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Something to Watch: DVDs

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.

Something to Watch: DVDs

Two of each this time: Movies, TV, Anime. To start with Movies, the one that is gut-level intense is the Book of Eli, the first apocalypse story I have seen since Mad Max (the original film, not the sequels) that rings true on every level. Even the touch about the disaster happening because the sun flared through and past the stripped off ozone layers matches in every detail with our current atmospheric situation. The other film of note this week is When In Rome, a romantic comedy that takes several cultural preconceptions and scrambles them beyond belief. Each of these is worth your attention, although one is a bit more important on a long term basis than the other.

In the TV series category, Sanctuary: The Complete Second Season is the top choice. Hopefully you already know why, but if you don’t, consider Nikola Tesla as a Vampire and Jack the Ripper as a Teleporter, and realize they are a few of the more normal regular characters in this series. I recommend this one to everybody. The other TV release worth noting this week is the MacGyver: The TV Movies set, two made for TV movies from 1994. While not strictly SciFi, MacGyver was a Geek Hero, building whatever he needed from whatever was available, the way we all do. It was a nice surprise in those days to have a character who shared our understanding of the world.

On the Anime front, we have 3 box sets this week, with the first two being new. First we have the Clannad: Complete Collection series for 24 episodes, in the growing up damaged category. The other new release is X: TV, not to be confused with the X: Movie series. Both of these are somewhat deceptive, since single season collections have been released for each, but not complete collections until now. The Witchblade DVD Complete Series has been previously released, but this week the Viridian Collection version becomes available, making it much more affordable. If you haven’t been reading the Top Cow comic, and somehow missed the live action TV series, and didn’t know about this Anime TV series, trust me when I say you want to watch this. The weapon chooses its wielder, and modifies their perceptions/gestalt during combat to produce the results it desires. It takes a very strong person indeed to overcome the handicaps to change the end results to something acceptable to them, and watching the protagonist work their tail off to make that happen is the core of this series.

There is a category I don’t usually include that is valid this week: Sleazy Pulp SciFi Collections. One of those collections is the Golden Age of Sci Fi, Fantasy & Adventure, which is a documentary with folks like Ray Bradbury involved. The other is Sleazy Sci-Fi of the 1970s, which is pretty much as the name implies. We go months sometimes before a DVD about SciFi is released, so to have 2 in the same week is well worth noting. While I will do my best to pick up both, I can only recommend one; make your own choices.

Something to Watch: DVDs

Top choice of the week has to go to Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy), a live oratorio based on The Life of Brian. And yes, most of the surviving Pythons are there for the event. So far I have only seen the trailer (at the bottom of this post), but it is hysterical; this is on my Must Have list for the week. You might enjoy reading the Eric Idle interview about it at the IFC.

San suk si gin, in English the Shinjuku Incident, is a return to the classic Jackie Chan Crime/Drama/Thriller venue that originally made him a star in China. But this time he is not one of the good guys, and the movie tells a more complex and twisted story than any fans of his US movies are used to seeing. If you liked the Police Story series, you will love this one. Fans only of Jackie’s comedy work should skip this and perhaps pick up his other release this week, Jackie Chan & The Karate Kids 8 Film Set. I am sure some marketing person scrambled to find enough old (in this case, 1980 to 1989) Jackie Chan movies with kids doing Kung-Fu to release together in a package, with an eye to cashing in on the new Karate Kid movie hype. But if only two of these films are good, that’s two decent Jackie Chan movies for 10 bucks each, and what if 4 of them are good? And what a surprise, it looks like the new version of Karate Kid hits the big screen Friday.

Somebody decided to release 2008’s Metal Man on DVD, most likely in the hopes that people world confuse it with Iron Man and accidentally buy it. I disagree with the reviewer at IMDB though; I think the SyFy channel would air this movie, probably right after Mansquito, but even they would show it well after midnight but before the infomercials kick in.

A real gem, and my other Must Have recommendation is Animation Express from the National Film Board of Canada. The short films in this collection have between them won 99 awards (and one Academy Award nomination). Some of these have aired on the IFC, and most of them have been making the Film Festival rounds, so I was a bit surprised to find I am already familiar with a number of them. Because of that, I am going to do something I have not previously done, and recommend the Blu-Ray edition of this disk if you have the tech to support playing it. The additional animations include one of the best I have ever seen, Ryan, a groundbreaking animation about a broken former groundbreaking animator; all by itself it is worth the price point difference. Judge for yourself, the animation is at the bottom of this entry.

In Anime, Tuesday has the US DVD release of the Bleach Uncut Box Set: Season 5 and that season brings us up to episode 109 by the time it finishes. As I mentioned a few days ago, Tuesday is also when you can watch the latest episode of Bleach an hour after it airs in Tokyo on Crunchyroll, because that is when they start simulcasting it. There is a definite lag between episodes aired in Japan and the DVD releases in the US, since the current season starts with episode 266 and the one airing this week will be episode 274.

Something to Watch: DVD’s

The pick of the week for mixed media films (combining live action with animation) is the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland. This twisted little tail continues a long film making tradition of using the Lewis Carrol source material to tell a morality tale; what the moral of the story is changes with each director, of course. I am not a fan of Burton’s visual style and found Depp’s character in particular somewhat grotesque, but I still consider this version a must-have addition to the collection. The other film of note this week is the recent remake of The Wolfman, with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro. Despite the star power this one fell just a little flat for me, but fans of the Gothic may have a better opinion of it.

My pick for number one imported live action film this week absolutely has to be 20th Century Boys 3: Redemption. While there is enough exposition at the front of the film to catch you up on the story so far, I am setting this one aside for Saturday, so I can watch all three films back to back. This has a very original story, and great characters that you follow through most of their lives, watching them grow and develop.

New in the live action TV category this week is Burn Notice, Season 3. Yes, I know it’s not science fiction, but I think everyone would agree that it is a bit of a fantasy. Plus it is just too much fun to miss. As usual, they have the previous season DVD release just before the new season starts; in this case two days before, as season 4 kicks off Thursday night.

In the world of animation, he’s Baa-aa-aack! Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind is another half dozen episodes from the team that brought us Wallace and Grommet. Very few language skills are needed to enjoy these, as dialog is not a core component of the tales they tell.

For anime proper, Brighter than the Dawning Blue: Complete Collection is a story of diplomatic fence mending between the Earth and the Moon, with the Lunar Princess exchange student running into some romantic complications along the way. Also out this week, Slayers Evolution-R season 5. As usual when the Slayers are involved, they nearly destroy the world in the process of saving it, and magical mayhem abounds. Also out this week another S.A.V.E. edition re-release of a complete series, this time Beck.

Something to Watch: DVD’s

The number one TV release this week is obvious: True Blood: The Complete Second Season. If you thought the first season was good, fasten your seat belts and get ready to be blown away. You already know this if you have HBO, but now is your chance to add it to your permanent collection. Unlike certain movie series, this story is strictly for the adults in the audience, and delivers on every level. And as usual, the timing on the DVD release is because Season 3 is about to happen; it hits your screen on June 13th.

On the Movie side, The Road becomes available on DVD. I can’t speak one way or the other about this movie, since I haven’t seen it yet. I can certainly speak up for Season 3 of The Guild; I consider this a must-have for every person who has ever sat down at a computer, and doubly so if you are a gamer. This is geek humor at its finest, and word is there are all kinds of extras on the DVD that did not appear online.

In anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Part 1 brings back that good old Steampunk Alchemy we loved so much the last time around. Likewise, Hell Girl – Two Mirrors returns us to that rather dark universe, where the second season starts off showing us that things are changing for Ai and her companions. In addition, the Hell Girl Complete First Season is being re-released in a S.A.V.E. Edition, so you can add it to your collection at a good price.

Also in anime, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple has part two of season two being released, as well as the re-release of season 1 in a single box set, for the Martial Arts fans. While I normally only mention boxed sets here (predominately because I can go nuts waiting for the next volume to be released), I decided I should mention Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Wolf, because it just looks like silly fun; a high school boy has a pretty female fox deity and a wolf goddess vying for his attention, with all the expected mayhem that would entail.

Something to Watch: DVDs

There are a few things this week, but not many. With a rating of 2.5 out of 10 on IMDB, I can’t really recommend War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave, but I felt obliged to mention it at least. Nor do I feel any great desire to endorse Mutant Vampire Zombies from the Hood!, but there is always the chance it has some good comedic chops to deliver.

While not exactly genre, The Spy Next Door is a Jackie Chan film, and those are always fun. Also, When You’re Strange hits the shelves, a film about The Doors, narrated by Johnny Depp and featuring a lot of previously unseen footage.

In Anime, two complete collections that were previously available, but are now out in more cost effective packages. The xxxHOLiC Complete Series Viridian Collection set contains the entire 24 episode run of the series, for about the same price that used to buy you each of the two seasons. Also, the Air TV Series S.A.V.E edition will get you the whole package for $20 if you shop around.