I know I have been posting about Film Fests on Tuesdays, but starting tomorrow and running through Saturday is the International Robot Exhibition 2009, and I couldn’t let that pass without a mention. It is being held at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center in Japan, and it is interesting to note that the Service Robot category is now almost as well represented as the Industrial Robot companies.
In Goa, the The 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kicked off yesterday and will run for the next 10 days. Likewise, kicked off on the 21st, and running through the 29th, is Tokyo FILMeX 2009. I think going forward I am not going to even mention festivals that I can’t say anything about, in this case because I do not yet read either language.
There are a few interesting movies coming to theaters this week, including one that was delayed some months while they reworked it: The Road. Another post-apocalyptic world is explored, but recent reviews are very mixed; a number of folks think it was better (truer to the book) in its original version. This one is on the screens Wednesday to take advantage of the holiday weekend box office window. Actually, everything else does that as well.
There seems to be a martial arts release with no element of fantasy in it, called Ninja Assassin. Since I have almost never seen one based wholly in reality, I thought I should mention it here anyways, just in case.
I do see one other actual fantasy movie for this week, this one suitable for the kids as well:The Princess and the Frog from Disney. This animation is only in the Limited release date, for LA and NY, however; the rest of us have to wait until December 11th to see it.
And here is a trailer from a movie currently in production that is going on my see-in-the-theaters list, Season of the Witch
The most important release this week (in my opinion) is Life on Mars Season 2, the UK edition. This one wraps up Sam Tyler’s journey into the past.
Another one to be aware of is Recon 2023, which actually came out on DVD in the US back in August. What makes this one unique is the fact that it only became available in the country it came from this month… go figure!
From the creators of Spy Kids comes Shorts, a silly kids movie that should be fun. The premise is a wishing-stone falls from the sky, and as it gets passed around town things get stranger and stranger. With actors like William H. Macy and James Spader, I think it could work.
A surprising US release this week is Akihabara Deep; the last movie like this I was aware of was called Hackers, and was one of the very first Angelina Jolie movies ever made. I will enjoy watching this import, and doing my best to track down and acquire Bamboo Blade, which isn’t really related beyond coming from the same culture and attitude.
If you are into interesting/strange music, you need to be aware that the Best of Spike Jones DVD is also coming out this week. If you don’t know who that is, I recommend you take some time and learn; you won’t be disappointed.
This feels like a silly Saturday, so I figured a silly post to go with it. Today’s Silly Topic: The Theremin! This first Theremin was the property of the Hollywood Thereminist, Dr. Samuel Hoffman, and was the very instrument he played in a ton of Hollywood movies in the ’40s and ’50s, including The Day The Earth Stood Still. And what would the Earth look like if it had rings like Saturn?
This next guy wasn’t content to play a favorite tune on the Theremin… first he had to build his own instrument, out of parts from a Wii! Then to nail his geek title down he chose the Doctor Who Theme for his musical selection.
You can make your own Theremin from just about anything, and there are even kits with all the parts you need, as this MAKE demo shows…
What could be better than a new Harry Turtledove story? A new Harry Turtledove story you can read online for free thanks to TOR and the author. Another in the online series of science fiction they continue to present there. For more free reading, swing by Peggy’s Free Science Fiction with Biology Directory. For years her Biology in Science Fiction blog has been a great place to learn and be entertained, and it looks like she has been working on the directory for a while now.
