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There’s Thunder in the air … and it’s in the House of Magic, a Blu-ray Review

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

A rumbling can be heard in Boston, Massachusetts where nearly every neighborhood has that spooky estate that nobody wants to visit. When a brave kitty needs to find hope, that abode may well be his only chance at achieving a new life after being abandoned. Aptly named Thunder and The House of Magic, this film shows how this cat finds the love he so deserves. Shout! Factory’s early Halloween treat will arrive on Oct 5th for fans of animation and the supernatural to enjoy.

And watching this film is like observing an episode of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Thunder (voiced by Murray Blue in the English dub) has all the spunk, charm and innocence of everyone’s favourite spirit. All he needs is to make some new friends. But when the world seems to be against him, all he can do is find a life away from the limelight.

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Tick, Tock; Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart, A DVD Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

jack-et-la-mecanique-du-coeur — Original Movie Poster

Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart (Jack et la mécanique du cœur) is finally getting a limited American theatrical presentation come September 24th, with a DVD and Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory quickly following. Fans of French CGI/animated cinema can finally see what’s next after such hits like A Monster In Paris (2011) and The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (2010).

With this tale, the emphasis is with a musical drama that’s stylized in the same vein as Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! It’s mythic quality comes from the surreal magic invoked by the fact that a life can be saved by inserting mechanical parts into a dying human body. But unless the survivor abides by certain rules, life cannot last forever. Endless love, for that matter, also is not without some caveats.

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Where to Find Golden Age Comics. Waxing the Nostalgia.

Thankfully, there are digital archivists actively looking to preserve Golden Age Comics and offer them to readers to read online.

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Golden Age Comics Spy Smasher To read some great comic books from the yesteryears, most aficionados will have to hit auctions and estate sales to find what they want. From the Platinum Age (1897 – 1938) to Golden Age Comics (1939-1950), these titles are nearly hard to find. The latter introduced the era of the superhero to more than just one generation of readers and to purchase these comics now is near impossible. Unless you are rich, forget it.

Depending on the title, some are worth a hefty price or require handing out at least an Andrew Jackson ($20 USD) to own.

Thankfully, there are digital archivists actively looking to preserve this bit of the past and offer them to readers to read online. Not everyone is out to make an investment with an Action Comics #1 so they can wind up having a million dollar nest egg to retire on sixty-five years later. There are people out there who simply want to read these decades-old comics and recall what they enjoyed back in the days when 10 cents could buy a hamburger. For newer generations, perhaps all they want is to look at how their favourite hero or narrative medium has evolved over time.

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Avatar: Legend of Korra Book 4 Coming in Oct!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Legend of Korra

Not everyone may have realized that Book 3: Changes was quietly broadcasted over the summer months and for those who have managed to see it, to wonder how this quadrilogy will end will not take long. Next month, Book 4: Balance will be streaming online starting October 3rd on Nick.com with new episodes releasing every following Friday.

Thankfully fans will not have to wait a full year to discover how Korra’s legacy will shape the post-modern world she’s living in. Book 3 dealt more about socio-political malcontent that series antagonist Zaheer has been spreading the seeds of dessent to, and Book 2 was about bringing the spirit world closer to the mortal realm. Anyone who has seen the finale saw that these two series have something in common.

If this newest season is going to stitch altogether elements from these previous story arcs, hopefully series creators Brian Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino did not rush this final season into release because of the leak that happened in early Summer.

Perhaps Nickelodeon is not wanting to discard this product for good. They would do well to help create original programming that appeals beyond their intended audience.

Source: IGN, Screencrush

Five Fall Animated Films to Look Forward To

JackCuckooClockHeart Presented in chronological order are five animated films to look forward to on the big screen in the coming months. For animation enthusiasts, there’s still plenty of variety to find and bring a smile to one’s face.

The Boxtrolls

Release Date: Sept 26th, 2014

Plot Synopsis: The 3D animated feature from Laika Studios tells the tale of the Boxtrolls, monsters who live underneath the charming streets of Cheesebridge, who crawl out of the sewers at night to steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend the townspeople have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are a community of lovable oddballs who are raising as one of their own an abandoned and orphaned human boy named Eggs. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by a villainous exterminator who is bent on eradicating them, Eggs must venture above ground to save them, where he teams with an adventurous young girl to save not only the Boxtrolls but the soul of Cheesebridge.

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Superman Coins Are Designed to Impress than to Speculate

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

If last year’s 75th anniversary celebration by the Royal Canadian Mint of Superman as an iconic hero where one of his creators hailed from Canada is not enough, then this year’s unveiling of four new coins proves that even up north, we still love him like he is our own son. After all, Krypton is gone, America is his adopted home, and the world is his oyster. Just what else can he do?

Apparently the folks at the Mint decided to continue his legacy! The new coins are using art to promote the years he was best recognized: 1938 (when he first appeared), 1972 (to honour Action Comics #419), 2001 (as an acknowledgement of The Adventures of Superman #596 issue, printed that year) and 2012 (in recognition of the new 52 universe). Depending on when a new reader discovered Superman, he or she may opt for a single coin to display on the mantle to show when that person’s age of discovery began. Several decades are missed, but so what? The comic book covers chosen are meant to highlight a part of Supe’s legacy.

And thankfully, the Mint is not making the same mistake that DC Comics blundered into in 1992 by the over-printing of a product, resulting in the decline of comic book speculating. There’s hardly any redeemable value to any of the the bagged editions of Superman #75.

Three of the new coins are minted in silver, with face values of $10, $15 and $20 and the fourth in gold with a face value of $100. The mint is only producing 10,000 of each silver coin, and the gold coin is limited to a run of 2,000 world-wide.

Just like last year, comic and coin collectors will have to seek out the Man of Steel fast before his memorabilia flies away! The love for collectible products may not continue for another year … or can it with a film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on the way?