D.J. Rivera
Bio
Short stories, articles, and lists about movies, TV shows, video games and more! Make sure to check out WrittenByDJR.com and ProducedByDJR.com. Also check out my work on Amazon Prime, Vimeo, and make sure follow me on Twitter @WrittenByDJR.
Stories (64/0)
'Need for Speed’s' Latest Installment Is Sure to Turn up the Heat
Need For Speed has officially returned for another installment of illegal street racing and continuously dodging the police. This latest title promises more high octane action and fewer microtransactions. The long-running racing series has been one of the top choices for gamers when it comes to getting their fix of burying the needle in some of the world’s fastest vehicles. Some of the last iterations have been criticized for straying away from what the fans were used to experiencing when firing this game up. But thankfully, Need For Speed Heat is getting back to the basics with a slick new coat of paint.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Gamers
Adding a Best Stunt Category at the Oscars Is Long Overdue
Every year I love watching the Academy Awards. The films showcased are some of the best ever made, and it is great to honor the individuals that put so much into these unbelievable motion pictures. But this past year something was missing, something that needs to be there. It's the kind of thing when you realize it's absent from the Academy’s agenda; you can’t believe the event thought it could get away without having it. And I am not talking about a host. No, this missing necessity has been MIA since the start of it all, and it is such a crucial part of moviemaking. Many of the films that have walked away with Oscars would not be what they are if it was not for these brave men and women. These courageous, death-defying artists I am referring to are those that risk their lives to pull off the stunts in movies. And knowing this, one must ask why the Oscars do not have a category for Best Stunt Coordination.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
Bong Joon-Ho's Latest Masterpiece 'Parasite' Is Coming Stateside
There is no question that all over the world, one can find talented filmmakers. But one place that is known for putting out unique movies is South Korea. Many of the country's filmmakers continuously put out amazing titles that astonish audiences all over the world. Of all these celebrated auteurs of cinema, Bong Joon-Ho's work is simply masterful. Bong is responsible for some excellent, thought-provoking, high concept films like Snowpiercer and The Host. His next unsettling vision of the world seemingly shifts gears into something much different.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
A Look Back: 10 of 2018's Biggest Box Office Disappointments
There has been some great content coming out for television, as well as streaming services, and the world of cinema continues to put out some fantastic titles. But not every release that makes its way to the big screen results in financial glory, and some don’t even make a profit. There is one term studios want to avoid like the plague when it comes to how their films finish up monetarily at the box office.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
'The Dark Red' Looks Like a Chilling Action-Packed Horror Flick
At first glance, The Dark Red looks like most horror films that revolve around occultist themes, taken newborn babies, and demonic possession. The whole thing starts you out feeling like you have already been here before, and last time it was a much more beautiful place. It's not hard to imagine everyone watching this teaser to write the film off and hope somehow some way you’ll get those precious minutes back. While that will never happen, something else that felt impossible does. All of a sudden, this promo begins to catch your attention. A baby in a box and a woman licking the blood off her fingers will pique anyone's curiosity. This rapid shift in momentum continues to intensify. And then at around a minute twenty seconds, The Dark Red starts to show its true colors. This is no ordinary cult film. This film looks like one wild ride into the genre that horror fanatics will not want to miss.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Horror
These Batman Villains Deserve Their Own 'Joker' Style Origin Film
There are so many superhero movies out there today. The genre has saturated the market, and moviegoers can look forward to at least a half a dozen films a year revolving around the subject of caped crusaders. The likes of Marvel and DC have established a successful trend that fans continue to enjoy. And if you look at the roster of upcoming films, the industry shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to developing movies based on our favorite comic book heroes.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
Can Showtime’s 'Halo' Series Match the Success the Franchise Had on the Console?
It’s been five years since the news came out that Showtime was taking on the endeavor of bringing the Master Chief to the small screen. Since then, fans have patiently been waiting for this dream to become a reality. Now it seems that everything is coming together for the Halo series to possibly fill the Game of Thrones size gap existing in the universe right now. While the Chief has survived impossible odds more times than most, this will probably be his greatest challenge yet. Can Halo translate successfully from console to TV?
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
Is 'The New Mutants' Film Being Retconned for the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
For a while now the future of the X-Men spinoff The New Mutants has been in question. When asked about it at one point, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, who plays Wolfsbane in the movie, said she had no idea what was going on with the film. Some believed it was destined never to see the light of day. Filming completed back in 2017, but then extensive reshoots were needed to make the film work. It was then scheduled for release on April 13, 2018. But more delays pushed it back to a February 22, 2019 release. Then, once again, it was postponed to August 2, 2019, and that didn't happen either. But now that Disney is at the helm, we have a better idea about what's happening with this intriguing Marvel property, and a good guess of what it could end up being overall. Now that the merger is all said and done, the X-Men can begin the process of entering the MCU, an event fans have been wanting to see since the shared universe started back in 2008 with Iron Man. Disney has no plans to give up on the horror, adult-oriented X-Men film, and has seen fit to give it an April 2020 release date. The reshoots have been scheduled, and this movie is officially going to happen.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
'Avengers: Endgame' May Have Set Up MCU Origin for Wolverine
Now that the dust has settled on Avengers: Endgame, fans can do what they do best—begin to speculate about the future of the beloved MCU. And after the Comic-Con Phase 4 announcements, we know a whole lot more about what's coming to everyone's favorite mega-franchise. Shang-Chi and The Eternals will be the new kids on the block making their debut in the MCU after the Black Widow prequel. We also learned that the Doctor Strange sequel will be the MCU's first horror film and that Jane Foster aka Natalie Portman will become The Mighty Thor. A lot of surprises unveiled and a fair amount of questions got answered, but there are a few characters that fans are anxiously awaiting to hear about.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Geeks
'The Lodge' Could Very Well Be The Next Great Horror Film!
In most celebrated horror films, there are two things that usually, more often than not, resulting in a terrifyingly satisfying and thought-provoking experience. There is a group of unsuspecting people, and there is a place they go where terrifying things happen within its walls. Over the years so many great examples of filmmakers taking those two factors, and generating an eerie concept that causes most of us to sleep with the lights on for weeks after the credits roll. The Conjuring films, The Shining, The Haunting of Hill House, Poltergeist, and The Amityville Horror are just some examples that meet these criteria that have become revered as classics within the genre. And it looks like the next title that could very well be added to that list is The Lodge. Some hail it as the next great, game-changing horror experience that is sure to rattle anyone who sees it. And from the looks of its shocking trailer, this relentless, mind-bending fright-fest seems like it will live up to its already infamous reputation as being scary as hell.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Horror
'Blair Witch' to Continue Reign of Terror in Chilling New Video Game
The original found-footage masterpiece was something that I thought was real—that is, up until I discovered it was all just a successful marketing campaign. That was one of the first film’s to go viral before the social media craze had taken over. And while the first movie still ranks high on my favorites list, its sequels do not. The Book of Shadows film is easily forgettable, and the 2016 reboot took me a few sittings to get through. One would think this franchise has everything to would need to become a horror powerhouse spawning out sequel after sequel, like the Paranormal Activity films. I mean you've got the creepy woods, unsettling folklore, occultist themes, terrifying demon-witch lady, and still, it hasn't seemed to ever duplicate the success the original had unexpectedly received. But it seems the evil presence out in the Black Hills Forest will get another chance to terrify audiences but this time it's all going down on the console. The next chapter in the dreaded Blair Witch saga will be in the form of a video game launching at the end of August.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Gamers
'Event Horizon' Will Get a Well-Deserved Second Chance as New Amazon TV Series
There is no doubt we are living in the age of the reboot. It seems that every time you see a trailer or read a headline about the latest news on upcoming projects the result is almost alarmingly similar. Here comes another remake of an old movie or TV show. Sometimes it makes you wonder why someone would want to redo something that seemed perfect the first time around. It feels like a lot to live up to, and not every endeavor succeeds. Would it not make much more sense to revisit a title that perhaps failed to meet its full potential? There are many examples out there that if given a proper update could go from cult classic to exemplary. That is why the news of Amazon’s next nostalgic endeavor getting the TV series treatment is one everyone should be paying attention too. Paul W.S. Anderson’s gloriously gruesome film Event Horizon could very well become Prime’s next best series.
By D.J. Rivera4 years ago in Futurism
