Category: Movie Reviews

Always A Tender Moment: Genki Bear, Baachan and the Matriachs Who Shape Us

Kizuna Theatre’s Genki Bear: Memoirs of a Granddaughter uses puppetry, Japanese Canadian memories and Studio Ghibli nods to honour the grandmothers who help shape us.

Genki Bear- Memoirs of a GranddaughterIf I had to describe Kizuna Theatre’s production of Genki Bear: Memoirs of a Granddaughter with one song, I’d choose Queen’s “These Are the Days of Our Lives.” It captures the show perfectly. This is a tender production about nostalgia, ageing and cherishing what has been, rather than crying into a tissue over the loss of someone who watched their granddaughter grow up.

For Misty Cozac, the material feels autobiographical. Yet, through videos of other Japanese Canadians explaining why they loved their baachan, or grandmother, the production becomes a broader reflection on the matriarchs who help shape every individual’s wellbeing. I have fond memories of my own po-po and ma-ma, and the show brought them back without forcing me to hide my tears.

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With The 8 Immortals Present, All Wishes Come True, Whether They’re Ready or Not for the Punchline

Although the tales of the 8 Immortals are part of the narrative in works like “The Journey to the East” and “Yellow-Millet Dream,” to give them their own animated special in All Wishes Come True gives newcomers a glimpse at what they’re capable of, and it’s a great adventure to boot too!

All Wishes Come True Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

I find Cineplex Movies‘ lack of faith disturbing. When All Wishes Come True! (八仙; lit. translation: The 8 Immortals) isn’t getting an even distribution across North America, and the chain may not be confident it can draw regular crowds in Canada. I can’t say I blame them. Nor can I speak to how the film is performing in other parts of the world. Usually, unless a Chinese production has a big name like Jackie Chan that audiences recognize, crowds aren’t guaranteed to flock to it. For writer/director Zhengyang Mu, a relative unknown, perhaps the film needs new posters that read, “From the studio that brought you Kung Fu Panda 3 and Abominable…”

That might help folks who are unsure about the film decide to see it. A few moments echo Pearl Studio‘s previous work and DreamWorks‘ design philosophy, making this movie an easier sell. The humour is evident, and everyone understands the Ocean’s Eleven reference. Who doesn’t want to see that? There’s also the promise of an animated action-adventure about the Eight Immortals, technically soon-to-be immortals, who must prove their worth as new heroes while the current ruling dynasty sorts itself out. This introduction establishes how they rose through the ranks and challenged the norm.

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All Rise! Coyote vs. Acme is Now In Hilarious Session, Kangeroos Notwithstanding

In court, just what happens is crazy, and the film, Coyote vs. Acme turns wily when endless failures turn into a comedy about persistence, corporate responsibility and why the chase with Road Runner will never end.

Coyote vs. Acme PosterKetchup Entertainment
Spoiler Alert

As any fan of Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes knows, Wile E. Coyote will never catch the Road Runner. Part of the charm of these animated shorts is the lengths this hungry individual will go to. While he handles every failure with persistence, we simply laugh. No early bird can catch the worm here. Instead, Coyote vs. Acme acknowledges why this member of the canine family is so persistent (he’s hungry) and explores what their relationship really means in the wild deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, where the merry chase often unfolds.

When the terrain is dry and empty, Canis latrans is simply trying to survive in the wild, while Geococcyx californianus runs because it’s natural for him. This bird operates on instinct and has enough street smarts to survive this long. While this odd blue-feathered creature seems naive and unaware of the danger he faces each day, the ravenous predator just wants to savour the meat and do what all wild canids do.

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Fright Fest’s Ravenous, Unseen Ithaqua Reinvents the Wendigo Legend

Casey Walker’s Ithaqua transforms the frozen Canadian wilderness into a Western Gothic nightmare where hunger, colonialism and the Wendigo legend converge. Luke Hemsworth leads this brutal survival tale where the cold may be the least dangerous thing outside.

Ithaqua Movie Poster World Premiere
Played at Fright Fest 2026
on Sat 29 3:30 PM (BST)

Life in the Canadian wilderness can be rough. It’s even tougher once those brutal winters settle in and settlers are forced to huddle together in huts, where the only warmth comes from a fire burning beneath an opening for smoke to escape. And no, those aren’t smoke signals to signal something specific. When the name Ithaqua isn’t widely known, it takes a talent like Casey Walker to convey the intent. Between Walker and co-writers Pascal Trottier and Peter Scott Vicaire, who flesh out the lore and world, what’s presented is haunting and eerie.

Between expectations created by the title and how August Derleth used Ithaqua in his fiction, there’s no cosmic horror this time. It’s survival through and through, and I’d label this film Western Gothic, especially given its fantastic cinematography and depiction of survival in the snow. Frosted water creates alien textures, mist hangs over the lake, and the environment itself feels alive. The question becomes: who reigns in this world? The answer suggests someone does, and that’s a cat-and-mouse game I can get behind!

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When Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot Isn’t Squawking Release Me, Release Me….

…that’s because it’s being held captive by Bell Media! It’s not a bad thing, but when The Parrot needs to spread his wings, and tell all, let’s hope this producer has plans to expand this bird’s reach.

The Unearthly Notes The Parrot PosterBefore reviewing Mathieu Fortin’s The Parrot, and again afterwards, I had to search online and hunt through my various books examining the themes common in H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction. I wanted to see if there was any mention of talking birds revealing the secrets of forgotten cults before moving forward. I knew this filmmaker’s idea came from The Notes and Commonplace Book of H.P. Lovecraft. While there are no specific mentions of a parrot in the book, the ideas are certainly there.

The most telling lines from the public-domain scan are the following. On page three, it reads: “As dinosaurs were once surpassed by mammals, so will man-mammal be surpassed by insect or bird—fall of man before the new race.” Page eight offers two tantalizing clues. The line that inspired this work reads, “[A] talking bird of great longevity—tells secret long afterward,” but I suspect Fortin drew upon more than that single note. Another speaks of “Ancient and unknown ruins—strange and immortal bird who speaks in a language horrifying and revelatory to the explorers.”

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How Far Can Insidious Out of the Further Go? Sequelitis Is Hard to Shake

Insidious Out of the Further takes another trip into its shadowy pocket dimension, but recycled scares and a stubborn case of sequelitis keep its strongest ideas from breaking free.

Insidious Out of the Further PosterSpoiler Alert

One can call me a sucker for what Leigh Whannell created with the Insidious franchise. He had some great ideas concerning where one can go when either asleep or when someone has died, and has unresolved issues. Also, it’s hard to avoid making a play on words with the latest release, Insidious Out of the Further. The real question is how can this IP stay fresh six films in?

The Further is a pocket dimension which feels less like purgatory and more like a waystation to a better life. Those souls who get stuck there must have died in the worst possible ways and therefore, can’t move on. That’s either because of what they did or there’s a demon forcing them to stay. When there are other souls like Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) choosing to remain here to help guilde the deserving out of there, I believe she’s like an Angel. The fact she’s chosen to remain behind to do this work since her death from the first film to now says everything. And when she said there’s somewhere better waiting on the other side, surely Heaven must exist.

Well, that’s my occult theory.

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