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Once Within a Time – A Captivating Art House Film for the Ages!

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Once Within a Time is with the casting of Mike Tyson as “a prophet.”

Release Date: Oct 20, 2023
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Godfrey Reggio is not your typical filmmaker. He makes movies that are experiences. After watching his doomsday-fable Once Within a Time, I feel that he’s trying to show to audiences where he thinks humanity is headed by using collages of varying images to express it. Nearly every technique that was developed during the early age of film is used here.

That’s because his visual narrative begins with us staring at an audience looking at a stage, and the curtain opens with Yggdrasill (Sussan Deyhim) singing to us like that opera singer Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element. To note, this film is neither a truly fantasy and nor is it really fully science fiction.

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Chronicling American: An Odyssey to 1947 and its Influence Upon the World

Not only are a few key figures well represented during this era, but also we see how certain historical moments rose during American: An Odyssey to 1947.

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The late 40’s is well represented in Danny Wu‘s American: An Odyssey to 1947. Not only is the socio-political climate expertly explored but also we see who the movers and shakers were for the time. That also includes how they affected each other. From the entertainment scene to the White House, the influence feels like something I would watch in a high school Social Studies class.

The reason I was drawn to this work is that I’m a huge fan of Orson Welles. His early life is well accounted for, and while I’m not expecting a complete biography, what’s told covers all the basics and perhaps a little bit more!

David Walsh, writing for the World Socialist Web Site, best sums up the entire film in the press release: “In a short period of time, [Wu] has developed an important understanding of some of the most vexing problems of the mid-20th century.” He also added that this film is evidence that “a new generation of artists, free from the cynicism and many of the prejudices of the past several decades, is emerging.”

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A Passage Beyond Fortune and Chinese Way of Life in Moosejaw. An Interview with Weiye Su.

The reason why this director made A Passage Beyond Fortune is because of the false information being spread for the sake of bringing in the money.

Now available to stream on TheNFB.ca

Weiye Su is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker with a goal, and that’s to dispel the myths concerning the underground tunnels that exist underneath the city of Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. What’s offered is a falsehood. After his family relocated here many years ago, what he wanted to discover about the past concerning fellow Chinese as this country was being built is important. He knew very early on their stories aren’t as well known, and he’s given one family a chance to be heard in A Passage Beyond Fortune.

Ultimately, this mini-documentary is about the legacies that those Asians crafted with their own hands. Although the United States is considered a land of opportunities more so than Canada, both have an important place in history. As most scholars know, in those early settlement years and even throughout the Depression, not everyone treated foreigners kindly. This filmmaker’s goal is to explore the proper cultural contexts and reverence, than to present stigmatized notions on what life was like back then. He also recommends reading Brian S. Osborne’s essay, Moose Jaw’s Tunnel Vision: Mystery, History, and the Construction of ‘Canada’s Most Notorious City.’

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A Geek’s Guide to the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

We offer our list of must sees at the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and they include a mix of short animated works along with three features!

All hands are on deck for the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and it’s resumed being a mostly in-person event. A small selection of works will be made available online and what attendees should check out are its shorts program! All the fantasy and genre works are found here, and what I offer as a highlight of what to look for those attending.

Although some pieces are tough to group according to the name of the program, what I offer will be by genre tag. Thus, in the animated category, I’m particularly excited for Colorville, Rem Koolhaus’ Music Video Kajo, The Old Young Crow, Tala’s Bedtime Story, and Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun.

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Rama Rau’s Coven Boldy Demystifies What Being a Witch is About!

This documentary seeks to demystify the occult side of what Witchcraft is truly about. And in Coven, Rama Rau takes a look from the perspective of three ladies living an independent life in Toronto.

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In entertainment, witches often get a bad reputation, and it is up to filmmakers like Rama Rau to present the correct facts. Her excellent documentary, simply titled Coven, presents a side of the craft which is not altogether strange. It’s mostly about community and reverence to the old ways before the coming of organised religion. But even then, those new ways of worship isn’t always a factor. What we see here is what it means to not only be an individual, but also become part of a commune.

That alone makes this cinematic study worthy of an award. One detail that’s understated is the rule of three. In this work, the lives of three women are examined. It’s not a reference to the Wayward Sisters from Shakespeare’s play and nor are they representative of the norns of lore. All they are women seeking to understand their past life, present state of affairs and future with this craft without prejudice.

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Little Richard. He’s Everything, Everywhere and a Crazy Rocker All At Once!

Newcomers will find this Little Richard, I Am Everything very revealing. We even learn about his switch to gospel, and a lot more.

Screening and Ticketing Info can be found at LittleRichardDocumentary.com

Anyone who knew who Richard Wayne Penniman was before becoming the musician that he is really requires knowing the era and influences that turned him into Little Richard, I Am Everything. This cinematic presentation is getting special one day screenings around America (please check local listings), and I hope it’ll arrive at streaming services soon afterwards.

What’s offered is a perfect introduction and a look back at music history. Throughout the 50s and 60s, race relations through the Bible belt were difficult and when it pertained to music, tracking everything that went on is a scholarly study in itself! To talk about how Penniman struggled is just as important. Nearly every beat and problem is explored, including his homosexuality.

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