Topping the list this week is Tron: Legacy, the absolute must-add for every collection. This one really did deliver after the 30 year wait for the sequel. Also out this week is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third book in C.S. Lewis’s classic series to be converted to a movie. While it was also the third book published in that series, it is the 5th book in the internal chronology of the series. I am not sure if they intend to convert all of the books, but they are at work on the next one. The Australian film Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale didn’t get much time in the theaters in this country when it came out last year, but now those of us in the US finally have a chance to see it with it’s DVD release.
The TV show of note is a full series box set of Babylon 5, one of the best TV shows ever made. Brainchild of J. Michael Straczynski, this 5 year story arc told an amazingly complex tale of a war cycle that flared up every ten thousand years or so, and did it in a way that made you care about each character, loving some and hating others. This has been out for a long time as individual season box sets, but this is the first time it has been compiled into a single package.
I should mention that we do have one entry this week in the wacky conspiracy theory category: Kubrick’s Odyssey: Part 1 Kubrick & Apollo. Trust me when I say even though this one appears at first glance to be a documentary, it is the purest of science fiction of the parallel timelines/alternate history variety. At no time did Stanly Kubrick every run the Apollo Program, or film any moon landings.
On the Anime front, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Part 4 brings the next 13 episodes of the series. Edward is still trying to retrieve his missing limbs and Alphonse’s entire body in this Alchemy driven Steampunk story spread out across multiple timelines. This is one of the better Animes made in the last handful of years, and if you are not familiar with it you could always watch it online to get an idea of what it is about.
From some of the same creators, and released in the US through the same distribution house as F.M. Alchemist, Hero Tales: Part 1 and Part 2 are also becoming available this week. This is more of a fantasy, where fate and the Gods have decreed a conflict that legendary heroes leading the tribes of men must resolve. Again, you can watch episodes at the series home page to decide if this is something for your collection.
Finally, Strike Witches – Complete First Season is being re-released as a Viridian Collection box set, so you should be able to find a more affordable price tag if you haven’t already put this one on your shelves.
