Category: Movie Reviews

I Love Paris… Just Not All 118 Minutes of Her

A vampire’s body count doubles as an influencer’s engagement metric in I Love Paris, a mockumentary with a clever hook that wears thin long before the credits.

I Love Paris movie poster
Playing at Toronto After Dark Film Festival
Fri, Oct 16th, 6:30 PM @ Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre (Cinema 1)

Having grown up on the classic vampire movies, and skipping the back half of Twilight for good reason, there’s something to be said for how this member of the undead keeps pace with changing times. But when a film tries to be Gen Z, or wants to reinvent the wheel and call itself I Love Paris, it had better not just be headquarters for Vampire: The Masquerade. Yes, I’ve played that role-playing game, and I even have a character I fondly named Amadeus.

After Dark Shadows, Interview with the Vampire, Dracula, Forever Knight, and the various Nosferatu remakes, I feel well-trained on the classics. But after this movie, I may well have to change expectations. So when this movie, written and directed by Nicky Murphy, showed up wearing its mockumentary conceit proudly, I figured I was in for something special.

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Streaming Spider-Man: Brand New Day Deserves Better Than CosmoGO’s Playback Issues

When deciding on which service is best to be streaming Spider-Man requires knowing who is offering what, and sticking to Amazon. ’nuff said

Spider-Man: Brand New Day UHD
Available to pre-order on Amazon USA

Spider-Man: Brand New Day may well be the second-best film next to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, and streaming it at home calls for recreating as much of the theatrical experience as possible. For me, that means a proper surround sound setup, the meanest UHD screen I can use (I have a Samsung U79 55″ 4K UHD Smart TV), and preferably a physical disc. Until that release arrives, there’s the digital edition. And what buyers receive varies by service.

For viewers interested in how this adventure came together, the bonus material is part of the attraction. But choosing where to buy the digital edition requires a closer look at what each streaming service includes. While it won’t replicate what I experienced in IMAX and UltraAVX, I hoped the video quality would be just as detailed. And that’s where my expectations fell short.

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Who’s Hiding Along The Shadow’s Edge (捕风追影) Really Depends On A Wider Release

Although not in wide-release, Jackie Chan’s The Shadow’s Edge shows a different side of this versitile actor, especially when we move away from the silly. It can be found as an EU release where it looks official rather than be a bootleg.

The Shadow's Edge
Coming soon to Amazon Prime (IJD) and 4K in select territories

There are a lot of conspiracies in play in Jackie Chan’s The Shadow’s Edge (捕风追影). This film received limited screenings during its debut last year, and like other movies from China recently, not everything is getting a proper North American release. It’s a shame, because out of the latest crop of films from this entertainer, this one has to be the most gangster of them all.

As Wong Tak-chong, a retired cyber-intelligence agent, Chan may be the only person able to locate Fu Lung-sang (Tony Leung Ka-fai), a godfather to a gang of thieves who commit a mix of heists and cybercrimes.

Joining Wong is the lovely rookie He Qiuguo (Zhang Zifeng), whose inexperience may well let this group get away. While Wong teaches her the ropes and poses as her father during an undercover operation, the pair figure out that a certain neighbour may well be this ruthless crime lord. I can see why Zhang is regarded as one of the New Four Dan actresses of the post-95s generation. She delivers doe-eyed naivety in droves, but when the moment comes to bring down Fu and earn her cred as an agent, even I cheered!

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When We Still Love Dead Media, Joseph Scrimshaw’s Work Is More Than Another Zombie Film.

Anyone who grew up on those movies of the 50s or 90s will find Joseph Scrimshaw’s film Dead Media honour more than many decades worth of forgotten films, and zombie mayhem in a compact format. And there’s a reason to preserve them all!

Dead Media Movie PosterRoadshow’s Final Stop at Whammy Analog Microcinema on Oct. 17 – Los Angeles, CA

Spoiler Alert

At first, I thought Dead Media might be a horror movie anthology, but instead, it’s a tale within a tale about Maggie Sloke (Sammi-Jack Martincak), who is stuck with the consequences of her poor life choices. One night, she’s with her mates, Daniel (Antonio Teodoro) and Brenda (Jessica Fenton), for a streaming marathon of horrible pulp movies at home, including Night of the Lurchers. This forgotten piece of late-1990s horror has special meaning to her, and when Uncle Heppy (Sam Landman) shows up with a proper DVD version to watch, things shift from a “They’re here” moment to the characters becoming part of the movie itself.

Or is that the other way around? After Maggie goes poking at the DVD’s menu and finds a hidden Easter egg, her excitement turns into an oh sh*t moment as the people and zombies from the film start appearing. And for budget reasons, no, they don’t emerge from the television. I’d have loved to see that, but alas, some effects would blow this film’s budget, and what happens instead becomes a mix of Last Action Hero and Scream!

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Never Be Alone, Especially Never After Dark, In This Eerie Thriller

The trick of saying, “I won’t do this, especially Never After Dark” can be a loaded response. In this film’s case, what’s presented hints at all those things lurking nearby rather than hiding in the shadows….

Never After DarkMagnolia Pictures
Please check local listings for screenings

As I kick off October with some more horror films to view at night, Dave Boyle’s latest film, Never After Dark, tries its best to show that this writer/director has an overwhelming interest in the supernatural side of Japan. Although he isn’t of Asian or Japanese ancestry, his movies offer his interpretation rather than follow what’s established. The main character is not an onmyoji. There is no Western equivalent to the diverse skills required to become such a person. In some ways, a person with the skills of a priest, diviner and seer can be labelled as such.

With his latest, once that light dims, secrets will come crawling out of nowhere. In this film’s case, it’s about Airi (Moeka Hoshi), a medium trying to keep those skeletons in her own closet locked up. She’s not a certified one and is self-professed after discovering she can see her dead sister in mirrors. And to have that access around while going out to solve other people’s problems can be helpful and dangerous. When she’s a magnet for the deceased, anyone can come calling. 

When she’s hired by the owner of a fancy, out-of-the-way hotel to clear out those ghosts, well…

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Legend of the White Dragon: Jason David Frank’s Last Farewell

A disgraced superhero hides from the city he failed while a rival schemes for the same power in Legend of the White Dragon. It’s a rough, re-edited passion project, but Jason David Frank’s sincerity makes it worth a look.

The Legend of the White DragonWell GO USA

The Legend of the White Dragon is one of those passion projects made a few years ago that was thought to be shelved, but is now finally available to view. It’s streaming now and will be released on home video in October. What began as an idea between Aaron Schoenke (from the YouTube web series Superpower Beat Down) and Jason David Frank (Power Rangers) evolved into a superhero-style narrative about a hero who screwed up big-time and is trying to save face. That’s hard to do when nearly everyone hates Virtuo City’s favorite superhero, hence the film’s title.

When this hero, Erik Reed (Frank), fails to avert a disaster and thousands of lives are lost, he’s hardly seen as virtuous. His secret identity is exposed, and not even his family is safe. Remember that old adage never to reveal your face, lest the bad guys target your loved ones? Well, that’s what this movie explores too. Although no one in the Reed family is safe, this outcast lives away from the public eye. It seems that unless he’s brought to justice, nobody is going to feel secure.

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