Category: Editorial

[Editorial] Sounding off on the Nerdy Convention Scene in Victoria, BC

ConventionBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

I have attended many pop culture style conventions in the past 25 or so years. Some took place in my home town of Victoria, British Columbia but more off island. I am sad not many local shows have a footprint of lasting more than five years. Attempts have been made to centralize all aspects of geekdom, but to pull it off needs a proper committee of dedicated folks. I’m aware most of the businesses along Nerd Row (on Johnson Street and Broad) are in communication with one another, but this community was not in place till the early part of this century.

In terms of history, a major comic book type event (which was a one-off) took place at the Empress Hotel in the late 80’s which had a who’s who of talent (from New York even), which Big Brothers and Big Sisters organized — my introduction to the scene — but since then, everything else which followed never compared. Van Isle Con is a step in the right direction, and although a short commute is required to get there, I’m wondering what’s next? Are there individuals willing to make something happen within the capital city?

Continue reading “[Editorial] Sounding off on the Nerdy Convention Scene in Victoria, BC”

Impressions on Van Isle Con

Van Isle Con (held in Sidney, BC) successfully compressed down what felt like a weekend event to one day and left me wishing for more.

Van Isle ConBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Out of the many conventions I have attended over the years, some leave me wanting for more and others make me wish it could go on forever. With small events, the choices of what to do can leave me realizing I can take on most of the show in under a few hours and enjoy the sites from the city/town that’s hosting.  Van Isle Con successfully compressed down what felt like a weekend event to one day and left me wishing for more.

Well, that’s if you are not like certain buddies of mine who will remain nameless. One had a long work day the night before, and the other was here to work (sort of) but he does not understand these geek shows as well as I do. Although I did not get much sleep, as I’m a night owl by nature, I did not crash n’ burn or find myself mentally exhausted when I took a long bus ride to and fro to get to this show.

I did need time to write (and edit) to describe all that I have experienced:

Continue reading “Impressions on Van Isle Con”

Could the Gods and Monsters in The Mummy Want Their Humanity Back? An Analysis

mummyposterBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Whoever wanted to revitalize Universal Studio’s vast catalogue of monsters into a new Dark Universe needs a lesson in understanding what made their golden era great. In the 40’s, the studio executives simply wanted to combine terror and comedy to reinvigorate box office sales, especially in-between or following a World War. The scares are delightful in Dracula (1931) and the laughs were genuine in Abbott and Costello meets Frankenstein (1948). I feel these two are milestones of an impressive and unintended plan to unite properties.

The whole notion to have a host of these beasts meeting or allying was never considered during these early days. What happened back then was more like a happy accident. Also, the latter film was assembled due to this studio suddenly owning the contracts of these comedians after they merged with International Pictures and producer Robert Arthur suggested pairing the boys with Frankenstein’s monster.

Fast forward to now, the intention to craft a shared world to compete with other studios (namely Marvel Entertainment’s) than to find effective pairings of star power with a property is questionable. Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise are neither exactly huge draws in every world-wide market. When considering the types of roles that earned them their best reputation, Depp can play a terrific smarmy pirate and Cruise that action-hero super-spy.

Continue reading “Could the Gods and Monsters in The Mummy Want Their Humanity Back? An Analysis”

Why Does The Ancient Greek World Matter in Pirates of the Caribbean?

 

MV5BMTYyMTcxNzc5M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTg2ODE2MTI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
(* returning from a much needed break; spoiler alert)

By now, most people will have seen the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Man Tell No Tales. The references to mythical Greek figures (Calypso was the first) throughout the series are prominent because they are more familiar to audiences than other ancient culture’s attempt to sail the seas (discoveries in Egypt notwithstanding). Not every viewer may be aware the group of stars astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) was looking at to locate Poseidon’s Trident is Orion’s Belt. The middle star shows where South is and “the sword” that hangs below it does not always indicate where a lost island lays (as suggested in her book).

This constellation is one of three guides sailors used in the early days to navigate by. The other two are Ursa Major (the Great Bear) and Cassiopeia. Technically, there is a fourth, Crux, the Southern Cross for those sailing in the southern hemisphere.

Continue reading “Why Does The Ancient Greek World Matter in Pirates of the Caribbean?”

There’s No Need for a Hellboy Reboot

ConventionBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Studios desiring a higher profit margin is most likely behind the reason Hellboy is being rebooted. I can not and will not accept anyone other than Ron Perlman to play the title role. When news broke Monday night about this Columbia Pictures distributed film getting a second life, please pardon my french, “F*** No!” Since the business heads could not come eye-to-eye with Guillermo del Toro‘s pitch and the production costs involved (yes, he’s famously known to go over budget), don’t stab this director in the back by saying we’ll simply reboot it with Neil Marshall helming the second incarnation like this series can be changed around like Doctor Who.

Marshall has modest hits like Descent and Dog Soldiers to show he has the chops, but I do not think he has the comic book cred to pull off an R-rated version. Whether that means more blood or scarier content, that remains to be seen as no proper word is given if he will also be part of the script-writing team.

Continue reading “There’s No Need for a Hellboy Reboot”

Resurrecting Familiar Tropes in The Mummy (2017) Second Trailer

Convention

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

After looking at the second The Mummy trailer multiple times in the past few weeks since its release, I still can not shake the feeling I have seen this story before. I’m not as excited as the first trailer has led me to believe.

While I plan to see how this reboot helmed by director Alex Kurtzman and written by Jon Spaihts and Christopher McQuarrie pans out, I am setting the bar low because of what I have seen in past and present products about bringing dead Egyptians back to life. King Tut must be rolling in his grave; A film about his haunted tomb sounds like a better idea than where the creators are going with this film. At the same time, I’m left wondering if all the studio producers wanted is to take the best from what Stephen Sommers created from his trilogy and make simple creative changes to make this reboot seem original. After reading the fourth issue of Hammer Comic’s The Mummy, I’m finding I’m liking their story better. At least cults and hungry devourers from the afterlife are involved than a secret agenda which Dr Jekyll (played by Russell Crowe) no doubt harbours.

Much like Rick O’Connell, Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is a soldier fighting in a war, and after a building gets blown up, he stumbles across a tomb (actually, a prison) which he makes the mistake of disturbing. He may also have a past that connects him to the Mummy (Sofia Boutella). Jenny (Annabelle Wallis) is just as smart as Evie and has knowledge of Ancient Egypt’s lines of pharaonic successors. As revealed in the first trailer, birds come crashing upon the transport plane carrying the sarcophagus, and as for whether the corpse was awake to summon them, that’s a detail not revealed. Maybe someone has read from a book to awaken The Mummy and to cause the carrier to crash. Everyone should be dead, except for Morton, and Jenny provides all the back story that’s needed to get people interested in this film up to speed.

Continue reading “Resurrecting Familiar Tropes in The Mummy (2017) Second Trailer”