I’ve been enamored with the French-Canadian “Humanist Vampire…” since the beginning of the year but didn’t quite have the means of being able to view it. I’m glad that I finally had a chance to, since Ariane Louis-Seize creates such a charming, and interesting coming of age horror comedy that re-thinks the whole idea of being a vampire, while also using it as an allegory for restarting our lives. Louis-Seize’s horror comedy, while not entirely original, still excels on being a great slice of life that embraces the absurdity of its premise.
Tag Archives: Foreign
#DoudouChallenge (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
The team of Julie Majcher, Alexandra Delaunay-Fernandez, Sixtine Emerat, Marine Benabdallah-Crolais, and Scott Pardailhé-Galabrun creates one of the most entertaining and cutest animated shorts I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a complex yet simple adventure that masterfully comes full circle within a small time frame. So much about “#DoudouChallenge” reminded me of Pixar while also establishing its own hilarious style and niche, in the process.
Bunny to the Moon (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
The team of Akira Maynard, Sammy Liu, and Justine Fong really do create something so unbelievable and special with “Bunny to the Moon.” It’s a classic tale about friendship, companionship, and the idea of sacrifice and learning to care for oneself before caring for others. Although the “Bunny to the Moon” does suffer from a run time that could have used at least ten more minutes, the short is beautifully animated and feels so much like a callback to films like “E.T.” or “My Neighbor Totoro.”
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (1969, 1969, 1972) [RADIANCE FILMS LIMITED EDITION]
Available on Blu-ray from Radiance Films on 03/26/2024
In this trilogy of films, a spy with samurai skills and an affinity for medicine finds himself in situations where he must prevent the firearm sale to a local shogun, protect a village against an evil Lord trying to displace them, and retrieve gold that belongs to the government and could lead to major issues in a village.
One-Percent Warrior (2023)
Available on Blu-ray and Digital from Well Go USA on March 12th, 2024
An action star who butted heads with filmmakers over his fighting and filming style ends up making his own film with a sketchy producer. Once at the odd location, he and his crew encounter warring yakuza factions.
Knight of Fortune (2023)
Lasse Lyskjær Noer’s directing and writing debut is also a masterpiece drama comedy about the concept of death and grief. The now Oscar Nominated short is a wonderful meditation on processing the death of a loved one as Lyskjær Noer observes how we all go through different rituals in order to process death and protect ourselves from pain. “Sometimes people cry, sometimes people even laugh,” a mortician explains as he’s escorting Karl to see his wife Karen in her final resting place.
Black Tight Killers (1966) [RADIANCE FILMS LIMITED EDITION]
Available on Blu-ray from Radiance Films
Following a quick first date, a war photographer finds himself in love and both in love and on the run as she gets kidnapped. While he tries to resolve this, he meets an interesting team of ladies.
The Moon (2023)
Coming on Blu-ray and DVD from Well Go USA on February 27th, 2024
Following an accident, an astronaut is left alone in space without knowledge of how or if he will get home. On Earth, a man is scrambling to find a solution to bring him home.