Category: Fandom

AmPm is Changin’ Stranger Things to a Dance Tune with DJ Shigge!

‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)’ gets reimagined by Japan’s AmPm and DJ Shigge!

AMPM's Stranger Things Album CoverJapan’s masked production unit AmPm made their debut with 2017 hit single ‘Best Part of Us’, building an audience all around the world.

AmPm has a new single titled ‘Stranger Things,’ and it has nothing to do with the Netflix show of the same name. Instead, this seventh single is a dance track that reimagines ‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)’, the timeless 1990s hit by Crystal Waters, which has more recently found new audiences around the world via the sampling scene. Ever since this masked production unit made their debut with the 2017 ‘Best Part of Us,’ audiences world-wide have been captivated by their sound, and there’s good news!

This track will also be included in their still to be named upcoming album and the theme will be about global travel.  Links to where this song can be heard at Spotify and Apple Music. Full listings of where else it can be streamed at are listed here.

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LEGO Jurassic Park and Where to Find those Dinos

There’s new toy sets coming for this extension to the LEGO Jurassic Park brand.

LEGO Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Sets - All box artAlthough the LEGO Group revealed five new playsets as part of the 30th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park movie a while ago, what’s next in other media fronts remains unknown. Instead of reporting this news right away, I was hoping for additional news about the LEGO Jurassic Park license before saying anything, but alas nothing has been announced.

I’m a huge fan of the animated series which is a follow up of the original trilogy and every month or so, I binge watch the silliness that goes on. This particular licensed IP debuted in 2015 as a video game from TT Fusion, and I just chuckle at the thought of LEGO dinosaurs tearing brick buildings up during their rampage.

In the meantime, I’ll be eying the following playsets that will be available to purchase on June 1, 2023.

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When Shazam! Fury of the Gods Has Focus, What’s His Inspiration?

When we’re dealing with the classical antiquity as core concept for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the entire Greek pantheon better show up!

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie PosterAll the DC movies from this year exist in a strange place. Since they’re not part of the new universe, they aren’t necessarily considered ongoing canon. That’s because of Warner Bros/Discovery wanting to revamp everything. After Black Adam (my movie review and commentary can be read here) did not invest enough into the legends and lore, I had trepidation regarding Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

I love the idea of incorporating mythology from ancient cultures into any superhero movie treatment. When done right, some heroes are just modern day updates to classical figures. For example, Horus is the spiritual predecessor of Hawkman. For the titular hero in this franchise, he embodies the best traits from six Greek divinities–Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

But when a sisterhood from Greek myth decides it’s time to torment Billy Batson (Asher Angel and Zachary Levi), he’s in trouble. They are targeting his surrogate family to reacquire the power bequeathed to them by Shazam (and The Wizard). The death of the gods and to resurrect them is a big theme.

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How to Love Going Back to the Drive-in. It’s All About The Family.

That American entrepreneurship to own your own business and give back to your community is the spirit we see in Going Back to the Drive-in.

Director April Wright is Going Back to the Drive-In.Now streaming on Amazon Prime and other platforms

Some people may think of the drive-in theatre as antiquated, but it is not. They still exist far and wide, and as for why they are worth going to is because it helps foster local communities. And for one passionate filmmaker, April Wright, her lifelong examination of this culture is part of a series called Going Attractions. Her latest work, Going Back to the Drive-In, looks at not only this aspect but also what goes on to maintain these operations in today’s global climate.

I had the opportunity to speak to Wright, and we talked about history, its rise back into the public consciousness because of the pandemic, and its future. She said, “My very first documentary came out in 2013, and it was called Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie (available on Tubi). It explored the whole history of drive-ins.”

After making a few other works, she decided on producing Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace. It was about the indoor cinema experience the big old theatres built by the studios. Afterwards was Stuntwomen, The Untold Hollywood Story. Although she could have gone on to produce other movies about the studio system, a little voice said something else.

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Look Out Harry Potter! There’s a School of Magical Animals Ready to Take Over.

Although Spring Break will be over, the movie version of Margit Auer’s School of Magical Animals will be sure to entertain.

School of Magical Animals Movie PosterMargit Auer‘s School of Magical Animals may well be the newest franchise to admire when the live-action movie adaptation plays in movie theatres come March 24. Blue Fox Entertainment will no doubt face a challange while promoting this import because viewers will no doubt see this work as combining the best in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts into one.!

While it’s tough to rank where this magical fantasy and musical sits in the list of top works of young adult adventures, this IP has led the charts in Germany. It’s been translated to other languages for fans to enjoy world-wide. The books outnumber J.K. Rowling’s seven volume series (there’s 11 in all). And when producers Alexandra and Meike Kordes came across this pheneomon back in 2013, they knew it had to be turned into a movie.

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Where’s the Jam in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur?

Even after giving Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur multiple watches, I can’t find too much that’s shows the love for the classic material.

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur PosterWhen Disney Animation is bringing even more Marvel Comics properties under its fold, not every title will take. It doesn’t offer everything I adored from the Devil Dinosaur comic book. Although the producers behind Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur have all the right intentions to give new life to this property for a modern audience, I miss the energy Jack Kirby put into that work. That is, this young woman is no Tarzan Boy (and yes, Baltimora’s song comes to mind in this comparison).

This take doesn’t truly recount where the reptile comes from. Nor does it refer to Moon Boy, whom the dinosaur previously partnered with before entering a wormhole to meet Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White). She’s an aspiring inventor who needs to cut back on her Red Bull consumption. While her home life is reasonably stable, sometimes her parents just don’t understand what she wants to do. Throughout the series, she says she’s ready to work for Tony Stark rather than be stuck in school.

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