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Riding Bean or Bean Bandit, The Difference is in What Kenichi Sonoda Says is Official.

Barack Obama once said, “Let me tell your something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.” But we’re betting he never saw the anime, Riding Bean. We also offer the latest news concerning the Japanese release, Bean Bandit.

Release Date: Sept 10, 2024
Available to Purchase on Amazon USA or direct through MediaOCD

Technically, the only thing new in the re-release of Riding Bean is the interview with creator Kenichi Sonada. What he offers are some anecdotes regarding what inspired him to make the anime, and subsequent manga sequel, and he also shares what he loved back then, which he brought over to this series. For example, he talked about I Dream of Jeanie and also Terminator. I won’t give away the deets, but upon checking out this bonus video first, and this short film again, I agree about the latter’s influence. As for the former, that was a “Really?” moment.

Although Sonada-san didn’t say much regarding who he was drawing from for Percy, the police commissioner who is after Bean, I’m guessing he takes after Edward Rooney (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) along with Walter Peck (Ghostbusters). They share similiar manic characteristics! He’s why I love this short film so much.

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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.

Lionsgate 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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What Happens When Gangsters Face a Spiritwalker?

Yoon Jae-geun’s sophomore work continues his love for making gangster films, and what we find here is a man (Yoon Kye-sang) with no memories of who he was.

Well GO USA

The premise behind Spiritwalker (유체이자) is a very intriguing one. Yoon Jae-geun’s sophomore work continues his love for exploring gangster politics, and what we find here is a man (Yoon Kye-sang) with no memories of who he was, and what he’s supposed to do in a jaunt around Seoul, Korea. What he sees in the mirror is not the image of himself. That’s all he really knows, and we’re on the same scary ride he’s in.

A bum calls for help, and he allows himself to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Twelve hours later, he wakes up in another body. The only thing that keeps him grounded is needing to find Jina (Lim Ji-yeon). The only person who believes he’s the same person in different bodies is that homeless man, Haengryo (Park Ji-hwan) he’s met before, who helps him navigate this crazy, mixed up world.

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Wei Xiang’s Too Cool To Kill is Hot and in North America!

Not everyone knows Too Cool to Kill is an adaptation of the Japanese film, The Magic Hour.

Well Go USA
For showtimes and locations in North America, please visit the official English website.

Too Cool To Kill (这个杀手不太冷静) is too hot of a movie to handle. After its debut during the Lunar New Year in China as This Killer Is Not Too Calm–with terrific box office results–it’s coming to North America so Wei Xiang‘s comedic talent can be recognised.

The joy is in how this zany film pulls you into the life of Lyingtown with its sweeping Tim Burton style cinematography and iconic Euro style setting. The name of this sleepy seaside hamlet is intentional, as it foreshadows everything to come! Even the soundtrack establishes a Henry Mancini style tone.

After meeting the supporting cast of Mr. Harvey (Chen Minghao) nearly shot by the assassin Karl (Allen AI), we are introduced to Wei Chenggong (Xiang), a hasbin stand-in and part-time actor who hopes to make it big in Chinese Hollywood. But after the director MIller (Huang Cailun) chides him for his overacting, he’s asked to star in a bigger movie by the star of the show, Milan (Ma Li). The two happen to be siblings. But there’s a secret, the cameras will be hidden, and her agenda isn’t all that pure.

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Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, A Movie Review

This film feels more like an obligatory product that had to be made because of Black Panther’s success

Wuxia movies are a dime a dozen. To stand out requires a proper vision. Somehow Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (SCLotR) lack the sense of feeling like an Asian film. It’s produced by Chinese-Americans, who are probably two generations removed from their heritage. Instead of earning their wings on some feudal period piece for television in Shanghai (or Hong Kong), they only have the approval of Disney to produce this piece.

This film begins nicely enough, with bits from Jackie’s Chan’s The Myth and Forbidden Kingdom mixed in, but somehow in the tale’s progression, it turns into something like a Black Widow type of film.

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[Fantasia 2021] When the Future is in the Hands of “Yakuza Princess”

Although Yakuza Princess didn’t have the budget to be like Blade Runner, I can only imagine what a blockbuster version would look like.

Available Aug 18 & 20

There is no honour amongst thieves in the families vying for absolute leadership in Yakuza Princess. This stylish neo-noir revenge thriller establishes that a very young girl, Akemi, will inherit a regime. But after a huge assassination attempt to which many members of the Takikawa clan get slain, she’s taken into hiding.

Instead of a feudal setting, this story by Vicente Amorim (director), Kimi Lee, Tubaldini Shelling and Fernando Toste (writers) sets the tale in modern times and in a world not everyone is familiar with. Akemi (MASUMI) is all grown up now and is being hunted in São Paulo, Brazil. She doesn’t know why until she questions a few people and learns about her heritage. Those that are after her knows she’s the true heir of the Yakuza crime syndicate. They won’t settle for controlling half of the organization and need to dispose of her.

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