Tag: Stephen Fry

Lost in Time: Why Time Travel Is Dangerous When The Companions Prove More Interesting.

When Time Travel Is Dangerous starts slow and leans on nostalgia, the question of when it takes off depends. It omes alive when the hapless inventor and quirky side characters steal the spotlight.

Time Travel is DangerousAvailable to stream in select Geo-Locations

Time Travel Is Dangerous takes far too long to find its rhythm. While the second half finally clicks into gear, the weak opening leaves the film struggling to recover. Even after an attempted second watch, I found writer-director Chris Reading’s film isn’t sure what it wants to be: a comedy of errors about two shop owners, or something else entirely.

The setup borrows from better-known sci-fi sitcoms—whether a V: The Series style premise or a nod to Tom Baker-era Doctor Who—but the early pacing is uneven. The fun begins when the story hints at H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine, creating a curious blend of sci-fi farce and nostalgic homage, though the film never fully settles.

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How The Inventor (2023) Seeks to Change the World, A Movie Review

Leonardo da Vinci’s life has been retold countless times from various perspectives, and not all of them are as charming and magical as this take, simply titled The Inventor!

The Inventor (2023) Movie PosterSherry Media Group
Now on VOD (Amazon Prime link) and DVD

Nearly everything you want to know but were afraid to ask about the last decades of Leonardo da Vinci’s life is charmingly examined in the stop-motion masterpiece, The Inventor. I couldn’t spot anything that’s worth critiquing on since it’s so perfect in keeping me entertained. Not only does it have an internal rhythm like a nursery rhyme to entertain kids, but also just most of his diagrams and art gets blended in are very dreamlike.

Its whimsical style is as eye-catching as a Cartoon Saloon movie, and without Stephen Fry, I’d probably pass on viewing it. He knows how to keep an audience engaged and is no stranger to providing character voices. When considering his huge resume (which includes The Canterville Ghost), he’s just everywhere, delighting audiences with his performances. The plot, if there is one, really concerns how The Maestro managed to stay out of trouble. Although this movie doesn’t recount his early life, just where it comes in is at the height of his desire to reform Western Civilization.

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In the Animated Adaptation of The Canterville Ghost, There’s No Need to be Afraid of Virginia

Thankfully, a lot of key concepts from Wilde’s story are preserved in the animated adaptation of The Centerville Ghost and we get to meet the Grim Reaper too!

The Canterville Ghost Blue Fox Entertainment and Shout! Studios
Oct 20 (USA) and Dec 5 (Canada on Digital/VOD)

Out of all the many adaptations of Oscar Wilde‘s humorous supernatural short story The Canterville Ghost that I’ve seen, I still can’t decide which version is best. Upon visiting the animated take, there are bits to really like. Here, Virginia (Emily Carey) is a very confident young lady whom I’ve seen before. That’s because I’ve seen it in The Amazing Maurice. Robert Chandler produced that film along with this latest, and I’m sure Malicia and Virginia come from the same mould. Both aren’t afraid of no ghosts.

In the credits, Kim Burdon is also the co-director, and it’s tough to say how much of a contribution he made. As a newcomer to the field, maybe he handled the additions to the story, namely the running gag with Algernean Van Finchley (Merinda Hart) a wannabe Ghostbuster, complete with a Victorian age proton pack and trap. Thankfully, that isn’t overplayed and I’m fairly sure she doesn’t exist in Wilde’s tale. I’ll have to reread it to verify. If I’m wrong, I’m going to behave like Sir Simon de Canterville (Stephen Fry), bemoaning this add.

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On The Fear of Dancing with Michael Allcock

“My issue is more about why should I dance? I don’t really get anything out of it. My film is about letting go and we all have things that hold us back in life that we can’t overcome,” said Michael Allcock.

Fear of DancingBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

CBC Gem
Streaming November 27th, 2020

Some people may not necessarily to go “Slow dancing, Swaying to the Music” ala Johnny Rivers with that significant other or to “Pump up the Jam” with Technotronic. Children generally will do their thing on the dance floor. Teens, however, have a lot more to deal with when at that Winter formal. As for how many will skip the prom due to nerves, that’s subject to debate. But when an individual becomes an adult, just why they do or do not go clubbing, depends. Writer/Director/Narrator Michael Allcock is one of those persons who has a Fear of Dancing.

His filmography is vast. His two decade long career saw him work in various genres, but it’s his love for documentaries which drives him. He’s the creative mind behind Semisweet: Life in Chocolate and Kubo’s Crickets. He admits to simply being a hired gun to put together the narratives of many products–ranging from Canadian science fiction television series Starhunter to being a screenwriter for Paranormal 911. When opportunities pop up to make feature-length documentaries, he admits to being at his best when he’s in full creative control.

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Hunting for The Missing Link in Studio Laika’s Latest

Fear of Dancing

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Studio Laika always impresses. Their catalogue of works always offers insightful looks into the human condition. More often than not, they explore aspects of the supernatural world in relation to mankind. Missing Link considers what drives certain individuals to become what they are. This film suggests what makes homo sapiens superior to other forms of life, and when Charles Darwin is involved, it’s not always about survival of the fittest. Are they doing it for themselves to raise their self-esteem, or something else?

Enter wannabe world-renowned explorer Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman in his best British accent than Australian). He’s chasing after cryptids and he wants to join the prestigious Optimates Club. However, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) thinks all such creations are pish-posh; he believes mankind is superior and is supposed to dominate.

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