Pacific Rim Final Breach Volume One. Is This The End?

Pacific Rim Final Breach Volume OneLegendary Comics

Guillermo del Toro’s tale of robots versus aliens looks to be more than a wrap with Pacific Rim Final Breach set to bring an end to the franchise. When the 2013 film was a heartfelt tribute to kaiju cinema, its sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, proved far more divisive. This world deserves a proper finale, and readers don’t have to wrestle too hard with continuity either. Tales From Year Zero (Amazon link) expanded on the early days of the invasion, while books like Aftermath, Adrift, and Amara explored smaller corners of the universe. The newest release aims to close the door on the Kaiju war once and for all.

This three-volume finale could very well become the franchise’s true ending, and one of the strongest elements is finally seeing the heroes from both films brought together. Although two more volumes remain before that meeting fully unfolds, the first entry lays important groundwork. Rather than spoil the major reveals, it’s more interesting to focus on the setup and presentation.

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Who’s the Boss? Can Lee Cronin’s The Mummy or Universal’s Sand the Test of Time?

When Lee Cronin’s The Mummy leaves theatres as fast at arrived, what’s presented is better off set to unwind as a pulp piece to put in the VCR.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy Movie PosterLee Cronin‘s The Mummy sits in an unusual place. It isn’t wholly inspired by the mythology of Ancient Egypt, and that’s a problem. When the spirit that possesses Katie (Natalie Grace) does not hail from this world, this filmmaker misses what makes the very word meaningful. The word alone carries weight, and most people will connect it to legends of yore, ancient curses, and maybe hope Anubis makes a cameo to fix what’s wrong.

What this writer/director offers feels more in tune with Evil Dead Rise than a true reinvention of the genre. For fans of the Universal and Hammer cycles, these films usually centre on the resurrected’s longing for a reincarnated soul. This storyteller pivots entirely away from that romance because Blumhouse gives him complete creative freedom. Instead, the result is a mashup that blends The Exorcist with Evil Dead, with a dash of Hausu for good measure. When the action takes place in an enclosed space and gets almost comedically gross, that Japanese film came to mind.

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Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection Shows What Happens on a Saturday Night…

A look at Film Masters’ Monster Mayhem Collection, from its restored B-movie horrors to the lingering charm of drive-in-era oddities, missing extras, and what may be coming next.

Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection

Available to order on Amazon USA

Film Masters

No B-Movie horror fan should ever rush through collections of forgotten movies of yore like they are peanut butter sandwiches. Although Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection has been out for a month, to enjoy these restored works requires dedicating a Saturday night at the drive-in. Back then, during the 50s, that was when these movies were released, and whether couples were necking or actually watching what’s projected, I’d need a time machine to find out. The slang used is appropriate for the era as groovy, man, and I think that’s why this set appeals to me.

In this set, the works offered are Monster from Green Hell, The Brain from Planet Arous, Frankenstein’s Daughter, and Giant from the Unknown. This collective has chosen these works as the “first volume” of movies originally released by the Film Detective, and if the distributor labels seem confusing enough, you’re not alone!

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Is Visiting Glitch Victoria Worth It? When Videogames Doesn’t Smell Like Geek Spirit.

Glitch Victoria is set to open on Yates Street, and while the neon looks inviting, the setup tells a familiar story. This mix of two types of operations isn’t necessarily promising a nerd sanctuary. Instead, it’s really a sports bar with arcade controllers.

Glitch VictoriaGlitch Victoria is about to open up shop. Sadly, it will not be what I think it is, an arcade parlour for the video game enthusiast. These days, these operations are few and far between. When you visit places like Akihabara, Japan or Seoul, South Korea, the palaces there span floors, offering the latest games to cater to the video-game enthusiast. That’s because they are major metropolises where such an operation can persist.

In North America, the best city to visit is sweet home Chicago. Industry giants like Midway, Williams, and Bally were headquartered there before they folded. Next on the list is allegedly Portland, Oregon because of the wealth of bars with an arcade there, and that is the model this garden city operation is using. Their marketing already tells you who they’re after. And for those gamer types working in offices, waiting for 5pm to hit, they got the choice of heading here or going home to their PS5 or decked out PC to play online games.

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Lon Chaney’s A Blind Bargain is No Longer Lost. Instead This Movie is Remade!

Crispin Glover delivers the goods in A Blind Bargain, a resurrected piece of lost cinema where Lon Chaney was the star.

A Blind Bargain - POSTEROpening May 8th at select theatres.
More screenings TBA. Please see below for locations:

Fans of Lon Chaney will most likely know about A Blind Bargain. It’s a film where the actor played two roles. Not only did he become a mad scientist chasing the fountain of youth, but he also played a hairy man ape! Sadly, no surviving print exists, and film historians must rely on stills and past reviews.

Based on those materials, many critics hail it as brilliant. Not every piece of horror cinema featuring the Man of a Thousand Faces can be deemed truly haunting, and when this work concerns mutating the human genome, anything can happen. Chaney played a “good doctor” whose experiments promised hope but delivered torture. That premise isn’t quite the same in the modern remake written by John Falotico and Bing Bailey and directed by Paul Bunnell, but the DNA is still there.

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May the 4th vs The Mandalorian: The Ultimate Loyalty Test. Who Are You Supporting?

May the 4th is nearly here, and while deals are light, Star Wars merchandise is in full swing. For those with a 3D printer, these five free model picks offer a more creative way to celebrate.

May the 4th LOGOMay the 4th is coming up fast, and for Star Wars fans looking for deals, my past articles say it all. In a nutshell: there are not a lot of deep discounts, and it’s more about random merchandise pushes. This year, it’s all about The Mandalorian and Grogu. The theatrical continuation of the Disney Plus series later this month will pick up from where things left off.

Set in the messy aftermath of the Galactic Empire’s collapse, The Mandalorian follows Din Djarin, a bounty hunter of few words and even fewer smiles. He becomes the unlikely guardian of Grogu, a tiny, big-eared, Force-sensitive little guy from the same species as Yoda. What starts as a straightforward job becomes a look at the cosmic underground, as Outer Rim politics get explored. There are bounty hunters galore, Imperials doing their own thing, and minor civil wars the pair must navigate. The concept is essentially Lone Wolf and Cub, and it’s a beautiful frontier look at a galaxy far, far away.

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