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[Fantasia Film Festival] Transcending Dimensions (次元を超える) To Boldly Go Where No Soul Has Gone Before

Presented here is not a very traditional story about a hitman hired to take out a cult leader and rescue a brother. There’s added layers in Transcending Dimensions which suggest it’s best not to challenge some of these mystics, and here’s why:

Transcending Dimensions poster — **This movie played at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival on July 24th, and has an encore performance July 28th. Get your ticket here.**

Transcending Dimensions is less a conventional narrative and more of an immersive sensory experience. While this review delves into its themes and stylistic choices, readers who prefer to encounter the film with absolutely no prior knowledge of its unconventional journey may wish to proceed with caution regarding potential thematic insights.

As an instalment in the series of films by writer/director Toshiaki Toyoda, this latest in his Wolf Mountain series delves further into thematic tones about the perils of human ignorance. Each film concerns the repetition of historical mistakes. This movie is not always straightforward, and some viewers might find it challenging to follow. Shinno (Ryûhei Matsuda), a professional hitman, is the focus here, and everything he will soon experience may well reshape his world view!. Here, his sister, Nonoka (played with quiet charm by Haruka Imô), recruits him to find her brother, Rosuke (Yôsuke Kubozuka). He is apparently brainwashed, and she hopes to rescue him from the cult he is now part of.

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Beware The Old Woman With The Knife! (파과)

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why–The Old Woman With The Knife is comin’ to town!

The Old Woman With the Knife Movie Poster — **Coming to Digital on August 26**

Well GO USA
Now Playing at Theaters May 16

Hornclaw (Lee Hye-yeong) was not the assassin she was now until one night, some (American) army guy broke into the restaurant she worked at and something snapped in her. That first taste of spilled blood turned her worldview around, and she became The Old Woman With The Knife. This tight thriller suggests she is in the business for life. As a lady past her prime, she can get away with nearly anything!

There’s a lot of terrific back and forth showing her development as not only an individual who should be a grandmother, but also as a ruthless killer. Lee has that presence which rivals Michelle Yeoh and I’d love to see these two together on a project. As a character who could challenge Georgiou, I’d want to see that match up! Both are like bloodhounds!

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In The Prosecutor, Only Donnie Yen Can Deliver The Final Verdict!

Just what fans can find in The Prosecutor is not your typical courtroom drama. When Donnie Yen is involved, it’s safe to say there’ll be some fists flying too!

Well GO USA
Now Playing (Please check local listings)

Donnie Yen is The Prosecutor, and also the director of this film he stars in. As a disillusioned cop turned lawyer, he aims to bring Justice to where it is needed, and inject more action into a genre that some fans rarely associate him with.

Courtroom dramas aren’t all that tough to sit through. While they may seem dull due to simply listening to lawyers attempting to convince the jury on why the accused is guilty, there may be more action going on behind the scenes. In entertainment, someone is chasing down someone else who will change the verdict. Or, in this film’s case, to unearth a conspiracy that’s corrupted the system! With this trope, some aspects of the tale are predictable and others not.

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Beware The Soul Eater, A New French Alpine Threat!

Not to be confused with the anime, The Soul Eater is a French thriller set to warn kids not to play alone on a cold, winter’s night.

Available to stream on VOD
Original title: Le mangeur d’âmes

When cold evenings are keeping me home for most nights, I better hope that there’s no creature like The Soul Eater nipping at my toes. This film screened at Fantasia 2024, and although I didn’t get to see it then, I waited for its eventual theatrical run. This French alpine monster is most likely made up and the creators did a good job at making the folklore feel real, but as for who is kidnapping the children in the remote community of Roquenoir, only two constables are at it!

Elisabeth Guardiano (Virginie Ledoyen) heads there because the grisly death of a family–with only the kids surviving–is cause for concern. The local enforcement can’t do anything. And joining her is Franck De Rolan (Paul Hamy), who says he’s also on the case. I suspect he has a personal connection when, during the opening act, he’s seen running down a road and screaming! Continue reading “Beware The Soul Eater, A New French Alpine Threat!”

You May Look, But Will Want to Hide when “Door-to-Door Maniac” and “Right Hand of the Devil” Are Paired Together!

When The Film Masters is pairing up Door-to-Door Maniac and Right Hand of the Devil in this latest home video release, what’s offered is a great look at attempting to revitalise the neo-noir genre.

Door-to-Door Maniac & Right Hand of the Devil — Available to purchase on Amazon USA

The Film Masters next release is absolutely criminal! With Door-to-Door Maniac, (originally released in 1961 as “Five Minutes to Live.”), I was curious because of Johnny Cash, who plays Cabot, a hardened crook who thinks taking a hostage in her own home (Cay Forester) is easy. However, anyone who has seen Abigail knows that’s a bad idea!

No, there’s no scary twist ending. These tropes were not as established back then. Also, to see Ron Howard in the credits made me curious! This film was made back when he was better known as Opie from The Andy Griffiths Show.

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Look Out Chicago! Sorting Out All The Latest Gunsmith Cats and Riding Bean News

Fans of 90s anime will be thrilled to learn there’s rereleases of two of Kenichi Sonoda’s most recognised classics, Riding Bean and Gunsmith Cats! And we have the details on what’s offered on print and video!

Dark Horse Comics & AnimEigo
Release Date: Feb, 2025

The Gunsmith Cats are coming back in an omnibus collection from Dark Horse Manga! For newcomers, what’s offered is sure to please. Past editions are long out of print, and as much as I’d love to see brand-new stories happen, it’s not looking likely. Everything depends on what creator Kenichi Sonoda wants to do, especially following his attempts to reboot Bean Bandit / Riding Bean.

But for his most beloved series starring two bounty hunters, this edition collects: