This mega Canadian silver screen update has got kaiju, something you might confuse for one of Ghibli’s more obscure films, Ghibli itself and an overdue horror screening. However, before we dive into any of those, I’ve got some Yo-Kai to attend to.

In one of the blog’s recent posts, I offhandedly mentioned that Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie would be screened in Canada. We’re now days away from the film’s October 15th US premiere and we’re still kind of left in the dark as to what will happen. Cineplex, the go to for Canadian Eleven Arts event screenings, posted a page for the film with a release date on the same day as the US, but never offered ticket reservations. That page has since been deleted. While that might seem alarming, I spoke to a representative from Eleven Arts last week who confirmed the film will be released in Canada. Unfortunately, they didn’t give me any more info than that. I can only speculate as to what’s going on (Teletoon’s run of season 2 is coming a little late, maybe there’s some narrative hooks that setup the film that the Canadian run hasn’t gotten to yet?), so I’ll just say Yo-Kai is why?



With the little monsters out of the way, we can finally get to the king of all monsters! Hideaki Anno’s re-imagining of Godzilla, Shin Godzilla, will be hitting Cineplex locations this month. The film opened in Japan this summer as the first Japanese entry in the franchise since 2004’s Final Wars. Funimation is bringing us the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen—Godzilla! The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very roots of the world-renowned franchise. It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side—the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Quebec

Saskatchewan

If you’re not covered by those locations, keep your eyes locked on Cineplex and Funimation’s pages for the film. Event runs can add new venues and screenings with extremely short notice.

From a physical battle, we move to an internal one in Miss Hokusai. GKids will be releasing Production I.G.’s 2015 in select theatres later this month. The movie will be presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

From award-winning director Keiichi Hara (Colorful) and Japanese powerhouse Production I.G (creators of Ghost in the Shell) comes a remarkable story of the daughter behind one of history’s most famous artists. As all of Edo flocks to see the work of the revered painter Hokusai, his daughter O-Ei toils diligently inside his studio. Her masterful portraits, dragons and erotic sketches – sold under the name of her father – are coveted by upper crust Lords and journeyman print makers alike. Shy and reserved in public, in the studio O-Ei is as brash and uninhibited as her father, smoking a pipe while sketching drawings that would make contemporary Japanese ladies blush. But despite this fiercely independent spirit, O-Ei struggles under the domineering influence of her father and is ridiculed for lacking the life experience that she is attempting to portray in her art. Miss Hokusai‘s bustling Edo (present day Tokyo) is filled with yokai spirits, dragons, and conniving tradesmen, while O-Ei’s relationships with her demanding father and blind younger sister provide a powerful emotional underpinning to this sumptuously-animated coming-of-age tale.

Theatres

Quebec City, Quebec Cinema Le Clap 10/27 @7:30PM Order Tickets Toronto, Ontario TIFF Bell Lightbox 10/28, ??? Order Tickets (?) Vancouver, British Columbia Vancity Theatre 10/28 @5PM, 10/30 @5:15PM, 11/03 @6:30PM, 11/05 @4:45PM Order Tickets

As with all GKids releases, if you’re not covered in the markets listed above, keep your eyes on their theatre listing. Locations can be added at any time.

The TIFF Lightbox tickets aren’t up for purchase yet, but that link should be good when they do go live. You know what TIFF anime tickets are available now? The ones for their annual Studio Ghibli holiday showcase. They’re screening almost every theatrical release under the Ghibli name in both dubbed and subtitled formats.

From the studio that produced Attack on Titan comes a captivating historical action thriller based on an award-winning novel by Project Itoh. In an alternate version of 19th century London, the world has been revolutionized by “corpse reanimation technology” creating armies of undead who serve the living as laborers across the globe. In an attempt to revive his dearly departed friend, young medical student John Watson becomes obsessed with replicating the work of Dr. Victor Frankenstein—the legendary corpse engineer whose research produced the only re-animated corpse to possess a soul. But when his illegal experiments put him at odds with the British government, Watson is drafted into a worldwide race to find the lost research notes of Victor Frankenstein before the secrets of the human soul fall into the wrong hands.

Speaking of things applicable only to Toronto, remember Empire of Corpses? The first Project Itoh film was released theatrically in the United States earlier this year, but became one of Funimation’s few anime films to skip Canadian screenings. Well, until now. Toronto’s Revue Cinema will be presenting the film in collaboration with local comic book shop The Beguiling as part of their Halloween programming. The film will have its Canadian premiere on October 31st at 7PM. The screening will be shown with English audio. You can pick up tickets here.