Road Trip Archives | Otaku No Culture

In Its Wake Takes Place in the Belly of the Beast, A Movie Review

What’s presented in In Its Wake is a slasher film with up-and-coming talents wanting a creature feature to add to their resume.

Uncork’d Entertainment
Now available to on VOD & DVD

Lee Foster‘s horror film, In Its Wake, is surprisingly accurate as far as the folklore is concerned. One reason this film caught my attention is that I can’t get enough of cinematic interpretations of the Wild Hunt! And whether it’s realised as an indie film or even a grander vision in the scale of Guillermo del Toro, I’ll watch them all! That’s because the significance of this supernatural act varies region to region. Some might say it’s to prevent the horrors of hell from terrorising the living, but others will know their appearance is a portent of an upcoming calamity!

In this film, this writer/director borrows from Germanic tradition, even though much of the tale takes place in some corner of Canada. Although the story is a continent away from where the WIld Hunt traditionally takes place, I can feign ignorance for now.

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Mad Cats is Mad Cap Hiliarity that only Reiki Tsuno Can Realise!

Mad Cats is one heck of a roller coaster ride of an action flick and a laugh out loud road trip movie at the same time.

Playing at Fantasia Film Festival Aug 4, 2023
For tickets, please visit the link here.

Mad Cats is more than just another absurdist fantasy, and I rather enjoyed how it brought the Egyptian veneration of felis catus to a Japanese film. Here, a cult of cat-women are hell-bent on taking out a mega corporation. While the motives aren’t entirely clear, I would not question it. Although this micro-budget film didn’t go all out in the makeup department to make this villainous cast look feline, it’s easy to understand why they are completely human. If they don’t totally blend in, then to attack their targets would be a lot more problematic.

This group of warriors serve Bastet. And as for why they’re targeting Japanese pet shop owners is because of Mune Kurosawa (So Yamanaka) ticking off this Egyptian goddess. After locating the seat of her power and finding where she stashes her catnip, he’s caged up for his transgression.

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Where is the Journey in Katak: The Brave Beluga?

10th Ave Productions is a relatively small animation studio aspiring to create big things with Katak: The Brave Beluga.

Playing at select cinemas.

Movies like Katak: The Brave Beluga can have a difficult time standing out. This French-Canadian produced film made a few waves in the last week of February playing nationwide. As for crossing the sea to be known in other territories like the main character (voiced by Alexandre Bacon) did, means there’s going to be an uphill struggle. Not only are there bullies in this journey to find his place in an aquatic society but also, not everyone is willing to aide him along the way.

Here, this young whale is out to fulfil his ailing grandmother’s last wish, and that’s to reunite the family. He never met grandpa, and he migrated away to somewhere in the Arctic. To find him will be tough when considering the vastness but in what this film lacks in spirit, there’s lots of heart put into this coming of age and road trip journey.

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PIXAR’s Cars on the Road. So Where Should We Go Next, Mader?

The next season of Cars on the Road can showcase parts of America on those roads less travelled–pardoning the pun–like visiting…

Spoiler Alert

Disney/PIXAR‘s Cars on the Road is a far more entertaining work than the films. The big reason is that each 10 minute episode pays tribute to a specific film genre and changes the road trip formula around a little. Everything one would expect to happen, happens, but there’s more going on than meets the eye, including meeting a few “transforming” vehicles.

From your classic Horror to Western homages, the gambit doesn’t end there. The influence is perfect. I find “Lights Out” very appropriate for the October season, and when I saw The Shining references, I was beside myself. I assume Steve Purcell did most of the work than John Lasseter.

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Mali Elfman’s Haunting Next Exit is Ready to Be Found

Mali Elfman’s film Next Exit is headed to theatres after Halloween than during, and that’s okay for those who are not in a hurry to die.

Opening Nov 4, 2022 in theatres and VOD

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

Mali Elfman‘s search an afterlife gets answered in her haunting movie, Next Exit. It’s headed to select theatres and VOD after Halloween, and the timing is perhaps on purpose so that those people wanting scares can get just that in October, and more thoughtful discourses on the month following. After a successful run at Fantasia (review here), it’s been picked up by Magnet Releasing.

This filmmaker said, “My grandmother would ask me this before she passed away. She wanted to understand what would happen next. I used to tell her, ‘I don’t know what ghosts are, but I do know that there is more to life than what I know – and yes, I do believe that they are real in a way. I believe we make them real.’

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