I am so ready for this film, having waited what seems like a couple of decades for Blade Runner 2049. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, if it is even half as good as the original film, it will be amazing.
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If you are looking for something to read, one of the best series ever written is Wild Cards, a Superhero shared-universe where around 40 authors have contributed to the mosaic novels and short stories. It started in 1986, when George R.R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass came up with the concept of Superpowers and horrible mutations and a lot of folks who just plain died when exposed to an Alien Xenovirus. That was meant to rid the Earth of Humans while leaving all our stuff intact so the aliens could take over the planet without destroying it in a war, but it didn’t quite work out the way they had planned. The stories are written by some of the best Science Fiction authors on the planet (there are too many to list, and I didn’t want to leave anyone out, so I gave the link so you could see for yourself), each of whom has created one or more characters. While it is difficult to pick a favorite with so many wonderful characters in the books, if I had to name just one it would be Roger Zelazny’s < href="http://www.wildcardsworld.com/characters/the-sleeper/">Croyd, The Sleeper. 24 books have already been published and there are two more in the pipe, one ready for release. And because that isn’t enough, the long-awaited TV series is finally in production; George can’t be directly involved with that due to his exclusive contract with HBO for Game of Thrones, so Melinda is heading up that project. This is one of the trailers for High Stakes, the 11th book in the series, updated to include mention of the TV series.
Studio Ghibli is in hibernation for the moment, largely shut down although Hayao Miyazaki has said he plans to do another feature length film, this time a documentary about making the animation Boro the Caterpillar. But a bunch of former Studio Ghibli talent have gathered together under the brand new banner of Studio Ponoc, and have released the first teaser trailer for their first animation, Mary and the Witch’s Flower. Producers, directors, animators and writers of some of the most iconic animations of the last 40 years have placed their bet that people will want to continue watching what they can do. I certainly look forward to when this one makes it to the theaters next year, and we find out if they retain the magic touch they developed at Studio Ghibli. For a more detailed look at the new studio and project, watch the Tokyosaurus video after the trailer.
Netflix is posting a 2 hour Sense8 Christmas Special which will begin airing on December 23rd, J. Michael Straczynski’s story of another kind of telepathic evolution. I was also happy to hear the story will continue May 5th, 2017, with 10 new episodes. Since the trailer was posted I wanted to include it here as well.
There are several excellent choices this week, starting with Passengers, where two people wake from cold sleep 90 years before their starship arrives at their new colony planet. Starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as the wakees, this may be the best choice for the weekend. We also get Assassin’s Creed, which started life as a game but seems to have translated to the Big Screen just fine. If you prefer something a bit lighter and more inspiring, Sing should be just the animated treat you are looking for.
James Patterson’s bestselling YA book series Maximum Ride made the transition to movie format, but it didn’t play anywhere near me; now I get a chance to see it as they release it to DVD. The animated film Storks may be the best bet this time around, good silly fun from the studio that did The Lego Movie. There are also a couple of documentaries that look interesting, Oasis: Supersonic being about the rise, reign, and implosion of the band, while Hitchcock/Truffaut is all about the 1962 week long meeting those two had when they dissected the film industry.
Anime has an unusual release either this week or next, depending on which web site you believe: Attack on Titan 20 Special Edition w/DVD is a manga/graphic novel that included a DVD with an anime episode not released anywhere else. Owarimonogatari 2 is only 6 episodes long, being the second half of the season, but it does tell the complete Shinobu Mail story arc. Finally Shakugan No Shana S: OVA Series is now available in a S.A.V.E. edition, but considering it only contains four 23 minute episodes being able to pick it up for just under $20 doesn’t seem like much of a deal.