Tag: Coming of Age

Trying to Figure Out Life’s Little Problems in Definition Please

Definition Please Publicity StillL.A. Asian Pacifc Film Festival
Regal L.A. LIVE:
A Barco Innovation Center
Sept 25, 2021
4:00 pm

Sujata Day’s debut movie Definition Please offers a Bollywood-style charm about Monica Chowdry (played by Day) dealing with life many years after winning the spelling bee as a child. Her friends and family are proud. They assumed big things would be in store for her later in life. None of that fame stood the test of time and it seems she’s transfixed with living in the comfort of what is familiar instead of taking on new challenges.

Continue reading “Trying to Figure Out Life’s Little Problems in Definition Please”

[Fantasia 2021] Are You Lonesome Tonight? All the Moons, A Movie Review

If there’s ever a vampire movie to breathe new life to a subgenre that’s struggling to bring fresh ideas to the fore, I’d have to say All the Moons is it!

All the Moons (2021) — The Movie Database (TMDb)Playing at Cinéma Impérial
Aug 19th, 2021
Montreal, Quebec

Available Aug 21, 2021
to Stream On Demand
Tickets can be purchased here

Spoiler Warning

If there’s ever a vampire movie to breathe new life to a subgenre that’s struggling to bring fresh ideas to the fore, I’d have to say All the Moons is it. Not only do we have a charm in the style of an early del Toro film (Pan’s Labyrinth) but also it takes an idea from Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. The latter goes in a completely different direction with it; we see Claudia’s story unfold too quickly and for this film, it has to be told in 100 mins. The tale that’s presented here is a game changer, as it never once identifies the vampire as pop culture defines it.

The girl we meet here (skillfully played by Haizea Carneros) doesn’t even know what this undead bloodsucker is. She’s rescued. Much of the movie plays out like a dream as she tries to understand her condition. 

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2021] Are You Lonesome Tonight? All the Moons, A Movie Review”

[Fantasia 2021] Is It Just Rock n’ Roll in Hellbender?

The world that’s constructed is fascinating as it may be drawn from hedge witch traditions.

Hellbender (2021) - IMDbEncore Performance Aug 16th
Coming Soon to Shudder Network

The best part of Hellbender are the punk rock performances which acts like intermissions this film’s story beats. This mother-daughter grassroots act is fantastic (we need a soundtrack release) and one detail I’m fairly certain this film is making is in how the matriarch is slowly controlling how her teen can express herself. From changes in makeup to full on goth (complete with a prerequisite black crown stolen from Mordor), Izzy (Zelda Adams) seems comfortable. When the outback of the New England world is her playground and there’s a babbling brook and a tiny waterfall in their private property, I’m jealous.

It’s civilization that this teen is told to afraid of. Her mother (Toby Poser) and grandmother experienced it, if the introduction is any indication, and they hate it.

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2021] Is It Just Rock n’ Roll in Hellbender?”

[Fantasia 2021] Un Petit Vampire is Moving on Up From Festival to Home…

In what makes The Petit Vampire enduring is the story. It borrows from many animated traditions, including Casper the Friendly Ghost.

The Petit Vampire (Lil Vampire) Movie Poster
Playing at Fantasia Film Festi on Aug 08, 2021 3:00 PM and Aug 10, 2021 9:00 AM

Coming to VOD Sept 21 & Home Video Oct 5th via Shout! Factory Kids.

Joann Sfar’s adaptation of The Petit Vampire (The Lil’ Vampire) book series to film is an amazingly well thought out story. Many people have adapted the original series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg to either a movie (there were two prior) or a book, and none of them really gained traction till now. In this filmmaker’s case, the titular protagonist can no longer grow up. He wants to go to school in the graphic novel editions. This coming of age tale teaches us viewers something else–the value of friendship. This artist’s version takes a few cues from Casper the Friendly Ghost, and goes further because of its rich phantasmagorical mythology.

One unusual aspect in this property is that certain characters don’t have a proper name. The Captain of the Dead (Jean-Paul Rouve) leads this clan. He also protects them from Gibbous–whose face is like the crescent moon. He’s hardly a man and there are times where I think he’s a harbinger of Death. In the animated movie, these two figures desire Pandora, and I’m sure that name is taken from a certain Greek myth.

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2021] Un Petit Vampire is Moving on Up From Festival to Home…”

How to Catch Peter Rabbit 2

Peter Rabbit 2 Movie Poster Ed Sum
(the Vintage Tempest)

For more information, please visit the official website.

Coming to PVOD in Canada
Rent it at home July 2!

Not everyone will have seen Peter Rabbit 2. This film may have hopped, skipped or jumped past certain theatres and purists (those who know the source material by Beatrix Potter) are more likely to pass this film series up than try to watch. I enjoy this modern update as it introduces him to a new generation where he’s not quite as rascally as Bugs Bunny and nor is he a Winnie the Pooh.

Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) is more or less considered this bunny’s (voiced by James Corden) handler. This film picks up from where the last left off. He married Bea (Rose Byrne) and she proves Pete is “marketable.” Her children’s books about the rabbit are popular enough to get the attention of a huge publisher. She’s being courted to sell the rights so that the bigwigs can send the bunny to places akin to how a certain beagle has become huge for Apple TV. This other series no longer has the same quality as Charles Schultz‘s works. 

Continue reading “How to Catch Peter Rabbit 2”

Los (or is that Lost?) Luca

Luca Movie PosterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

Not every PIXAR movie starts off with a bang. Sometimes the hook isn’t there, especially when viewers don’t really know that the world is fearful of legendary beasts in Luca. People should learn to love them and I wondered if this film may be this studio’s return to Monsters Inc.

Instead, we have another coming of age tale by Enrico Casarosa making his directorial debut. He drew upon his childhood and knowledge of local (Roman) folklore for his story. I believe he was struggling to decide in what kind of movie to make. It’s definitely inspired by A Little Mermaid. Plus, it has that The Good Dinosaur cum Finding Nemo vibe–especially when the parents go searching for their runaway son. Eventually, the perspective switches into something akin to Splash and Ponyo. This multi-tribute mix is okay, but when this film is loaded with the requisite Studio Ghibli references, I was tempted to turn this film off.

Continue reading “Los (or is that Lost?) Luca”

WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com