Another classic film being remade, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a quirky little tale about a man with a rich interior life to counterbalance his rather mundane exterior one. James Thurber wrote the story in 1939, which was turned into a movie starring Danny Kaye in 1947. Now it is Ben Stiller’s turn to play the amazing character, and I am looking forward to seeing how he does with this project.
A few more interesting J-Rock tracks, starting with LoVendor’s kick ass song, Nemurenai Yoru, followed by their new track, Sexy Boy. OK, maybe not new, but new to me. Next comes Superfly’s How Do I Survive, just uploaded last week. There is always tasty music coming out of Japan, you just have to look for it a bit…
I have posted tunes from Chameleon Circuit here before, and now I am doing it again. They got to record this one actually on the TARDIS set, as part pf the 50th anniversary celebration. I say they, it is mostly Alex Day and friends. It looked like so much fun I had to not only add it here, but also include a making-of video, and a string of other tracks from them. Yes, it is all about Doctor Who. Yes, it is all a bit strange. And, yes, it is all fun fan music!
The original 47 Ronin were a group of Samurai who’s feudal lord was forced to commit suicide; they spent two years plotting to kill the court functionary who ordered his death, and then had to commit suicide themselves for the murder. It is a true story that happened in the early 1700s in Japan, and has been made into a movie half a dozen times already, with numerous TV shows, Operas, and stage presentations, including Kabbuki and Bunraku renderings. As far as I know this is the first time a Hollywood version has been made of the 47 Ronin, but the sheer number of famous Japanese actors who have signed up to take part bodes well for the core story’s being presented properly. Plus, this version has dragons! While not a tale I would have associated with Christmas, I will be seeing in on the big screen come December.
On Wednesday we get Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, second film in the series based on Rick Riordan‘s excellent YA fantasy books. Then on Friday Elysium is the story of orbital class warfare as told by the folks who brought us District 9. Let’s face it, this is yet another weekend where I am going to have to see more than one movie. This has been an amazing summer for films so far!
The movie this week is Oblivion, a story with a lot more thought behind it than I was expecting. Not being a horror fan I will just mention Magic Magic so Oblivion doesn’t look so lonely on the page. No genre TV this time either, but Mythbusters: Collection 10 is coming out, and that show is always a hoot.
In anime Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail is a 5 episode OVA that takes us back to the world of the smugglers of the Lagoon Company. Maid-Assassin Roberta is out for revenge, the body count is growing by the minute, and the gang teams up with Roberta’s boss to try to save her. Or, failing that, at least stop the carnage. With episode titles like Collateral Massacre and Angels in the Crosshairs you can expect some serious action from this release. Haganai: I don’t have many friends means what the title says; as the story opens, our protagonist’s only friend is imaginary. But things are about to change, as she and another loner form a club for the other outcasts at their school.