Say Hello and Not Goodbye Monster When Luke Burnett Entertains the Dickens Out of Curiosity Seekers of this Short

In Goodbye Monster, a teenager’s imaginary friend decides it’s time to move on. Luke Barnett’s funny and thoughtful short film gives its coming-of-age premise a wonderfully monstrous twist.

Goodbye, Monster PosterWilson (Kue Lawrence) doesn’t want to grow up. In this hilarious coming-of-age story about a teen with a goblin for an imaginary friend, the creature is ready to pack his bags and move on. After a certain age, most kids are ready for that transition: dating, partying and, well, girls. Fans seeing Goodbye Monster in the Are You Afraid of Fantasia short-film block will laugh and root for Luke Barnett, who steals the show as the goofball monster under the bed. He thinks walking out of the bedroom and into freedom will be easy.

As for the now-teenage Wilson, he’s puzzled. Just when he thinks life will continue to be rough, Monster recounts something that foreshadows even more trouble to come. Honestly, I think Barnett has created a great proof of concept that could turn this short into a feature film. I want to know more about its mythology, and I’d love to see more from this multitalented actor turned writer and director.

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Is It Doxxing or Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki? When Depression and Imagination Run Wild

Takeru Shinozuka’s Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki explores creative burnout through an animator who may be haunted, or protected, by a playful fox spirit. It’s a thoughtful animated short about depression, criticism and rediscovering the spark to create.

Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki animated short film poster
Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki played as part of the Anime no Bento 2026 shorts program on July 18, 2026.

Although the title of Takeru Shinozuka’s animated short, Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki, seems deceptive, that’s because this creature can be deceptively sinister or be a true trickster at heart. But that depends on which cultural lens this member of the canine family is viewed from. For this animator turned first-time director, the story he tells about life at an animation studio looks authentic; from being told what to do despite objection to having creative burnout, these pressures are real!

That’s what this work really focuses on. By the time Shinano (Wataya Miho) comes home, she can’t do anything without repeating sensei’s wax-on, wax-off training. The muscle memory is there, but not the spark. Koyami (uncredited online) is the trickster spirit who keeps saying, “Draw me instead. I need more expression.” But for this woman, she’s ready to call it quits! And her story about thinking she’s been possessed by a fox spirit is not traditionally recognized. Continue reading “Is It Doxxing or Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki? When Depression and Imagination Run Wild”

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 themd 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.

At other times, their world is each other, living in a dilapidated home decked out in all the trappings of an early 80s homestyle. And while it’s automated to tend to their every need, to them, that’s just normal.

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With The Short, “Borbulha “(Pimple), It’s Best to Not Say Pop Goes The World….

At Fantasia Film Festival 2026, it’s best not to show up late to skip the short films screened alongside the feature. And there’s also all the wonderful curated programs too. We look at Pimple, one popper of a work….

Official poster for Fernando Alle’s Borbulha (Pimple)Fernando Alle’s Borbulha (Pimple) is a masterstroke in bringing the absurd to life. When this short film also delivers a courteous message about dealing with bullies, perhaps its strangest turn concerns the language used. Yes, He-Man would blush, but considering what happens, I feel this Adult Swim-style piece works.

Although this film feels like a compact demo reel highlighting what this Portuguese filmmaker loves most. It also reveals his fondness for creating campy, Troma-style examinations of life’s complexities. Or should I say Astron-6? Both comparisons work because what’s presented is so thoroughly old-school 80s that it reminds me of Weird Science.

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How Likely Will Speilberg’s Idea of Disclosure Day Happen? There’s a 1% chance.

With Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day streaming sooner than later, will it motivate our real world governments or someone to say they’re here? (Sorry Carol Anne)

Disclosure Day movie posterNow Streaming on AppleTV, Google Play and YouTube

Steven Spielberg‘s Disclosure Day is now streaming, and that’s about the only way I will see this movie. I opted not to see it in theaters because I knew it is nothing like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What it offers is a textbook case of downsizing the UAP phenomenon rather than going big. That’s because I knew there would be no grand spectacle, no family drama, and no genuine hunt for the truth. Worse still, for a story built around disclosure, it never feels anchored to the evidence that has kept the subject alive for decades.

Or rather, there would be no return of the little grey visitors and the people they abducted to discover strange new worlds and other wonders. Instead, the message boils down to: “We’re here, we’ve been here for a while, we’re observing you, and we’re deciding whether humanity is ready for space.”

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At Fantasia 2026, Let’s Dance! Or Should That Break Free From the Everyday?

Actually, the title of this film is Kunio’s online identity. He yearns to Break Free from his roots, and this gangster comedy shows how he does it!

Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, movie poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2026 on July 18 at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)

The Japanese movie Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, has style and nearly everything I want from a film featuring rhythmic music, yakuza fighting one another, and J-pop on top. It’s the perfect movie to begin my coverage of Fantasia Fest 2026 too! In this world, an anti-organized crime law enacted by the government has forced many gangs to either pack up or shut up. Whether that’s meant to mirror real Japanese law or simply serve the plot, I honestly can’t say.

The film is wildly gorgeous under Yu Nakamoto‘s direction. He delivers pathos and ethos in droves, while his focus on Kunio (Akito Fujii) shows just how deep a rut the character is in. He’s fiercely loyal to his crew, but they’re struggling to remain who they are rather than getting real jobs. That’s where the commentary comes in. Since Kunio can’t smack people around without getting tossed in jail, his protégé, Kuzunari (Atomu Mizuishi), comes up with the idea of recording him “dancing.” Goto (Kenta Kiritani), their boss, approves!

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