mom Gyllenhaal and wise teacher Viola Davis to take control of their kids’ failing inner city school. It might get heavy-handed at times, but honestly, that’s probably the point.

Daniel Barnz directs and dude knows a thing or two about making people monsters, having helmed the comically bad Beastly (20%). Here he takes the fight to the schools with the backing of Walden Media who backed the critically acclaimed Waiting for Superman (89%). I think the documentary format works better for movies like this and critics split it down the middle. The Rotten Watch for Won’t Back Down is 53%

Here’s a fact: monsters are real. I’m positive. How do I know? Just yesterday I took my daughter to the local carnival to ride metal contraptions that go around in circles ad nauseum and munch on a little cotton candy. Take a stroll through one of these productions, take a gander at the folks operating the tilt-a-whirl and Ferris wheel and then try to tell me ghoulish creatures don’t walk among us. Brrrr, I get the chills just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, these carnies would probably get denied from a place like Hotel Transylvania. The residents at Dracula’s digs are a little too highbrow.

Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of critically acclaimed Cartoon Network programs like Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory as well as the miniseries Star Wars: Clone Wars, heads up this film of Dracula (Adam Sandler) trying to raise his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) away from the eyes of unforgiving and lynch mob-creating human beings. This film represents Tartakovsky’s first foray into a big studio production.

Reviews are mixed. with some liking the father-daughter relationship between Count Drac and Mavy after generally setting their expectations low in preparation for a kiddie Halloween movie. Others critics though felt it fell well short of the animated mark, missing opportunities and not catering to anyone beyond the ten and under crowd. I think it continues to track around the fifty percent mark with critics. And remember, monsters are real. The Rotten Watch for Hotel Transylvania is 56%

This poll is no longer available.

Recapping last week:

Finally, a positive week. Finally. To start, Dredd (Predicted: 81% Actual: 77%), as I thought, dropped a little over the week. And though I had a bit of a head start, it fell enough to make this score a winner for The Rotten Watch.

Meanwhile, Trouble with the Curve (Predicted: 52% Actual: 53%) was nearly a direct hit, and if I had posted yesterday it would have been right on the money. But it ticked up a point over night and I missed by one percent. Still pumped.

End of Watch (Predicted: 90% Actual: 85%) had a little head start but we’ll still count it, as I had the score dipping a little from last week.

And finally, the one miss of the week, House at the End of the Street (Predicted: 41% Actual: 14%). I knew when I looked on Thursday and no reviews were posted on RT that I was screwed. When those reviews come in way late in the game the movie typically blows. And right on cue we get one below fifteen percent. The rest of the week was so positive I can’t harp too much on this, but it was a decent miss.

Next time around Liam Neeson uses his particular set of skills and dogs come back to life. It’s going to be a Rotten Week!

The mountain-lion-hunting Twilight vampires weren’t the only bloodsuckers making a big splash at Comic Con on Thursday. While Bella and Edward entertained a packed panel in the convention center’s Hall H, Count Dracula held court in the Indigo Ballroom as Sony Picture’s Animation teased footage from its upcoming Hotel Transylvania to a packed house.

The first “packed house” of the day, according to a Comic Con rep, who took the stage in the Indigo Ballroom to thank the hundreds of fans for coming before warning us, repeatedly, about the “not so nice” people with ultraviolet goggles who would be monitoring us for cameras. Apparently in Transylvania piracy is scarier than werewolves and Frankenstein monsters.

Sony had reason to be cautions, though. They brought a lot of footage from the animated comedy, which has Adam Sandler voicing the legendary vampire, who – in this offbeat imagining – runs an unconventional hotel where famous creatures of the night can rest in peace in-between scares. He’s joined by regular cronies Kevin James (as Frankenstein), David Spade (as the Invisible Man), and That’s My Boy colleague Andy Samberg as Johnny, a human hiker who happens on the remote hotel and promptly falls ion love with Dracula’s 118-year-old daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez).

The star of the panel, though, was director Genndy Tartakovsky, who has built up a sizable following in the animation community with his work on Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Many in the room seemed to turn out to see how he’d approach a classic horror comedy with a stable of vintage monster-movie creatures.

So it was a lot of fun to hear Tartakovsky reference Abbott and Costello when he spoke of “stretching and pushing and pulling” at the mythologies of Dracula, Frankenstein and their crew to find the “cartoony” side of animation again. Producer Michelle Murdocca joined Tartakovsky on the panel and spoke of the “big and crazy and broad” nature of the humor in Hotel Transylvania. And the clips they showed backed that up.

What did we see? The panel started with a full trailer, establishing the nature of the hotel, the introduction of Samberg’s Johnny, and the troubles it will cause Dracula when this human falls for the vampire teen.

Then Sony unveiled four never-before-seen scenes. The first one was short, and showed the monsters getting ready for Mavis’ birthday as Dracula warned them (for the umpteenth time) that humans are evil and want all monsters dead.

The second sequence was much longer, and covered Johnny’s arrival in the castle. Dracula, obviously, freaks out and does his best to hide this unexpected human guest. This clip also explains why Johnny ends up wearing a purple Frankenstein costume for the rest of the movie, as Drac forces him to wear it and hide in plain site. This was an energetic clip that rocketed around the lobby of the hotel, showing off an array of visually creative monsters, from skeletons and witches to the foot of an abominable snowman and a giant spider. Monster freaks are going to love this movie.

The third scene takes place at a pool party at the hotel, where Johnny – now a semi-regular in the joint – starts to spruce up Dracula’s rather humdrum activities. Though a Bingo scene with whispering skulls in place of ping-pong balls was very funny, the clip stood out for its non-stop movement. A scooter really speeds up an otherwise dull game of charades. A sea monster invades the swimming pool, allowing Frankenstein to belly flop from great heights. Mavis offers Johnny her bagel with “scream” cheese … a running joke that got funnier as it played out. Hotel Transylvania has some inspired physical comedy.

Tartakovsky wisely saved his best bit for last: A confrontation between Dracula and Johnny in a ballroom filled with tables. The director said it is a “big emotional moment” for Dracula, though it’s also a massive action set piece involving levitating tables that Drac and Johnny are flying like magic carpets around the castle. I’m going back to Hotel Transylvania just to see that sequence again on the big screen.

Tartakovsky ended the panel talking about bringing energy back to feature-length animation and trying to channel old animation that remembered to keep the cartoons moving at ridiculous speeds. He seems to have achieved that with Hotel, and while he still needs to add musical cues and fine tune some of his visuals, I’d say we’re in for something special come Sept. 28.

What can you expect from Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania? Candy eyeballs, gummy worm-topped cakes and fogging drinks, of course! Okay, you probably shouldn’t have your hopes up for all of that, but come September 28th, Hotel Transylvania should offer up all the fun you’d hope for in a comedy packed with animated versions of your favorite mythical monsters.

However, it’s not September 28th just yet, so in an effort to get us in the Hotel Transylvania spirit, just like in the movie, the folks behind the film planned a 118th birthday party for Mavis, Dracula’s daughter and the character voiced by Selena Gomez. There were party hats, appropriately themed treats, the opportunity to take a photo with Dracula’s hotel in the backdrop and more. As much fun as the party portion of the event was, it was easy to leave behind as a sneak peek of the film awaited us in the theater.

Producer Michelle Murdocca was on hand to introduce us to Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of the TV shows Dexter’s Laboratory, Sym-Bionic Titan and Samurai Jack, and now the director of Hotel Transylvania. Tartakovsky showed off his star-studded voice cast, which includes Adam Sandler as Dracula, Gomez as Mavis, Andy Samberg as Jonathan, Kevin James as Frankenstein, Fran Drescher as his wife Eunice, Steve Buscemi as Wayne the werewolf, Molly Shannon as Wayne’s wife Wanda, David Spade as the Invisible Man, Cee-Lo Green as Murray the Mummy and Jon Lovitz as the evil chef Quasimodo.

Working in television, Tartakovsky is used to recording his entire voice cast simultaneously and while he didn’t have that luxury the entire time on Hotel Transylvania, he did make that a priority as often as he could. “We actually got to do a few sessions and for one of our first sessions we had Kevin James, Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, David Spade and it was great.” Tartakovsky continued, “Everybody playing off each other, adlibbing, and it brought this great energy.”

Tartakovsky describes the film as having “a broad comedy tone with a strong emotional heart.” Of course something like that would arise through the script, but it’s also heavily connected to the style of animation. Tartakovsky set out to take the traditional principles of feature animation and push them in a way to end up with something notably expressive and caricatured using strong silhouettes and very lively faces.

Before jumping into the clips, Tartakovsky set the stage. “Dracula builds this hotel for his daughter to keep her safe, away from humans and being a teenager, she, of course, doesn’t listen to dad and she wants to find out how the world is outside the hotel for herself.” After quite a bit of nagging, Dracula strikes a deal; on Mavis’ 118th birthday, she can go out and check out the world for herself. In the first clip of the presentation we find Mavis in her room, sure her father will go back on his word, but to her surprise, he actually gives her permission. Within seconds Mavis is packed and ready to go, transforms into a bat and prepares to take flight, but that’s when Dracula can’t help but to put his foot down, claiming so many people have come to attend her birthday party; she can’t leave just yet. When Mavis’ gives him a wildly adorable “pouty bat face,” Dracula attempts to strike another deal; for now, she can visit the human village just outside the hotel. The thing is, there’s no human village around the corner. Tartakovsky explained, “He builds a fake human village and puts all the zombie staff and dresses them up as humans to scare her.”

The plan works and Mavis is back at the hotel, safe and sound, but soon thereafter, Dracula must deal with another issue – a human at the hotel. We roll into a clip showing what happens when Jonathan first enters Hotel Transylvania. The lobby is bustling with activity, but Dracula is the only one to notice the unwelcomed visitor. He tries to conceal a naive Jonathan’s identity by dressing him up as a monster, but when Jonathan realizes all of the guests aren’t playing dress-up and are the real deal, he freaks out, bumping into one creature after the next before coming face to face with Mavis. The two share a moment involving glistening pink sparkles in their eyes before Dracula plays the overprotective father and puts an end to it.

But now Dracula can’t just give Jonathan-turned-Johnnystein the boot so he spins a lie, dubbing Jonathan the new party planner. “Dracula’s world is unraveling right before him,” Tartakovsky explained. “All the little events, Jonathan has an effect on and people are actually starting to have fun.” Sure Dracula wants his guests to have a good time, but only if it means having fun while playing by his own rules. When Dracula’s had enough of Jonathan’s games, he forces him to leave, bringing us to scene three, a moment between Jonathan and Dracula in the cemetery. Dracula attempts to wipe Jonathan’s memory before sending him on his way, but when it doesn’t work, Jonathan suggests it might be because of his contact lenses and we get an amusing moment during which Jonathan creeps Dracula out by continuously jabbing at his own eye, trying to grab his lens. After reverting to simply threating to suck all of Jonathan’s blood until he looks like “a deflate whoopee cushion,” Dracula leaves him only for Jonathan to be escorted back inside by Mavis.

When Dracula catches Jonathan back in the hotel, he isn’t happy, but figures he might as well put him back to work, instructing Jonathan to arrange the ballroom for the party. The fourth scene of the presentation showcases an action-packed table chase sequence with Jonathan and Dracula. Yes, a table chase sequence. Dracula makes Jonathan’s first duty to arrange the tables. When Jonathan resorts to pushing them around the room, Dracula opts to show him how it’s done, calling the tables by number, waking them up and telling them where to place themselves. Eventually Jonathan catches on, but rather than order the tables as instructed, he takes them for a ride. Ultimately we end up with a room full of tables floating in the air, Dracula and Jonathan bouncing from one to the next, zipping around on a few before coming to a crashing halt upon which Dracula recognizes the fact that Jonathan helped him have some fun.

To wrap up, Tartakovsky and Murdocca fielded some questions, Murdocca pointing out that they’re going to work with Mark Mothersbaugh on the music in about two weeks and Tartakovsky addressing the amount of adlibbing done on the project. “They’re kind of like slaves to their jokes, so if they wrote a joke they really like, they actually don’t want to adlib.” Tartakovsky added, “We thought they would do a lot more adlibbing. There was definitely some, but if they liked a joke, they will work at it and work at it and work on the timing of the line until they get a laugh from it.” Murdocca pointed out that it came down to adding lines more so than adlibbing material. “Adam did some of the writing and when he writes a joke, he likes that joke.”

After being asked to address the choice of Gomez’s casting Murdocca explained, “She played really well against Adam and Andy and so she sounded like she’s young enough to be Dracula’s daughter and old enough to play against Andy as a love interest.” Tartakovsky also pointed out, “Rather than getting another comedian, it’s almost nice that she was almost the straight man in this crazy comedian cast.” Another plus to working with Gomez? Her singing talents came in handy during the film’s musical numbers.

To wrap up, Murdocca had a rather interesting answer to a question about monster rights. “There were no rights issues about using the characters, but there are certain things that we weren’t able to do.” For example, the inside of Dracula’s cape couldn’t be red, he couldn’t have a true widow’s peak and Eunice’s hair couldn’t have the exact same stripe. Murdocca added, “Frankenstein’s bolts, we weren’t allowed to do that. And believe me, we tried many different iterations of Frankenstein’s bolts on his temples, on his head, everywhere, and we couldn’t get any of them passed.”

Hotel Transylvania is on its way to a September 28, 2012 release, so keep any eye out for more on the Sony Pictures Animation production in the coming months.

Sony Pictures has been stringing out teasing glimpses of their upcoming animated comedy Hotel Transylvania since last fall. First came a peek at the concept art of innkeeper Dracula, followed by the reveal of his spirited daughter Mavis and a sketch of Cee-Lo's grinning mummy. Earlier this month the studio finally unveiled a fully realized look at the monstrous cast that boasts vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein's monster, and now—at long last—we have film's the first trailer that shows us some of the above in action while outlining the premise of a young human who mistakenly stumbles into a resort made for monsters.

Now, some—myself included—have sneered at the voice cast, peopled as it is with such stale comedic talent as Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, David Spade, Kevin James and Fran Drescher. Still, there was hope that Hotel Transylvania's director, animation master Genndy Tartakovsky, who created such imaginative cartoons as Samurai Jack and Dexter's Labortatory, would manifest something incredible from the hokey premise and mediocre cast. So, what says the trailer? Have a look.

Hm.

Let's start with the positive. The shots of monsters sneaking off from their spooky homes to their vacation retreat are beautiful, inventive, and show the kind of whimsy Tartakovsky's known for. Sadly, any scene actually involving dialogue is just woefully lame. First off, Sandler's Dracula voice seems like a poor Dr. Doofenshmirtz impression. Secondly, gags like talking doorknobs and catching a skeleton in the shower are not only senseless but also comedically flat. Yet I'm less worried about such duds being in the movie, than I am that the marketing team thought they were strong enough signifiers for the film to showcase them.

Hotel Transylvania will hit theaters September 21st. Read more about it in our Blend Film Database.

In recent weeks we've seen a lot of Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler together. Marketing for That's My Boy, the new comedy from the duo, has been in full swing and has resulted in a red band trailer as well as a green band trailer and a new poster. But That's My Boy isn't the only movie that that Samberg and Sandler are performing together in this year. There's also Hotel Transylvania, the new film from Sony Pictures Animation that brings the two comedic actors together as a young human and Dracula. Care to see what that looks like? USA Today has the hookup.

The newspaper has published two brand new images from the film that not only give us our first look at Dracula (Sandler) and "Johnnystein" (Samberg), but also the rest of the monster gang, including a couple of werewolves (Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon); a mummy (Cee Lo Green); the Invisible Man (David Spade); Frankenstein (Kevin James); and Dracula's daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez). You can see the images below and head over to USA Today to see them full size.

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Transylvania is set in a world where Dracula has created a monsters-only resort where the beastly can get away from the human world and relax. Things begin to fall apart, however, when a young human male accidentally discovers the hotel and falls in love with Dracula's daughter. The feature film is the first for Tartakovsky, who is best known for working on shows like The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, and Samurai Jack. Also voicing characters in the movie are Fran Drescher and David Koechner. The movie is due out on September 21st and you can read more about it in our Blend Film Database.

There are some people out there that think that all of the pop starlets that have emerged in recent years from The Disney Channel are totally and 100% interchangeable. The people behind Hotel Transylvania would likely agree with you.

Earlier today, E! reported that Miley Cyrus, who was attached to play Mavis in the Sony Pictures Animation film, has been forced to exit the project and now it has been reported that Selena Gomez has been brought on to take her place. When asked for comment about why Cyrus had to neg on her deal, the studio replied with no comment. In the movie, Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) sets up a resort to house all of the classic monsters including Frankenstein (Kevin James), the Bride of Frankenstein (Fran Drescher), the Invisible Man (David Spade), Quasimodo (David Koechner), Murray the Mummy (Cee Lo Green), and a couple of werewolves (Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon). Problems arise, however, when a human boy discovers the hotel and falls in love with Mavis. You can see images of the Dracula design HERE and Murray the Mummy HERE.

Both actresses got their start on the Disney Channel, with Cyrus starring in Hannah Montana and Gomez in Wizards of Waverly Place. While Cyrus won't be playing in Hotel Transylvania, she does have two movies coming out this year, including the comedy LOL and the action movie So Undercover. Gomze is currently in production on the earthquake thriller Aftershock and will soon play a role in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers.

Back on Halloween, the first concept art for the new Sony Pictures Animation film Hotel Transylvania appeared online. But while the drawings only showed off the character at the center of the piece, there are many other monsters in the film as well, including Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and a teenage girl (yeah, I went there). But while the first four characters all have actors set to voice them (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Cee-Lo and David Spade, respectively) Dracula's daughter was left speechless. That is, until today.

Entertainment Weekly has learned that Miley Cyrus will be joining the movie as the teenager responsible for stressing out the king of vampires. The plot of the film revolves around Dracula running a monsters-only resort that gets disrupted when his daughter brings in a human (Andy Samberg). The first image of the character has also been released and you can check it out below:

Perhaps it's just the stripes on the stockings, but is anyone else getting a Lydia Deetz vibe from this design? This will be only the second time that Cyrus has provided a voice for an animated film, the first being the 2008 Walt Disney Animation film Bolt (which earned high praises from critics when it came out). The cast of Hotel Translyvania also includes Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher and Molly Shannon and the film is being directed by Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Still in production, the movie will arrive in theaters on September 21, 2012.

Adam Sandler has only lent his voice to two movies and both turned out pretty damn awful. The first was Eight Crazy Nights, the animated film that was meant to capitalize on Sandler's famous "Chanukah Song" and the other was this past summer's Zookeeper. Both projects were absolutely trashed by critics (they have an average score of 13% on Rotten Tomatoes) but perhaps the third time will the charm. As first reported back in July, Sandler is set to be the voice of Dracula in the upcoming animated comedy Hotel Transylvania and today, in celebration of Halloween, Sony Pictures Animation has released three concept draws of the character.

Check out the images below and see them full-size over on the official Facebook page.

While I can't say the same for the second and third images, is anyone else reminded of Ren & Stimpy by the first picture? There's just something about the shape of the eyes and the curve of the mouth that reminds me of Powered Toast Man (to the point that I can't help but think they are by the same animator).

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the same guy who brought you Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania is about an exclusive resort for monsters run by Dracula that starts going to hell when a boy finds the resort and falls him love with Dracula's daughter. In addition to Sandler, the film also features the vocal talents of Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, David Spade, Andy Samberg, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon and Cee-Lo. The film will be released on September 21, 2012.

Adam Sandler is preparing to get in on the vampire craze, sort of. He’s been hired to play Count Dracula in a new 3D family comedy. Not looking forward to seeing the Sand-man with fangs? Don’t worry, it’s a cartoon.

The film is the latest from Sony Pictures Animation, the people behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s called Hotel Transylvania and since it’s directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, this could be really, really good. Tartakovsky is the mind behind such brilliant pieces of animation as the underrated series Samurai Jack. Putting him to work with the people who did Cloudy seems like a perfect fit. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs stands tall as one of the best animated movies released in recent years, I’d put it up there on a deservedly lofty plateau with Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon.

Here's Sony's official description of Hotel Transylvania:

I’m less certain about Sandler as the voice of Count Dracula, than I am about this project in general. Presumably this will be a family-friendly, not so scary version of the Count which seems like something Sandler should be able to do. Adam Sandler is great as a live-action cartoon after all, why not make him an animated one? But the Zohan doesn’t have much of a voice work track record. About the only animated work he’s done is in Eight Crazy Nights where, truth be told, I never thought he was very good.

Adam’s providing a voice for one of the monkeys in Zookeeper this weekend, if you’re unfortunate enough to see that movie pay attention to the sounds coming out the mouth of an ape named “Donald”.

UPDATE! David Spade and Kevin James have also joined the cast along with Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher and Andy Samberg.