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In Max Beyond, There’s No Such Thing as Infinite Lives

The idea of going back in time to change the future is nothing new, but in this take, Max Beyond seeks to locate another universe where fate isn’t prestined.

Coming to Digital Platforms on April 22

There’s a young hero in town, and his name is Max (Cade Tropeano). He can travel to alternate universes and his only desire is to stop Leon (Dave Fennoy), his big brother, from being killed in the line of duty. In the movie simply titled, Max Beyond, this former marine is determined to rescue the kid from a tech firm intent on finding out how he gained ths mutant ability–and exploit it too–but in every other world, this attempt always sees the soldier ending up dead.

However, I get the feeling that every time Max uses his mutant power, a part of him is lost to the Aether. Pretty soon, he has to consider if his life is worth sacrificing, too. This sombre animated film got me wondering why he needs his brother so bad? That’s because without him, he may well not exist at all. Just how they managed to support each other during this strange time makes up for the better part of the narrative.

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Transformers One Confusing Retcon Long Time Fans Will Reject

This animated prequel shows why Transformers One shouldn’t retcon what’s previously known as long time fans can find problems.

Back when Transformers had a singular continuity, (known as G1), it easy to keep track of what went on. But as it gained in popularity, Hasbro crafted a series bible that future iterations of the franchise had to recognize, despite regular reboots. And all of that is forgotten in Transformers One.

What it doesn’t acknowledge concern how Cybertronians came to exist and why they were used as mostly slave labour by the Quintessons. This alien force conquered this planet and created/mutated the native species to what they are now. And as for how this latest entry to the cinematic universe can transition to The Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons, I’m already scratching my head.

This origin story delves into an era that’s been fully explored in the Prime universe (Amazon Link), featured in IDW’s comic books and detailed in full in Alex Irvine’s novel, Transformers: Exodus. I even reviewed the first two books of the trilogy since I loved it that much. But when considering none of that material matters, I’m rather disappointed the film can’t even acknowledge even an ounce of that past.

Instead, the best moment is seeing the Vehicons rule an untamed land that includes bio-type mechanoids. Everything else is unimportant, like seeing how Bumblebee gets named and that he’s always been there. As for the technology in how to transform, it’s attributed to some lost science Alpha Trion summons up and doesn’t even name. Aside from being like some wise old master and using an age-old Ninjago trope of “accessing your full potential,” I rolled my eyes.

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Chicken for Linda! The Crazy Quest for Who’ll Count Coup for Poulet.

I’m surprised that the young girl in Chicken For Linda! isn’t asking for other poulet flavoured meals, since a lot more can be done with the leftovers.

GKIDS
Release Date: April 19, 2024
Please check local listings for screenings near you.

After a successful limited theatre run in New York and Los Angeles, the French animated masterpiece, Chicken for Linda! Is getting ready to be dressed for success! This hilarious slice of life film looks at everything a parent will do just to please a child. The hen is intended for slaughter, and there were times I wished it would survive. But sadly, it’s destined to be on the dinner plate for Paulette (Clotilde Hesme) and her daughter (Mélinée Leclerc). As for whether they can locate one during a labour strike, that’s going to be a challenge!

As a single mother, life is never easy. The father died when Linda was a baby. Now that she’s much older these days, she’s quite the handful! Although mom makes the mistake of blaming her kid for losing the wedding ring she still holds dear, thankfully it gets found! It turns out the family cat was the culprit!

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Simply Irrestiable! City Hunter on Netflix

Here, we look at what made the City Hunter franchise change over time, and look at the latest entry which is surprisingly faithful to what makes it great.

Streaming on Netflix
Release Date: April 25, 2024 (USA & Canada)

Part of City Hunter’s appeal lies in the fact it’s a very hilarious buddy film about Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki), a merc who really loves his women while taking out crime in Shinjuku, Japan. Sometimes his behaviour gets in the way of getting the job done, and this is something Hideyuki Makimura (Masanobu Andô) dislikes. And despite warning him to not put his moves on his sister, that’s because he’s knows what his partner can do, and is overprotective. And when he dies in the line of duty, he hopes this sweeper will do the right thing and be more like a brother to her.

The anime was really popular in the 90s, and many of the episodes were based on the manga published the decade prior. In today’s woke culture, his actions would not be tolerated and despite this character’s low-brow behaviour, the love for this franchise over the years remained strong. As a result, a fair number of reboots and reinterpretations look at other aspects of Ryo’s career.

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In Fallout, It’s Wild and Wooly. A Review from a Non-Gamer’s Perspective.

Amazon Prime’s Fallout fits very well into the weird west genre when considering how it overlaps with all that’s beloved from The X-Files and Nightbreed.

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Fans of post-apocalyptic narratives don’t really need a primer to enjoy Fallout. Everything gets explained during the course of eight episodes and folks can either binge or pace it out for the next two months. After its explosive debut last week, I’m hooked and love the undead cowboy who must have read a lot of Jonah Hex comic books. At first, I thought it was set during the 50s or later, like 1977 when this antihero’s exploits was in print. Instead, it’s 2077 when the world blew up.

Had the introduction not shown Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) signing a piece of paper showing the date of March 17, 2299, I would’ve thought the vintage set design existed for another reason. With all the era appropriate decor, the only thing out of place is the television. It looked like it was from a future time similiar to The Jetsons. And with what’s broadcasted in black and white, I thought Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the start of the next World War!

After the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles, the details fall into place. Those who caught sight of the clouds raced to shelters (called Vaults) and those who didn’t are dead or heavily mutated. Some turn into Ghouls and live long lives, and others aren’t even trying to rebuild. After 200 years, a very feudal society defines the surface world.

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