One of my favorite film fests is coming around again: Sci-Fi London takes place from April 28th until May 3rd. Being held in the UK, there will of course be the obligatory Doctor Who screening, in this case the 1966 feature film staring Peter Cushing as the Doctor, as well as a Lab event called The Birth of the Modern Doctor Who. One of the most notable films at the event is Radio Free Albemuth, yet another Philip K. Dick tale turned into a disturbing movie (don’t you hate it when a film forces you to think?) about current events. Another film about a future that is already here is the intriguing 8th Wonderland, about a virtual country populated in the real world through social networking. Then there is TiMER, a nice Sci-Fi romantic comedy, and Dones (think The Office with drones from other planets), both of which have a solid link to the Buffyverse and a good grasp of humor. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg; there are a lot of movies worth seeing at this event.
The film that looks like it could be the most fun this week is The Good, The Bad, The Weird, which looks kind of like a Korean take on Indiana Jones in full-tilt boogie mode. It will be in a limited number of theaters, but it will be available as part of the IFC On Demand service, available through a number of cable companies including Comcast.
If you don’t have access to that film, it looks like The Losers might make an acceptable substitute. It is not quite genre, but still looks like it could be fun.
Avatar; if you only buy one DVD this year, this should be it. Enough said.
Among the imported live action movies, K-20: Fiend With Twenty Faces looks like a fun choice, from the teams that brought out 20th Century Boys and Death Note.
For TV series, Merlin, the Complete First Season hits the shelves this week. Seen in the US on NBC and Syfy, this re-imagining of the Arthur legend was built by the BBC.
Comrades in Dreams was a documentary produced in 2006 about a select few people around the world who bring the magic of movies to people and places that otherwise might not have the opportunity to see them on the big screen. I know it is hard to believe in this age of instant streaming video, but these media activists are serving a vital purpose.
Naruto Shippuden Box Set 2 probably tops the popularity charts for this weeks Anime series. This show just keeps getting better.
Previously released as individual seasons, Otogi Zoshi: Collection of Ages is the full 26 episode series. The story takes place in then-capital Kyoto (Then being around 972 A.D.), where a female Samurai archer takes on a journey in search of a jewel with mystic powers.
One of the stranger anime box sets being released this week is Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan; fans of vigilante style justice for perverts or people who like their ultra violence served up cutesy ought to love this one.
Our first direct evidence of something we all knew was going to be commonplace… lightning on another planet, in this case Saturn, courtesy of Cassini.
Embedded video from
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology
Luc Besson released his new masterpiece Wednesday, Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec, pretty much everywhere in the French speaking parts of Europe, and I really hope there is a Subbed or Dubbed English DVD version scheduled for later. This one looks like pure Steampunk fun, and had its world premiere last week at the BIFFF, also known as the 28th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. I should point out, every other movie at that festival is also on my to-be-watched list, and there are a lot of them. I know I posted this trailer a week or 3 back, but here it is again for anyone who missed it…
A nice segment from the History Channel, who have done some great things for SF over the years. Also videos of Damon Knight and David Brin talking a little about it.