The reason why this videogame is called Nyaaaanvy is that the Japanese onomatopoeia for cat’s meow is nya!
Now Available on Steam and Nintendo Switch
Nyaaaanvy is a rather fun physics-based 3D fighting game which features sausage-like kitties attacking each other with their butts! It’s less about claiming an alpha status on every rooftop (or other oddly shaped arenas with moving parts) where they nest. Like real life cats, they have their places where they prefer to hang out, and here, it’s all about who has the power.
Anyone looking for a spritual riff on Evil Dead II will find Destroy All Neighbors just as delirious and fun!
Available on VOD
Alex Winter totally slays it in Destroy All Neighbors, a very twisted horror comedy about William Brown (Jonah Ray Rodrigues) trying to finish an album and all his apartment neighbours are rowdy. When all the noise is only adding to this musician’s neurosis, he’s eventually going to crack. Eventually, he takes matters into his own hands (hence the film title) and what happens next is utterly bonkers.
After one “accidental” death of Vlad (Winter), what he does next looks fairly typical for someone who’s finally gone over the edge. I haven’t loved such a film about guilt since American Werewolf in London. The characters whom Brown accidentally takes down are wonderfully wild. The strength in those performances sells this film, and the fun that goes on–whether imagined–totally goes downtown when they come back to life!
Continue reading “Destroy All Neighbors is All Out Spatterpunk!”
Some indie films can get weirdly familiar, and in this one, it’s not about what’s through the looking glass in Alice and the Vampire Queen.
Available to Stream on YouTube
The concept behind Alice and the Vampire Queen sounds like something one is better off reading instead of witnessing it as a film. Here, Writer-director Dan Lantz fashions a world that’s very suited to exist as an RPG scenario in White Wolf’s Worlds of Darkness. This game organises the various undead and monster factions into groups, and some operate shops to cater to their kind; mortal patrons are often unaware, and when they get caught up in their imagination, what results can either be pleasant or painful.
And when the matriarch pines for something tasty, sometimes “recruiting” outside their circle is required. Here, the title character gets a deep look through the looking glass about not only herself, but in what lurks in the night. Nobody respects Alice (Shelby Hightower), and her attitude isn’t exactly sweet. Whatever changed her, and that paranoia defines her. This introduction plays through the rest of the film when she’s “taken.”
Continue reading “Alice and the Vampire Queen is Less About The Lost Souls Who Come Seeking Help”
Not even a live-action adaptation of Avatar The Last Airbender can escape the scrutiny of being compared to Star Wars when a prodigy is concerned.
By now, most viewers have seen Netflix’s Avatar The Last Airbender. It’s not completely perfect when considering the high expectations many fans of the cartoon have. Whether that’s in a passing similiarity with Star Wars or something else, there’s plenty to notice.
One scene that I couldn’t help shake concerns how Brother Gyatso is defending Aang. He dotes upon him like a father, arguing he’s not ready much like how Qui-Gon Jinn argued against the council regarding young Anakin. Both aren’t ready for the heavy responsibility that’s expected for a prodigy.
There’s also in getting the characterizations right or hoping that favourite episode gets realised. In regards to the latter, this series is rather sneaky in referring to those “deleted episodes.” When rewatching the series, the references to them without having to tell that tale are rather smart. Not everyone will see it, as a fan would need to know the series by heart to catch them. For example, those canyon crawlers from “The Great Divide” made an appearance, and there’s a vague reference to “The Fortuneteller” to show that the writers of the series is not above inserting Easter Eggs into the series.
There’s lots to like and not like in this live-action adaptation of Avatar The Last Airbender. For the most part, the essentials elements are laid out to make this story work.
Light spoiler alert
Although franchise creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino departed the Netflix project to bring Avatar The Last Airbender to a live-action format early during development, I’m sure not every fan will care. What’s presented has everything one expects and wants to go yip-yip on. The humour is downplayed and the world looks fantastic. Most of the special effects work and the wuxia elements added in are enough to get fans excited whenever Aang (Gordon Cormier) goes full on Avatar mode!
The great thing about this version is that it’s not a carbon copy of the original. It takes enough from the cartoon and just how it all begins is unexpected! By offering more backstory helps frame what’s to come, and for those who memorised the series, the added elements give this take a lot more weight. Fire Lord Ozai’s (Daniel Dae Kim) motivations were never made fully clear, and what’s offered here sets him up as that cruel warlord who feels uniting the world under his vision is the future.
Overall, the performances are excellent. Although Gordon Cormier is not as spunky as his cartoon counterpart, to translate that aspect of Aang’s personality would’ve been overkill. Kiawentiio really nails it as Kitara, a soon-to-be waterbender who wants to protect her village. I get the feeling she’ll be the next Zendaya. And Ian Ousley presents us his take on who Sokka is. As for how much of a ladies’ man he’ll become, what’s teased at here needs more development!
