Tag: Noir

The NFB’s Adds 2 New Comic Strip Chronicles and is Presenting at the Montreal Comic Arts Festival!

National Film Board of Canada LOGO

The National Film Board of Canada has humour and serious drama in store with two pieces now in its online Comic Strip Chronicles Collection. This series of shorts looks at the strong connection that exists with comic strips–in its traditional Sunday funnies format–with animation. When considering the latter, it also delves deep into thoughtful experiences too.

More events are planned this weekend. These two particular works will be screened at the Films et Table Ronde Entourant L’univers de la BD event (in French and organised by the NFB) and the Montreal Comic Arts Festival, beginning May 7.

There’s also a terrific retrospective written by Marc St-Pierre on The NFB’s blog to get readers up to speed on what the Animation Studio of the French Program has been up to in the past several years. The article is written in French, and it can be parsed through Google Translate.

Continue reading “The NFB’s Adds 2 New Comic Strip Chronicles and is Presenting at the Montreal Comic Arts Festival!”

Wei Xiang’s Too Cool To Kill is Hot and in North America!

Not everyone knows Too Cool to Kill is an adaptation of the Japanese film, The Magic Hour.

Too Cool to Kill Official Movie PosterWell Go USA
For showtimes and locations in North America, please visit the official English website.

Too Cool To Kill (这个杀手不太冷静) is too hot of a movie to handle. After its debut during the Lunar New Year in China as This Killer Is Not Too Calm–with terrific box office results–it’s coming to North America so Wei Xiang‘s comedic talent can be recognised.

The joy is in how this zany film pulls you into the life of Lyingtown with its sweeping Tim Burton style cinematography and iconic Euro style setting. The name of this sleepy seaside hamlet is intentional, as it foreshadows everything to come! Even the soundtrack establishes a Henry Mancini style tone.

After meeting the supporting cast of Mr. Harvey (Chen Minghao) nearly shot by the assassin Karl (Allen AI), we are introduced to Wei Chenggong (Xiang), a hasbin stand-in and part-time actor who hopes to make it big in Chinese Hollywood. But after the director MIller (Huang Cailun) chides him for his overacting, he’s asked to star in a bigger movie by the star of the show, Milan (Ma Li). The two happen to be siblings. But there’s a secret, the cameras will be hidden, and her agenda isn’t all that pure.

Continue reading “Wei Xiang’s Too Cool To Kill is Hot and in North America!”

Janie’s Got A Gun in Black Myth by Ahoy Comics!

This world isn’t any different from the classic World of Darkness scheme in the RPG world. In the first issue alone, I get the sense there’s also demons, vampires and other spooks hiding ’round the corner. We just may see them featured in upcoming issues.

Black's Myth #1By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Ahoy Comics
Now Available in Comic Stores
Spoiler Alert

Who needs an American Werewolf in London when there’s an Afro-American one in the mean streets of Los Angeles. Janie “Strummer” Jones is a P.I. on the hunt for the assassin out to kill her kind. She took one for the team, and thankfully survived. However, she has yet to identify the killer. Ben Si’lat is her assistant and a djinn to boot! He can’t grant wishes, but can help her out in other ways that she can’t. She can only do so much when in lupine form to use her enhanced senses.

This noir-style horror comic book from writer Eric Palicki and artist Wendell Cavalcanti has a lot to like. Presenting this world in B&W gives this world character. Plus, the blood splatters look better when painted in plain ol’ black.

Continue reading “Janie’s Got A Gun in Black Myth by Ahoy Comics!”

[2019 Fantasia] Beware the Ak-in-jeon

The Gangster The Cop and The Devil (Ak-in-jeon) is a mix of a crime and thriller genre, and it’s hard boiled enough to have me guess who is worse.

Ak-in-jeon posterWell Go USA

Plenty of idioms come to mind with this handsomely suave and sinister film from South Korea. The Gangster, The Cop and The Devil (also known as Ak-in-jeon) is a mix of a crime and thriller genre, and it’s hard boiled enough to have me guess who is worse. We have Tae-suk (Kim Moon-yul), a brutal policeman going vigilante on organized crime, Dong-soo (Dong-seok Ma), a gangster who could probably put musician Psy to shame for his sense of style, and K (Kim Sung-kyu) the serial killer who made the mistake of targeting Dong-soo. When this Al Capone wannabe’s reputation is tarnished, he has to do what’s right, and the film is a twisted cat-and-mouse game where no matter who gets whose desserts, the bloody outcome is going to be more than cherry red.

Cop and thief gang up, for lack of a better term, to go after the killer. The action is intense, and the film is all fortune for lots of glory! Plenty of action takes place in the streets, and the wry black humour is sharp. Even though the slow moments drag out the film, the wait for the next bloody conflict makes up for it.

Continue reading “[2019 Fantasia] Beware the Ak-in-jeon”

A Nerd’s Guide to the 2018 Victoria Fringe Festival

2018 Victoria Fringe FestivalI generally do not limit myself to the oddities which catch my interest at the 2018 Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival. The following are my nerdy style picks of the season, and only represent a part of the wide spectrum of delights offered. There are a few other shows which I plan to see, and hopefully, I can catch them all. No Pokemon GO references are expected this year but I have my reasons to be at each show early. The game continues with thanks to the die-hards, and I found my first Dragonite and Lapras before a show. Even told a group of performers where I found the latter, and they went chasing after one too. Yes, I’m wondering if this streak will continue.

For those who are not coming to this city for this celebration, most of these companies are touring and may well hit a celebration located near you. The season started a few months ago and stretch into the Autumn.

Disclaimer: Some of these shows use coarse language and are 18+

Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide to the 2018 Victoria Fringe Festival”

%d bloggers like this: