Awkwafina Archives | Otaku No Culture

A Word to the Wise, Kung Fu Panda 4 Marks Po’s Passing of the Torch

The big question I have concerning Kung Fu Panda 4 is whether another streaming series will get developed to fill in the gap while waitiong for the fifth instalment?

Kung Fu Panda 4 Poster Spoiler Alert

Although the story about Po (Jack Black) is not quite at an end in Kung Fu Panda 4, I’m sure the showrunners have something planned as this six-part saga is coming close to ending. While the first film is partially about enlightenment and seeing a Panda as the reluctant hero, this one is ready to put him on the path of becoming like Oogway. It’s unfortunate all the character and world development from the televised series are not canon. I really want to see Nu Hai, Jing, Bao, and Fan Tong from Paws of Destiny again. Although not everyone will know these series are non canonical, it’s easy to spot the discrepancies.

For example, in Dragon Knight, Mr. Ping’s (James Hong) well-developed backstory is all for naught. Had he gone full on pirate, I’m sure he’d ruffle other feathers! Had he been determined, it would’ve surprised Po’s biological father, Pang (Bryan Cranston) and make for hilarious moments. These two stick around to provide the My Two Dads style comic relief.

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It’s a Wild and Wacky Renfield World (Even Though It’s Canadian Release Got Delayed).

Taking a bite at the home video release of Renfield is bloody delicious! The bonus material helps make this film all the more fun.

Renfield Blu-ray Slipcase — Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Release Date in Canada:
July 11, 2023.

Although the staggered streaming and home video release of Renfield is unusual, I’m just Vlad this movie is finally available in Canada. Now that is out of my system, I can take a bite at what makes this horror comedy the fun romp that it is. Although I knew this film would be over the top, what the featurettes offered in explaining the making of the film helped me appreciate it more. That’s because I’ve looked at other interpretations of this character in other media; although they took on a more serious tone in interpreting the adage, “The blood is the life!” this film goes down a different route.

From comic book to novella to this film, the gambit is well covered to explain why the title character loves eating bugs. It gives him power. In the opening narration, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has a mix of daddy issues and an identity problem. But there’s more! He can’t break free from the chains that the Lord of the Darkness has around him. It makes for a lightning in a bottle waiting to blow up, and when he gets mad, mortals better beware.

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The Bad Guys are Wild and Crazy!

Someone wants to bust out DreamWorks Animation‘s The Bad Guys from jail. This animated film continues one of this studio’s goals of adapting wildly successful children’s novels to film, and Aaron Blabey‘s original work is well worth investigating after seeing this cinematic adaptation. They may explain the finer points of why these rowdy masters of crime have turned good. There’s fifteen books to show why!

Not even Michael Jackson can sing the praises of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, maybe. That‘s due to Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) seeing the light. This film might as well be a behavioural study of more than just one criminal. This leading character comes from the Canis genus. As most dog owners know, when their beloved pet wags their tail, they’re very appreciative of the attention they’re getting. When Mr. Wolf finds his own tail acting on its own rather than crooked, we get a wonderful look at why doing good deeds matter. No matter how hard he tries to disguise his gang’s actions as being bad, there’s a measure of good intent nestled in all their actions.

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On What Raya and the Last Dragon Lacks…

Without the proper cultural milieu made front and center, Raya and the Last Dragon feels like another atypical Disney Princess origin story.

Disney‘s Raya and the Last Dragon is a very paint-by-numbers animated film which lacks originality. We are introduced to another princess with her pet, and we get to visit a distinct part of Asia! If I had to say which movie knows its mythology, Moana wins hands down!

The world of Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia is the spotlight and sadly, the missed opportunities I noticed are plentiful. The distinguishing features of each region aren’t really played up. The details don’t show how the people are unique. Each nation has lost their focus ever since a magical crystal that can keep the Druun–rejected shadowy entities from Studio Ghibli’s Mononoke Hime–shattered.

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Taking Jumanji to the Next Level …

To up the ante in what Jumanji

Spoiler Alert

The world of Jumanji is dangerous, and The Next Level proves just how vicious it can be. This third film of the series shows that “players” from our reality are not simply transported there for fun. It’s sentient and the reason is with how it recognizes select individuals and helps them out in crazy vicious ways.

When it was first discovered, it was a board game. But when it realizes that video games are the in thing, like a Motherbox from the DC Comic book world, it reconfigured itself so anyone finding it will try the game out. Usually those who are baited in discover for themselves how much life is better afterwards.

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When Crazy Rich Asians is All About A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Spoiler Alert

Not every Asian is that rich, and nor are they members of the social elite. In Kevin Kwan‘s novel, Crazy Rich Asians, he is out to satirize that culture. The film of the same name certainly glamorizes what is, and how filthy, stinking rich some can become when they come into positions of power. When they are well connected, these people can advance far, and these nuances show up in the book trilogy. When they do not, just where they sit in this chaste society can either be in the lower echelons or high up.

Ultimately, this movie is more of a romantic comedy than a send-up of a who’s who of Singapore. The cultural notes are well placed and they offer nothing new to those who have studied this region. With the soundtrack, I believe it’s a foregone conclusion that in entertainment, the same old set of tunes are used over and over again instead of producers offering new scores to use. I recognized most of the tunes as I regularly heard them in my household back in the day. The fact they are still popular is scary!

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