2014 Archives | Otaku No Culture

[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] Shadows are Abound in Vasilisa, A Review

Props have to go to a very stylized theatrical presentation of Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian fairy tale that can easily fit right in a Disney Universe.

Vasilisa the Beautiful Presented by
Ouroboros Shadow Pictures

Props have to go to a very stylized theatrical presentation of Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian fairy tale that can easily fit right in a Disney Universe. However, this presentation is very dark and it has the feel of belonging in Fantasia more than as a light-hearted animated stand-alone product.

In this stage-version, shadow puppetry, sombre music and dance is used to tell the tale of a young girl tasked by a wicked step-mother to bring back fire from the witch, Baba Yaga. In her spiritual journey through the woods, she learns about courage as she faces the terror borne from the elements. Baba Yaga is the Russian version of the Wild Man of the Woods from Celtic tradition. The only reason to seek this type of “creature” out is to find wisdom.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] ] The Search for Paleoncology, A Review

Paleoncology

Presented by Moon Dinosaur Theatre
Directed by Andrew Young

You wouldn’t think that a play about a woman in a dinosaur onesie could make you cry, but give Paleoncology one hour and you may shed a tear too. Written and performed by UVic alumni Kira Hall, she plays Lea, a young woman dealing with the knowledge that her brother Daniel has untreatable cancer by turning to her childhood love of dinosaurs. Lea’s struggle to deal with something emotionally devastating has affected her on all levels, including her job. Her move back to her parents’ home isn’t met with warmth. They expect more out of life from their daughter — even more so now that their eldest child is terminally ill.

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[Victoria, BC] How to do the Nerdy Fringe 2014 Edition

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

DV 2007-08 Program Every year, there’s a uniqueness to be found at the Victoria Fringe Festival that will bring out the pop culture enthusiasts when it starts today and runs till August 31st. These theatre productions cater to a smaller crowd than a large one in the scale of Broadway, and they usually cater to niche audiences.

Last year had shows like “An Improvised Quentin Tarantino,” “Geek Life” and “Bing Bang Query: A Dirk Darrow Investigation” to draw me out. Some I’ve reviewed and others I just wanted to sit back and enjoy.

To go further back in time of what I’ve seen: P.I. Darrow proves that he’s “NCSSI (Not [A] Completely Serious Supernatural Investigator).” Although Fringe theatre does not usually support returning acts, it’s really the luck of the random lottery that sees some performers get to play three or four years in a row before fortune favours someone else. I miss seeing the maestro Colin Godbout on the roster since he did some fantastic guitar playing which includes “Music on the Orient Express” (2011). I first discovered him playing all the tunes associated with “Route 66” back in 2010. Those two years were great since it offered the Steampunk inspired “Tara Firm and the Lunar War Chronicles,” rock n’ roll themed “Z-Day: The Anthem for the Post-Zombie Apocalypse,” and the darkly choreographed “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” It was those shows which made me become a Fringe addict.

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The Fan Expo Vancouver Journals & Movie News Tidbits

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The organizers of Fan Expo Vancouver have done one right thing for their third show and that’s to expand the hallway space to allow attendees to flow quickly from exhibit hall to panel room. As for back and forth, I have no complaints for the exercise everyone is getting since the path is like navigating the many one-way streets back in Seattle. It will no doubt get some people fuming, but I guess part of the reason is due to Fire Marshal regulations.

But on day one, this discovery does not mask one huge annoyance: the lack of knowledgable volunteers who can direct fans to where they should be standing in line to gain entry. I already made the leap in judgement when I studied the map, but as for whether it was known by anyone else, maybe I was far too nerdy than any of the volunteers. Only the senior staff could direct me and I followed their directions.

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ECCC Announces Jim Lee as Guest!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

ecccLogo Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon have announced their guest of DC co-publisher, award winning illustrator, writer, editor and publisher Jim Lee.

Jim Lee’s creative work spans many titles including Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men, Wildstorm Productions’ WildC.A.T.s, DC’s Justice League and All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Emerald City Comicon will be hosted at the Washington State Convention Center, March 28-30, 2014.

Mr. Lee will be doing a signing Friday only in the ECCC Signing Area on from 2:00PM – 4:00PM. This signing will be ticketed, with tickets available at the DC Entertainment booth (#1802)

Limit 2 items per person.

To purchase tickets to the Emerald City Comicon, visit their official website.

[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Behind the Scenes: Cyber Seniors. An Interview with Director Saffron Cassaday

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The documentary Cyber-Seniors is getting special sneak previews at film festivals around the world, and at the Victoria Film Festival, it screened February 11th. An added show will also happen on the 15th. On May 2, it will be making its theatrical premiere.

Saffron Cassiday

For the young actress turned director, Saffron Cassaday, this film marks her debut. Many stories are intertwined here: from explaining the origins of what the film title is about — an education program that started in Toronto for showing seniors how to use a computer to effectively communicate — to what these people can do with it, there is even a personal note added to this film.

When Saffron’s sister, Macaulee, and grandfather were diagnosed with cancer during production, that did not bring making this film to halt. Their journey is also chronicled. Having started two years ago, the teaching program called Cyber-Seniors was well underway. When medical issues only showed how effective online communication works for two very close family members, the ties that bind are expressed online too. But that should not stop people from meeting for real.

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