Relax, I’m From the Future. So What Can Absolutely Go Wrong (or Get Right)?

Luke Higginson’s movie doesn’t borrow a lot from the well known flicks of yesteryears. Instead, Relax, I’m From the Future plays with the tropes differently.

I'm From the FuturePlaying at the Victoria Film Festival
Odeon 2, Feb 8th, 8:30pm (limited tickets left at the door)

Casper (Rhys Darby) is from the future, and he’s out to change history just a little …. or a lot! However, in Luke Higginson‘s expanded version of his short film, Relax, I’m From the Future, what he’s altered has ramifications to more than the lives of those he met. It’s also about preventing that world he left from happening. For those curious as to where this movie will screen next, please visit the official Facebook page.

Many fans of this genre are aware these tales concern cause and effect. This time traveller is after Percy (Julian Richings), and it’s not because this down-and-out punk rock artist is ready to end his life. To interfere must mean something. Fans of this British-Canadian actor know him best as Death from The CW‘s Supernatural and depending on how well one knows his vast filmography, he’s a much loved character actor. I think seeing him in a non-enigmatic role is a huge sell.

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Aristomenis Tsirbas’ Timescape. Seeking Happiness in Days of Future Past at Fantasia 2022

Aristomenis Tsirbas’ Timescape is a fun 80s Disney / Amblin Entertainment style adventure about why family matters.

Timescape Movie PosterNot to be confused with the 1992 movie of the same name, Aristomenis TsirbasTimescape is a fun 80s Disney / Amblin Entertainment style adventure about Jason (Sofian Oleniuk) learning to grieve. The full title is actually Timescape – Back to the Dinosaurs and I hope it’s the the beginning of what I hope is a new franchise. The potential exists to expand upon the premise of an unlikely pairing, a girl from the future and a boy lost to the present–or should that be wishing to alter the past?

That’s because he doesn’t believe his parents are dead. Everyone else (Uncles included) believes his parents are gone and they want him to accept the harsh truth. However, he has hope. The smashed car was found in the woods, and there were no signs of where their bodies went. If that isn’t telling enough, this lad pointed out how the police who searched the forest apparently didn’t try hard enough.

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Challenging Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis to the Unexpected. Decisions, Decisions….

At least the 3D CGI renders make Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis  look respectable. It’s like following the North American adaptation of Astro-Boy.

Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis
Available to purchase on Amason USA

Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts
Released July 5, 2022

Prince of Tennis’ new movie is all song and dance. Titled, Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis <Decide>, I wasn’t too sure about what to expect but when I’m a fan of musicals and West Side Story, it’s worth the watch. The drama examines the relationship between father and son, and dispenses with any sci-fi style elements to get to the chase.

To be honest, not many cinematic musicals about aiming for the top in some sport exist. While there’s many anime musicals set in different genres, to have an animated franchise annually releasing a work in this subgenre is much rarer. This 23-year-old franchise had regular stage shows, and this latest follows in that tradition.

This film continues the story of tennis prodigy Ryoma Echizen. He’s determined to take his game to the next level, but to do so means learning from the best. After he saves classmate Sakuno from some thugs (where two tennis balls collide like two atoms in a hadron collider), he’s magically transported to the past and meets his much younger parent. He knows that reveal himself is a bad idea, otherwise the timeline would unravel.

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Time Travelling with the Acursian

I found myself needing to reacquaint myself with the legends and lore of this culture before continuing. The read is long and it’s best handled in smaller units so the story can be appreciated.

DEC201545 - ACURSIAN GN (SEP208684) - Previews WorldBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Legendary Comics
Available to order on Amazon USAir?t=wiupgeatthmo 20&l=am2&o=1&a=1681160722

Hopefully John Barrowman isn’t spreading himself too thin should he decide to co-author more comic book stories. I enjoy seeing him on screen and he’s a terrific entertainer. He played Captain Jack Harkness, an individual from a far off future who suddenly can’t age, in Doctor Who. Although unceremoniously dumped in the past, he bore witness to many events in Earth’s history, but for this character, he could not interfere!

In the webcomic Acursian (an Old English word defined as one consigned to destruction, misery, or evil by a curse) which he created with his sister, Carole Barrowman, he is Charlie Stewart, a man at odds with himself and his past. He’s intentionally made unlikable at first, but once you get to know him, there’s a redemption arc to enjoy.

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Bill & Ted Face the Music and Their Franchise Future

There’s some story to like in Bill and Ted Face the Music, but ultimately, it’s about the next generation and what they can do to help their dads.

Bill & Ted Face the Music Movie PosterAvailable on VOD
SPOILER ALERT

Bill and Ted still have an insurmountable task to accomplish in Face the Music. They still have to make that song to bring harmony to the universe. The pseudoscience and sociology behind being able to achieve that is hard to grasp as not even the Oa who created the Green Lantern Corps can promise universal peace. As cinema’s most lovable doofuses would say, being happy means being excellent to each other.

The story by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon is not too perplexing. Time travel stories often struggle with its own internal logic, and this film is no different.

The film is brilliant at realizing this mantra because the future shelves of Bill and Ted simply forget their own credo and need reminders. They are cruel to their past shelves. It’s sort of funny, but I can’t help but wonder when each future iteration decided to be nasty. Part of it has to do with how they failed as musicians. Sadly, the film doesn’t spend any time about them as family men. Their wives are concerned for their wellbeing and suggested couples therapy to “separate” them. Just why their kids adore their fathers is mind-boggling.

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