Tag Archives: Movies

Godzilla Day is Tomorrow! How are you Going to Roar in 2022?

2 Nov

Godzilla DayNov 3, 2022

From one monster bash to another, Godzilla Day is nearly here, and he’ll be 68 years old! Everyone can join in the fun world-wide and as for how we’ll be celebrating this event in Canada (Victoria, BC to be specific), we have combed through the lists to find what is appropriate. Even though the big are Japan and USA, that’s okay.

The real exclusives will be found at Kinokuniya Book Stores online store, and for those buying shirts, please bear in mind the metric system is much smaller than American. Best to buy two sizes up to be safe.

As for elsewhere, thankfully there are a few streaming options to make the thrill possible. We present a list of what to watch, read or play with!

Screenings (Theatrical and Streaming)

  • Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla is headed to U.S. theatres! This partnership with Fathom Events and Alamo Drafthouse will bring 2002’s classic to the big screen and it’s about stompin’ time!

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Hungry Ghost Festival 2022. Something Old and Something New in Movies That Chew Up the Concept.

20 Aug

Hungry Ghost FestivalSome years seem less spirited when films released near Hungry Ghost Festival offer nothing new. In entertainment, producers aren’t obligated to make a film during this time, as we get to see them year-round. Now that we are a week into this event, it’s time to consider what is available to watch–a mix of old and new. In the past two years, Ghost Lab (Thailand), and Irul: Ghost Hotel (Malaysia) and Umma (Korean-American) are three works worth checking out. The links providedd here go to their respective trailers on YouTube.

I won’t say too much about them, as what I’d reveal would be laden with spoilers. They are worth the time to catch, and they certainly had me considering going to sleep with the lights on. Thankfully they have a State-side VOD/Streaming release. Ghost Lab and Umma are on Netflix, and Irul is on Amazon Prime USA.

To round out this spooky list of four titles to check out, what I offer is a fond look back at an old, underappreciated Stephen Chow film, Out of the Dark, which deals with problematic ghosts. I feel this film truely represents everything the Hungry Ghost Festival is all about–placating and respecting those entities said to wander our world. When these spirits are out for vengence, just what can mortals do to turn things around? In this film’s case, turn to Leon (Chow), and hope this “professional” can bust some ghosts! Unfortunately, he’s a few cards short of a full deck, and he’s not quite the expert everyone makes him out to be.

Here, Mr. Li (Chi-Fai Chow) is scared that his late mother (Suk-Mui Tam) will return to haunt him. She blames him for her death, and that’s everything someone hoping their elder’s spirit is at peace doesn’t want! Add on top Kwan (Karen Mok) and some inept security guards who hire Leon to deal with this haunting, and everything that goes wrong will!

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12 Blockbuster Movies to Look Forward to in 2022

6 Jan

Blockbuster MoviesThere are plenty of movies to get excited for each year, and while most of those rescheduled films have finally hit theatres or streaming, Hollywood isn’t slowing down either for new products. Instead of reiterating what’s been pushed back again, I’m only touching on the new blockbuster movies that’ll be coming soon.

Advancing of ZQ
Feb 1 (China)

This comedy is due to hit theatres come Chinese New Year and it might get an America side screening in the weeks following. It’s a strange superhero family drama about Zheng Qian, the black sheep of the family, coming home and trying to make amends before his grandfather’s funeral.

When a meteorite strikes nearby and brings back the dead, the supernatural shenanigans don’t end there. The family has a rival out to get their fortunes and the Qians better have their act together than be splintered apart if they’re to save the day.

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Top Five Spooky Ghost Stories for the Winter Season (Part Two)

17 Dec

Kwaidan (1964) - Ghost StoriesBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

In part two, some ghost stories take advantage of the season more so than a specific day to deliver the chills. This list of ghostly tales considers how the land is ready to rebel against the wayfarer. 

Fighting the Wendigo isn’t tough, but rather is in why hasn’t it terrorized humanity sooner? There’s also the Yeti to consider, but those films involving a monster of the North or icy tundra are a dime a dozen. In keeping to the spirit, only shades are considered in this list:

Kwaidan “The Woman in the Snow” (1965)

This anthology series has one stand out for the season. The Woman in the Snow is about a woodcutter who meets an icy spirit. He would’ve been killed, but made a promise to not say a thing to anyone else about her. The chills are truly delivered when he forgets his promise ten years later…

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CNN’s The Movies Canadian Debut on Hollywood Suite, A Review

7 Aug

The Movies (miniseries) - WikipediaBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Canadian Debut
Now available on Hollywood Suite Network’s On Demand (please check provider) & beginning Aug 10.

The six-part CNN Original docu-series The Movies explores the movies that specifically came out of Hollywood. Although this focus drifts in later parts, each 90 minute segment (sans commercials) explores the influential films from each decade and there’s a lot! This work was released in 2019 to select markets and is making its Canadian debut on the Hollywood Suite Network next week.

Starting with the 70s (Instead of the Golden Age) as its first episode, we learn why going to the movies is important. The world has been enjoying cinema since the late 1890s with the silent film era–a time I thought was strangely not explored. Some info is offered when the film medium took off circa 1913. However, by the start of the talkies, those previous works aren’t always remembered. To explore the films from 1914 to 1969 is a vast range, and this series doesn’t explain why it’s all lumped together. The half-hour introduction explains why the people of the Depression era flocked to theatres. They wanted their daily news and escapism. Not immediately revealed was how World War II would influence the shorts offered; a lot of that material was propaganda.

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