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Fantasia Film Festival 2025 More Epic Picks of Must Sees!

When Fantasia Film Festival is the place to be for films old and new set within the genre of speculative fiction, it’ll have a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy, and this list considers them all!

Fantasia Film Festival 2025 Movie Poster With the complete list of films and shorts fully announced, the 2025 edition of Fantasia Film Festival has a terrific selection of films to get fans of Asian cinema buzzing. That’s because anyone fresh from seeing STRANGE TALES: LAN RUO TEMPLE aka Curious Tales of a Temple (as Light Chaser Animation lists it) can see a revisionist version of “Nie Xiaoqian” with a cinematic presentation of Chinese Ghost Story 3 (Aug 3)

Even though that means racking up tons of air miles points to fly from China to Montreal, it might be easier to rent the film originally made in 1991. But then, one would miss out on seeing The Battle Wizard (July 20th), a fun Shaw Brothers Studio production considered by many a cult work.

With those two works said, the following remaining films make my list of must-see this hot summer season.

Queens of the Dead
Aug 02

Queens of the Dead Movie Poser It’s Easter in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and a different resurrection is at hand. Dre (LOVE LIES BLEEDING breakout Katy O’Brian) is putting on a warehouse drag show, trying to deal with her lead performer’s last-minute cancellation, among other problems. One that she never could have imagined is a zombie apocalypse breaking out in her neighbourhood, which besieges her and her team while her wife Lizzy (Riki Lindhome, THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW), a nurse at a local hospital, tries to dodge the flesh-eating hordes and get across town to Dre. As the trapped party crew deal with various interpersonal issues—most notably the sudden return of Sam, a.k.a. Samoncé (Jaquel Spivey, MEAN GIRLS), some time after abandoning Dre and her show at a crucial moment—they’re forced to resolve their differences and band together and survive.

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All The Fears About Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple Are Revealed With The Final Trailer

The upcoming Strange Tales of Liaozhai isn’t a simple anthology as far as _ is concerned!

Strange Tales of Liaozhai- Lanruo Temple Light Chaser Animation

As the date nears for Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple to hit theatres, fans of this studio’s works will finally get to know more about the book Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Amazon link). This work contains many short stories, and we finally have confirmation of which tales are being adapted. They are:

The Taoist Priest of Laoshan Mountain: A classic zhiguai story about a wandering Taoist encountering supernatural threats.
Princess Lotus: A spirit romance centered on a flower fairy—echoing themes of love across realms.
Nie Xiaoqian: A melancholic ghost tale where a female specter falls in love with a scholar—the inspiration behind many film/TV adaptations.
The Painted Skin: A chilling demon tale where a beautiful woman is revealed to be a monstrous spirit.
The Daughter of Magistrate Lu: A supernatural courtroom fable where a magistrate in the afterlife judges the dead.

The main narrative, set at Lanruo Temple, will incorporate each of these works. This historical building sits on the Yangtze River, and locals call it a “little-known travel destination.” With the final trailer out, with subtitles, fans from around the world have a better idea about what’s going on. Although it primarily focuses on one tale, it’s easy to tell there’re multiple stories involved.

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Mr Blake At Your Service. Unmasking Malkovich At His Best!

The butler and fish out of water trope is well explored here in Mr Blake At Your Service … with a smile!

Mr Blake at Your Service differs from other dramedies because there’s something the lead (wonderfully played by John Malkovich) is trying to get away from. Not even I’m aware of what that is until the plot unravels itself to explain why he’s looking for comfort. After his wife passed away, he travels to France to find solace. However, at the manor where they first met, he gets mistaken for the hired help who would come knocking any day now. As soon becomes the household’s butler!

Although the story is a lot more serious, the odd humour sprinkled in keeps the story moving. Nathalie Beauvillier (Fanny Ardant), who lost her husband, is now the head, and paying the bills has been tough! Even the staff has problems, which Mr. Blake recognises, and he does his best to help.

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Watch out! City Hunter Angel Dust is Coming to Home Video Next Month!

No, City Hunter Angel Dust is not the end, but the beginning of what may be new teams to reimagine this franchise.

Press Release

Ryo Saeba’s crime sweeping adventures continue in City Hunter Angel Dust as the action comedy arrives on Blu-Ray™ in select North American e-commerce stores from Anime Limited, with distribution by Shout! Studios. This latest high-octane installment based on Tsukasa Hojo’s wildly popular manga of the same name boasts the franchise’s signature blend of hard-boiled humor with gritty combat, in a stylish return to form that longtime fans and collectors won’t want to miss.

Produced by the acclaimed Sunrise studio and directed by Kayuyoshi Takeuchi—with general direction by franchise veteran Kenji Kodama, the original director of the City Hunter TV series—Angel Dust reunites voice legends Kamiya Akira (Ryo Saeba) and Ikura Kazue (Kaori Makimura) mark what is considered the beginning of the franchise’s epic final chapter.

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Ghostbusters Dead Man’s Chest Is A Yo Ho Ho of Drama Than A Battle At Sea

When the accidental summoning of Captain Kidd’s spirit disrupt the Spengler family’s continuing problems with a new life in NYC, Ghostbusters Dead Man’s Chest better not be opened too!

Dark Horse Comics
Mild Spoiler Alert

Although Phoebe isn’t afraid of no ghost, she has a lot more to fear when being the odd girl out at school in the second series of the comic book continuation of who makes up the team. Two issues into Ghostbusters Dead Man’s Chest, readers like me get to determine what this key tale is about instead of seeing pirates take over Manhattan! As this continuation is more concerned about how well the Spengler family adjusts to having a father figure around, perhaps mom is worried about losing control. After all, this is New York!

To let them loose in a big city might seem dangerous, and as long as they don’t venture into certain neighbourhoods, they are safe. While the young girl has enough to deal with at school because everyone recognizes her, she’s at least able to make a friend–Sammy. Meanwhile, Trevor has trouble figuring out how to advance his relationship with Lucky. They are friends, but it’s easy to know he wants more!

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Gaming Gauntlet: GRETA Bar’s YVR Identity Crisis

GRETA Bar in Vancouver offers arcade games but feels more like a sports bar than a dedicated nerd hangout, raising questions about its target audience.

Greta Bar YVR Logo To find places to enjoy the latest arcade games has become increasingly tough with what home consoles and computers can do, but for that hangout experience, GRETA Bar delivers in that front. I would not have known about them unless they have an impressive marketing team to draw in the tourists. And when Fan Expo Vancouver helped bring awareness to this island nerd, I had to check it out! I returned recently to see how different it is when they are not hosting an event with this convention, and it has the feel of a sports bar more so than a true nerd’s hangout.

And when this franchise type operation includes Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto, I’m sure catering to a specific type of geek is easier than figuring out who to cater to in Vancouver’s Gastown. When this city’s version of Fan Expo thought this place is appropriate for an after-party of sorts, the success may well be mixed. I have yet to see this convention settle upon a dedicated operation to run an event. When a few previous businesses they have worked with closed their doors years later, I hope that’s not a sign.

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