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Terrestrial Human

Things to Do: Movies

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.

Another one that probably doesn’t belong here I have to mention for its 1938 War of the Worlds connection: Me And Orson Wells, a movie about the creation of The Mercury Theatre on the Air. The original 1938 broadcast of WotW electrified the country, because it realistically simulated a broadcast radio emergency program; many people thought a real Martian invasion was taking place. Now that I have said all that, I guess I’m going to have to re-watch another old favorite, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, which also has a tie-in to that broadcast.

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

Things to Watch: DVDs

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.

Silly Saturday

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…

SF Movies in Real Places, best Swashbucklers

There is an excellent article at CNet UK’s Crave site called The future is now: Sci-fi films in real locations. Besides all the movies you would expect, it mentioned one I somehow missed: The Girl From Monday. It turns out it is part of Netflix streaming collection, so I will be seeing it soon. Another quality read is io9’s Greatest Swashbuckling Heroes From 100+ Years Of SF Books. The collected artwork alone is worth the visit, like the ERB John Carter of Mars covers (including the one that inspired a certain Starwars costume), and the commentary is just as informative and entertaining as the article itself.

New Turtledove, BioSciFi Directory

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.

Things to Do: Cons

To start out this week we have PhilCon 2009, which despite its name happens from November 20th through 22nd, in Cherry Hill, NJ. This is one of the big East Coast events each year, if you are in the neighborhood you should stop by.

The Anime con I will be attending this weekend is Anime USA in Arlington, Virginia. There are a huge number of guests and events, and you can take a look at previous years videos to get an idea of what kind of fun they have in the shadow of the Pentagon. This year kicks off their very first round of having a Host Club for the ladies and a Maid Cafe for the guys, and both come with karaoke variants. FYI, the Gear Masters Ball is Formal Steampunk this year.

The Arkansas Anime Festival (AKA the A2F) also has a Steampunk/Victorian Ball/Dance, but what I really find interesting is they keep having Ani-Raves separate from the Con itself, one a month. Wish someone was doing that around here with J-Rock non-Anime artists also represented; I would be there every time!

Other Anime Cons this weekend include DaishoCon in Stevens Point, WI. Besides all the usual panels and events, they also have Zombie Survival 201, a Cosplay Swimsuit Contest (with a depressingly cautionary warning about the indecent exposure laws), and other silly instructional presentations. In Indiana, Anime Crossroads has great guests and a Cosplay-oriented events schedule. Also this weekend is Another Anime Con in Nashua, NH., and BishieCon in St. Louis, MO.

ZonaCon in Orlando, FL, is running with the tag Where Anime Meets Horror, and leaning to the Zombie side of UnLife. Horror Hound Weekend would have to win my vote for best Media Con this time. I am not a horror fan, but Elvira trumps all other film hosts, and with movies like Black Sheep and Let The Right One In, you know it is going to be twisted enough to be interesting. And then there is the flip side of that con: YuleCon, the Holiday Anime and Gaming Convention in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.