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The Void

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Mild Spoiler Alert

Nearly everything I ever wanted to see in an H.P. Lovecraft inspired film can be seen filling The Void. This indie Canadian horror movie made its world premiere in 2016 at Fantastic Fest, and six months later (set to release April 7th), it is getting limited theatrical distribution in the United States (showtimes can be found on Screen Media films website) and is now available worldwide via VOD on outlets like iTunes.

This movie produced by Casey Walker (A Little Bit Zombie, one of many people involved) and written/directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie (who are also part of the maverick horror company Astron-6) show several heads are better than one to create a movie about cults on the loose and serving a greater cosmic force — or they have watched one too many Re-animator movies. I see a bit of Clive Barker influence with their editing style and visual direction (their use of real prosthetics is to be commended) for this film. When it comes to crafting a tale involving surviving a night at a ward, perhaps the familiar idea of taking the fight to a hospital from Hellraiser II is not needed. Technically, these filmmakers are paying homage to the horror movies they loved from their childhood (the 80’s), like John Carpenter’s The Thing, but sometimes I wonder if coming up with a new idea is even possible these days without conjuring up recollections of past products.

Continue reading “It is Never Safe or Good to Enter “The Void,” A Movie Review”

The Grizzly Truth Available to view on demand on Vimeo
starting March 30th. 2017

Whether created by animation or live-action, the great bear has come to symbolize one of several things. As a symbol of strength and courage — or perhaps a constellation you see on the night sky — this animal’s importance to nature and in a grander a cosmic scheme must never go unnoticed.

In the cartoon world, we have beloved characters like Yogi the Bear (created by Hanna-Barbera in 1958) and Baloo from Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967) / Tail Spin (1990). Jump ahead a little more than a decade, this studio made Brother Bear (2003) which looked at how man should respect nature and understand tolerance. The main character, Kenai, was transformed into a bear, and had to learn for himself why this animal is so revered within his tribe. In Haida culture, this gentle creature is known as the “Elder Kinsman” and is treated as a noble guest instead of a thief because it stole from the river, which also provided sustenance to the locals.

If only the people who hunt them can treat and think of these gentle creatures the same way. In this documentary, the hunters sort of say they do, but that’s for the viewer to decide. I was offered the opportunity to get a sneak preview of a very thought-provoking and insightful program. It looks the role this animal and where it stands within different organizations. From the hunter’s perspective to governmental and First Nations, everybody has an opinion on a hot political topic in this year’s British Columbia election: to finally ban grizzly bear hunting.

They are sought after more often as trophys these days, which is sad. For those just wanting to take a snapshot, it it even helpful to the local economy? A lot is said to view the pros and cons of both, and this film nicely walks the fine line than lean towards a specific stance.

In Africa, the lion is said to be on top of the food chain. In North America, it is the bear. Destroy the alpha, and there will be problems. This fact and many other details are revealed in this documentary that’s now available online to view. And writer/director Tom Reissmann had other facts to reveal about the making of this film:

Continue reading “Does the Bare Necessities Reveal The Grizzly Truth? An Interview with Tom Reissmann”