Tag: Commentary

Kaiju and Ghibli Fans Rejoice! Toho and GKIDS (Studio Ghibli) to Release Their Films in December for America.

Studio Ghibli and Toho is coming to America in December, and just who will dominate depends. The Boy and the Heron, or will it be Godzilla Minus One?

The Boy and the Heron English Poster - Studio GhibliThe English dubbed trailer recently dropped for Studio Ghibli‘s The Boy and the Heron and it looks good! When there’s top notch performers coming in to provide a track for those who prefer this release over the other (i.e. subtitles), it’s sure to be a hit! and I’m looking forward to check out both. You can’t go wrong with Mark Hamill! For a full list of credits, please check out GKIDS official webpage here.

As excitement builds for what is presumedly Hayao Miazaki’s final film, GKIDS is offering early screenings in select cities across the United States of America, and hopefully Cineplex Cinemas will follow suit. They have not made any formal announcements yet, but it’s safe to say there will be screenings. Fans are encouraged to contact their local major theatre chain for when it will be screening there.

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When Evil Dead Rise Takes the Franchise to New Places, the Results are…

All I can hope for is that we have more details in Evil Dead Rise unfold in the same vein as Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Evil Dead Rise PosterSpoiler Alert

Lee Cronin‘s Evil Dead Rise takes the Sam Raimi’s horror franchise to all new places, and there’s no rhyme or reason behind it. There’s no mention of the deadites, and some new world building has me believing they’ve existed since time immemorial! Even though plenty of character and visual aesthetics from the classic exist in this latest, they felt tacked on than worked into the tale.

A certain formula has to be followed. Characters have to be introduced, the Naturom Demonto needs to be found, and the terror gets awakened. The early movies didn’t go far in terms of what it means to unleash the demons in the psychological sense, but here, we’re treated to a deeper story:

Beth (Lily Sullivan) is pregnant, and she hopes to get some help from her sister. Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) may well not be the right person. She’s a single mother raising three kids–Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). She’s not without her problems too; her husband left her, and if that’s not enough, the L.A. apartment she lives in is condemned, and she really should move.  Continue reading “When Evil Dead Rise Takes the Franchise to New Places, the Results are…”

When Fealty and John Wick 4 Are Like Best Buddies… not!

What we see in John Wick 4 is more than a revenge story when the lead has to meet old acquaintances, look for new allies, and challenge the High Table just to achieve freedom. The world is looking very sinister.

John Wick 4 Movie PosterLionsgate Pictures
Spoiler Alert

Just now many lives does Jardani Jovonovich (Keanu Reeves) have? By my count, he expended enough to say John Wick 4 is the tally on the times he should’ve died. But this man is tough. He can withstand punishment that would send a common man into a coma, and he must have the supernatural abilities of a spider to dodge getting hit.

Before embarking on this review and fan commentary, I wanted to revisit the previous films to remind myself about the world Wick was once part of. He was a hit-man. Throughout the films, we find out he wants to be free from The High Table. Past chapters reveal that they are a global criminal cabal who employs a special league of assassins for their in-fighting and assaults on humanity. Fans of the Batman comics can forget about the Court of Owls and Ra’s al Ghul’s empire; this version is worse and dates back to the time of antiquity. With ominous titles like The Harbinger (nicely played by Clancy Brown), Charon (Lance Reddick) and even Caine (Donnie Yen) making up a huge supporting cast, I wondered who can be added since the third film?

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Late Thoughts on Transformers Earthspark, More Than Meets the Eye

In the debut pair of Transformers Earthspark episodes, the new bots are unlike their kin from planet Cybertron, and have much to learn.

Transformers EarthsparkPresented on YTV Nov 11, 2022

The robots in disguise that we all love have gone Terran, and this new series continues from where Generation One ended. Although the events took place many decades ago–the flashback sequences present the original designs–Transformers Earthspark literally evolves the story further. Unlike past sagas set in its own continuity (i.e. universe), this one sees the battle between the Autobots and Deceptions finally over.

But as for the new threat, who we’re dealing with is like M.E.C.H. from Transformers Prime. This was formerly led by Leland (Silas) Bishop. Here, Dr. Meridian wants to merge a man with mecha and his agenda is nothing like Headmasters.

Like every other series, every introduction requires youths discovering these robots. However, for brother and sister Robby Malto (Sydney Mikayla) and Mo (Zion Broadnax), what they discover are creations that may well be Earth’s firstborn techno-biological lifeforms. They did not crash-land on this planet, but rose from its primordial goo that looks suspiciously like a lake of energon. Because they interfaced with it, they too wear a special gauntlet, so they can feel each other’s emotions. Thus, Twitch (Kathreen Khavari) and Thrash (Zeno Robinson) are born, and are probably the same age. They behave like their human counterparts, to which they’ve “bonded” to.

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Quick Thoughts on Ninjago Crystalized Part Two and Teletoon….

Honestly, I’d love to watch the First Spinjitzu Master return in Ninjago Crystalized Part Two.

NinjagoSpoiler Alert

The staggered world-wide release of Ninjago Crystalized Part Two is very confusing. In some countries, it’s been released to Netflix all in one go on Oct 10th, and in others–due to where Wildbrain operates its own specialty network–started sooner. It began October 1st on Teletoon Canada, and thankfully I missed little with “A Sinister Shadow,” where the story is mostly a recap, with 10% new content. The narrative shifts to Harumi’s point of view. She was dead, but a force known as The Crystal King offers her a chance at a second life instead of living in the emptiness known as the Departed Realm.

It’s not altogether surprising that this former love interest of Lloyd has been manipulating things. She’s required to build an army rather than recruit, and therein lies an interesting tie-in to the comic, Garmadon. What’s suggested is that the other bad guys aren’t needed. Both narratives deal with what ifs after the gangs have lost their leaders. Those who got away aren’t doing well.

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