Tag: Coming of Age

[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. 

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[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.

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[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.

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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. 

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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.

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The School Report is in: My Summer as a Goth!

Do Goths mourn? Are they always sad? The stereotypes in mass media are many, and an authentic look is rarely touched upon (to which this film tries)

My Summer as a GothBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Available on YouTube
Spoiler Alert

Tara Johnson-Medinger’s directorial debut, My Summer as a Goth, would certainly turn heads if it ever became a school report of what she did in those dog days. This story is about Joey Javitts’ (Natalie Shershow) time as a wannabe to win the love of a boy.

Technically, she should grieve. Her dad recently passed away, and it’s reasonable for her to become preoccupied with death, ask why him, and hide out in her room. She sulks and just doesn’t want to live life to its fullest. Mom can’t help. She’s required to go on a book tour to promote her latest. The grandparents are her only hope, if she can bear to be around them.

Johnson-Medinger’s portfolio is excellent to push the right themes to the fore. She’s the head of the Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival and its education program, which teaches young ladies how to be innovators. Not only does this school help put them to work in this cut throat industry, but also gives these youths the mentorship needed to succeed.

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