Tag Archives: History

Mark Twain’s Niagara, the Graphic Novel & Book Two Plans

30 Jan
MARK TWAINS NIAGARA BOOK 01 (OF 2)

Available on Amazon

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Mark Twain is a man of the world. To say history is alive in Niagara is an understatement and this adaptation into a graphic novel form by AH Comics has many accolades. It was published two years ago and I didn’t get a chance to discover this book until now. I am amused how book one finishes–almost as if though teasing about his future and appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Time’s Arrow.”

Honestly, I feel that’s more of an influence of the artist having seen the episode. Chapter 10, Into the Unknown, sees Samuel L. Clemens witnessing Niagara Falls getting illuminated on September 14, 1860. The beauty he conveys with watercolour on canvas of a star field is a fine way to close off book one.

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Every Breath You Take with Funan, on Home Video Dec 3rd!

2 Dec

Available to Pre-order on Amazon

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Release Date:
Dec 3rd, 2019

GKIDS & Shout! Factory

Funan is a deeply personal look into the life and times of Chou (voiced by Bérénice Bejo) when she faces more than a life separated from her family. Her story is based on writer/director Denis Do’s own experiences. It’s mostly about the stories his mother passed down. Her trials of wanting to reunite with her loved ones following the Cambodian uprising of the Khmer Rouge regime was difficult. This switch of power took place in April 1975 and lasted till 79.

Do hits a home run with the screenplay. The dialogue about how this new political party supposedly can do good seems brash. I see it as a conflict of one man’s ideals versus another’s in a matter of national pride. The English dub is reasonably well done, even though I switched to watching the French language version; translations can only go far and I wanted to see this work as it was originally intended. As I watched this heartbreaking movie, I can’t help but think the lyrics to The Police’s song, “Every Breath You Take” take on new meaning here. The story of love, loss and hope is every bit as powerful as the song because, quite literally, the new regime’s eyes are everywhere and ready to strike (for all the wrong reasons).

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Buñuel in the Labrynth of the Turtles

20 Nov

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Released:
Nov 12, 2019

GKIDS & Shout! Factory

Mild Spoiler Alert

Ask any modern art critic what this medium is about, and you’ll get a variety of answers. It’s either a social call to arms, a reflection of life or nothing at all. Sometimes it’s easier to understand a talent’s work by examining the life and times. Anyone studying early film is likely to come across the works of Luis Buñuel. The animated look of this auteur by Salvador Simó is a captivating analysis and one I had to view a few times.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles concerns his attempt into the making Las Hurdes (Land Without Bread). The filmmaker was near broke because his last movie (L’Age d’Or) branded him a heretic and he needed a new investor if he’s examining an impoverished region with a higher than usual adoption rate. Also, the medieval conditions he saw was something he had to express (through surreal imagery) to the world through his own profound use of visual shock therapy.

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The Scorecard on Travel Channel’s Newest Scares

27 Oct

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

“Halloween is Travel Channel’s Superbowl,” said general manager Matthew Butler of Travel Channel in an open statement. “We’re pulling out all the stops for ‘Ghostober’ this year–from a live ghost hunt in Salem, Massachusetts, and an iconic investigation of the house that inspired The Conjuring, to reopening the case files of America’s first ghost hunter, Hans Holzer. And we have the biggest stars and experts in the field to take us to every haunted, cobweb-covered corner in America, including Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures Crew, Jason Hawes and his team of paranormal pioneers and newcomer Dakota Laden, who will bring fear to a new level. There’s no better–and scarier–place to be this October than tuned in to Travel Channel.”

What that means to those who loves tuning in to these shows is that we’ll have content throughout the week and well into Christmas. Obviously we can’t obsessively try to watch everything that comes what may. This weekend was a busy one with another program finally airing on television. While the others have more than an episode to offer to viewers, I offer my thoughts about these new series that I’ve been able to find crossing a different barrier: regional broadcasts. A few became quickly available for streaming before being removed on YouTube.

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