Gale, Stay Away From Oz Offers More Than The Stuff Nightmares are Made Of!

Prepare to be creeped out in Gale, Stay Away from Oz which is no doubt influenced by Disney’s Return to Oz (for those who haven’t read the books).

Gale Movie PosterAvailable on Chilling Streaming Service

Frank Baum’s books about the fantasy world of Oz have never been cause for concern amongst those familiar with the entire series. After watching the horror film, simply titled Gale, Stay Away From Oz, I have to watch Return to Oz (1985) again to refresh my memory. It seems this short is clearly influenced by it along with the books. The story here concerns how insanity has affected the Gale family.

Just when fans of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s film Wizard of Oz thought that film was the end all be all, there’s been attempts to continue the story with Journey Back to Oz, produced by Filmation, but it largely lays forgotten when compared to other attempts by the House of Mouse, which includes Oz, The Great and Powerful, along with other studios’s interpretation. The original tale is in the public domain, and filmmakers and playwrights can do whatever they want with this fond classical piece of children’s literature.

With the novels, I like to see if it ever alluded to Dorothy Gale going insane after returning to Earth. Fans of the books know the author also included scarier elements later on in the series. As for which work made Daniel Alexander reimagine this world to a product of true nightmares, I’m glad he’s taking a chance and releasing it early, before Spooktober.

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Sometimes Being a “Dark Asset” is Problematical When Wanting Freedom from What Once Was

The main story about who can gain their freedom in Dark Asset is easy to figure out because of all the flashbacks being revealed.

Dark Asset Movie PosterSaban Films
Playing at Select theatres and on VOD

I can recognise shades of the cult movie Universal Soldier in Michael Winnick‘s Dark Asset, a science fiction cum conspiracy film about an ordinary soldier who gives up his life in order to be turned into a programmed killing machine. It’s almost like Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. But instead of making humanoid clones with biochip implants where when a coded signal activates them to fulfil General Order 66, here, the idea is more about augmentation and brainwashing.

When the story reveals Dr. Cain (Robert Patrick) is key to making these super soldiers–normal guys and girls who will activate to fulfil a mission after a signal is sent, I was curious. He plays very questionable characters extremely well. I loved him in The X-Files, and that was this film’s best selling point for me.

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When Alls Not Well in Heaven and We Need Jiang Ziya. Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms, A Movie Review

Fans of the Chinese high fantasy will like Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms despite its long running time and overuse of weak CGI.

Creation of the Gods I Kingdom of Storms (2023)Well GO USA
Coming to Theatres Sept 22
(Please check local listings)

When considering a lot of films have been made based on some part of the epic Chinese novel, Investiture of the Gods, it should not surprise me that one day, someone would attempt to adapt the entire text. Creation of the Gods 1: Kingdom of Storms attempts to tell the entire story and when there’s a total of 100 chapters, to bring it all to screen will require more than one film!

I’m glad director/co-writer Wuershan is attempting this project. I’m rather fond of his work in Mojin: The Lost Legend, and he’s on the right track. Hopefully the advice he got from James Schamus‘ (who gets credit as script consultant) isn’t for naught. He is best known for being one of the co-writers of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Even though I know bits and pieces through the various animated films released in prior years, it’s cool to see how it all comes to head in this magnum opus. There’s Jiang Ziya (Bo Huang) working with two other immortals to stop the Great Curse that’s threatening the Shang dynasty.

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Despite How Clichéd A Haunting in Venice is, A Horrifying Time in Isolation is Guaranteed!

Although not every aspect of the Spiritualism movement and its philosophy is explored in Kenneth Branagh’s film, A Haunting in Venice, there’s a few jolly moments to get your spook on (even though none of it was real according to the merry detective).

A Haunting in Venice Movie PosterIt’s easy to jump right into the world of Agatha Christie with the release of A Haunting in Venice last weekend. It’s based on her novel Hallowe’en Party and has the right amount of spooky ridden moments to sate fans of the paranormal. That’s because of where the story takes place, and I wanted to see what Director Kenneth Branagh and writer Michael Green‘s take on it would be like, since it’s all about rationalising what’s going on and saying whether life after death is indeed real.

This author does have an interest in it, but it’s nowhere like how other detective agencies approach the subject. I did not see this movie because it continues Hercule Poirot’s life as a detective on the silver screen. As much as I respect Branagh for remaking and delivering a modern polish to Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, just how he delivers that product when I have a fondness for the originals is not my cup of tea. Thankfully this one hasn’t been adapted before, and that’s enough reason for me to go see how spooky this filmmaker can deliver the goods.

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5000 Space Aliens is Coming November 21st! Are You Ready to Have Your Mind Blown?

Scott Bateman believes movies should do other things as well, and still be fun and entertaining to watch. He said, “With 5000 Space Aliens, I set out to create an entertaining, non-narrative film.”

5000 Space Aliens Publicity StillDirector Scott Bateman & Producer Lucas A. Ferrara are excited to share the trailer for their new genre-bending animation, 5000 Space Aliens, which is coming to digital download worldwide from 21st November. 

Imagine meeting a space alien. Now imagine meeting one space alien every second. This is what happens when what Bateman presents is found footage, vintage photo studio pictures from Venezuela and Romania, scraps from a 100-year-old psychology textbook, and more into 5000 one-second shots of animated characters. Instead of a typical narrative, 5000 Space Aliens is more like a ride: You just let the hypnotic rhythm of images wash over you. This one-of-a-kind animated extravaganza was made by just one animator, director Scott Bateman.

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