Tag: Sequel

What’s Next after The Batman? One Fan’s Wish…

As for what writer/director Matt Reeves has in mind, it’s safe to say we’ll see more threats in the sequel to The Batman and it’ll come from terrorists.

The Batman (film) poster.jpgThe war with gangsters is only going to be bloodier in The Batman. This movie is part one to a three film arc because we’re not offered a clean ending. Confirmed news include a spinoff series about The Penguin and Arkham Asylum. There may also be other empires who’ll descend on the power vacuum left behind after a certain Al Capone type meets his untimely death. Gotham City will never find peace. It’s not in the cards. Not even the Mad Hatter has those kinds of grandiose plans, but I’d be beside myself should that be the case!

As for what writer/director Matt Reeves has in mind, it’s safe to say we’ll see more threats from terrorists. It’s not likely the Justice League will help; an accidental entry from a parallel Earth might appear, but that’ll be it. This product is very standalone–much like The Joker–and we’ve always known the hero operates alone.

Continue reading “What’s Next after The Batman? One Fan’s Wish…”

In White Snake 2, The Tale is Really about the Tribulation of the Green Snake

White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake is a good enough tale to recommend viewing during Chinese New Year. Technically, this product wasn’t made with this celebration in mind. It’s more of a winter story because we’re dealing with depression and loss.

White Snake 2: The Tribulation of Green Snake“ reveals new poster Xiaoqing faces emotional test | Luju BarAvailable on Netflix
Spoiler Alert

Not everyone will be aware Light Chaser Animation Studios‘ White Snake has a sequel. It went from Chinese theatres straight to American streaming in 2021 and that’s a shame. White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake is retitled by Netflix as simply Green Snake. Here, the time spent to focus on Tang Xiaoxi searching for her sister in a post-apocalyptic world would’ve looked just as fantastic had it been given a chance to play on the big screen in North America. Instead, it’s being streamed.

And for home video collectors, the wait for a physical release is long; this service doesn’t like to offer it whereas in China, it’s possible to find, and perhaps bereft of a subtitle track. Although this movie works reasonably well as a stand-alone product, I recommend seeing this series as its originally intended by this studio over what North American producers have planned–to split them up. Although the setup does recount what has happened previously, to experience the first film again (movie review link) will have more of an impact.

Continue reading “In White Snake 2, The Tale is Really about the Tribulation of the Green Snake”

[Fantasia 2021] The Sensory Experience that is Phil Tippett’s Mad God

This mystery nightmare tour found in Mad God focuses on the descent through Hell–the ruins of Earth presumedly–with a nameless figure in search of something.

Phil Tippett's 'Mad God' Finally Arrives | Animation World NetworkFantasia Film Festival 2021
Encore performance Aug 24th 9:00 AM (EST)
Tickets can be purchased here

At a cursory glance, Phil Tippett’s Mad God looks like a product spat out of many creative minds. There that genre fans can recognize from the movies he’s worked on, namely Dragonslayer. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Robocop, but as for who produced this wild trip, the concept is 100% Phil.

The story came from a cumulation of experiences from this special effects maker’s life ever since he thought of it 30 years ago, and it took many more to realize. On this list includes the advice he was given from fellow filmmakers and also him reading a lot of Milton and Dante. The visuals are comparable to that of splicing all that’s creative from Tim Burton, Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, Jan Švankmajer, Guillermo del Toro and Guy Maddin’s into a huge melting pot, and it works. This master of stop-motion animation crafted a movie that would’ve been shelved for good had it not been for his fans and colleagues who said, you gotta finish it.

Continue reading “[Fantasia 2021] The Sensory Experience that is Phil Tippett’s Mad God”

Heading West with Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption was created as a spiritual sequel to Red Dead Revolve.

MarstonBy Shawn Trommeshauser
(Dreaming in Digital)

I don’t always get into shows and games while they’re current. A perfect example is how I’m finally watching HBO’s Westworld. I remember how the original trailer really caught my interest, but in the never-ending flood of media the modern world provides, I didn’t actually start watching until a few weeks ago. It’s FANTASTIC. No spoilers here. Just go see it if you have any interest in westerns and the nature of reality.

I would have been perfectly happy with how it ended, but there is a second season in the works, due to arrive April 22nd. In the meantime, however, it did leave me in the mood for more entertainment in a western setting. Then I remembered a game that, like Westworld, was extremely popular and while I enjoyed it for a few hours when it was new, never seriously sat down and gave it the attention it deserved.

Red Dead Redemption (available for purchase on Amazon)Red Dead Redemption was created as a spiritual sequel to Red Dead Revolver (also on Amazon)Red Dead Redemption, a straightforward action game for the PlayStation 2, and was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. It was developed by the legendary Rockstar Games who created many other world-famous titles over the years from the addictive Lemmings to the industry changing Grand Theft Auto series. Not directly tied to its predecessor other than its name, Redemption took much more inspiration from the scale and open world of the Grand Theft Auto games and shares many of the same conventions.

Continue reading “Heading West with Red Dead Redemption”