Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is Amazing! But Will Pete Get A Day Off like Ferris Bueller?

The producers behind this latest take on Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man have a lot of unique twists and turns planned on what’s familiar. When this story takes place in a much distinct reality from what we know, the different relationships elevate the mythos to an edgy new level.

Now Playing on Disney Plus
Spoiler Alert

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is a refreshingly different take about our favourite wall-crawler. And as for who are his worst enemies, it is slowly developing. Without it, I doubt I’d care about the antihero Tombstone as much. Unlike other animated series which cut to the chase, the best part concerns Lonnie (Eugene Byrd) before his fall and Miko (Grace Song) her transition. Their side stories develop along with the hero’s, but as for if they will be his amazing friends, that’s debatable.

Here, Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) is learning the ropes in what it takes to be a hero. Here, he doesn’t meet the Avengers or even get recruited. The random reference to those events from the Captain America films is just that! As for where the other superheroes are, we only catch two in action, and hear about others.

Continue reading “Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is Amazing! But Will Pete Get A Day Off like Ferris Bueller?”

Surviving The Night of the Zoopocalypse Can Be Completely Easy–Not!

Not only is The Night of the Zoopocalypse a crazy homage to George Romero films but also, its love for B-movie cinema is perfect!

Elevation Pictures
Spoiler Alert

The Night of the Zoopocalypse is ready to hit theatres! And all I can say is that the action is as gonzo as the first Jurassic Park movie and the team up which must happen must be as solid as that team from the Ice Age movies. That’s most likely because the directors Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro have an IMDB credit of having worked on that franchise prior.

As the name of the film implies, all hell breaks loose when a meteorite crash lands inside the confines of Colepepper Zoo! After one critter finds it and gets turned into a mutant like zombie, things get hopping madcap! When this film is hard to review without giving away some spoilers, a second warning is required if you don’t want to know too much.

Here, Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis) is a wolf who sort of knows what’s going on. But as how she can survive means learning how to be a leader of the pack herself. There’s a great message hidden between the lines, and when she eventually teams up with a few other creatures, namely a mountain lion named Dan (David Harbour), that’s when the story gets good. This pair figures out what’s going on. Also, I find this mighty beast very similar to Diego (Ice Age) and performance wise, it’s perhaps one of this actor’s best voice over work.

Continue reading “Surviving The Night of the Zoopocalypse Can Be Completely Easy–Not!”

All These (Lost) Buffalo Kids Need is a Home….

If you’re a fan of the trilogy of films that make up Tad the Explorer, then you’ll love Buffalo Kids too!

Buffalo Kids Movie Poster Available on HBO Max

Movie directors Juan Galocha and Pedro Solís García must enjoy developing action comedies. After becoming a fan with the Tad the Explorer films, I had to check out their latest, Buffalo Kids. I reviewed the third of that archaeological comedy and can spot the similarity. Instead of getting crazy with the silly antics from a certain comic relief character, this latest is mature. Here, the tale is concerned about a trio of kids attempting to survive the wild west!

Mary (Mia Pérez Ullod and Alisha Weir in the dub) is quite the spunky youth, and I suspect what’s not told is that she and older brother Tom (Jaume Solà / Conor MacNeill) lost their parents. They are the latest Irish immigrants set to arrive in New York, and when their uncle doesn’t show up, the young girl thinks it’s best to go find him! It’s tough to not like this film. The performance by Weir is great! She sells the exuberance needed to make me adore this child. And as for her big brother, Tom, he’s supposed to be the voice of reason. MacNeill does an equally commendable job to say they’re quite natural in these roles.

Continue reading “All These (Lost) Buffalo Kids Need is a Home….”

15 Animated Films That You May Have Missed or Not Heard Of…

In this list of animated films that you may have missed, thankfully most of them have surfaced online to stream on demand.

Dreambuilders Movie Poster As we enter halfway into this decade, I wondered what animated films have I missed watching? Kids aren’t the only target audiences; the medium also works to tell biographies, visualize experimental ideas and explore adult topics. Also, not all animated films are American productions. What I offer are titles that have caught my interest as I count from 2020 to 2024.

Depending on whether I’ve seen it during my construction of this list, I’ll include either the official synopsis or my thoughts on that title. Some of these releases might still be unreleased. To note: I’ll be limiting my choices to three per year. And, where possible, will provide links on where it’s available to stream or purchase.

Animated Films of 2000

Dreambuilders (Plex)

Minna misuses her newfound ability to create and control other people’s dreams to teach her bothersome step-sister a lesson. When her stepsister can no longer wake up, it is up to the is young girl has to enter the dream world to save her.

Nahuel and the Magic Book (Apple TV)

Nahuel and the Magic Book (Apple TV) - Animated Films

I overlooked this Chilean-Brazilian animated fantasy coming-of-age adventure despite its considerable praise since release. It’s a work that certainly lives up to its name, and there’s an early Studio Ghibli type of charm that I like. When the title character has a fear of playing near water, especially the sea, all he can do to get over it is to search for a magical solution!

Unfortunately, there’s an evil sorcerer who figured out that this boy intruded upon his home, and kidnaps this kid’s father. And in true Ghibli-style fashion, this lad will have to confront more than just a wizard. His unprepared adventure is fraught with dangers, and it’s best not to spoil the details.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie (Netflix)

After the aftermath of a war, a young girl who was used as a tool in battle learns how to live for herself. With the scars of burns, she goes back to her past to discover her true feelings towards the Major.

Continued on next page

Pages: 12345

On Night of the Zoopocalypse Release Schedule and The Amazing Maurice Sequel News!

Kazoo Films is a new movie distribution company aiming to bring more animated feature films to audiences worldwide. First up is The Night of the Zoopocalypse!

Night of the Zoopocalypse LA-based production studio and distributor Viva Pictures has entered into a strategic alliance with Kazoo Films, Cantilever Media’s newly launched distribution company. The non-exclusive agreement will see both companies jointly acquiring animated feature films (like Night of the Zoopocalypse) for family audiences, with Viva Pictures handling distribution in the US and Kazoo taking UK rights.

Selected films will be acquired on a case-by-case basis, with the two companies collaborating on marketing and promotional efforts to maximise reach in both territories.

The first film they will collaborate on is on the Clive Barker inspired film, Night of the Zoopocalypse, directed by Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Richard Curtis which Viva Pictures has acquired for the US and Kazoo has picked up for the UK. The two companies will be sharing assets and marketing materials for the film which Viva Pictures is releasing on March 7 (with Elevation Pictures handling Canada on the same date) and Kazoo will release in the Autumn around Halloween.

Continue reading “On Night of the Zoopocalypse Release Schedule and The Amazing Maurice Sequel News!”

TheNFB at Victoria Film Festival 2025, Incandescence Review & Much More!

As the Victoria Film Festival is in full swing, Incandescence is a film from Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper leads the charge on what works produced by theNFB to watch.

The National Film Board of Canada always has a delightful range of films that’s set to debut at one film festival or another. And in Victoria, BC, this homegrown event will feature eight produced (or co-produced) TheNFB pieces featuring the work of talents who know what living in this country means. High on the list is Incandescence, a documentary by Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper whose last work, Metamorphosis, was a potential game-changer. I interviewed them about why this work matters not only on a grander scale but also in what humanity can do to save the environment.

Incandescence Movie Poster — Playing on Feb 10, 5 PM Cinecenta Theatre (on UVic campus); for tickets, please visit this link.

Flash forward to now, those themes they’ve explored back then get revisited again in their latest. This time, the topic concerns wildfires and how they affect forested communities. What viewers should takeaway afterwards is how tragedy can bring some people together, but also bring about change.

Whether these accept the problems that can arise while living in the boonies, some folks are up to it and others not. This work delicately examines the pros and cons, and also considers the life cycle that occurs following the death of a forest and the renewal process afterwards. It’s a work that’ll get people talking. The footage used ranges from seeing how some fires can get out of control to showing how people feel about the attempts to save homes. It’s quite vivid, and I’d be scared too if I were a volunteer firefighter!

Continue reading “TheNFB at Victoria Film Festival 2025, Incandescence Review & Much More!”