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Defining The Blues Brothers New Mission

51SogEqVm8L._AC_UL320_SR318,320_ The blues is alive with an all-new animation featuring The Blues Brothers to celebrate the musical genre. This performing duo are true champions. They are more than just cheerleaders to this cause and they are on a mission from God to spread the joy. The new generation tuning in this show will be introduced to musical legends (they will be re-recording their tunes specifically for this show) and new emerging talent. Music will be the highlight, and appropriately enough, he will be the name of an all-new character to guide the brothers on a tour all around North America to show how the genre has evolved.

My hope is that this show will spotlight the various styles found within the genre. The Chicago sound is very different from the Delta rhythm. The Big Band sound this band uses in their ensemble team (Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck “ Dunn, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Steve Jordan are the backbone of this group) is worth noting. In the traditional sense, blues is about one musician singing about women, whisky and wine. Papa Lightfoot made this fact well known.

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Crowdfunding & Bringing Families Together in According to Camden

According to Camden According to a Camden is a short film seeking crowdfunding by a group of talented filmmakers who also see themselves as nerds. Some of whom are going into their third year (or are alumni) of the Motion Picture Arts Program at Capilano University in North Vancouver and this project is taking place in between terms as a project. For executive writer/director Maelina de Grasse, she’s bringing years of her talent (having been in live theater as one of the dancers in Kaleidoscope Theatre‘s Rocky Horror Show) to a story she says is an honest and earnest piece of her heart.

“It’s funny, I don’t think I realized just how close to it I was … until I got to the point that I was pitching it for Off the Grid [a film program from May-June which allows students to turn their ideas into reality], at Capilano University,” said de Grasse.

She had to break down what the film was about. The idea did not come until after the script was done, and it looked at the themes of loneliness and isolation that many people — not just nerds — feel. She specifically wanted to explore the constant trials of figuring who you are and who you want to be in this crazy and confusing world.

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How to Put Down a “Leviathan” in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Sometimes the worst idea is the best. As for why the Legends of Tomorrow team never thought of simply ripping Vandal Savage from the time-line at the start would have drastically changed the course of events for everyone, and although that would have created the grand-father of all paradoxes (i.e. how can his tyrannical rule begin in the first place) in “Leviathan.”

The episode titles not only set the tone for each show but also suggests how this season will climax to its series one finale. “Blood Ties,” “White Knights” and “Progeny” are significant such that this series will be a generational product. There’s a reason for the series writers to decide Savage took the time to have children. The idea was alluded to in the past titles. Cassandra is just as vicious as her father. She’s been led to believe Per Degaton is the reason the planet is as messed up as it is and it’s up to pops to clean up shop to unite the world. However, as this TV series has revealed since its initial broadcast: time wants a particular course of events to happen. It’s impossible to alter it completely.

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Trying to Turn The Huntsman: Winter’s War from Fairy Tale to Saga

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

When I first heard the Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is in a retelling of the Snow White tale because the story is now in the public domain, the first thought that came to my mind is if (the original movie and) the sequel The Huntsman: Winter’s War can be told from a grandiose Viking perspective? I see it trying to go that route, but the narrative is forcing the fairy tale aspects in a bitter direction.

I skipped the first film because I’m not a big fan of Kristen Stewart. This latest version caught my eye because of Jessica Chastain‘s work in Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015). I enjoyed what she brought to the table in those science-fiction films. In fantasy, that world is ridden with tropes where not every “once upon a time” is all that fascinating anymore. In the details I’ve noticed, the Anglo-Saxon imagery permeates and I had to wonder why the mirror, when viewed in closeup, is decorated with runes. Could Loki be involved?

When the new villain is Freya (Emily Blunt), I can not help but wonder if her character might be based on the divinity of the same name from Nordic lore. This goddess of war and death rules the afterlife and she leads the spirits of dead soldiers into battle. She leads the fights for the thrill of the hunt instead of the cold-hearted rule of the people (like Ravenna [played by Charlize Theron] did in the first film). She’s sometimes connected with the heavenly Valkyries of lore. They find the slain to take to Valhalla. Although this movie twists the legend around by spiriting children away (from murdered parents) to become the Huntsmen, the ideology suggests a darker world. These kids have their innocence stripped so they can become ideal soldiers. Instead of a goddess, she’s a mutant with the ability to create ice from the moisture in the air.

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Celebrating Dark Horse Comic’s Alien Anniversary Today With Two Releases!

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It’s hard to believe nearly 30 years have passed since Dark Horse Comics first published a comic that’s a sequel to James Cameron‘s Aliens. Not only is this company acknowledging this fact with a deluxe hardcover release (now out) of Mark Verheiden and Mark A. Nelson‘s original six-issue Aliens black and white story. Technically, the celebration is in honour of the second movie’s release in 1986; the comic came out in ’88.

When I have the original comics carefully stored away and the portfolio which accompanies it (I got it autographed by Nelson years ago), I want to be careful with handling those. This bookshelf edition makes for a great copy to pull out and read from time to time. Rereading this comic even now still brings shivers down my spine!

Also hitting shelves this week is an all-new tale to continue the terror. More prey and intense action define Aliens: Defiance.

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Delving into Chile’s Dark History in Colonia

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Please check local listings for its limited engagements in theaters in USA and Canada.

Emma Watson must love taking on challenging roles to show her growth as an actress. In the film, Colonia, she’s a flight attendant who gets caught up in a political upheaval which took place in Santiago, Chile. The democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by a coup d’état in 1973. The dictatorship was headed by General Augusto Pinochet. Equal parts history, romance, and thriller, just exactly what kind of film this is meant to be needs an introduction by German director and co-writer Florian Gallenberger. An inter-title with a quote from a Chilean poet would have set the tone better than witnessing two lovers crossing paths at the worst time possible in this country’s history.

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