Tag: Mystery

Are The Three Investigators Trapped in Descent of the Dragon? They Need Help From Elsewhere….

Based on the trailer, The Three Investigators: Descent of the Dragon makes the team even younger, as tweens, and remains faithful to the core foundations of what made this series great.

The Three InvestigatorsThe Three Investigators are back and in this reboot subtitled, Descent of the Dragon, the cast has changed. From American to German talents, the reasoning is because this popular book franchise didn’t wane by much over the decades in other countries, whereas in America, it’s been largely forgotten. It’s sad, as I grew up on these books over Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.

The last two feature films were released back in 2007 (Secret of Skeleton Island) and 2009 (Secret of Haunted Castle). These adaptations of the novels aren’t hugely successful, and perhaps that’s because Terror Castle was the book title rather than film, which may have led some to not realise a sequel was made. Although much time has passed since then, 2023 marks the possible return of the series at least in Germany. In that country, this film is titled Die Drei ??? – Erbe des Drachen.

With Sony Pictures local division involved, I’m hopeful it won’t remain a regional release for long. Fans can reach out to this studio through social media to ask for a wider release. I didn’t notice until information about this film was brought up recently on Reddit, and I feel they deserve a new life back in the country where the story was first penned.

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Door Mouse. Is She Squeaky Clean in this Whodunit?

When this Door Mouse (Hayley Law) is a comic book illustrator whose second job is that of a burlesque performer, she better learn another occupation fast!

door mouseAvailable in select theatres and
digitally starting on January 13th

Elevation Pictures

Door Mouse has plenty of Quinten Tarantino and punk rock vibes in its story about Mouse (Hayley Law), a comic book illustrator whose only real paying job is that of a burlesque performer. But when her colleagues get kidnapped, she becomes a gumshoe with a mission–to protect her sisters from the hood. They either wind up dead or much worse. As a result, the cops dismiss the problem as not worth investigating. Instead of waiting to be a victim, she’d rather be a victor in this quirky indie film smartly written and well directed by Avan Jogia.

This movie’s greatest strength lies in how perfect the neo-noir atmosphere is realised. Not only is it coloured in pastel lights, but also we get an appropriate sound design to make the world feel grungy. Additionally, the illustrations are animated to recognize how this lead looks at the world. This approach works to explain why she’s drawing from her life experience to create her comic book. The grittiness that’s visualised makes me wonder if we’ll ever see a sampler as a booklet when the home video release is ready. The sketches I see makes me think this artist is inspired by Robert Crumb.

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Who is The Girl From the Other Side, and Should We Be Scared?

The author Nagabe created a wonderful world and the animated adaptation of e The Girl from the Other Side is leaving me begging for more.

The Girl From the Other Side, Siuil, a Run Volume One CoverPlaying at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival at the Aratani Theatre @ JACCC May 13, 2022 7:00 pm (BUY TICKETS) and coming to Fantasia 2022

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún (とつくにの少女) is a tale that deals with several themes. One is about a battle between man versus himself. Another is concerning redemption. There’s a curse affecting nearly everyone and a blight destroying a kingdom.

Anyone infected turns into a shadow of their former selves and when a lone individual (later named Teacher) finds a young girl (named Shiva) abandoned in the woods, he can’t leave her alone. Strangely, she doesn’t succumb to the darkness as others have. This tale takes on a tone which deserves more films to fully explore, explain and resolve–or I can read the finished manga.

My preferences is with the former since the artistic design is rapturous and Rie Takahashi, the voice of the young child is so cute! Even if I was to look at the printed version, I’ll have her voice stuck in my head.

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A Nerd’s & Safety Guide to the 2022 Victoria Film Festival

All anyone can do is stay informed to what the policies are should they want to attend a film festivals in-person.

Logo HeaderFilm festivals are continuing to be half in-person and half online as the world enters into year three of the pandemic. Sundance cancelled their physical edition and will be fully digital. It’s tough to say if smaller events in cities like Victoria, British Columbia will follow suit. As long as there’s no huge spike in hospitalizations, all anyone can do is stay informed to what the policies are should they want to attend in-person.

People going to a Victoria Film Festival screening must present their vaccination card and id. The check-in process should be even more machine-operated/contactless. When patrons are not eating or drinking, a mask must be always on. Additionally, there’s no advanced booking of seats for distancing between groups. This organisation isn’t likely to have enough volunteer power to enforce by doing high temperature checks, so everyone has to do their part to keep others safe. 

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The Hunt is on for Schemes in Antiques

Ultimately, this story is about broken relationships rather than a hunt for treasure.

Schemes In Antiques movie review (2021) | Roger EbertBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Well GO USA
Now Playing in Theatres
(Please check local listings)

Xu Yuan (Tao Guo) may well lose his head in Schemes in Antiques (古董局中局). This Chinese action-adventure flick examines the trade in artefacts, and I’m sure it’s even much worse should other nations get involved. In fact, this movie looks at the role the Japanese had when the head of Wu Zetian Mingtang (immortalised as a Buddha statue) is revealed to be a fake, and the real one must be found. 

The story picks up and moves like Tomb Raider (2018) without the blockbuster stunts and huge set design. It works because the budget is spent on getting deeply into the detail about what distinguishes a fake artefact from the real. There’s even some light humour added so that we’re getting a blend of shenanigans from the people who ally with Xu in his hunt for a lost head.

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