October 2024 | Otaku No Culture

That’s No Kung Fu “Panda Plan” When Jackie Chan is Involved. At Least the Fun is Amped Up!

When Jackie Chan has a Panda Plan, that’s all fans need to know with this movie now playing at select theatres near you.

Well GO USA

Quite often, the roles Jackie Chan plays are not unique. He hasn’t played some notorious gangster or a bad guy yet. As far as I know, he’s been a random thug, but these were uncredited roles. In his latest, Panda Plan (熊猫计划), he’s simply being himself much like in the cartoon, Jackie Chan Adventures. Since it really is this animated series brought to real life, minus the grandfather and kid side-kick. The only difference is that in this toon, he’s an archaeologist with connections with a secret agency and in this film, he’s an actor/stuntman. Although most of the scenes with the cub are CGI, I bought into the illusion since to have a real one on set would bring out the activists.

The humour is classic; the stunts are over the top, and the situations he ends up in are gonzo! Hu Hu is the star of a local zoo and this cutie pie steals the show (even though most of the scenes are digital). His caretaker is Xiao Zhu (Shi Ce) and although she doesn’t quite get the screen time she deserves, thankfully she isn’t forgotten.

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In Doctor Who, Just How Many Lives Does The Master Have Left?

One of Doctor Who’s greatest foes needs more than a makeover. Instead maybe The Master just needs writers who cares to give him what he wants for once, and show how The Doctor attempts to reverse the damage.

The Master throughout the Years The Master was once an exceptional villain in the Doctor Who series, but after revisiting some recent material during the Canadian Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but consider one unsettling fact. Just how many lives (regnerations) does he have left? Lately, ever since this series returned to the airwaves back in 2005, he’s been burning through his regenerations quite fast and he’s no longer the Wile E. Coyote he once was.

After stealing the body of Tremas, he basically was at his last regeneration until this full on material swap broke the mold. The Time Lords offered a new set to take advantage, but what has changed? How have the rules been altered? While everything has evolved for The Doctor now in his/her 15th incarnation, I got curious and had to revisit past episodes, consult a few guides and figure out what went wrong.

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Steven Kostanski’s Frankie Freako Wants to Party, and We Know How to Find This Crazy Dude!

Frankie Freako is the type of guy who means well, even though at first glance, he’s all punk all the way.

Coming to VOD beginning on October 25
(iTunes and Amazon Prime)

Although four years seems long in between projects, the team of Astron-6 deserves all the credit in a Steven Kostanski led movie, simply titled Frankie Freako. This movie shows just how wonderful puppet gore movies are. As much as I like to use the word puppetcore, that’s the name of a company who produce just as equally wacked out films. Also, they make mostly all puppet productions

When this film includes live-action as part of the equation, what’s presented is very Muppet-like, especially in how they move around the screen. But in this case, instead of revelling in slapstick, the concept delivers the horrific and humour in droves. The last film I saw was Frank and Zed.

That’s because somewhere in space, hobbit-sized characters who want to be like DC Comics’ Lobo insist that they bring their party anywhere in the cosmos. There’s a broadcast where the title character (voiced by Matthew Kennedy) offers to livin up anyone’s doldrum life. When Conor (Conor Sweeny) is an office employee with no gumption to succeed, not even his fellow workers seem to be fighting for inter-office promotions to get a better job. I suspect that before becoming such a Stephen Fry (from Futurama) he had not much of a social life. As for what his wife, Kristina (Kelly Wordsworth) saw in him back when they first dated, not even her sexual advances can stir him up.

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Godzilla vs Cthulhu, When a Titan and Great Old One Meets, Does the Phrase “Death May Die.” Matter Anymore?

Everything you want to know about CMON’s Cthulhu: Death May Die but were afraid to ask is answered here, including the upcoming Source Point Press’ comic book adaptation. Godzilla vs Cthulhu, however….

Godzilla vs Cthulhu Death May Die Comic No knowledge of the game is required to understand Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die. This comic book released by CMON Games is only sold at specific comic conventions, and as for whether there’ll be a market version, I’m doubtful. This showdown is a concept many fans have asked for. While I’m glad someone has taken up the challenge to write up a story concept of seeing these two fight one another, ultimately, in the end, the payoff was rather disappointing.

Obviously, there can’t be a clear winner (or loser). But c’mon, why can’t we at least see both sides licking their wounds?

While this one-shot written by Jonathan Maberry and illustrated by Bruno Abdias is not the only title set in this Death May Die universe, I have to wonder if any of the comics are meant to one day lead up to how the game ends? What this team wrote felt like a spec product than anything meaningful. Basically, the idea concerns preventing the second coming (of the Great Old Ones). Like in Arkham Horror the board/card game, there’s a timer (a doom track) that counts down to when all the seals are broken and all hell breaks loose! Continue reading “Godzilla vs Cthulhu, When a Titan and Great Old One Meets, Does the Phrase “Death May Die.” Matter Anymore?”

Breaking Down the Bricks That Made Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy Great

Although the animation style is a step backward, Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy forward thinking attitude suggests all’s not Back to the Future.

Spoiler Alert

The LEGO Star Wars universe is one of my guilty pleasures because of how The Force is used to build things to help the heroes (and sometimes villains) win the day. The latest release, subtitled Rebuild the Galaxy has concepts to like, and that’s because those concepts regarding the Force Builders get a story expansion I’m sure even George Lucas would approve of without getting too woke. In what I truly appreciate is that this entry builds upon what’s said before regarding this group. The last time they were referred to was in The Freemaker Adventures.

Although the visual style is straight out of LEGO Batman movies with a lower frame rate and simplified tales, I can get behind the ideas being offered. That’s because the cliffhanger style reveal at season one’s end got me cackling. I always wondered when Lando’s conversion would happen. He’s neither good nor bad, and I won’t ruin what faction he’s involved with. And I’m glad this world is catching up with the live action series material!

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Finding Serenity at Tea Creek Farm. A Documentary in Review

British Columbia is filled with lots of super and naturally charged places. One such place is Tea Creek, and to learn about its history and what it means to a nearby community is important.

Now Playing on CBC Gem

Many Red Seal chefs are well aware of wanting to bring out the flavour of the land from the ingredients in the culinary meals they prepare. While not everyone at home thinks the same way, apparently the indigenous people who work at Tea Creek Farm (located near Kitwanga, BC) do, and they want to educate the world in more ways than one. There’s also how to grow as an individual.

One such person is Ryan Dickle, who no doubt worked here, and his desire to make a documentary, simply titled Tea Creek, is excellent at examining the life and times of Jacob Beaton. He transformed his family farm into a place of learning, to become a centre of community, and to reconnect with nature. This individual got serious with this endeavour about three years ago, and since then, lots of things have changed. Some are for the better, and others, just as worse.

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