Month: November 2024

Is It Spellbound or Excitement that Skydance’s Latest is on Netflix?

One dream from a young teen is never enough in Spellbound. What she wants, she may not get, and when she has a lot on her shoulder, what’s taught will have most parents nodding.

Spellbound 2024 Movie PosterNow Playing on Netflix

Skydance Animation must be taking lessons from Disney with their latest film Spellbound. That’s because the heroine is a princess, and after seeing her parents argue, the argument transformed them into giant furry beasts. Ellian (Rachel Zegler) has to break the curse. This task will be difficult and as much of this backstory is told in song, what comes next is her trying to maintain the kingdom while questing at the same time. This teen is as adventurous as Merida from Brave, but as for who is in the know, only Minister Bolinar (John Lithgow) and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis), do.

As for the rest of the kingdom, they are blissfully unaware. The young lady has managed everything, and I believe this film is great showing teens they should learn how to be responsible, and take charge when needed. The message is important to note, and although she’s close to getting her parents back, she has to understand what she’s become and also the new boundaries, as the film implies the king and queen are no longer in love.

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What Makes A Cthulhu Cat Roar is….

When this parody is very purr-suasive enough to convince the hero to turn heel, will he? Cthulhu Cat is a must read for fans of children’s book and cat humour.

Cthulhu Cat Trade Paperback Cover
The Kindle edition and Trade Paperback is available to purchase on Amazon USA

Dark Horse Comics

Although manga artist Pandania’s Cthulhu Cat is not the first time a Great Old One morphed to another form, I fell in love with the idea ever since I watched The Real Ghostbusters episode, “The Collect Call of Cathulhu.”

As a result, I often wondered if I’d see some iteration again? After all, most of Lovecraft’s ideas are now in the public domain. On the RPG front, Sixtystone Press’ Cathulhu for Call of Cthulhu about two years ago. To find renditions thereof is hit-and-miss when looking on the internet and artists’ alley during conventions. I have to mention Tentacle Kitty because I believe H.P. Lovecraft‘s love for cats inspired this IP.

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Everything Old in How to Train Your Dragon is “New” Again, and Original Book News!

How to Train Your DragonEverything that’s once animated in How to Train Your Dragon is now brought to vivid real life in the teaser trailer released a few days ago. Toothless looks terrific and Mason Thames, the actor playing Hiccup Haddock the Third, will take getting used to. My only problem is that there’s nothing new to add to this ‘reboot.’ Everything the teaser trailer showed is basically the first film being recreated in earnest!

I’ve watched everything released that is set in this animated universe (including the children’s Rescue Riders series) and profess a fondness for all the early material, books included! Jay Barachel will always be the voice of Hiccup, and while I’m glad Dean DeBlois has returned to directing this work, I have to wonder if he has ideas to add something fresh so that I’ll enjoy this film. For now, I’m simply not feeling it with this new star. He lacks that awkwardness and belief he’s the runt of the litter. Or rather, not suited to be a Viking.

How to Train Your Dragon Teaser Trailer

The teaser hasn’t made enough of an impression to say DreamWorks made the right call to reinvigorate the franchise.

After Dragons: The Nine Realms, this franchise has nothing left to explore, so the timing of the film is good! After eight successful seasons, the tale has ended. Even the connections with the early series have put a closure to everything. The series revealed that Tom is a distant relative of Hiccup, and even uncovered the resting place of this ancestor. And as for Toothless, I can only assume they’re together in Valhalla, recalling their tales to Odinson.

How to Train Your Dragon School Book CoverAs for the original material, there’s good news! Cressida Cowell announced a new series, where Hiccup and gang go to school. In this series, the kids have to deal with other threats, and at time of writing, only the book cover has been revealed. Autographed editions are available to pre-order through Waterstones (UK) website or on Amazon USA.

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When Dallas King’s Indie film Swap (2024) Aims to Change the Rules of Vampirism….

When some vampires want something from humans, offering a Swap won’t come easy. Or can human conviction win when locked up in a pleasure palace?

Swap Movie PosterRad (James Eastwood) is a person with high morals. When he and his beautiful girlfriend get invited to a château located away from the City of Angels, little does he know the next two days may well be out of Rocky Horror! That’s because Janet, er Kayla’s bestie (Jessica Lelia Greene) asked this couple over for an evening they’ll never forget. Glory (Erin Anne Gray) says it’s okay; she was never pure even when the two met and he knew. And their night is debauchery as its most Greco-Roman. I was curious because vampires are involved!

But even in Anne Rice’s world, what’s presented suggests these creatures of the night have to find willing participants. This film by Dallas King feels like a work in progress, as not everything is fleshed out. The only one good constant is where the unwilling hero struggles with whether he should accept a deal with the devil, and that’s to trade partners and become of their kind. There’s no FX to enhance the terror and I hoped for some moments of some classic vampirism and got none.

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Season Two of David J. Fernandes’ Creepy Bits is Here! Prepare for More Spooky Tales of the Unexpected!

And we have an episode guide too! Disclaimer: Creepy Bits is best experienced in the dark, with headphones. If only they were quadraphonic….

Creepy Bits Season Two PosterHollywood Suite Broadcast Premiere Nov 19 at 9pm ET. 

After Halloween, not everyone was preparing for The Day of the Dead. Some folks may have tuned in to view David J. Fernandes‘ Creepy Bits that debuted early in the month on VOD. But now, it’s more accessible on specific specialty networks! There’s no news yet for worldwide release, but in the meantime, for Canadians, they have early access.

It’s a wonderful series for those who want simple frights in a bite-size format. This Canadian series offers a contemporary take on some classic tropes, and will leave viewers in awe.

After the debut “Baby Face,” episode from season one, what makes this program special is that sets up the tension quite fast for the bogeyman style surprise! These shorts live up to its name for effectively creating that sense of unease, even as the last frames play out. Sometimes, the finale is not for the better, but is far, far worse, and leaves the aftermath for each viewer’s imagination to figure out.

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Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable v1.0 Who’s Ready to Rumble?

The fight is back with Attack on Titan VR, and for users of the Metx/Oculus, they can face these giants head-on!

Attack on Titan VRUNIVRS, Inc.

To say virtual reality is dead depends on which industry giants you ask. As for Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable, now in version 1.0, developers feel ready to unleash a version of this video game to the masses. With a frame rate issues corrected, added platforms to play in and now here as early access. Developers have added a few new features, and hope fans of the anime will check out this game on the Meta Quest. This first-person action-adventure VR platformer now has the final three chapters in this epic saga to play through. There’s also the newly added two-player Co-op mode, so friends can now work together to take down vicious Titans and save humanity.

This property is based on the manga/anime written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. In this apocalyptic world, Eran Yeager, vows to terminate giants who are threatening to destroy the last vintages of humanity. They love eating humans, and that’s never good. This series ran in the Japanese magazine, Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine (from September 2009 to April 2021), and has since been adapted to anime, live-action, video games and novels featuring other heroes joining in the fight. This latest only adds to the experience by providing a first person perspective that hasn’t been done before.

From the Press Release:

Join the Scout Regiment as an aspiring recruit and ready for battle. Quickly manoeuvre across building tops with Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, and change directions mid-air to avoid towering threats. Topple titans, complete timed objectives, unlock powerful new gear, and protect humanity from extinction.

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable Trailer