Tag: Christmas

Counting Down the 12 Days to a Comic Book Style Christmas

A few are seasonal bits to get me into the spirit of the season, and the rest are for encyclopaedic reference.  

Harvey Kurtzman's Marley's Ghost (comiXology Originals) by [Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O'Neill, Shannon Wheeler, Gideon Kendall]Counting down the twelve days to Christmas is easy. Deciding on what to read on each day is tougher. In what I present is a list of what I’m excited about getting under the tree–should Santa be reading. This catalog is varied, as I have a lot of interests and a few are upgrades from the digital copy I have already.

I also have a few seasonal bits to get me into the spirit of the holiday, and the rest are not just for encyclopaedic reference.  

Most are are available to order on Amazon USA for those interested in obtaining for the fussy nerd on their gift giving list. Disclaimer: sales made through the links provided go into maintaining this blog.

Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost
ComiXology

This Eisner Award winner of 2018 is simply described as holiday magic, according to New York Magazine, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s a posthumous completion of legendary creator Harvey Kurtzman’s adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens’ novel. The idea took more than a half century to realise, and the reason is perhaps lost to time. The reason why this work matters is that this creator of MAD Magazine is considered one of the most influential creators of the sequential art format, and no list can be complete without some work referencing this seminal classic for the season. Plus, it appeases the paranormal enthusiast in me!

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Terror and Sci-Fi Persist in Portal Runner

Portal Runner (2021) - IMDbKairos Productions and Terror Films

VOD Release Date:
Dec 10, 2021

Not to be confused with the videogame of the same name, Portal Runner is an intriguing tale of sci-fi terror hell bent on making Christmas for Nolan’s family miserable. This boy (Sloane Morgan Siegel) is sometimes home alone and sometimes not. He can make use of mirrors (charged by a strange quantum device) to hop into a parallel universe. Each is slightly different from the other, and it’s not great when what’s unique in each are exploited.

The holiday theme about families coming together is gently explored in this modestly budgeted film. We see that everything is not always perfect between the 15-year old and his parents.

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Knowledge Kids is all Geared up for the Holidays!

Knowledge Kids has a huge lineup of #child friendly holiday specials that’s now playing online throughout Canada, on television (in British Columbia) and through the app

knowkidsxmasEven adults can enjoy youth oriented programs with their children as Christmas time approaches. Knowledge Kids has a huge lineup of holiday specials that’s now playing online throughout Canada, on television (in British Columbia) and through the app (android and ios) which is sure to delight. There’s 38 shows in all, and instead of one-offs, they are running periodically all month long.

Molang and Paw Patrol have the most to offer, and who doesn’t want to get fuzzy with Shaun the Sheep? Even the Stinky & Dirty Show proves they can get to the spirit. This American-Irish-British animated series is all about finding creative ways to solve problems, and for “Sleigh Riders/Snow Problem,” they have to save the holiday!

A sampling of the schedule includes:

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When Home Sweet Home Alone is Managed Under Disney

This film isn’t ultimately bad, it just needs to be properly understood so those fans of the Home Alone franchise won’t scream it sucks because Disney now manages this property instead of 20th Century Entertainment that they now own.

The tagline "No parents, no problem" and a boy holding large toy gunsAvailable on Disney Plus
Spoiler Alert

Some movie franchises should never be rebooted, or continued after a prolonged absence on the big screen. Home Alone and its sequel are still enjoyable to this day and doesn’t need any continuation. Macaulay Culkin has a charm, innocence and mischievousness to make those films hits and I’d be more excited had it continued with him as an adult dealing with his own kids, and accidentally leaving one behind. 

Home Alone 3 brought in a new lead who didn’t exude those traits and because of that, never succeeded. The fourth film tried to get back to basics, and return to look at the life of the McCallisters. But due to the years gone by, the original actor is much older and another child actor, Mike Weinberg, was put into the role and studio producers hoped nobody would care. Everybody did and this film was universally panned.

Home Sweet Home Alone is the latest entry that introduces a new family, and does something different with the formula. Like the McCallisters, The Mercer family are preparing to enjoy the holidays abroad instead of staying home. Bits of dialogue and a lot of the humour get recycled. The family problems Max (Archie Yates of Jo Jo Rabbit fame) faces are similar. Though this young actor isn’t chummy enough to carry the film, his nemesis, Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2) surprisingly is. This veteran of comedy saves it. The story is more about him, as Jeff McKenzie, who is forced to sell the home. Luxury comes at a cost, and little does he realize that a family heirloom can save them.

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Christmas Time is Here with WARPs Up SANTA Connection

From all of us at Otakunoculture.com, we’re wishing everyone ….

Warp UP Santa Present Wrap

Even though we’re on break, articles are planned and are being authored. They will appear in the New Year.

To get into the festive mood, we do have two shout-outs to fans of WARPs UP word-wide.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw6BD32pSTw&w=560&h=315%5D

Japanese-Chinese male dance collective WARPs UP released a new music video for their track ‘Cloud 9’ on YouTube today, December 24, 2020. Following the release of ‘Hali Gali’ in November, WARPs UP collaborated on ‘Cloud 9’ with producer/songwriter team Tony Esterly and Paige Blue, whose past hits include ‘Satisfied’ by Sia and several tracks for BTS.

The group includes two members from Japan and two from China. In addition to RIKIMARU, the Japan side also features SANTA, a top-level dancer who has earned the title of World Champion at a world-renowned dance battle. Meanwhile, Chinese members MINGJUN and LANBYI gained performing experience as trained idols in China.

Have a safe break!

The Vintage Tempest’s Open Letter to Santa & Thoughts for the New Year

Ed Sum aka The Vintage Tempest
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Dear Santa,

Yes I know this letter is late, very very late, and I hope I can still get a surprise come Christmas day.

Before I take a break from this blog for a much needed R&R, I have to write to someone about all thats transpired in the past year. It’s been tough because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some folks have changed their behaviours and others have gone into hiding until authorities say it’s safe to resume a different kind of normal.

I’m surviving and consider this season a time of hope. Yes, you’ve heard all this goodwill ambassador stuff before but I feel the world really needs it as we go into this new decade. 2021 won’t feel too different. With a tentative vaccine not everyone will want, I’m debating it. I miss my comic book conventions. I’m glad to have taken on all of Fan Expo Vancouver before the lockdown, and if any shows take place at the end of the new year, I believe it’ll be one of trepidation. I’ll sound off on this in a different editorial though.

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