Helsinki International Film Festival
For the second year running, The Helsinki International Film Festival – Love and Anarchy has to cope with arbitrary limitations and uncertainty in the face of cancellation. And, for the second year running, I’ll be there to cover it the best I can. You can check out my previous coverage
Espoo Cine
With the pandemic restrictions still wreaking havoc on the Finnish culture scene, Espoo Cine marches bravely on into its festival week. Here are the five films (and one special selection) you really shouldn’t miss from this year’s line-up. Banksy Most Wanted It’s hard to follow up on
Mad Catz
(Disclaimer: Dele Nordic provided review samples of the products.) Let’s get a few things straight first. In Finnish, there’s a term for people like me when it comes to mice and keyboards: kermaperse. Translated, it implies one has an ass made of cream. But, more accurately, it just
Disney Plus
★★★★ | In an alternate universe, DC could actually be good! Marvel’s What If…? is the safest thing to pitch and the easiest to get wrong. A ten-episode animated series about the multiverse – torn apart by Loki – where anything can happen. Its limitless possibility is hampered only by the unlimited opportunity
Daniela Melchior
★★★ | Almost Marvel-good, instead of DC-bad. To talk about The Suicide Squad is to compare it with everything else in the DC lineup. Mainly because James Gunn’s reboot/sequel to the disastrous David Ayer 2016 film invites it so freely. For DC, it represents a chance to break free of
Dwayne Johnson
★★ | More like Jungle Snooze. (JUNGLE CRUISE premieres in theaters and Disney Plus on July 30th.) Arriving in theaters after a year-long delay due to the COVID pandemic, Jungle Cruise represents yet another potential franchise starter for Disney. It riffs from classic adventure titles like Indiana Jones and The African Queen,
PC
(THE ASCENT is out today on PC and Xbox, including the Xbox Game Pass) Set in a bleak dystopian future where mankind has colonized the universe and begun to fester, THE ASCENT ranks as one of the best games of the year. Rising from the midst of a sprawling megalopolis
He-Man
I loved He-Man as a kid. Of course, I loved other animations as well, but there was something about the musclebound righter of wrongs that was on another level. And it wasn’t just him, but his entire cohort of adventuring heroes. From the brave Teela to Man-At-Arms, the timid
Guilty Gear
(GUILTY GEAR STRIVE is out now for the Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Distributor provided review code.) The last time I played a GUILTY GEAR game was more than ten years ago. By then, the mammoth underdog franchise was already a decade old. Now, after a month with STRIVE, the latest
Arden Myrin
★★★★ | Fun for the whole family SATANIC PANIC, the feature debut from Chelsea Stardust, is a hell of a ride. Shot with a minuscule budget in just eighteen days, it’s as inspired as anything from early Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. Blending pratfalls and body horror with sexploitation, Stardust finds
Black Widow
★★★★ | About damn time It’s eleven years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began, and only now do we get a film for one of its founding members, which is a gamble, no matter how everything turns out. If it’s terrible, it feels like a wasted opportunity. But, on the
King of Seas
(KING OF SEAS is out now. Distributor provided review code.) I’ve played KING OF SEAS now twice. The first time just before release and the second after the first big PC tech update in late June. With some major improvements finally available, it’s time to dive into developer