There isn’t a new genre release this week, but Knight and Day looks like it could be silly fun. As near as I can tell from the trailers it is the same film as Killers with different actors; maybe I should see the first half of one, then switch to the other theater screening room to see the second half of the other. That way I will see a unique move, mentally adding the Face Off surgery scene to push it into the science fiction realm. It is always possible there may be something suspect with my logic, but I don’t really care.
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For live action movies this week, the winner is TiMER, an original independent film about using your surgically implanted chipset to find your true love. Staring Emma Caulfield, this tasty little gem won a ton of Film Festival awards, but somehow when it went into general release it seemed to be pretty thin on the ground. If you are one of the many people who never got to see it in the theaters, now is your chance. This one has a lot in common with another recent independent work, Cold Souls. I don’t just refer to the fact that they both brought home a boatload of awards, or that they both only got to play on a limited number of screens when the theatrical release finally happened. But they both share a fine old science fiction story form: set in the present day, in the world we know with just one scientific device or procedure unknown to us. Then you get to explore all the implications and consequences of that one change, and how they impact on the hearts, minds, and conditions of the people in that story. This is the core of science fiction stripped down to the only question it ever asks: “What If?”.
On the TV front, the Sci-Fi Channel second miniseries stab at Riverworld is released on disc. This was a very well done production introducing us to the classic Philip Jose Farmer masterwork universe, a planet where everyone who ever lived all woke up at the same time and promptly went back to doing what each had always done. Personally, I also liked the first Riverworld miniseries, but the new one is a bit faster paced with a few more twists to the basic premise to help drive dramatic tension as the story evolves. Yes, evolves, because just like the first miniseries this is meant to test and see if there would be support for a full TV series. And since they didn’t schedule the new one against the Superbowl (what the hell were they thinking on the first ones scheduling?), this time there is a much better chance they got their target numbers and could proceed.
Only a few new Anime series this week. The only truly new offering is La Corda D’oro Primo: Passo: 1, the first half of the series. This does have a fairy (not that kind, the tiny mystical creature sort) as a recurring character, handing out magical enchanted musical instruments that play themselves, so it qualifies as genre. The story itself revolves around classical music with a romantic component; if you are not sure if this is for you, you can watch it on Crunchyroll before laying out your hard earned money.
Of the other Anime releases this week, most are single volumes or series re-releases. The only other one that is somewhat new is Heroic Age: The Complete Series, in that a complete series box set has not previously been released. The have, however, previously released Season 1 and Season 2 box sets, so I’m not sure just how new I consider it.
I don’t like rap music as a general rule except for Nerdcore, but I think these examples qualify.
Another new trailer was released for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which yet again looks even better than the last one. And there are still almost two months to go to the August 13th release date, so they have time to do it again (if they can). Between now and then we have Toy Story 3 and Jonah Hex, on the screens this weekend; The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (yawn) on June 30th; the live action version of The Last Airbender on July 2nd; Despicable Me and Predators on July 9th; the fun-looking The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on July 14th; and the twisted thriller Inception on July 16th. Then there is a gap (unless you count Salt on July 23rd) for several weeks, after which The Expendables comes out the same day as Scott Pilgrim. I’m ready for Scott to be out now, but for the time being the new trailer is all we get.
It looks like a feature length documentary on William Shatner is going to be made, with Shatner as director and executive producer. Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central made the announcement they were partnering with Shatner’s production company on the project a few days ago, where the also made it known they had acquired Canadian broadcast rights to William Shatner’s Gonzo Ballet, another documentary that includes the entire ballet as well as Shatner talking about his life and artistic choices. I can’t wait to see the dancing for Common People.
The comic book film choice this week is Jonah Hex, with John Malkovich as the villein and Megan Fox as the eye candy to Josh Brolin’s Jonah. Based on what I have seen and read I am expecting adventure fun rather than anything profound, but I expect it to be visually interesting enough to require the big screen. For animation fans Toy Story 3 continues the franchise that kicked it off for Pixar, starring everyone you ever heard of. As usual I will be endorsing the 3D version.