When Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot Isn’t Squawking Release Me, Release Me….

…that’s because it’s being held captive by Bell Media! It’s not a bad thing, but when The Parrot needs to spread his wings, and tell all, let’s hope this producer has plans to expand this bird’s reach.

The Unearthly Notes The Parrot PosterBefore reviewing Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot, and again afterwards, I had to search online and hunt through my various books examining the themes common in H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction. I wanted to see if there was any mention of talking birds revealing the secrets of forgotten cults before moving forward. I knew this filmmaker’s idea came from The Notes and Commonplace Book of H.P. Lovecraft. While there are no specific mentions of a parrot in the book, the ideas are certainly there.

The most telling lines from the public-domain scan are the following. On page three, it reads: “As dinosaurs were once surpassed by mammals, so will man-mammal be surpassed by insect or bird—fall of man before the new race.” Page eight offers two tantalizing clues. The line that inspired this work reads, “[A] talking bird of great longevity—tells secret long afterward,” but I suspect Fortin drew upon more than that single note. Another speaks of “Ancient and unknown ruins—strange and immortal bird who speaks in a language horrifying and revelatory to the explorers.”

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At Anime NYC, Part of Manga Mavericks 2027 Release Schedule Get Announced!

Part of the Manga Mavericks 2027 release schedule was announced during Anime NYC’s opening night.

Manga Mavericks 2027 releasesDuring Anime NYC’s opening night, Manga Mavericks 2027 release schedule got announced. While two titles may seem like a modest lineup, perhaps the publisher has bigger plans to reveal later. For fans of small-press works, these genre-defying releases look promising. Preorders are now live through the official website, and without further ado, here they are:

Midnight Robot, Volume One

Midnight Robot, Volume One

Created by Yohei Sajita, the series follows Fumiko Daidouji, whose seemingly ordinary life is turned upside down when her estranged father suddenly returns with a rather unusual gift: a screw embedded in her skull. According to her father, the screw is necessary to protect Fumiko from a mysterious organization. Unfortunately for her, the organization actually exists, and it has a very specific reason for wanting that screw. It can be used to summon a giant robot.

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A Nerd’s Guide to the 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival, and it’s Ruby Celebration!

The 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival celebrates its 40th year with another unpredictable lineup. Here are ten shows featuring theatrical legends, psychological horror, puppetry, wrestling, superheroes and other wonderfully strange ideas.

2026 Victoria Fringe FestivalThe 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival is celebrating a milestone, and once again, I’m ignoring any sensible attempt to see everything under the sun. Weather in Victoria, BC is fickle, and for those not wanting to wait in line for too long, it’s always good to bring a bottle of water! While they are keeping 40th century style celebrations a temporary secret, as they want to surprise, it’s best to subscribe to their mailing list and check online for the latest updates to find out what’s in store!

And once again, I offer my top picks on what to see at this year’s show. With a few returning shows to quickly include on the list, namely Space Queen and 52 Stories, Instead, I’ve gone hunting through this year’s lineup for shows that appeal to the nerdier side of the Fringe experience. That means science fiction, horror, pop culture, unusual adaptations, strange concepts and anything else that makes me stop scrolling and wonder, “What the heck is this?”

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Animated Anthologies are Rare, But When You Find One, Let Bliss Beyond The Edge of Time Sail You Away …. You Won’t Regret It

Although there’s no confirmation which distributor will pick up Bliss Beyond the Edge of Time for the North American market, this anthology is a must see for those who love thought provoking animation cinema!

Bliss Beyond the Edge of Time Movie Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival July 25, 2026 at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU

Spoiler Alert

Bliss Beyond The Edge of Time is a colourful animated anthology that aims to deliver a powerful set of stories about the state of humanity. To paraphrase the official synopsis, the film draws inspiration from six of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams, also known as the “Book of Changes.” It brings together six original animated shorts that are not simple at all. Here, memories can be erased, identities rewritten and fate re-engineered. The nature of humanity is well explored in context to work which functions as a tool for divination.

The six symbols explored are ䷗, ䷝, ䷑, ䷋, ䷘ and ䷣. Presented in that order, they can be interpreted as Return, Illumination or Fire, Decay, Stagnation, Innocence and The Darkening of the Light. With the last hexagram, not even the most dedicated can decipher what portent it brings if cast. At its heart, this glyph concerns protecting or concealing one’s inner light when faced with a hostile system. Within the context of science fiction, that idea can also extend to suppressed memories, forbidden knowledge and people hiding parts of themselves from systems that aren’t ready to accept them.

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All Hail The Metal Messiah! Vividly Restored to 4K, at Fantasia Film Festival and Coming to Home Video Too!

Canadian International Pictures screened the 4K restoration of Tibor Takács’ Metal Messiah at Fantasia Film Festival, and if you missed it, fret not. A Blu-ray release is expected to be announced later this year.

Metal Messiah 1978 Movie Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival on July 25, 2026 at the Salle J.A. De Sève

Because I wasn’t born in time and be of the right age to witness Metal Messiah back in 1977, whether in theatres, if it ever reached Victoria’s Roxy or Vic Theatre, or later on VHS, discovering it now feels surreal. With it’s recent 4k remaster, some scenes only look that much more cosmic when considering the how well it’s been colour balanced. Although some video artifacts remain, this movie would not be what it is, a product of the times. Even today, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a story so deeply rooted in an era still firmly rooted in The Cold War.

Today, it’s a cult film that embodies the raw spirit of Toronto’s early punk movement. And when looking back at my own discovery of the stylings of Iggy Pop and Ziggy Stardust, I’m sure either would’ve appreciated what writer-director Tibor Takács (The Gate, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) accomplished here. What he made feels like hard-boiled detective fiction colliding with This Is Spinal Tap, only with a far more philosophical edge.

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When All Is Lost? The Galactic Ghoul Is the Last Hero You Wanna Call!

Wildly campy and packed with puppets, absurd performances and homemade effects, The Galactic Ghoul proudly embraces the charm of those B-Movies of yesteryears, and get Lexx about it.

The Galactic Ghoul Movie Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival July 28, 2026 at the Cinéma du Musée

The Galactic Ghoul is one of those crazy fun films which recalls more than a few well known and lesser known screwball sci-fi epics. No, we’re not talking about Red Dwarf. Instead I believe this film is the love child of Lexx and MST3K and the individual grew up watching Spaceballs set on repeat! This work written and directed by Simon Harrisson is a laugh a minute, and honestly, I could not take it seriously even if I tried.

This film ranks right there in the same spectrum as 1000s of Beavers, even though the genres are different. Also, I must note Vincent Hoss-Desmarais helped write this work, and it wouldn’t be fair to not mention him too. They might have taken inspiration from Lost in Space too, and I say that with fondness when considering some of the costume and surreal designs that tained the later seasons.

And honestly, I like to know which one of the two is the Space Adventure Cobra fan! There’s some vibes from this anime as the film follows the misadventures of Oscar Bravo (Vincent Hoss-Desmarias), Lieutenant Foxtrot (also Hoss-Desmarias, for reasons made known later in the film) and Xenon (Michael Richard). For part of the story, they weren’t working together, but when they do, it seems they are better off as partners than rivals.

When both are wanting to gain Queen Xaltalusia XXIII’s (Katherine Isabelle) favour, they better be careful in what they want to reap! But she’s the bad guy, right? After managing to collect a mystic stone (basically, the last remnants of a destroyed world) to give to her, they go their separate ways. As Oscar wants to stay behind, he’s the brave idiot who becomes a consort of sorts. And that’s when things get kinky and weird.

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