After Star Trek and Boston Legal, You Can Call Me Bill in this Enlightening Documentary

To figure out why William Shatner says You Can Call Me Bill is because he’s allowed to expound upon what he feels is important about life. It’s not just his legacy in this well meaning documentary.

William Shatner You Can Call Me Bill PosterNow Streaming on Apple Play, Google TV and VUDU

After finally being able to watch William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill multiple times, all I can tell is that this documentary presents a different side of this actor that few rarely see. It had a very limited theatrical run, but back then, I didn’t have my notepad in hand. Within the fandom community, some may say he has quite the ego and outside, others wonder why is he a big deal? Here, the best segments concern his youth, what his upbringing was like and what made him decide to be an entertainer.

Anyone who knows his resume will say Twilight Zone or Star Trek is what made him a star. Prior to those appearances, he was in a few Westerns. Although his most famous episode concerns a gremlin, to recognise “Nick of Time” is just as important. While parts of his television career are quickly referred to, namely T.C. Hooker and Boston Legal, I’m curious why TekWar wasn’t mentioned? Although it was ghost-written by Ron Goulart, the ideas were his.

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GoGoGo Speed Racer on Digital and VOD!

Fans of anime from the golden age will be happy Speed Racer is accessible from any and all platforms next month.

Speed Racer on VODAlthough FUNimation’s home video release of Speed Racer is long out of print, fans of classic anime can rejoice! Shout! Studios have it ready for an online release beginning June 1, 2024. It’ll be available on various digital platforms and also as video-on-demand.

Myself, I’m hoping that what Emile Hirsch has been teasing two months ago with wanting the live-action adaptation back on screens (or on 4k) might shed light soon. This movie by The Wachowskis have earned cult status, and even I’m begging for it.  Perhaps after this release, we’ll get more information since there’s a contingent of fans wanting to scratch that nostalgia itch in more ways than one.

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Stephen Sommers’s The Mummy at 25 Years!

If you haven’t gone to the theatrical celebration, that’s okay. We can still have cake to celebrate The Mummy’s Silver Anniversary!

The Mummy PosterToday marks The Mummy’s anniversary! This reboot of the Boris Karloff classic debuted on May 7, 1999, and while I could’ve gone to a theatrical celebration, sadly there wasn’t one screening in my city. The reason this film stands the test of time is that it’s simply fun! It captures the true essence of what pulp fiction should represent and gives us characters I want to root for. It’s not just another Brendan Fraser film. Instead, it’s a career launcher for the other two main leads, namely Rachel Weisz and Arnold Vosloo. The former loves appearing in indie films more than mainstream ones, and the latter continues to pop up in fondly loved projects, ranging from Veritas: The Quest (which I feel deserves a reboot) and even Condor’s Nest to show the type of roles that challenge him as a Hollywood actor.

However, I must note that Kevin J. O’Connor stole the show. As a cowardly and conniving Beni Gabor, without him, I doubt the search for The Mummy’s treasures would’ve been known, and although Evie was the reason for his awakening, both had important roles to play! Continue reading “Stephen Sommers’s The Mummy at 25 Years!”

TheNFB’s May Release Schedule Celebrates More Than Asian Heritage Month.

And we offer a recap on titles we reviewed some months ago, and include a look at what’s coming, our top picks and trailers of a few TheNFB works too (where available).

TheNFB National Film Board of Canada LOGOSpring is in the air, and there’s lots happening over at the National Film Board of Canada. Not only are they also celebrating Asian Heritage Month, but also recognising new talents in the medium of animation and storytelling. It’s great to see that there’s some Asian talent being recognised in this TheNFB’s Hothouse program.

Here’s a list of what’s here and coming soon:

Starting May 1
Asian Heritage Month AT THENFB

  • Following a multi-award-winning festival run, Toronto creators Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma’s animated short doc Boat People uses a striking metaphor to trace one Vietnamese family’s flight across the turbulent waters of history. Our review can be read here, and it’s a strong piece to bring awareness about those grandparents who gave up a lot to give their children, and their kids a brand new life. (disclaimer: some of the video attachments are geolocked to Canada)

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When The Fall Guy Fails to Respect Its Source Material

The Fall Guy feels more like a tribute to the pulps of yesteryears than be a modern update of the classic 80s series of the same name.

The Fall Guy Movie PosterMild Spoiler Alert

Let’s face it. Ryan Gosling is hot. He’s so smoking, where no matter what project he’s attached to, it’ll do nicely because there are groups who adore him. That’s why I believe he was cast to play Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy. As for why see it, I believe that’s because Emily Blunt steals the spotlight. There’s a fire that I haven’t seen for a long time; she’s like the spitfire Rachel Weisz in The Mummy!

In the past, La La Land cemented this actor’s status as leading man material. To see him and Emma Stone together recall why Hollywood is the place for making movie magic. He made me The Believer, and as for genre works, he’s fairly decent in Blade Runner 2099. But as far as Barbie is concerned, that’s a work I refuse to acknowledge as cinema. It’s a huge commercial to sell dolls. As for how it deals with feminism and challenging the masculine norm, I’ll leave that to others to debate.

As for his latest effort, it’ll certainly come to GQ’s attention to call him hunk of the year. Sadly, this movie is mindless entertainment, and I don’t think it even tries to honour the work stunt people do. Jackie Chan’s Ride On (review) does a better job. All this blockbuster does is to broaden both lead’s sex appeal. As for all the fancy stunts attempts, it’s all style, no substance.

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