Interviews Archives | Otaku No Culture

The World of Science Fiction According to Richard Hatch 

Richard Hatch is more than just an actor these days. When attending pop culture conventions around the world, he doesn’t just want to spend time there; He likes to explore the city or town too!

Richard Hatch will be appearing at Island Fantasy Convention (Oct 31 – Nov 1) in Victoria, BC, Canada. Fans can get to meet this icon and hear about what he’s doing now. VIP Ticket holders can attend a special actor’s workshop he will be teaching Sunday morning.

Richard Hatch is more than just an actor these days. In addition, he’s a writer, director, producer, and humanitarian. When traveling to pop culture conventions, he sees it as an opportunity to explore the city. He likes to check out the local high schools, colleges and universities and sometimes a special program may manifest. Usually these pay-for workshops impart to a new generation his experiences. These self-improvement and acting classes he offers are just one of the many things he now does. And what people can leave with is in knowing the future is bright and there’s no need to wear shades.

“I’m interested in helping humanity to grow, to heal and be forgiving,” said Hatch. “I like appearing in projects that will touch people’s hearts, open their minds and help them move beyond their bias and prejudices.”

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Looking at Launch Pad Production’s Past, Present & Future with Arkenham Abbey, a Preview

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Arkenham Abbey Poster(1)

Christina Patterson and David Radford are the heart and soul of Launch Pad Productions, a Victoria, BC based theatre company, and they have a new production coming up that will be a delight to Batman fans. They are presenting Arkenham Abbey, a horror comedy which pays homage to the comics, TV shows and films about this Dark Knight. It will be playing at Craigdarroch Castle starting October 15th and leading up to Halloween.

I started noticing them when I decided to make attending shows at The Castle an annual tradition. They appeared in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2009) and Dracula: The Blood is the Life (2012/13). In alternating years, I saw what they did at 2011 the Victoria Fringe Festival was more than fun. They showed a true love for the medium. Tara Firm and the Lunar War Chronicles (2011), according to Radford, is a Teslapunk styled story than steampunk. His imaginative spirit is captivating and he knows how to write for his wife, Christina. I had always hoped for a continuation of this saga and was told that if there’s a venue to continue it at, it would be at the Victoria Event Centre. Hopefully I did not miss any advertising for it, but alas there were years where my nose was stuck behind many an academic book. In what I took from my past inquiry with Radford, I instantly knew he was a literary nerd and it seems there’s many in this community who are just the same. When the cast included my favourite one-man act, Charlie Ross (One Man Star Wars and One Man Lord of the Rings), I knew everyone in this company are big-time pop culture geeks.

Batman is loved by all. Ross will be putting on his condensed version next year in Vancouver and for Patterson and Radford, they have Arkenham Abbey to treat Victorians with. For the folks who thought Giggling Iguana Productions has left the building without leaving a surprise will be glad to know that Launch Pad is the group who is taking over.

“We were very privileged to have Ian pass this torch to us,” said Patterson, “We will continue to uphold the standard of great Halloween entertainment modelled by Giggling Iguana.”

To truly discover who they are, I had a chance to talk to this couple about their beginnings, their company and what’s in store for this play. When I look at the towering spires at this venue, I’m often wondering if there are bats up there or if a ghost is lurking behind The Castle’s walls.

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Can Pop Culture Fandom Return to Victoria, BC with Island Fantasy Convention?

Island Fantasy Convention
Oct 31 to Nov 1, 2015
Pearkes Recreation Centre
3100 Tillicum Rd.

Tickets available
at Legends Comics, Incendiary Tattoos, Dragon Impact, Epic Games Style & Print or online through EventBrite

Weekend pass: $45
Saturday: $30, Sunday: $25

Over the past 25 or so years, the City of Victoria has seen pop culture conventions come and go. None of them were steady and one of my earliest memories was attending I-Con and sponsored shows, namely Star Trek, that had fans congregating inside the Royal Theatre for speeches. I haven’t been to all of them, but my introduction to this scene was in the late 80’s, when the Empress Hotel was used at the venue for the Big Brothers & Sisters comic book charity show. They brought talent from New York. Artists like Sergio Aragonés (Groo) and Howard Chaykin (The Shadow) were present. I met the editorial staff from Marvel, and I remember getting Jim Shooter and Archie Goodwin’s autograph. That was the grandest time of my life. Those were the good old days, and that was quite the show that made me a nerd for life. While I continued my love by leaving this city for the bigger shows in the late 90’s (there was nothing after I-Con died), I still yearned for a stable fandom event in the city that I call home.

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Going Behind the Scenes with the Return of Anglicon!

Fri, June 12 through Sun, June 14, 2015
The DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel
18740 International Blvd. Seattle, WA 98188

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Fans of Doctor Who should take note: a regeneration of a beloved convention is happening in the Pacific Northwest. Shawn Marier is leading a team of enthusiasts to bring back Anglicon!

This event celebrates British popular culture and it originally ran from 1988 to 2004. Back then, declining interest in shows from across the pond was part of the reason why it no longer continued. Although nobody was certain about BBC’s seminal show returning to screens the next year, interest started growing again especially during the David Tennant years. In the West Coast, only Gallifrey One prospered, but there were limitations because of the venue limiting the numbers. To see interest in British programming return is more than just a godsend.

Marier is a fixture in the Pacific Northwest scene since the late 80’s. Having been involved in this region’s many events celebrating pop culture fandom over the years, working behind the scenes and acting as convention chairman, the one thing that really mattered to him was to help give back to the fan base. The theme of the convention never mattered since it was about the people and camaraderie that can be experienced in the shows put on by dedicated fans for fans.

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The Great (Geeky) Digital Film Festival Begins Jan 30th!

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hellboy_320x474-1 Cineplex Entertainment’s Great Digital Film Festival is no doubt going to delight geeks, nerds and cinema buffs starting January 30th all across Canada. This year has a lot of comic book properties being played out and that shows where the direction of pop culture cinema has been and will be headed. With movies ranging from Dick Tracy to the X-Men, the latter is going to be a mega-marathon that will start from the latest film, Days of Future Past, and go backwards to the original — all happening on Saturday. For Darkman and Dick Tracy, this year marks their films’ 25th anniversary!

“The best way to see any movie, no matter what hands-down, is to see it in the theatre,” said Canada AM film journalist, Reel to Real co-host and author Richard Crouse. “I like seeing movies on the big screen — the way the director intended it.”

The experience is all in the sound and vision, and to see it in any other way, 3D and IMAX screens included, really depends on what the filmmakers really wanted for the product. Thankfully, no funky glasses are required in this celebration but for folks wondering what to see, Cineplex theatres has 16 films to choose from and 5 days for people to see as many or as few as they want. Tickets start at $6.99 and drop to $6.50 when more films are added.

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An Interview with the Producers of Black Fly

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Playing at Cinecenta
University of Victoria
January 20th
7pm and 9:15pm

Vancouver based writer / director Jason Bourque is certainly looking to break away from the norm. While his work in genre movies like Doomsday Prophecy and documentaries like Dreams of Flight helped establish him, the movies he directed for SyFy like Seattle Superstorm is a far cry from what he wants to express creatively. His first dramatic feature film, Black Fly, was easy to write and perhaps quite terrifying to express since a crime scene was unfolding about a well-known serial killer, Noel Winters, back when he was growing up and living in New Brunswick.

“Describing situations inspired by my personal experiences gave the script an honesty that sometimes can be difficult to find in other work,” said Bourque, “As a young teen, discovering that we had a serial killer as a neighbour left an indelible mark on me. It was a story that haunted me; I knew it was one I needed to tell.”

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