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To Hail a Lunar New Year with 2024’s Ape x Mecha Ape: New World Order

Even though The Asylum’s mockbusters are just that, sometimes there’s a diamond in the rough that gets my attention. When the focus is away from a mutant lizard, Ape x Mecha Ape: New World Order is surprisingly watchable.

Ape X Mecha Ape New World Order Available to view on Google Play and Prime Video
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The Asylum is a movie studio well known for its parodies of blockbuster films, and sometimes they create a hidden gem I enjoy. What writer/director Marc Gottlieb got right in Ape X Mecha Ape: New World Order to honour that kaiju spirit. The biggest surprise is the design of the robot! I’d gladly have a model of it stomping on 1998s Godzilla on my shelf!

But for the former, as this planet’s saviour (sort of), the giant sized Abraham knows something the humans do not at the start of this film. And all his human watchers can do is stand by the sidelines and watch the devastation. If that’s not what a typical Toho film from the 70s looks like, then maybe someone can enlighten me. After this monkey’s first confrontation with a worm from outer space, all I wanted to see was who would win during round two!

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A Creature Was Stirring Arrives on Home Video This Week to Scare Up Love

When considering a tiny part of A Creature Was Stirring takes inspiration from Judy Collin’s holiday poem, I’m guessing there are more elements in play that neither friend and foe realise.

A Creature Was Stirring Blu-ray — Available to stream or purchase on Amazon USA

Well GO USA
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Although the creature feature A Creature Was Stirring had limited theatrical screenings last month, I had my plate full on what to enjoy over the holiday season. This eerie variation of a trapped in a cabin in the woods’ scenario would eventually get viewed, and I’m hoping the coming home video release will offer a behind-the-scenes featurette to explain the finer points.

This tale about a mighty morphing porcupine has the vibe of a Stuart Gordon film. And when the focus is not about two teens claiming to be Jehovah’s witnesses entering into a situation they are totally unprepared for, what’s presented is more familial.

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The Marvels, Who Shall Rise and Who Shall Fall-or Should That Be Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

Even though the Marvels are mostly about giving Kamala a place in the MCU, I can’t help but think she’s replacing Peter Parker.

The Marvels One Shot Final Poster Spoiler Alert

The latest movie set in the MCU, The Marvels, feels a lot more like a Disney movie, and whether that’s a good thing depends on how often The Mouse interferes with Kevin Feige’s plans. This architect has a goal, and this film offers a mixed bag of entertainment that’s not always like a Marvel comic book. Here, what I see is a lot more development of the characters from the streaming series. That is, not everyone would’ve watched Ms. Marvel and Wandavision.

Thankfully the film begins very easily, and gets viewers up to speed. It’s easy to see why the very plucky Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) has a huge case of hero worship to work through before she can be a true hero. Meanwhile, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) has other issues when it comes to dealing with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson). However, there were many times I thought this film is simply season two of Ms. Marvel.

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Listing All The Significant Events in the Transformers Timeline is Needed to Make Sense of the Big Picture

Here, we present a chart of everything you need to know in the Transformers timeline to know where this franchise is headed!

The order of which live-action Transformers movies to watch first is easy to figure out, but to understand where all the events fall into place in this Transformers timeline is haphazard. It requires rewatching the films again or looking at a good movie information page to review what’s significant. After catching the early access release of the latest film yesterday, I realised I had to make this chart in order to identify the master plan.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts Movie Poster

After Rise of the Beasts, the Optimus Prime we meet isn’t the same as the one from those early films. He’s a lot more rough at the edges, and to explain if he left Earth at some later point in time only to return again in Michael Bay’s film may well have long time viewers confused. That’s assuming this filmmaker’s movies are still important to the longer narrative. It’s possible that Hasbro and all the producers will have to decide to return to the present to address the story as it’s still left untold.

Even though Bumblebee is considered a soft reboot by ignoring the future by giving us tales set in the past, at some point the narrative has to return to the now to explain a huge plot hole.

Thus, we have the following points to consider from the Transformers timeline (spoiler alert):

17,000 B.C. (Transformers 2) – The First Cybertronians discover a method to harness the power of the Sun, and when one of them selects Earth’s solar system to burn out, he gets banished. His evil decision went against their prime directive.

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When Evil Dead Rise Takes the Franchise to New Places, the Results are…

All I can hope for is that we have more details in Evil Dead Rise unfold in the same vein as Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

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Lee Cronin‘s Evil Dead Rise takes the Sam Raimi’s horror franchise to all new places, and there’s no rhyme or reason behind it. There’s no mention of the deadites, and some new world building has me believing they’ve existed since time immemorial! Even though plenty of character and visual aesthetics from the classic exist in this latest, they felt tacked on than worked into the tale.

A certain formula has to be followed. Characters have to be introduced, the Naturom Demonto needs to be found, and the terror gets awakened. The early movies didn’t go far in terms of what it means to unleash the demons in the psychological sense, but here, we’re treated to a deeper story:

Beth (Lily Sullivan) is pregnant, and she hopes to get some help from her sister. Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) may well not be the right person. She’s a single mother raising three kids–Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). She’s not without her problems too; her husband left her, and if that’s not enough, the L.A. apartment she lives in is condemned, and she really should move. Continue reading “When Evil Dead Rise Takes the Franchise to New Places, the Results are…”

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, A Modern Family Comedy than All Out Fantasy

In the long run, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is more about celebrating the game’s 50th anniversary one year early.

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Thankfully, the adaptation of the granddaddy of all role-playing games to cinema lives up to most expectations. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves because of the trailers. It had more of a Marvel movie vibe than anything else.

The full presentation should have dialled the laughs down, and made the fantasy setting feel a bit more mediaeval. Thankfully, the horror elements are done right. The undead are real, and they are waiting to conquer the Forgotten Realms. The armies of Szass Tam are the evil dead and living beings are needed to make new ones. And when Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) crosses paths with them, the trouble only gets worse.

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