I loved three out of these four series quite a bit, and the other one is OK if not fantastic, but the payoff comes in August when the launch The Defenders. They posted the first full trailer from it earlier this week, and it does look like they will come together nicely.
This weekend is all about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and I am guaranteed to be in the IMAX 3D version, probably about 4 rows from the screen.
We get a new animation from Studio Ghibli with The Red Turtle, a brilliant story which needs no dialog to make its meaning known. MindGamers is a story about true possibilities for neural networks to interface to the wetware in our skulls, and not all the potentials are positive things. This one played in theaters across the country on a single night, if you missed it here is your next chance to catch it. A Dog’s Purpose is based on the book of the same name, and is included because reincarnation comes under the heading of fantasy in some cultures, and therefor genre.
Anime has a confusing entry today, with One Piece Movie: Gold and One Piece: Heart of Gold both coming out, two completely different animations. The live action Black Butler: The Movie is coming out this week as well, two hours of demonic butler revenge saga! Grimgar: Ashes & Illusions contains the complete series of amnesiac adventurers lost in a fantastic world. Season 2, part 2 of Garo: Crimson Moon continues the trials of the commoners exposed to the depredation of the demons and monsters that roam the night, while the rich and powerful stay safe inside the shielded part of the city. Only the wearers of the Golden Armor fight to protect them, and they can not be everywhere at once. Nurse Witch Komugi R is the complete collection of Magical Girl/Idol turned Nurse (Magical Nurse turned Idol? Nurse Idol turned Magical Girl? I don’t watch this series, so I am noticeably vague on the details) stories. I also have to mention the re-release of the classic Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, a classic from the Gundam Universe that was a subplot of the primary story from 1996 to 1999.
Today is the first day of the 17th Annual SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival, with a host of amazing films, including 7 world film premieres, 13 UK film premieres, and SCI-FIDO, the world’s only cosplay for dogs! It runs for 10 days total and includes goodies like the movie Virtual Revolution and this year’s assortment of Sci-Fi Games. Wish I could be there this time!
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The film that gets my vote this week is The Circle, just 20 minutes into the future and oh so scary.
The next chapter in the Lycan/Vampire Wars comes out this week in the form of Underworld: Blood Wars. The Girl with All the Gifts, based on the book by M. R. Carey will also be on the shelves come Tuesday. Strangely, the one I really want to see this time around isn’t genre: La La Land. In Anime Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water is an excellent series, but with Part 4 holding only 6 episodes yet running at $55, I will definitely be watching it streaming online rather than adding it to the collection. Snow White with the Red Hair brings out Season 2 of the fairy tale, which at least is realistically priced.