Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass

This is the day, ladies and gentlemen. Today I set out to make my mark; to find adventure... I leave home for Pretoria today, and tomorrow I fly out of South Africa for at least a year to teach English in Japan. I intend to keep this entertainment and geek culture-focused blog going during this period. However, updates are likely to be fewer - especially to begin with. On that note, the latest Girlz 'N' Games comic (Part 1 of 3) is now up. I had a grand plan of having all 6-7 panels completed before I departed. Unfortunately, wrapping-up-life admin got in the way during my final few weeks in South Africa. Here is the concluding panel image as a bonus image though, until I can update again. I do especially like it given its personal significance and inspirational message.   As for my travels and overseas experiences, if you're curious you can follow my wanderings in the Land of Himiko over at my new personal blog: The Happiness Ronin .

If you're on the East Coast for the next 9 days you have dozens of movies to choose from as part of the Durban International Film Festival , South Africa's biggest film fest. For everyone else around the country, there are four new releases from which to take your pick. Deliver Us from Evil : Crime and horror collide in this supposed true story - and book adaptation - that centres on a New York police officer ( Eric Bana ) forced to join forces with a priest ( Edgar Ramirez ) to solve a case with demonic connections. Also starring Olivia Munn and Joel McHale . From the director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister , Deliver Us from Evil is apparently a serviceable supernatural thriller that never reaches its full scare potential due to some poor filmmaking decisions ( Check out Kervyn's The Movies.co.za review here ). Deliver is solidly acted (for the most part) and generates creepy atmosphere well, but the scares are cheap and so very tired. It has an aggreg...

If you aren't gearing up for this year's Durban International Film Festival - I suppose, even if you are - you have four new releases to catch at South African cinemas as of today. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes : Screening in 2D and 3D is this sequel to the 2011 reboot - a hit with critics and audiences alike. The follow-up sci-fi actioner looks to be little different.  For the record the film is set a decade after a virus has decimated humanity. Survivors like Jason Clarke , Gary Oldman , Keri Russell and Kodi Smit-McPhee have to contend with, and consider their feelings towards the evolved ape population that is thriving in the woods. This group is headed by chimpanzee Caesar (motion-capture performed by Andy Serkis ) who has very good reason to be distrustful of humans. And so tensions escalate. Trailer Tuesday profile . According to Nick in his 5-star TheMovies.co.za review , Dawn is one of the year's best films - hands down. He's not the only one to think...

This gif set takes me to my happy place like no other... So many fascinating, fierce females - any many of them far more complex than are given credit simply because they are so "strong" in terms of outward appearance. Also, this makes a good companion to this thought-provoking article , and this advertising campaign . Source: Ericscissorhands on Tumblr .

Four new films hit South African cinemas today, and they're all of the rather low-key (i.e. non-explosive) sort. You'll have to get your action blockbuster kicks elsewhere this weekend I'm afraid. Blended : Probably the least reviled Adam Sandler comedies of recent years have seen him sharing the screen with Drew Barrymore . They reunite for the third time in Blended, where two single parents and their warring broods are thrown together during an African vacation. And by Africa, of course that means a stay at the Lost City for extra (facepalm) authenticity. Anyway, Blended has not been as flat-out panned as Sandler's last handful of flicks. Words like "tolerable" and "bland" have been tossed about, ultimately earning the film a 14% Fresh rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes . The House of Magic : Screening in 2D and 3D is this CGI-animated comedy adventure for the kiddies. Thunder is an abandoned cat who finds a new home with a ...