Tag: Science Fiction

Fantasia Film Festival 2025 More Epic Picks of Must Sees!

When Fantasia Film Festival is the place to be for films old and new set within the genre of speculative fiction, it’ll have a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy, and this list considers them all!

Fantasia Film Festival 2025 Movie PosterWith the complete list of films and shorts fully announced, the 2025 edition of Fantasia Film Festival has a terrific selection of films to get fans of Asian cinema buzzing. That’s because anyone fresh from seeing STRANGE TALES: LAN RUO TEMPLE aka Curious Tales of a Temple (as Light Chaser Animation lists it) can see a revisionist version of “Nie Xiaoqian” with a cinematic presentation of Chinese Ghost Story 3 (Aug 3)

Even though that means racking up tons of air miles points to fly from China to Montreal, it might be easier to rent the film originally made in 1991. But then, one would miss out on seeing The Battle Wizard (July 20th), a fun Shaw Brothers Studio production considered by many a cult work.

With those two works said, the following remaining films make my list of must-see this hot summer season.

Queens of the Dead
Aug 02

Queens of the Dead Movie PoserIt’s Easter in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and a different resurrection is at hand. Dre (LOVE LIES BLEEDING breakout Katy O’Brian) is putting on a warehouse drag show, trying to deal with her lead performer’s last-minute cancellation, among other problems. One that she never could have imagined is a zombie apocalypse breaking out in her neighbourhood, which besieges her and her team while her wife Lizzy (Riki Lindhome, THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW), a nurse at a local hospital, tries to dodge the flesh-eating hordes and get across town to Dre. As the trapped party crew deal with various interpersonal issues—most notably the sudden return of Sam, a.k.a. Samoncé (Jaquel Spivey, MEAN GIRLS), some time after abandoning Dre and her show at a crucial moment—they’re forced to resolve their differences and band together and survive.

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When PIXAR’s Elio is Wishing Upon A Star. Does He Know Who He Is?

The question of what Elio can become depends on where he can fit in.

Elio Movie PosterAlthough PIXAR’s latest film, Elio, doesn’t quite soar to the heights of the studio’s earlier space-set stories, its heart is undeniably in the right place. The film follows a young boy (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) grappling with loneliness after the loss of his parents. Isolated at school and barely bonding with his overworked aunt, Elio retreats into daydreams of the stars—until one night, fantasy becomes reality.

Rather than face military camp, he sends a hopeful message into space, only to be abducted by aliens who hilariously misinterpret his call as an official message from Earth’s leader. The setup is absurd in the best way, and kicks off a cosmic misadventure through a bizarre intergalactic council known as the Communiverse.

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Who Is The Dream Hacker When Reality Gets Screwed?

“Dream Hacker” is an action thriller that explores a shared subconscious mind and dream technology, raising intriguing questions about sentience and the collision of waking and sleeping worlds, though some plot points and character explanations remain perplexing.

One Tree EntertainmentOne Tree Entertainment
Spoiler Alert

When the world the subconscious mind exists in is a shared environment, the concepts the movie Dream Hacker offers are right up my alley! I’ve been looking at works which explore this concept and readers can expect a few more reviews. When neuroscientist Jennifer Connelly (Molly Hanson) enters this realm and realizes the technology can also be used to enter the minds of others, her colleagues want to know more!

When this film is made up of two plots, this film isn’t just another action thriller. A significant plot point occurs when the protagonist accidentally enters the mind of Candy (Hannaj Bang Bendz), leading to problematic ramifications despite Jen’s good intentions to help her escape real-life problems. Also, when part of Jen’s technology includes a program named Adam (Luke J I Smith) to help her navigate this realm, I like to know how he upgraded itself.

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Free RPG Day 2025 Edition Is Right ‘Round the Corner!

Free RPG Day is about two weeks away, and we have compiled a list of items known to be offered this year!

Free RPG Day 2025 LogoFree RPG Day 2025 is on Saturday, June 21, 2025, and I hope to get a new set of dice this year! However, this annual event doesn’t promise everything and I can only cross my fingers. Some years are better than others in terms of what cool stuff gets offered, and I’ve covered the recent years since getting back into the hobby.

It all depends on how much “product” each gaming company wants to reveal. Quite often, they are quick-start rules to popular fantasy or sci-fi worlds. When TCGs and Wargaming are the mainstay for most operations, the fact there’s a day to celebrate the other side of the hobby says it all. Although the list of items being offered is still being announced a bit at a time, what I’ve compiled at the time of writing to posting is a list of products known so far:
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With Lilo and Stitch in 2025, What’s Significantly Bad Isn’t All That Extremely Good

Disney really should stop remaking fond classics, especially with Lilo and Stitch, and simply concentrate on coming up with original material.

Lilo and Stitch 2025 PosterSpoiler Alert

The live-action Lilo and Stitch movie will not please everyone, and when it’s significantly different from the original material, not everyone is going to enjoy it. When this young girl’s relationship (wonderfully played by Maia Kealoha) with Myrtle (Emery Hookano-Briel) is nonexistent, I groaned. Their conflict makes up a significant part of the series as this rival believes her family is better than most Polynesians. To be exact, this girl has a superiority complex. And as for the two aliens who would eventually become friends with the title characters, even I was wondering why change them up that much?

A lot of the humour comes from Jumba’s mad god complex and Pleakley’s belief he knows this world. Even in the alt-universe versions of the series, the new showrunners never changed their purpose; and I’ve looked at both Stitch! and Stitch and Ai (review links) to know why some characters stick around. Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen are decent when performing their own stuff, but when trying to live up to the past material, they really do not measure up.

Without this double act done proper, what’s presented doesn’t make too much sense. I wanted to hear the big hippo hybrid speak with a Russian accent. As for the one eyed alien, what made him a fan favourite is because of all the cross-dressing ventures. Even in human form, to see Billy confused about gender roles and still wear a dress would’ve been a hoot, but it was not done! Continue reading “With Lilo and Stitch in 2025, What’s Significantly Bad Isn’t All That Extremely Good”

Thoughts on the Kung Fury 2 Leak And How to Save It

If you didn’t hear the news about the Kung Fury 2 leak, then I got a recap before the video got taken down and thoughts on who should help bring it to the masses.

Kung Fury 2 Temp PosterWild Eye Releasing should pick up the tab to deliver David Sandberg’s sequel to Kung Fury. This homage to various genres, ranging from 80s style tokusatsu to buddy cop to sci-fi is a godsend. Kung Fury 2 is a no hold barred bonkers as Last Action Hero! Thankfully, newcomers or those who haven’t heard of this cult film can find the original on YouTube (or scroll to the end of this article to see the short).

If you are a fan of Power Rangers or even TMNT, this indie movie is for you! It’s a wonderfully hilarious parody of 80s schlock cinema, and all those cheap budget exploitation films from the 70s even count too! Apparently, last Friday a sizzle reel of the sequel leaked online, and with no surprise, it’s no longer available. Other folks may have since reposted it, but there’s no word on when those will disappear too. Someone might attempt to put it online again on another, less vigilant service.

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