When Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot Isn’t Squawking Release Me, Release Me….

…that’s because it’s being held captive by Bell Media! It’s not a bad thing, but when The Parrot needs to spread his wings, and tell all, let’s hope this producer has plans to expand this bird’s reach.

The Unearthly Notes The Parrot PosterBefore reviewing Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot, and again afterwards, I had to search online and hunt through my various books examining the themes common in H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction. I wanted to see if there was any mention of talking birds revealing the secrets of forgotten cults before moving forward. I knew this filmmaker’s idea came from The Notes and Commonplace Book of H.P. Lovecraft. While there are no specific mentions of a parrot in the book, the ideas are certainly there.

The most telling lines from the public-domain scan are the following. On page three, it reads: “As dinosaurs were once surpassed by mammals, so will man-mammal be surpassed by insect or bird—fall of man before the new race.” Page eight offers two tantalizing clues. The line that inspired this work reads, “[A] talking bird of great longevity—tells secret long afterward,” but I suspect Fortin drew upon more than that single note. Another speaks of “Ancient and unknown ruins—strange and immortal bird who speaks in a language horrifying and revelatory to the explorers.”

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Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story Review, Macho Man Lives Again at Victoria Fringe 2026

Geoff Hughes channels the larger-than-life spirit of “Macho Man” in Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story. This show does more than explore the wrestler’s relationship with Miss Elizabeth in this affectionate and surprisingly personal Victoria Fringe performance.

Randy and Elizabeth A Savage Love StoryVCM Wood Hall (Fringe Venue 2)
900 Johnson St, Victoria, BC

Although the late, great “Macho Man” Randy Savage didn’t have a massive career as a voice actor relative to his wrestling fame, I’d recognize that machismo a mile away. What Geoff Hughes offers in Randy and Elizabeth, A Savage Love Story is more than an homage. Although I’m reliving this character through a selective lens, namely in his performance from Duck Dodgers, when he played the Master Sergeant, and Bolt, where he played a Thug, I can appreciate the vocal energy. Instead of recounting Savage’s entire career strictly from a fan’s perspective, this performer, and host of the Legendary Wrestling Obsession podcast, makes every moment feel alive.

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2026 Update. Casey Walker Interview: Home Bodies, Ithaqua and Worlds Beyond the Door.

In this Casey Walker interview, the filmmaker talks about expanding Home Bodies beyond its original script, working with Ian and Emma Ho, and finally bringing Ithaqua to audiences after 14 years.

Casey Walker InterviewIn this Casey Walker interview. we get to talk to him about more than what’s changed for him after a decade of producing and getting back to the director’s chair. This filmmaker reflects on why he never stopped producing genre flicks in between regular work for television. That’s because that’s what he loves. Ever since his debut film, A Little Bit Zombie, he’s carved out a niche that is uniquely his.

When asked about how does he do it, his answer is simply, “I just focus on making something that I’m going to be really happy with because I never know when I’m not going to be able to ever do it again.”

It shows in works he’s executive produced too, like The Void, where he helped shape someone else’s vision. He’ll support and guide when needed, but when he’s in the captain’s chair, there’s a lot more to be aware of.

When comparing his past work in television and independent film to what he’s making now, he noted, “There’s definitely a bit of horror in everything I do. As for comedy, I think they’re very interlinked. I love the levity that comes with it, so it’s like the scary stuff and the relief through the humour has always attracted me to the things I’ve made. So yeah, they’re kind of synonymous.” Continue reading “2026 Update. Casey Walker Interview: Home Bodies, Ithaqua and Worlds Beyond the Door.”

How Far Can Insidious Out of the Further Go? Sequelitis Is Hard to Shake

Insidious Out of the Further takes another trip into its shadowy pocket dimension, but recycled scares and a stubborn case of sequelitis keep its strongest ideas from breaking free.

Insidious Out of the Further PosterSpoiler Alert

One can call me a sucker for what Leigh Whannell created with the Insidious franchise. He had some great ideas concerning where one can go when either asleep or when someone has died, and has unresolved issues. Also, it’s hard to avoid making a play on words with the latest release, Insidious Out of the Further. The real question is how can this IP stay fresh six films in?

The Further is a pocket dimension which feels less like purgatory and more like a waystation to a better life. Those souls who get stuck there must have died in the worst possible ways and therefore, can’t move on. That’s either because of what they did or there’s a demon forcing them to stay. When there are other souls like Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) choosing to remain here to help guilde the deserving out of there, I believe she’s like an Angel. The fact she’s chosen to remain behind to do this work since her death from the first film to now says everything. And when she said there’s somewhere better waiting on the other side, surely Heaven must exist.

Well, that’s my occult theory.

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The Last Jiangshi Short Film Breathes New Life Into an Undead Legend

The Last Jiangshi pairs an ancient member of the living dead with a modern grad student for an unusual comedic adventure. This affectionate Mr. Vampire homage finds humour, melancholy and sympathy within its supernatural mythology.

The Last Jiangshi Short Film PosterI had to save reviewing Yu Chih Chieh’s comedic short film, The Last Jiangshi, for Ghost Month rather than earlier, because it’s appropriate. Just what this work explores is the clash of beliefs, and if this member of the living dead is to survive to today, Lao Li (Benyu Zhang) may no longer have blood to feast on. Instead, it’s whether he and Jie (Alex Zhong), a grad student, can survive as the ultimate odd couple!

There’s even a taoist priest waiting to pounce on the unlikely partnership, and banish the nightstalker to the other side! In what’s amusing is the sympathy that’s quickly generated. Li doesn’t like what he’s become. He just wants to live and understand this world.

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Transformers! Understanding The Cybertronic Spree and Me

Prom Night can be made extra special for those who love their nostalgia. The Cybertronic Spree offers the right mix of classics, hard rock and performance theatre to make Transformers fans wanting scream for more!

The Cybertronic Spree Next Show
Next show in Toronto!

August 22, 2026
Capital Ballroom, Victoria, BC
Spoiler Alert

When I had the good fortune to be invited to see The Cybertronic Spree for free, I knew I was in for an awesome night of nostalgia and heavy metal, backed by animated sequences celebrating anime, video games and The Transformers: The Movie. For newcomers, they’re a Toronto rock band whose sentai-style costumes, hard-rock covers, original songs and glam-rock theatrics make their stage personas larger than life. I’d seen their YouTube videos and followed their rise as a pop-culture band. Once I learned their latest P.R.O.M. tour, short for Programmable Read-Only Memories, used a playful rock-opera narrative to stitch the concert together, I knew it was time to see them live.

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