Tag: Streaming

When Prosjekt Z is More About the Movie Making Process than The Horror

Anyone having the post-Halloween blues may want to check out this hybrid Prosjekt Z as it’s not always about the terror, but the blues.

Prosjekt Z Movie PosterComing to DVD/VOD
Nov 3, 2023

Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken‘s Prosjekt Z is a rather strange hybrid that doesn’t quite know what kind of movie it wants to be. When it’s hitting select theatres after All Hallow’s Eve, just who will be anxious to see this must be for folks craving anything postmortem. Here, the story is about a group of students out to make a zombie film out in the woods. But there’s much more going on, since we also get something akin to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes going on later on.

If that’s not this work’s premise, then the Rocky Horror moments even get curiouser and curiouser–minus the music. That is, there’s a couple who’s out in the woods and after having a bit of a spat, find themselves in front of a lone mansion. They’re just characters to a story within a story where afterwards, a meteorite comes zooming through and crashes! Its radiation is turning the locals into the walking dead.

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When Dark Harvest Tries to Deliver a New Urban Myth

Although this film won’t give rise to a net urban legend, it does well to say be careful in what you wish for, than reap, with Dark Harvest!

Dark Harvest Official Movie PosterMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Available on VOD and Amazon Prime

At long last, the film Dark Harvest is ready to reap! As crops fail, and one sleepy, unknown mid-western town needs to find the means to survive, just what they must do is literally the stuff of nightmares! The novel by Norman Partridge draws from various sources, and it’s only that not only I approve of, but perhaps also Stephen King!

Here, David Slade’s adaptation of the book is gentle on the ideas. Although it’s very weak in giving the supernatural terror an appropriate background story, I just went with it. It’s rare to get a creature that might give Michael Myers a run for his money. This new terror’s hatchet job is far more gory and flick of the wrist than what the other shambling mound of muscle can do, and I believe part of his origins may allude to some relationship with Spring-heeled Jack.

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When Season 3 of Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Packs Too Much In, Breaking It Up Is Important

As much as I enjoyed watching the Dumont bandits make their last hurrah in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, their fates are no longer intertwined and I’ll just leave it at that.

Kung Fu Panda The Dragon Knight ALT posterDreamWorks Animation

Po has certainly grown since becoming the Dragon Warrior back when Kung Fu Panda first started. He had to deal with classic wuxia style villains in the movies, face many foes in the television series, train a new generation in The Paws of Destiny and, with The Dragon Knight, prove his worth elsewhere. He’s lost the former title, and the difference may well rest in where he’s honoured.

Much of the third season takes place in England and it feels drawn out. After the events of the much shorter second season at Tikal to locate the Tianshang weapons, simply retrieving them and becoming the new custodians isn’t enough. They’ll have to destroy them. I had to rewatch much of the prior season to remind myself about what went on, and then realised, perhaps viewing the first again would also help refresh my memory.

Instead of sailing a straight line to that nation, a cruise through the Caribbean is required and they encounter pirates! (“The Trial of Mr. Ping” and “Baddie Issues”). Continue reading “When Season 3 of Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Packs Too Much In, Breaking It Up Is Important”

Gale, Stay Away From Oz Offers More Than The Stuff Nightmares are Made Of!

Prepare to be creeped out in Gale, Stay Away from Oz which is no doubt influenced by Disney’s Return to Oz (for those who haven’t read the books).

Gale Movie PosterAvailable on Chilling Streaming Service

Frank Baum’s books about the fantasy world of Oz have never been cause for concern amongst those familiar with the entire series. After watching the horror film, simply titled Gale, Stay Away From Oz, I have to watch Return to Oz (1985) again to refresh my memory. It seems this short is clearly influenced by it along with the books. The story here concerns how insanity has affected the Gale family.

Just when fans of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s film Wizard of Oz thought that film was the end all be all, there’s been attempts to continue the story with Journey Back to Oz, produced by Filmation, but it largely lays forgotten when compared to other attempts by the House of Mouse, which includes Oz, The Great and Powerful, along with other studios’s interpretation. The original tale is in the public domain, and filmmakers and playwrights can do whatever they want with this fond classical piece of children’s literature.

With the novels, I like to see if it ever alluded to Dorothy Gale going insane after returning to Earth. Fans of the books know the author also included scarier elements later on in the series. As for which work made Daniel Alexander reimagine this world to a product of true nightmares, I’m glad he’s taking a chance and releasing it early, before Spooktober.

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When Jackie Chan’s Team-up In Hidden Strike Is No Rush Hour

Not all action-star pairings can work, and Hidden Strike demonstrates why producing a spec script can be problematical when the stars aren’t always on board.

Jackie ChanHidden Strike Movie Poster‘s films are often entertaining, but in Project X-traction (aka Hidden Strike on Netflix), the movie struggles to make it to first base. I was hardly excited to wonder if this star can make it to second. After his home run with Ride On, his next film can barely get out of the gate.

This action thriller where he meets John Cena appeared on my Netflix recommendation list and I wished it didn’t. That’s because despite some high octane action, not even this former wrestler can steal the show. He has a lot more better moments than Chan, and that’s not saying much. Here, this lead is supposed to be in charge! Instead, he’s just a commander of a rescue team sent to free Chinese workers from an oil refinery in the Middle East. It’s under attack, and although that extraction was successful, getting out of the region will prove difficult. Luo’s team (Chan) he has to blaze through The Highway of Death and it was too Mad Max for me. Continue reading “When Jackie Chan’s Team-up In Hidden Strike Is No Rush Hour”

Netflix’s Monkey King vs Well GO USA’s Monkey King Reborn. Who Will Win?

This film has more of a DreamWorks style quality to the humour and approach to introducing Monkey King to Western audiences (again).

The Monkey King 2023 Movie Poster (Netflix)Now Playing on Netflix

The latest release of The Monkey King is a movie redesigned for today’s generation, and as a result, loses its touch with what made this hero great. When compared to the previous take (review link), my money is on the former. Here, it feels like four studios were duking it out too for how to reinvent this character, and although some parts of the narrative is faithful, its execution wasn’t all that exciting to keep watching.

As for whom Monkey serves, it’s easy to tell. He’s independent and helps no one but himself! Surprisingly, much of his origin story is accurate. When Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) discovers him, he’s quite the rascal and eventually gets known as Sun Wukong (Jimmy O. Yang). These two somehow become friends. The way these two play off each other to learn a few of life’s lessons is good, but ultimately, I couldn’t help but think this American-Asian made film misses the point on why he’s a legend. When considering Anthony Stacchi (Better known for The Boxtrolls and Rocketeer) is most likely out of his element, perhaps that’s why the love isn’t there.

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