Before Crazy Alien 2 Arrives In Theatres, Perhaps It’s Best To See The Original First

Sometimes silly comedies top the list on what to see this Chinese New Year, and Crazy Alien fits the bill well.

Crazy Alien (2019) Movie PosterWhen first contact goes horribly wrong, it’ll be up to the wrong people to save the world. That’s the hope in Crazy Alien. This Chinese film came out in 2019 during Chinese New Year and the reason I’m looking at this work is that the sequel is due during this year’s celebrations!

That’s because, according to GlobalTimes.cn, “Comedic films, a staple for the New Year season, are set to entertain audiences during the New Year’s Day holiday with titles such as domestic films Honey Money Phony and Hot Pot Artist, and British animated film Paddington in Peru.”

But when I have my list on what to see, I have to begin by looking back. Here, Huang Bo is the star, and unlike his other works which received limited release in America (He loved his work in Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms as Jing Ziya), I needed more! This jack of all trades in the Chinese film industry is a talent to pay attention to, and when he’s partnered with Shen Teng in this comedy, I see good things. They’re not like any traditional comedic double act. In China, the word used is Xiangsheng–a genre of its own!

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Pacific Northwest Pop Culture Convention Season Roundup! 2025 Edition

For this winter  convention season, to decide whether one can attend them all can be a strain on the finances, and we offer a quick roundup on what each show offers, a partial guest lineup and much more!

Pacific Northwest Convention season guide

Throughout the Pacific Northwest, the winter convention season for pop culture enthusiasts is shaping up to be huge. The Fan Expo brand is certainly ramping their guest list up this year. Not only are they running two events in this region with a similar round up of guests appearing, but also it seems Creation Con no longer holds the monopoly on certain names! It’s about time, as I’m not fond of that organisation, since they are a for-profit business. They cater to fans who are willing to spend massive amounts of money for a show dedicated to just one series.

I favour the more open ones. Sometimes, if it doesn’t sell out, people can find tickets last minute. And while I can’t say what the shopping experience is like between both, I imagine the exhibit hall is only as good when these broad spectrum shows allow for anyone interested in vending to advertise their wares.

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Dave Bautista. From The Killer’s Game to In The Lost Lands, What is He Seeking?

The answer is not the next bunch of films this action-star will appear in. As Dave Bautista continues to be a fan-favourite for action-adventure, maybe it’s time for a change of pace.

The Killer's Game Movie Poster starring Dave BautistaThe Killer’s Game is Available to Stream or purchase on Amazon Prime.

In the Lost Lands Release Date: Feb 28, 2025

After keeping up with Dave Bautista with the recent movies he’s appeared in, I’m glad he’s still got the right stuff. He’s a presence which can’t be tamed. And based on these latest works, I think he’s looking for that next great idea so he can show to the world he’s leading man material. He needs a movie to show how versatile he is. While I enjoyed My Spy, the sequel didn’t really do much since it fell into a traditional formula. After Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s on the quest for the next big franchise.

After The Killer’s Game, a respectable action-romance thriller, he’s still searching. With this film, he’s a hit-man who finds out he has an incurable disease. But after finding love early in this tale, he wants to get out of the game. Although he keeps Maize (Sofia Boutella) out of the loop in what he does, everyone is out to assassinate him! The idea is good, and the two performers have some great chemistry. But it didn’t screen everywhere and I had to wait for its VOD release, which wasn’t long at all. Overall, it deserves a C+ for effort, and showing how easily this actor can get typecast.

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Top 10 Movies To Look Forward to 2025. Not Everything Has To Be From Hollywood.

Instead of offering a list of what’s coming from “American” shores, this top 10 list considers what’s happening abroad. All cineastes can hope for is that they will get worldwide distribution sooner than later.

Vintage Film Projector Top 10 List GraphicTo make a list of top 10 films being released this year for the masses that are must-sees isn’t too tough, but when I want to know what’s being released abroad, to decide on what stands out, that’s harder! There are non-blockbuster movies that have caught my attention. When they don’t get the love they so deserve, I can say confidently that my list differs from others.

Leading the charge are the following (with release dates where possible.

A Whale
Date: Expected late 2025

When filmmakers bill a movie as “a cross between film noir, science fiction, and cosmic horror,” that’s a winning formula in my books. While I fully expect that it will hit film festivals first, all I can hope for is that Fantasia Film Festival will have it listed following its Spanish debut.

What’s known about this film is that it concerns an assassin whose boss comes from the stars! They give her the ability to vanish without a trace, but as for whether or not the connection is Lovecraftian, I hope more information will be revealed when it hits the International market.

Dracula: A Love Tale
Date: Expected 2025

Dracula A Love Tale Movie PosterWhen Luc Besson announced he will make his own adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, just what he will do is anybody’s guess. This filmmaker is best known for The Fifth Element and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Attached to play the leading roles are Caleb Landry Jones as Dracula and Christoph Waltz as a priest. Whether that’s Van Helsing or some other character, I’m going to want to know!

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Gatchaman at Mad Cave Studios. The Story So Far…

Fans of Gatchaman (not Battle of the Planets) will love everything that’s being developed to bring this original sentai team to the modern audiences! And what I offer is summary of what has transpired since the comic book’s launch mid last year!

Gatchaman Volume One Trade Paperback Cover
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Ever since Gatchaman returned to the anime fandom’s radar, I’ve been paying attention. Not only did I want to remind myself of what went on in the animated front before touching the comic book continuation, but also my love for this Space Ninja Team got reignited. Who knows, maybe I can find a model of the God Phoenix at a reasonable price.

The first trade paperback collecting the first six issues is out (Amazon link), and although that did not include the one-shots, that’s okay. I flipped to the back and found out that it will be released later this year. This publisher has been steadily releasing individual issues every month, and what I offer is a quick recap, information about upcoming releases, and/or a review. Spoilers are ahead.

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In The Prosecutor, Only Donnie Yen Can Deliver The Final Verdict!

Just what fans can find in The Prosecutor is not your typical courtroom drama. When Donnie Yen is involved, it’s safe to say there’ll be some fists flying too!

The Prosecutor 2024 Movie PosterWell GO USA
Now Playing (Please check local listings)

Donnie Yen is The Prosecutor, and also the director of this film he stars in. As a disillusioned cop turned lawyer, he aims to bring Justice to where it is needed, and inject more action into a genre that some fans rarely associate him with.

Courtroom dramas aren’t all that tough to sit through. While they may seem dull due to simply listening to lawyers attempting to convince the jury on why the accused is guilty, there may be more action going on behind the scenes. In entertainment, someone is chasing down someone else who will change the verdict. Or, in this film’s case, to unearth a conspiracy that’s corrupted the system! With this trope, some aspects of the tale are predictable and others not.

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