February 2015 | Otaku No Culture |

Adele Blanc-Sec versus Indiana Jones, A Blu-Ray/DVD Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

adele_blanc-sec_final_poster

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is a fun roving adventure featuring a very comely adventuress going up against a whole bevy of supernatural creatures. Some are helpful whereas others become a hindrance in her quest to find a cure for her twin sister, who suffers from quite literally a needle in her head. This pain caused her paralysis and ever since that accident, Adèle has taken care of her. Her love for her sibling is above all else, including their rivalry that most siblings have for attention as they grow up.

In a film originally released in 2010 in France, notice elsewhere around the world depended on whether readers of the comic book of the same name kept track of new developments that is still ongoing. Artist/writer Jacques Tardi created this seminal heroine back in 1976 where she dealt with not only the weird but also the what the hell?

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Is there a Moon Man? A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

MoonMan_postertem

The music band R.E.M. most likely did not know there was more men on the moon. If they did some research, they would have known about Tomi Ungerer’s 1967 children’s picture book Moon Man (Der Mondmann) that earned acclaim in Europe. After being translated to over 12 languages and earning worldwide appeal, this story is animated for a modern generation to enjoy, and it is available for purchase on DVD through Amazon.

To read about the mythos this book establishes is unique. All around the world, children can not fall asleep unless the Moon Man watches over them. In what he projects is an innocence that kids recognize and without him looming overhead, they tend to be restless. In everything he sees when floating above Earth every night, he wants to experience for himself.

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Marvel’s Agent Carter to set Seattle Hearts Afire!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Hayley_Atwell_59579 Look out, evil spy-doers! Marvel’s Agent Carter has a mission in Seattle, and that’s to scope out the danger that may be afoot at Emerald City Comiccon (March 27-29) in a special Friday engagement. This seminal character is played by Hayley Atwell and she rose into immediate notice in the film The Dutchess for a mainstream audience and Captain America: First Avenger for the geeks to take a delight to. On the television front, some may remember her in The Pillars of the Earth, a historical mini-series.

Atwell has a natural feistiness that’s a wonder to behold. And add on top that British mystique, she’s a talent that many Anglophile fans will appreciate. To hear her talk about her career and interact with fans at her Friday only appearance will no doubt have some clambering for tickets to Seattle’s biggest and baddest convention for pop culture enthusiasts to enjoy. But they better be good; according to Atwell’s twitter feed, she’s been known to take out a few folks too because she’s a slugger in real life during the production of Agent Carter.

Almost all the tickets are sold out online for this show, but if fans phone around and look, there may be a handful of stores in the Pacific Northwest that still have some day passes to sell.

When Vampires Attack! What We Do in the Shadows, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

What_We_Do_in_the_Shadows_poster Special Screening
in Victoria, BC (Update)

Feb 27 – Mar 5th
The Odeon Theatre
780 Yates Street

~~The Vic Theatre~~

Modern life is very rough for the ancient vampire. In Wellington, New Zealand, just What We Do in the Shadows presents a comical look into what life is truly like for these creatures of the night in a more humanist kind of way. They allowed a small crew of cameramen to follow them around to record their antics and to see them acknowledged time to time gives this movie an air of authenticity that can be appreciated. When the film is presented as a mockumentary, the laughs are well earned, and some horror lore enthusiasts will recognize the world that these creatures, along with the werewolves and zombies, belong in.

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Shout! Factory Brings Métal Hurlant Chronicles to New Masses!

As Métal Hurlant Chronicles moves from one tale to the next, viewers will find that the story is linked in subtle ways.

Not many science fiction aficionados may have Métal Hurlant Chronicles when it broadcasted on SyFy last year and its broadcast even escaped me when I scanned for new programs to enjoy. When its competing against heavy hitters like Doctor Who, Star Trek and Stargate on broadcast television, interest is only as good as the continued support that the network is willing to give.

This Franco-Belgian television science fiction anthology series is based on the story that’s been published in the comics magazine Heavy Metal and it is thankfully getting the love it deserves from Shout! Factory. They will be releasing the complete series April 14, 2015.

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[VFF’15] Exploring China’s Super Boy Contest with I Am Here, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

4:00pm Feb 7
6:00pm Feb 15
The Vic Theatre

Super Boy or Happy Boy (快乐男声) is China’s answer to North American competition television shows like American Idol or Survivor. The cultural impact is huge because the program creates legions of fans pining for their favourite teenaged heart-throb to win, and the marketing potential is high — the winner gets a recording contract, has to tour and generate revenue for the Hunan Satellite Television Network, the broadcaster of this program.

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