Movie Reviews Archives | Page 42 Of 241

Anyone Not Watching Angela’s Shadow at the Vancouver Film Festival Are Missing Out!

Angela’s Shadow is a mixed-genre piece that’ll satisfy not only people wondering what went on in Canada’s Colonial past, but also horror film enthusiasts.

Angela's Shadow Movie Poster — **Playing at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival**

Remaining Screenings:
Oct 05 International Village 8

By saying Angela’s Shadow is the perfect ghost story, I hope the expectations generated are not too much. That’s because this tale looking at aboriginal life effectively portrays spirits as only vengeful when they must. Although that was not Jules Koostachin’s intent when she wrote the screenplay with Steve Neufeld, the way her direction brought out the supernatural is just beautifully executed. These entities are not inherently evil but matter-of-fact entities who sometimes want to be noticed. But what this story is concerned about is the living, and how this character (Sera-Lys McArthur) wants to return to her roots. She was stolen by white men who believed indoctrinating indigenous youths to their society was important.

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Hollywood Suite’s Shocktober isn’t Just Zombie Town. Top 10 Picks, Returning Series and more!

While we won’t argue which holiday is better, Halloween or Christmas, the face Hollywood Suite doesn’t want to miss a beat with a month long celebration of films can be boiled down to our distallation of a top ten, along with news on what’s debuting or finally here to watch at home.

In Canada, Hollywood Suite is back to deliver fan favourites of classic and modern age horror movies for the Halloween enthusiast. Their 2024 Shocktober line-up is here to play on air and on demand, and I’ve started with the broadcast premiere of R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town.

Despite what the major critics say, I rather enjoyed this family friendly work about a young teen who has a dislike for the season, but will have to change his mind when his hometown gets ravaged by your not so typical zombie. What happens is a variation on a moment from Last Action Hero! You can read a full review of my first impressions here, and after subsequent viewings, I feel it has the potential to be a cult classic. To have Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase make cameos is a plus!

Also, the second season of the Hollywood Suite original series Cinema A to Z is ready to air with its premiere episode Serial Killers on October 10. In this episode, film experts uncover audiences’ fascination with the macabre through 26 portrayals of murderers on film from American Psycho to Zodiac. Although I’m not a huge fan of the slasher genre, I respect it because that’s where the movie Halloween emerged from.

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Everything Bubblegum is Back with The Complete Archive and Bubblegum Crash! Remastered through MediaOCD

Fans hoping to collect everything Bubblegum Crisis related don’t need to Bubblegum Crash with this update on upcoming releases this year and next.

Bubblegum Crash Cover Art One great thing that’s been consistent ever since MediaOCD brought AnimEigo into its fold is that fans who missed crowdfunding fond this smaller company’s anime classics is that they’re bringing them back for the masses! This time, Bubblegum Crash is getting a revamped and remastered upgrade that’s sure to say that interest in this series is not being forgotten. This release is set for January 21, 2025.

The timing is terrific because in Oct will be Bubblegum Crisis: Complete Archive Art Book (Amazon link). This collection compiled by Jason Hofius features concept art, model sheets, key visuals, poster art, special magazine artwork and a lot more!

There’s lots to love about this series created by Toshimichi Suzuki, and while news of whether there will ever be a live-action version, that will still take time to gestate. The cinematic movie magic technology is here to make it good, but ultimately it’s up to the creators and Artmic to say yes to moving forward. I suspect the reason everything has stalled is due to not finding a major studio to help produce.

Opening The Veil for it’s Streaming Debut

Thankfully, the wait for The Veil to cross into streaming isn’t long, and it’s release is appropriate for the coming Halloween season.

Release Date: Oct 4, 2024

Next month, Cameron Beyl‘s The Veil can be ill met by moonlight, and for those fans eager to see this film, they too can witness the wonder and experience the chills at home! This movie was released in 2023, and was making its rounds with limited theatrical screenings this year. My review of this movie can be read here, and the good news regarding the streaming release is that it will be available on all platforms.

In what I wrote before:

Not only is the cinematography gorgeous to behold but also the meaning behind this simply titled film is very telling. Here, what’s presented concerns what happens during a solar storm. In what a young Douglas (Sean O’Bryan), a then priest in training, witnesses while driving down a lonely road one night is a wonderful aurora borealis. Little does he know that its effect will cause him to have nightmares much later in life. That’s because during this green tempest, he nearly runs into an Amish girl (Rebekah Kennedy) fleeing for her life.

The Veil Trailer:

Dick Tracy. All Noir All The Time in Mad Cave Studio’s Commitment to Release More Pulps!

Fans of the pulps might want to consider looking at Dick Tracy’s new adventures in this new comic book series being distributed by Mad Cave Studios.

Dick Tracy #5 Comic Book Cover Some comic book series are better reviewed as fully stories rather than by individual chapters, and Mad Cave Studio‘s Dick Tracy flows better when I can see the tale in full. As a monthly series to provide an experience similar to the pulps, I don’t think I’d have the patience to wait for the next chapter/broadcast. I held off on publishing this review until that first adventure comes to an end, and what’s presented here feels more hard boiled than I can recall from other takes.

After enjoying this release, I also wanting to watch Warren Betty’s take on this detectvie and swoon over Madonna again. This hero made his debut in the early 30s, and I’m reasonably sure writers since then have rewritten or retconned his early life. In this latest, he’s a war veteran turned police detective. And it seems some of his past has arrived to haunt him. While his bosses say the war is over, the trauma he’s faced and everything that defines him now is worse than a ghost knocking at his door!

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When Houston Had The Blues, Nobody Can Bring Me Down!

The who’s who of everyone who was influenced by the Houton music scene can be found in this excellent documentary by Alan Swyer.

Coming to Digital on Sept 24

Every city that’s been considered the birthplace of the Blues has a distinct sound, and When Houston Had The Blues, what’s unique to this locale is the sax. As for why that is so, everything a student of this genre would want to know is excellently answered here. This documentary curated by Alan Swyer, who also serves as director, dives deep into looking at the legends who shaped the sound.

Not only does Lightning Sam (Hopkins) get the spotlight, but also we see why a lot of prominent female artists rose to fame here. Back in the early part of the 20th century, not everyone got treated fairly–the music was often restricted to juke joints, and it wasn’t until Elvis that helped introduce the music from African-Americans and later transform it to something known as rock and roll.

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