DVD

Sadly, there are two productions riding on the coat tails of others this week that are counting on your being numbered among the terminally confused to make their sales quota. With incredibly bad CGI monsters (and I am not going into the script, directing, acting, or cinematography, because I just don’t have the stomach for it), Almighty Thor is last night’s Made for Syfy Movie of the Week and then gets released on DVD this Tuesday. I can tell you it is in fitting (note I did not say good) company, alongside offerings like Mansquito and Sharktopus, to name but a few. I continue to be gobsmacked by how a single channel can produce such wonderful TV series (including Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Haven) and incredible Mini Series (Like Tin Man, Riverworld, Alice, and so many more), yet completely fail at every Made for TV Movie they have ever done. With the exception of 1994’s Deep Red, which was made a year before the channel existed.

We all realize the real Thor movie will be out the day before the cheap knockoff airs on Syfy; a bit more subtle (and the other offering hoping you have no clue) is Chop Kick Panda, a direct ripoff of the wonderful Kung Fu Panda franchise, who’s second film hits the big screen on May 26th.

Supernatural: Seasons 1-5 has been available individually, but now it is coming out in a box set. If you haven’t previously acquired any of these episodes, this does tend to reduce the per-season price.

For western animation The Illusionist is the choice this week, from the same team who created Les Triplettes de Belleville. This previously unproduced film comes from a script created by the French comic genius Jacques Tati in 1956 as a means of becoming closer to his daughter.

The anime masterpieces Coffee Samurai / Hoshizora Kiseki are being released this week in a single package, from the same folks who brought you Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Hoshizora Kiseki, in English
Starry-sky Miracle, is about a girl who loves astronomy who meets a boy in a vacuum suit helping astronomers understand the stars, and how they impact one another. It was streamed online in 2006 from Japan for a few months, but while I watched it, the pipe wasn’t there to do it justice. It also made the film festival rounds, picking up a few awards, and was released on DVD in Japan that year, but no where else. I am glad it will finally be available here. Coffee Samurai is a bit different, with the woman in love with a coffee vending machine who goes by the name of Jin. It seems Jin was a Sengoku period samurai who died desperate for an invulnerable steel body to save him from the assassins. This is most definitely a case of be careful what you wish for; you might get it in your next life.

There are a few classics being re-released this time around. The original tale of boy loves computer, computer loves boy back will again be available: Chobits is a Persocomp made for one. If you are not sure that robot romance is for you, you can watch episodes online to get a feel for it. If you prefer your cyberneticly augmented women to be combat certified, Kiddy Grade has all the galaxy spanning action you could wish for, with a mystery to be solved. Again, if you don’t know if this is your kind of thing, you can watch the first few episodes online and then make your decision.

Finally, if it is Samurai action your looking for, Shigurui: Death Frenzy is being re-released in the Viridian Collection edition, which means you can pick up the series for just under $20 if you shop around.

Top of the movie listed this week is The Green Hornet, which was most definitely more of a remake of the Bruce Lee TV franchise than the original Radio Drama series of the 1930’s. Just like the TV series, Kato (Jay Chou this time around) is the star, with the Green Hornet just along for the ride and to supply the financing; this update is a lot of fun. Interestingly enough, Kung Fu Dunk, a martial arts basketball movie from China also staring Jay Chou is being released in the US this week as well.

Also out this week, and not so much fun, is Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies, which I recommend you avoid like the plague. If you absolutely must acquire a horror film this week Ninjas vs. Vampires (from the same team who created Ninjas Vs. Zombies) is a much better option.

For TV, season 3 of the UK version of Being Human is the one to beat. The US version is still only in season 1, and although I have been enjoying it, I can’t seem to identify with the characters the way I have with the original series. As with all the best Sci-Fi, it uses the experiences of the non-humans to underscore just what being human is all about. Philip K. Dick would have loved this TV show.

In Anime, Ghost Sweeper Mikami Collection 4 continues the classic series of lust, greed, and supernatural harassment for fun and profit. The other option for this week is also a re-release of a classic: Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars, this time in a Thinpak collection. While the animation for both of these is rather old school, one of them at least is from this century; can you guess which one?

It is a sad week when the optimal DVD live action movie release is a choice between Mongolian Death Worm or Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula (although the latter did win a bunch of Film Festival awards). I think I’ll pass this week, but there are some Anime goodies.

Usually I avoid reality shows like the plague, since they offend me, but this is closer to a documentary series. So I thought I should at least mention Stan Lee’s Superhumans: Season One, which has been running on the History channel.

For Anime, Eden of the East: King of Eden tops the list for me this week. A feature film length presentation continuing the story begun with last years TV series, Eden of the East. The tale moves back to the USA, and the other Selecao are becoming more active trying to eliminate Takizawa and create their own version of a more perfect Japan.

Another Anime title of note is the Girl Who Leapt Through Space, about an A.I. Leopard who comes out of hyperspace to seek repair. Akiha helps out, a soon joins forces with Itsuki of the police to battle the brain colony Nerval, who wants to enslave all humanity. And a new entry in the long running Naruto franchise, Naruto Shippuden: Box Set 6 also hits the shelves this week.

I almost never mention single volumes here, considering anything less than a box set to not be a cost effective way to collect series programming, but K-ON! Volume 1 finally brings the rock anime to the US, and even if it isn’t genre, this one is worth a look see.

Of lesser note, Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl: Vocal Collection is a bit of a mystical gender bender now re-released under the Vocal Collection flag. For those who haven’t seen my previous posts on Vocal Collections, they are not as you might suspect radio plays bringing new stories to the series. Rather they are exactly the same Anime series previously released Subbed (Subtitled), now available Dubbed with an English soundtrack. I haven’t quite made my mind up as to what I think about these, since on the one hand it seems like a ploy to get you to by the same TV series twice, once in each spoken language. But on the other hand, when they do release the Dubbed version, it is generally for around $15 to $20 dollars for an entire season of episodes, making it very attractively priced while simultaneously more accessible to a wider audience.