Edgar Rice Burroughs has created some amazing characters, and his most recognized is coming back to the big screen in The Legend Of Tarzan. On July 1st we will get to find out if they are doing this classic story justice, and if they are, we will have a reboot of the entire massive collection of tales, both big and small.
These are the same folks who brought us the Acapella versions of such classics as The Walking Dead and The X-Files, and their latest production is true to that legacy. Be sure to stop by The Warp Zone to see their latest offerings.
The movie Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is based on Ransom Riggs New York Times best seller debut novel (his previous book being a study of the methods of a Fictional Detective, rather than a fiction itself), and it looks like Tim Burton has set the tone quite nicely for this fantasy. It will be on the big screen on September 30th, and I am looking forward to seeing how they did with it.
IBM Japan has created the VRMMO project Sword Art Online: The Beginning, and when they asked for 200 Tokyo-based Alpha Testers the other week, over 100,000 people tried to sign up. Why all the excitement? For one thing, this may be the first time a fully realized 3D Immersive Virtual Reality MMOG was ever created based on a series of Lite Novels and Anime stories. For another, the books and Anime are all about living in a fully realized 3D Immersive Virtual Reality MMOG, which gives it just that touch of recursive irony that can really draw the fans. Finally (although I could keep pointing out additional reasons), this is IBM; who better to build the future of computer enhanced VR environments in the year when VR goes mainstream?
They are deploying their Cognitive System architecture, previously used to create tools like Watson, to be the basis of their AI control for NPC and Environment functions, which has to rival the power of the systems described in the books and Anime. They are also invoking SoftLayer, their own software-switched network control system that builds cloud environments with the click of an icon and actively keeps them robust and lightning-fast. Here is a video to give you the idea of what they are doing. If you are an SAO fan, be aware that the Alpha testing is over, and the Beta testing is about to roll out! Be sure to check out the Sword Art Online: The Beginning YouTube Channel for more video updates.
2 films worth checking out this time, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the long awaited DC entry into the Group Superhero movie field. Identicals, originally titled Brand New You, is a highly unconventional romantic thriller that will have you guessing throughout who is actually who. It takes place in a near-future world where a select few can get a life-upgrade, taking over the life of someone who has a better job, a better spouse, and a better place in the world. When one of those being replaced refuses to die as intended, he must fight to get his own back.
Movies include The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, with a VR short of selected segments of the film also available, fully 3D and formatted for Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear, and others. There is one more release that looks worth watching, the documentary/essay film Dreams Rewired, a look at movies of 100 years ago at the beginning of the Information Age, with Tilda Swinton doing the voice over. On the silly side, we also get Cowboys vs Dinosaurs, a really fun bad movie, and Roboshark from Syfy, about a shark that eats an alien space probe.
This is the Google Cardboard version of that Mockingjay VR:
In Anime, Celestial Method is about a city with a flying saucer parked over it, which began with fear but turned out to just make the place a tourist destination. Then two girls get together, and everything changes again. Date A Live II is the complete 2nd season of the alien invasion rom-com. Durarara!! x 2 (3) is part 3 of season 2 for entirely too much money; you can buy the Japanese import for about $30 less than the US release, in fact. I will just watch it on streaming until they put out a sanely priced edition. We also get the continuation of a couple of favorites, with Fairy Tail: Part 19 bringing episodes 213 through 226 home. Notice that is putting us at about 4 and a half years into the story at one episode per week. Streaming live from Japan this week is episode 278, if you were curious. One Piece: Collection 15 brings episodes 349 through 372 to the shelves, with episode 457 currently streaming. Which means you can buy about 7 years of it, but they are currently finishing up the 9th year.