South Korea’s Project Silence Needs to Listen Up!

When in South Korea, perhaps it’s best not to cross The Incheon Grand Bridge after watching Project Silence. One may never know what mad science is happening nearby!

Talchul- Project Silence PosterCapelight Pictures

Sometimes, the best kept secret can’t stay quiet for long, and in what Tae-gon Kim‘s Project Silence does is go bark raving mad to deliver a disaster type film that can be blamed because of some crazy mad science done onto canines. They are this film’s villain and are effective killers if you can believe the CGI to get them to perform the needed actions to scare the humans they are stalking.

Not only is Cha Jeong-won, portrayed by Lee Sun-kyun, affected, but so must his daughter survive. They are trapped along with others on The Incheon Grand Bridge, but also; they have to face these dogs guarding both sides! I won’t ruin the reason this structure is “falling apart,” but it makes for an amusing scenario of where can you go? Unlike a video game where you can shoot all those zombies down, this pair and others have no weapons! Continue reading “South Korea’s Project Silence Needs to Listen Up!”

The Road Trip Movie About Never Surrendering! Gracie and Pedro: Mission Impossible, A Movie Review.

What do you get when you pair a dog and cat who seem to never get along? Well, Gracie and Pedro better team up if they are to cross the road, and find their way home to their loving human family!

Gracie and Pedro Movie PosterIn an adventure that almost mirrors The Secret Life of Pets, Gracie and Pedro: Mission Impossible are a different type of beast. That’s because of the subtitles, and it does imply a super spy adventure! Sadly, it’s not and that’s okay. The idea here is to show just how difficult the task is for pets to find their way back to their owners! Here, Gracie (Claire Alan) and Pedro (Cory Doran) aren’t exactly the best of friends, and they have to be the best of friends in order to locate where home on the range is.

After this domesticated canine and a streetwise feline manage to get lost in transit on the flight to their new forever home, things go from where am I, and how can we find Salt Lake City? The cat fears the worst, because she’s a rescue kitty with memories of how she got abandoned. I can’t blame her for fearing the worst.

Thankfully, Sophie (Bianca Alongi) has a plan after the airlines lost her pets. Her can-do attitude is infectious. She created a viral video asking people to help find where her pets have gone. And because they lost their collars, finding them will be tough! As for why they aren’t chipped, well, that’s a question only the writing team behind this film can answer!

Continue reading “The Road Trip Movie About Never Surrendering! Gracie and Pedro: Mission Impossible, A Movie Review.”

[Fantasia 2024] In Sunburnt Unicorn, What is Alls Well Doesn’t Bode Well for Those Scared of the Future

The big question some people may have is with where in the world does the adventure in Sunburnt Unicorn takes place. It can be the Osoyoos here in British Columbia, or somewhere in Arizona–or could it be further?

Sunburnt Unicorn Movie Poster
North American premiere at Fantasia Film Festival 2024

Spoiler Alert

Frankie’s got a horn in Sunburnt Unicorn, and he doesn’t know how to use it. That’s because it may well be a car part embedded on his forehead after an accident has stranded him and his dad in a desert. As. for whether the fever dream that comes from being in the dry world for too long is real or not, I’m enjoying the concept! Here, the fauna identifies him as a saviour. Amusingly enough, I can imagine voice actress Diana Kaarina actually wearing a facsimile during recording.

This boy has issues. He’s not thrilled with the fact he’s going to a new school. Based on what I got from the argument they had preceding the crash, this lad was voicing his dissatisfaction. And with both their eyes off the road, just what he’s dealing with is a rather surreal parable concerning why it’s best not to behave; each talking critter he meets represents an aspect of himself, and what he learns to change his and their attitude makes for an interesting film.

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Don’t Be Lost in the Shuffle! Theatrical Screening Information and VOD Date Announcement.

Good news magic fans! No, we’re not talking about the card game. Instead Lost in the Shuffle is about the deck stage magician use to wow audiences, and we got dates for when it’s back on the big and small screen.

Lost in the ShuffleInstead of “go fishing” around for where to watch the documentary Lost in the Shuffle after its Hot Docs premiere, there’s good news! This work is getting a few special nation-wide screenings this month (please see below for dates) with director Jon Ornoy and two-time world champion magician Shawn Farquhar in attendance! And on September 10th, it’ll be online to view on VOD.

This documentary wonderfully looks at how the 52 card deck of playing cards came about; from having its story literally impressed upon every card made since its invention, there’s a lot more mystique that gets revealed. You can read my review here, and if you get a chance, I highly recommend supporting your local independent cinema house! And I suspect this maestro of the legerdemain will offer up something new to entertain those in attendance.

Continue reading “Don’t Be Lost in the Shuffle! Theatrical Screening Information and VOD Date Announcement.”

[Fantasia 2024] When A Samurai in Time Isn’t Like Enemy Mine. It’s About Absolutes.

What’s unique to this dramatic comedy is that we’re left wondering what caused A Samurai in Time to travel to the future and decide to remain?

A Samurai in Time Movie Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2024 on July 28, 2024

Even if you know nothing about Jidaigeki, a genre of Japanese action films set during the Meiji period, A Samurai in Time will make you a fan! It’s twice as good as Rurouni Kenshin and as a modern day drama about what’s worth fighting for, that’s up to Shinzaemon Kosaka (Makiya Yamaguchi) to decide. After his warrior class got disbanded, he’s a soldier without a cause. After a lightning storm interrupted a duel he was going to have with Yamagata Hikokuro of the Choshu Clan (aka Kazami Kyoichiro), just where he lands is modern day Kyoto.

All those conflicts between the factions from his days are now the stuff of entertainment. And sometimes, we delve into the historical significance of who is in the right for the unification, but what matters more is what this warrior class does if any individual loses that stewardship. This theme gets a soft exposition as Kosaka finds a new career as a Yamaguchi, a type of stuntman who performs an absurd pose as he dies.

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2024] When A Samurai in Time Isn’t Like Enemy Mine. It’s About Absolutes.”

[Fantasia 2024] With The Umbrella Fairy, Can Anyone Truly Keep The Faith?

There’s lots to take in with the international release of The Umbrella Fairy. One view is not enough to take in everything that happens here. From kawaii to romance to sisterhood, everything has weight.

The Umbrella Fairy Movie Poster
International Premiere at Fantasia Film Festival 2024

The belief that every object has a spirit is quite common in many Indigenous and Asiatic cultures, and to see them parley in The Umbrella Fairy (伞少女), this English transliteration of the literal Umbrella Girl is much more poetic and attention grabbing. Even though I think of them as pixies more so than as children of Xiwangmu, that’s because I have a love for all things faerie in the Celtic sense of the word.

It’s possible that this idea is alluded to, though I would want to read the original source material to find out. Although this film begins with a humorous set piece about how cute these entities are, there’s also a more heartfelt existential piece to explain why some of them are what they are, especially if they’re attached to an instrument of war.

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2024] With The Umbrella Fairy, Can Anyone Truly Keep The Faith?”