Author: Ed Sum

I'm a freelance videographer and entertainment journalist (Absolute Underground Magazine, Two Hungry Blokes, and Otaku no Culture) with a wide range of interests. From archaeology to popular culture to paranormal studies, there's no stone unturned. Digging for the past and embracing "The Future" is my mantra.

Nerds, Assemble! The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne More Than Just Another Energetic Coming-of-Age Story

If you love comics, pop culture, and stories with real punk spirit, The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne features a bit of everything to get your heavy metal spirit on!

The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne
Available to order on Amazon USA

Highwater Press
Spoiler Alert

Sonya Ballantyne is just like many other nerds, and just because she’s from a First Nation should not make a difference at all. When she helped pen and direct The Death Tour, a movie I reviewed two years ago, I knew there’d be some work of hers I’d eventually follow up on, and to read The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne is an eye-opening revelation about what she loved when growing up. Not only does she love her Star Wars, but she’s a DC Comics enthusiast too!

And she must watch wrestling, hence that movie! To call her unbeatable is an understatement, and reading her life story in this self-titled graphic novel really highlights where she came from, what obstacles she had to face while growing up, and how she managed to carve a niche that’s truly punk. It’s less about fighting against the establishment and more about knowing where the curve balls come from. Whether that’s dealing with bullies at school who can’t see past her skin colour or navigating grandma’s overprotectiveness, what’s reflected upon here doesn’t dwell on the negativity.

Continue reading “Nerds, Assemble! The Unbeatable Sonya Ballantyne More Than Just Another Energetic Coming-of-Age Story”

DRAGN Is a Brutal Wake-Up Call About Drone Warfare

Peter Webber’s DRAGN blends slasher structure with modern techno-paranoia, imagining a deadly autonomous drone stalking corporate retreat attendees. While its POV sequences are effective and unsettling, the film never digs deeply enough into the ethical and emotional weight of its own premise.

Dragn Movie PosterCineverse
Available on VOD

Director Peter Webber and his screenwriting team, Barry Hutchison, Alex Lane, and Alexander Gordon Smith, have delivered a work that sits uncomfortably at the intersection of entertainment and contemporary anxiety. The release of DRAGN feels closely tied to the current global climate, where remote and automated warfare has become an increasing part of modern conflict. As these systems filter decision-making through distant interfaces, reducing lives to abstract data, the film’s premise of granting a drone the autonomous “choice” to execute feels less like speculative fiction and more like a reflection of present-day concerns.

In many ways, the bot in question attempts to be a Terminator for the age of algorithmized warfare. It is not a total failure, nor is it a triumph. Rather, it functions as an ontological inquiry: can we ever truly trust a machine programmed to bypass human empathy?

Continue reading “DRAGN Is a Brutal Wake-Up Call About Drone Warfare”

Queens of the Dead. Who Needs Drag When Zombies Are Onboard?

Who knew? Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead is a bloody and surprisingly heartfelt mix of drag performance, splattery chaos, and one performer’s quiet journey back to the stage.

Queens of the Dead Movie PosterAvailable on Shudder

Not everyone may realize that Tina Romero, daughter of George A. Romero, is stepping into the horror-comedy arena herself. With Queens of the Dead, she blends character drama with splattery action as a zombie outbreak erupts during a packed Saturday night at a queer nightclub. For the performers and staff, the chaos at first feels like just another wild evening, until they realize they completely missed the evacuation alarm.

When the music is pounding inside Club Yam, no one is going to hear much of anything. Personal drama is already bubbling under the surface when the outbreak begins, and suddenly everyone is scrambling for safety. One storyline centres on Sam (Jaquel Spivey), who feels uneasy about returning to the stage after a traumatic past performance. When club owner Yasmine (Dominique Jackson) announces the show cannot go on as planned, someone else will have to step in. When Sam gets the call, he is forced to confront whether he is ready, emotionally and professionally, to drag.

Continue reading “Queens of the Dead. Who Needs Drag When Zombies Are Onboard?”

On Why Allegro Non Troppo In 2K Still Feels Electrifying After All These Years

Bruno Bozzetto’s Allegro Non Troppo in 2K returns in a stunning 50th-anniversary restoration that brings its satirical bite, gorgeous hand-drawn animation, and music-driven storytelling back to life. For anyone who only knew it through battered tapes or older home releases, this theatrical remaster is a chance to see the film properly at last.

ALLEGRO NON TROPPO in 2k Movie Poster GKIDS
Mar 27-29 at the Metrograph
(see website for showtimes)

Allegro Non Troppo in 2K is a revelation compared to the last time I saw it on VHS. That version was an nth-generation copy from back when tape trading foreign films was one of the only ways to see them, since distribution was so limited. For years, movie enthusiasts had to squint through tracking lines and muffled audio to experience Bruno Bozzetto’s 1976 masterpiece. It was still an experience, though, and the classical music showed how sound and light, through image, must move in synchronicity. They’re connected in more ways than one, and this 50th-anniversary restoration proves why some works truly are “immortal.”

When local art houses don’t screen classics like this as often, it’s worth remembering that films of this kind are meant to be seen in theatres. To reinforce that point, GKIDS is showing off a remaster at the Metrograph in Manhattan. There may be more theatrical dates to come before it finally arrives on home video.

Continue reading “On Why Allegro Non Troppo In 2K Still Feels Electrifying After All These Years”

Top 10 Picks From Discotek Deep Dives 2026 Spring Release Schedule

Discotek Deep Dives 2026 is shaping up to be a strong year for anime collectors, with long-lost favourites and cult classics finally getting the Blu-ray treatment. These ten picks stand out as the most essential upgrades worth adding to your shelf.

DEEP DIVES 2026 DiscoTek Media AnimeDiscotek’s ongoing DEEP DIVES 2026 initiative has a stack of upcoming releases that should make Spring especially exciting for anime fans. Many out-of-print anime titles from the 90s and earlier are getting fresh re-releases, and some are finally arriving on Blu-ray. Fans will want to check back regularly as new titles keep being added. Rather than list everything now available for pre-order through MediaOCD, I’m focusing on my ten must-have picks. Since parts of my own collection are still sitting in the VHS and DVD era, an upgrade feels more than worthwhile.

This partnership also helps ensure that even obscure titles from the 90s receive high-bitrate encodes and carefully prepared subtitles from some of the industry’s most dedicated technical experts. What follows are ten must-have releases, or essential upgrades if you do not already own these editions. The links go to the company site. Some titles are slowly getting listed on Amazon USA and are noted where possible.

  • Captain HarlockCaptain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth – This 1982 film serves as the definitive origin story for Leiji Matsumoto’s legendary space pirate as he resists an alien occupation of Earth. It remains a sweeping space opera that establishes Harlock’s tragic past and his unbreakable code of honour.

Continue reading “Top 10 Picks From Discotek Deep Dives 2026 Spring Release Schedule”

Old-School Magic Returns in Mirage 7, A Forgotten Crusade

Mirage 7 may follow a familiar action-adventure path, but its desert setting, survival-lite mechanics, and story-driven mystery give it enough character to stand apart. Its greatest strength so far is not reinvention, but how confidently it guides players through Nadira’s haunting journey.

Mirage 7 Game PosterDrakkar Dev

Within the heart of Mirage 7 lies a familiar game design framework. For this first-person adventure-shooter, the main difference is whether you are slinging rocks at targets or eating scorpions for dinner. Players switch between young Nadira, a desert dweller searching for her missing sister, and Jiji, the pet lizard who protects her while she sleeps. The concept itself is not especially new, but the game still has enough flavour to stand out, especially through its Arabian Nights-inspired setting and its blend of exploration, mystery, and survival.

After spending some time with the Steam version on PC, I was impressed with the story more than the actual gameplay. This game is familiar enough that the muscle memory developed by playing similar games like Tomb Raider quickly returns. The keyboard and mouse controls feel comfortable, and while I did not get a chance to test a controller, the game seems like it would lend itself well to that option too.

Continue reading “Old-School Magic Returns in Mirage 7, A Forgotten Crusade”