Tag: World Premiere

Reclaimed! The Woodsical Finds Plenty of Good in Old Wood

At @IntrepidTheatre Reclaimed! The Woodsical turns familiar rock songs into a campy #environmental #comedy about #recycling and #sustainability and waking up to smell the #wood. #fringe #yyjfringe #review

Reclaimed! The Woodsical Produced by
Peter Worden & Hailey Christie-Hoyle

I’m hardly stumped by the purpose of Reclaimed! The Woodsical. This show mixes rock parody, environmental comedy and cartoonish hijinks into a meaningful show that suggests we must do more to save our environment. It’s happening, but and what’s presented suggests we can do more than hug a tree. My big question is simple: will it remain limited to the Victoria Fringe Festival, or will they take this act on the road?

Peter Worden, the playwright and mastermind behind this work, told me everyone involved wants to take it further. Until a few more things fall into place, those plans remain uncertain. I’ll soon publish a quick interview with him that goes behind the scenes.

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When Home Bodies is Casey Walker’s Sophomore Film Debuting At Fantasia 2026, This Sci-Fi Thriller Is Sure to Haunt!

Two sheltered twins get an unexpected new family member in Casey Walker’s eerie sci-fi fable, Home Bodies, and it seems home schooling can lead to other unsettling concerns.

Home Bodies Official Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival on Thu July 23, 2026 9:30 PM at the Cinéma du Musée

* Potential Spoiler Alert

While waiting for news about Casey Walker‘s movie Ithaqua, also slated for release this year, I’m glad his surreal science fiction fable Home Bodies is getting lots of love at Fantasia Film Festival 2026. It’s a beautifully constructed and self-contained story set in the future, one where human experimentation is very real, and we should all be afraid, very afraid.

Blue (Ian Ho) and Red (Emma Ho) are twin siblings living a very sheltered life. They’re not allowed to go out, and while they get to grow up and be who they are, nobody’s filling them in on the birds and the bees, or teaching them how to socialize or the world beyond their four walls. And just how they’re “raised” is rather bizarre. All they have access to are neon coloured VHS tapes and a rather surreal television show called Barn. It’s best not to say too much about this Sesame Street wannabe, but that’s the gist I got.

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Coming Soon! Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror

Kaleidoscope Entertainment has confirmed that Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is set for a UK release, with an exclusive first look at the new artwork. 

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror Kaleidoscope Entertainment

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror will celebrate its UK Premiere at Sheffield DocFest on 19th June, screening at SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival on 22nd June, before having its Irish Premiere at GAZE on August 3rd, with additional previews and festival screenings soon to be announced. Following its festival run, fans will experience the ultimate ode to all things Rocky Horror in cinemas across the UK & Ireland from 3rd October. As for when this will come to America, it’s possible that negotiations are under way for a Halloween release.

In this SXSW hit, the cult phenomenon of Rocky Horror is explored in depth like never before with an extraordinary cast of contributors.

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A Nerd’s Guide to the 2025 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Although the number of genre films seems small in this year’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the number of drama are always high as the 2025 event is ready to rumble starting tomorrow!

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival LOGORuns: May 1st to 7th, 2025

When I have a fondness for films made in Asia, I’m always excited to see what the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will screen. This event kicks off tomorrow, and I’m always curious about who may become the next Bong Joon Ho. Or rather, wonder if this event will premiere the next exciting genre flick! My coverage over the years always considers this side of the show before extending the list to other movies that pique my interest.

And while some years offer more fantastical works than others in the short film category, there’s still some good drama to find! This top picks in what to see also considers this category too.

Chinatown Cha-Cha
China, Directed by Luka Yuanyuan Yang

CHINATOWN CHA-CHAThe 92-year-old previous nightclub dancer Coby Yee decides to get back on stage again after joining the senior dance troupe Grant Avenue Follies. Together they go on a tour for the last time, bridging once isolated Chinese communities in the US, Cuba, and China.

From Okinawa With Love
Japan & USA, Directed by Hiroshi Sunairi

In the 1970s, Okinawan photographer Mao Ishikawa worked as a barmaid for African American GIs and published an impressive photography book.

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[Fantasia 2024] When Lighting The Fire in Dark Match is Enough to be Explosive!

Fans of wrestling will love Lowell Dean’s latest effort to bring debauchery and devil worship to the wrestling ring in Dark Match.

Dark Match Movie Poster
Theatrical / Streaming dates TBA

World Debut at Fantasia Film Festival 2024
July 21, 2024 6:30 PM
Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)

To be a wrestler is tough. Quite often, not everyone will find the success they crave. Whether that’s with fame or making a living at it, that’ll depend on the individual. And when we’re dealing with an ominously titled movie like Dark Match, just what the hero(es) has to face may well be their own demons!

When Lowell Dean‘s name is on the billing, hopefully the name recognition will sell this film. And what this creator of Wolfcop has created has classic supernatural spin wrapped around a classic 80s style sports-action film. I call this Bloodsport meets Friday the 13th meets Fight Club.

Here, Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) is hardly satisfied with her life. She’s one member of a group of small-time wrestlers who hope that one day, some media mogul offers them a deal of a lifetime. Unfortunately, when they are asked to bring their travelling show to a backwater town, they are none the wiser. They don’t realise the ring-leader they’re dealing with was a former wrestler himself, and that he fell from grace a long time ago. Only Mean Joe Lean (Steven Ogg) knows something about his past!

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Regarding The Great Salish Heist and it’s Vancouver Island Connection According to Leslie D. Bland

This producer said, “The Great Salish Heist is indigenous version of Ocean’s Eleven. Instead of breaking into a casino, they’re going to have to find a way into a museum after hours.”

The Great Salish Heist Movie PosterLeslie D. Bland is a filmmaker who has crafted a lot of documentary style content over the years. In 2021, he and Harold Joe made Tzouhalem, which examined the impact a local legend had in the Vancouver Island region (my coverage can be read here). And to change what they enjoy making together, they produced an action-comedy The Great Salish Heist.

When I last talked to him, this project was in the early stages of pre-production. And now that it’s ready to make its world debut at the Victoria Film Festival (Feb 9 at the Blue Bridge Theatre), they can talk about the concept more! There will be a Q&A after the screening, and for those wondering how this concept came to be, “The original idea is based on Harold’s work,” said Bland. “He’s a cultural worker for the Kwakiutl and other neighbouring Nations, and it was from a pitch he put forth in front of our staff one day.”

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