Category: Movie Reviews

The Legend of How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury, a Review & Look into the Saga

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Fans of the How to Train Your Dragon book or animated series will no doubt know that two worlds are always going to be at odds with each other. The trust between humans and dragons is difficult, and when these two cultures clash, to find methods to preserve the peace is difficult. This principal message is one that both creator/author Cressida Cowell and writer/director Dean DeBlois have expertly crafted into the this narrative, and that is what makes this Viking saga so enduring. To see how the conflict finally comes to an end in the final book is aptly named How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury.

This novel was released in the UK on Sept 8th. In North America, it will be released in Canada on Oct 20th and in the USA on Nov 3rd. Readers will finally see the finale that’s been built up two books ago. The last three books comprise The Dragon Rebellion story-arc and the rising action only gets better in this last release. Here, the hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third finally confronts the dragon Furious, who is upset at all the inhumanity done to him and his species.

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Explaining Sicario to Nerds & Its Anime Connection, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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There’s a nerdy connection in the movie Sicario that fans of Marvel Entertainment will like. They will get to see just how wonderfully talented Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro are. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they play Thanos and The Collector. In the movie made universe of the Sicario, where the cartel wars in Mexico are explored, they are special agents Matt Graver and Alejandro attempting to control the situation. But just how well will they succeed? Both of whom have secret motives that’s subtly explored, and these actors are not alone in this tiny club. Jon Bernthal plays The Punisher in Netflix’s Daredevil.

When Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) gets thrust into this world after a drug bust. just what she is after is uncertain. She’s the real lead in this film, and the world she’s exposed to is mostly that of subterfuge and double-dealings. In what she discovers is more than just a cat and mouse game of who will gain control. In this game that’s also like a chess match, it’s hard to tell if she’s simply just a pawn. She wants to be a champion for a cause, but there are learning pains before she realizes what’s going on.
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Wind up Geek’s Must See Movies – Oct, 2015

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

HyenaRoadWelcome to Wind up Geek’s predicted best of for October, 2015. You may notice my selection of films is a bit lop sided for this month. After sorting through trailers from many countries Japan appears to come out on top. It doesn’t mean that other films can’t compete it just means Japan has some very cool films for the month of October. And if you live in one of the major Japanese cities, I urge you to check them out. If you don’t live anywhere in or near Japan, you’ll just have to purchase the films when they are comercially available (as I do).

I’ve added a new section called trailer trash which will showcase films that may not be bad but the trailers certainly are of questionable viewing. It doesn’t matter if the film is a low budget indie or a highly budgeted Hollywood film, if the trailer is garbage, you may see it here.

Next month my list will expand and I hope what I have planned will please you.

A Christmas Horror Story


 
(October 2nd / USA)

Directors: Grant Harvey, Steve Hoban, Brett Sullivan / Writer(s): Jason Filatrault, James Kee, Sarah Larsen, Doug Taylor, Pascal Trottier

Cast: George Buza, William Shatner, Oluniké Adeliyi, Jeff Clarke, Adrian Holmes, Percy Hynes White, Jessica Clement, Ken Hall, Debra McCabe

In the English tradition, Canada brings you a Christmas horror story to get you ready for the holidays. There’s plenty of merriment and cheer, but why does Christmas arrive early for this Canadian film? I wonder if Star Wars Episode 7 has anything to do with the release date shuffle. Although that will be the ultimate Christmas gift this year, A Christmas Horror Story still has its merits. If there is one thing Canada can claim, is that we have produced a fair number of memorable scary tales for both adults (Black Christmas) and children (Are You Afraid of the Dark?). In this one, you better be prepared for some scary fun that involves evil children, infected elves and the anti-claus the Krampus. George Buza (A Little Bit Zombie) plays the role of Santa while William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) takes on the role of Bailey Down’s radio host, DJ Dan. With the movie divided into different short stories, hopefully the producers of this film were wise enough to have Shatner introduce each tragic tale (ala Tales from The Crypt) in ways that only a larger than life personality such as Shatner can.

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Flying High with The Martian, A Review

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By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Just when you think it’s safe to venture back into space after Chris Nolan’s Interstellar, think again. For actor Matt Damon, what was hinted at in one film says too much in what could happen in his next film, The Martian. Maybe the cosmos believes he’s simply a whipping boy. While his range of films have varied in quality over the years, thankfully he continues trudging on. While under the direction of Ridley Scott, he’s very likeable as Mark Watney, a castaway seemingly left for dead on the planet Mars.

The crew hurriedly left the planet because of a massive dust storm, and people at headquarters are at odds over what to do when everyone realizes Watney is still alive. I wondered how this film would work since it can not mirror the Tom Hanks film where he got lost at sea. Much of that did not have him talking to himself. Scott’s script and the book this movie is based on had Watney chronicling his life, so the people from the next mission can learn from his attempts to terraform the planet. He has to in order to survive, because he’s banking on hope that NASA will discover that he’s still alive.

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Achieving Deathgasm, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Metalheads will certainly love the pointed stab at which bands truly belong to this musical subgenre in the movie Deathgasm. This film is now out on Video on Demand (VOD) in select markets, and it’s worth checking out for the absurdities that goes on. I had to laugh when Poison‘s Look What the Cat Dragged In is hurriedly put back in the record stacks in favour of one of Autopsy‘s albums when this film’s hero Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) meets Zakk (James Blake) for the first time.

From bashing glam metal to loving death metal, that’s a detail few will pick up on and I have to praise that kind of attention to detail by writer/director Jason Lei Howden in a movie that’s truly dedicated to the music. From its Frank Frazetta-style cut scenes of the heroes posing powerfully atop a mountain to the anime-inspired gore-fest that goes on, this movie is a gem coming out of Kiwi-land that also unleashed the vampire mockumentary What We Do In Shadows last year. I suppose more tentacles could be used, but I’m glad this film did not go down that vein.

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It’s Not Easy to Stay In Hotel Transylvania 2, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Adam Sandler does a better job at being a second banana than a helmer in Hotel Transylvania 2. He does share some co-writing credit with Robert Smigel and is an executive producer, and thankfully it ends there. Fans of this franchise can be thankful he’s not exercising huge control over this movie like the vampire he’s playing. In a story that is basically about learning how to compromise, the other talents are the ones who get to shine on like a pretty diamond.

When Genndy Tartakovsky is directing this film, maybe he exerted more control towards maintaining a consistent vision where Dracula is not in every frame. This movie is far more enjoyable than the first. When Sandler is providing a voice, he has a lot to concentrate on to maintain consistency in his performance instead of influencing what’s being rendered on-screen. In this CGI film, it’s easy to snap out of a master vampire’s mesmerizing gaze.

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