Tag: History

Vancouver’s Most Haunted in Review

In what Vancouver’s Most Haunted best offers are a few updated on some well known haunts.

Vancouver's Most HauntedTorchwood Editions
Available to order on Amazon USA

Although Ian Gibbs of Victoria’s Most Haunted (2017) didn’t take a road trip to explore the rest of Haunted Vancouver Island to put into a new book (it’s been tackled by Shannon Sinn), he is back examining the Lower Mainland instead! This time, he’s delving into the secrets Greater Vancouver has tucked away. Instead of always tackling the most well-known places, he went around to find other incidents in Vancouver’s Most Haunted: Supernatural Encounters in BC’s Terminal City.

I’ve looked at his first collection (review here) and it’s an enjoyable read. This latest shows how his narrative has developed over the years. When Gibbs is not telling tales of meeting the undead as one of the many guides in Victoria, BC’s Discover the Past’s Ghostly Walks, he’s working on his next Ghost n’ Bears podcast. What he enjoys the most is extoling the incident that helped shaped the transition of human to spirit. Sometimes, as with a certain “Private Home on Marine Drive,” it’s about testing the cultural mainstays of whether other ethnic cultures believe in this world or not. Kristy’s (not her real name) experience of staying at her grandparent’s luxury home is a standout. It is this chapter and another run-in at a private residence that I found the most engaging to read.

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The Details May Be With The Crown’s Season Four Release to Setup Spencer

While the world is eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of Spencer November 5th, the fourth and final volume to The Crown will be released days prior.

Vancouver's Most HauntedAvailable to preorder on Amazon USA

Release Date: Nov 2, 2021
Sony Entertainment

While the world is eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of Spencer November 5th, the fourth and final volume to The Crown will be released days prior. This week may well be a time reserved for British Royal observers as both products delve into the sordid relationship Prince Charles and Lady Diana. As for which is required viewing, that’s going to be tough to say as both are dealing with specific moments with a heavy dramatic flair.

SYNOPSIS
As the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles, who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War. While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer provides a much-needed fairy tale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal Family is becoming increasingly divided.

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From Graphic Novel to Film, The Secret Path’s Hidden Message…

This work is a highly emotional piece. A box of tissues is recommended because of the visual narrative presented.

Secret Path - WikipediaPlaying at Devour! Food & Film Festival In-Person and Online

Oct 21, 2021 10 to 11am
Al Whittle Theatre
Wolfville NS

Tickets are $5

Also available on Apple TV

The animated film adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel, The Secret Path, may seem like an unusual choice for a film festival about food, but I know why. It’s essential to know this bit of Canadian history and its presentation on the big screen will make the message all the more powerful. This offering is part of this year’s RBC Big Picture Program. Its focus is on how cinema can teach kids in schools about various impacts in society, history and the environment. The organizers behind this program are Devour! Film and Food Fest and Nourish Nova Scotia.

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Delving into What Makes LAAPFF’s Pacific Cinewaves Shorts Unique

How to Catch a Taotaomona

Playing at the
Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center
1000 W Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

Saturday | September 25, 2021
3:30 pm

The Pacific Cinewaves Program at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival is my go to for kick starting this event. It’s free / pay what you can, because there’s no reason not to miss all the messages being delivered about how to preserve the ancient world of Polynesia. 

The various pieces offer a delightful, supernatural and meditative exploration on what makes this part of the world unique. I say this with mixed feelings, because not all the countries in this vast region are represented. We have Guam, and a beautifully family oriented tale about how to reconnect with one’s faith in How to Catch a Taotaomona. 

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From TIFF to OIAF to ImagineNATIVE. TheNFB’s The Hidden Island of Ethics

The Hidden Island of Ethics about contrasts is beautiful in its construction. This young girl and her world are brought to three-dimensional life as fully realized puppets and set pieces.

Meneath The Hidden Island of EthicsOfficial Selection at
TIFF (Sept 9-18), OIAFF (Sept 22-Oct 3) and
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (Oct 19-24)

Please check links for showtimes

Anyone who has followed the media reports about the discovery of a mass grave on the grounds of a residential school in Kamloops, BC, may find Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics disturbing. Children from local tribes were plucked away from their families because someone thought it was best to teach them a different way of life. These places were operated by the Catholic Church, and it didn’t change hands until much later. The Canadian Government never knew what went on, and was left holding the bag.

This stop motion animated work by Terril Calder is evocative, powerful and moving. The story she constructed is an eerie look at what may have happened back then. Thankfully, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel in this tale.

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Malika Warrior Queen Slashes Her Way into Bookstores Today!

Not everyone will know YouNeek Studio’s teaser trailer to bring her story into the animated front. It has the feel of Black Panther’s world being further expanded upon.

Vancouver's Most HauntedDark Horse Comics
Available Now

Volume One available to purchase on Amazon USA and Volume two (Dec 22, 2021) available to pre-order.

Malika Warrior Queen has a Dark Horse behind it to help captivate a new generation of readers about African history and mythology. This work really can’t be read in one night, but in what I could finish, I was amazed and educated at the same time. While the main protagonist is a Xena-like character, if I had to make comparisons, the real inspiration is with Queen Anima of Zazzau, a real warrior queen who lived in the 15th century.

Not everyone will know YouNeek Studio‘s teaser trailer to bring her story into the animated front. It has the feel of Black Panther’s world being further expanded upon. After all, Africa is vast, with many tribal nations covering the jungle and desert expanse. The wars they have amongst one another and within the family say it all. I can only imagine Frank Miller did a lot of research into the outlying regions to get a feel of how terrifying, dramatic, mystic and warlike this world was before deciding that a tale of the Persian Empire is easier. Writer Roye Okupe crafted a tale that’s nicely broken up into units, and I’m not finished with this saga to say how it all cumulates. The fact this this reprint is also venturing off into the future suggests fantastic things when considering the fate of this new ruler.  Continue reading “Malika Warrior Queen Slashes Her Way into Bookstores Today!”