Celebrating 100 Years Of Warner Bros. and Defying the Odds. Broadcast Guide and Filling in the Gaps

There’s a lot of information packed into 100 Years of Warner Bros. documentary, and ultimately, one might want the book to read afterwards.

100 Years Of Warner Bros.Warner Bros. is celebrating a huge milestone, and in the documentary 100 Years of Warner Bros., everything we want to know about their early days is covered! The first episode is the best of the four-part series and the host of this trip through memory lane is Morgan Freeman. After it’s run on HBO Max, it’s now more widely available. In Canada, we can view the series on HOLLYWOOD SUITE as each episode is released each weekend this month!

Not only do we learn about this studio’s humble beginnings through the eyes of many performers and filmmakers, but also discover what brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack’s goals were. Not all of them had a true love for cinema versus wanting to be the king in a place formerly known as Hollywood Hills. To set up shop there meant knowing what America likes to see at the Nickelodeons and having access to talents who will no doubt put them in the public eye, like Errol Flynn.

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Believe it or Not, Satan Wants You in this documentary about the Satanic Panic

The journey undertaken by Sean Horlor and Steve Adams to discover why Satan Wants You doesn’t necessarily begin and end with a book titled Michelle Remembers. Instead, there may be more to this story that’ll be added to in the future.

Satan Wants You Directors Sean Horlor and Steve Adams Photo Credit Grady MitchellPlaying at select Canadian
cinemas beginning August 11, 2023.

Local screening at The Vic (808 Douglas St.)
Aug 13, 2023 5:15pm

After Fantasia Film Festival 2023, the rest of Canada (especially the residents of Victoria, BC) are next in line to get a screening of Sean Horlor and Steve Adams‘ compelling documentary, Satan Wants You. Both filmmakers got their start in different sectors of the entertainment industry before finally getting together to make edgier works. Horlor was the co-host and creator of Don’t Quit Your Gay Job, and he teamed up with Adams to make Someone Like Me, for the National Film Board of Canada. Afterwards, they decided to look at the Satanic Panic as what should they produce together.

Although much of that was fuelled by the publication of Michelle Remembers, just how much of it is fact and other fiction depends on who you ask. What these self-taught filmmakers have uncovered in their research reveals a lot more than just a plan to capitalise on the spiritual xenophobia which existed evey before the book was published.

But for Horlor and Adams who’ve certainly done their research, just how they connect the dots will have some theologians wanting to double-check their sources, and others perhaps even more curious in why we’re attracted to such narratives. I got a chance to talk to them prior to the debut at the Montreal based film festival, and ask about how this film came to be and how it connects to pop culture.

What made you decide to focus specifically on Michelle Remembers and how it started the Satanic Panic?

SH: I grew up in Victoria, BC, right after that got published. Growing up here meant hearing all the talk. At one point, they lived 10 minutes down the road from where I lived, and it wasn’t until 30 years later when we started looking at it again. That’s when I realised Michelle and Larry’s book ended up touching the lives of millions and millions of people around the world.

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Big News for Fans of Shinichi Ishizuka’s manga. GKIDs acquires Blue Giant!

Fans can thrill to the delight of Shinichi Ishizuka’s manga, Blue Giant, getting a cinematic treatment as it’ll soon come to North America later this year!

Blue Giant Original Japanese Movie PosterGKIDS has the North American distribution rights for the music drama Blue Giant, and it should be playing in theatres by the end of this year. The deal was negotiated between this company and Toho following its sneak preview at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and for GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt, he said, “Blue Giant is a thrilling and moving exploration of what it takes to pursue true artistic and creative excellence,” said “We are proud to share this special film that captures the spirit of the beloved manga for a new audience, with one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in years.”

This animated extravaganza is directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, whose credits include directing the mega hit anime series “Mob Psycho 100”, as well as the cult hit series “Death Parade,” “DECA-DENCE,” and the latest film in the blockbuster Detective Conan franchise, Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine.

From the Press Release:

Blue Giant is adapted from the internationally-renowned manga of the same name, written by manga artist Shinichi Ishizuka. The series won the Japan Media Arts Festival Award and the Shogakukan Manga Award, and was nominated for the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize and as “Comic of the Year” at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. NUMBER 8, the editor of the original manga, joined the film production to write the script.

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In Its Wake Takes Place in the Belly of the Beast, A Movie Review

What’s presented in In Its Wake is a slasher film with up-and-coming talents wanting a creature feature to add to their resume.

In Its Wake Movie PosterUncork’d Entertainment
Now available to on VOD & DVD

Lee Foster‘s horror film, In Its Wake, is surprisingly accurate as far as the folklore is concerned. One reason this film caught my attention is that I can’t get enough of cinematic interpretations of the Wild Hunt! And whether it’s realised as an indie film or even a grander vision in the scale of Guillermo del Toro, I’ll watch them all! That’s because the significance of this supernatural act varies region to region. Some might say it’s to prevent the horrors of hell from terrorising the living, but others will know their appearance is a portent of an upcoming calamity!

In this film, this writer/director borrows from Germanic tradition, even though much of the tale takes place in some corner of Canada. Although the story is a continent away from where the WIld Hunt traditionally takes place, I can feign ignorance for now.

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Beat the Heat with AmPM, CARTOON & YELLOCK with Summer Drive feat. Icazahra!

It’s hot in the city with a huge collab between Japan’s best DJ’s and EDM artists getting together with Summer Drive feat. Icazahra!

Summer Drive Single CoverThe season is right for Japanese masked production duo AmPm, tech-house DJ and producer CARTOON and virtual human artist YELLOCK, along with Japan-based singer-songwriter and Indonesian diva singer Icazahra, to bring ‘Summer Drive feat. Icazahra’ to the airwaves! This track is one way to dance the night away, and it’s the perfect release to signal the end of this eason.

The new track is a collaboration born from the popular music show ‘Unknown Studio’ broadcast in Japan by ABC TV. The song combines Icazahra’s beautiful singing voice with AmPm’s synth sound and a lot more from CARTOON+YELLOCK, resulting in a house music gem. If you’re just as curious as we are, the streaming links can be found on this landing page:

There’s no music video, and listeners can visit this YouTube Music page to listen to this mix-genre work. Band bios are as follows:

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Nothing New Exists in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, A Review and Afterhoughts

This movie doesn’t truly offer a complete Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles experience as the comics and past works define it; it’s more hip hop than anything else.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

Perhaps the big reason the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a long-running hit is because it regularly gets revised to recognize what each new generation is into. Because the latest film, subtitled Mutant Mayhem, is more hip hop and ethnically diverse than anything else, today’s target audience is most likely to enjoy this take. 

However, long-time fans won’t all be interested in director Jeff Rowe’s vision and Seth Rogen’s narrative choices. As for what I enjoyed from it is the grunge art. This style isn’t all that different from the early comic books. Although it’s not as dark, the Island of Dr. Moreau style of elements are at least a step in the right direction. The rough textures and lower frame rate the film presents itself on the big screen helps make the work look like claymation. Sadly, no effort was put into making it all come alive in 3D. The addition had barely enough pop.

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