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Something to Watch: DVDs

Staring us off this week is Rise of the Planet of the Apes, where we learned that we didn’t blow the Earth up after all, but did ourselves in through genetic engineering. Also out is Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, a Sherlock Holmes style action/adventure period piece filled with well known Asian film stars.

I there were any live action genre TV shows coming out this week, I was unable to find them. There is, however, a documentary that might be of interest; PBS’s Steve Jobs: One Last Thing.

For western animation, Kung Fu Panda 2 from Dreamworks continues the saga of Po, with world class animation and a great story. There is of course an expanded pack with a second DVD with new shorts and extras, as well as the Kung Fu Panda Collection, which has both the first and second movie in it.

Bleach Box Set 11 brings episodes 168 through 179 of the Soul Reapers epic series of battles home. Also available is Kekkaishi Set 3, which has the Barrier Masters fighting monsters for an additional 13 episodes. If you are wondering if either of these series are for you, you can watch episodes online at those links to find out. Odds are good you will not be able to watch Urotsukidoji New Saga Complete online; while it is a fantasy adventure about battling gods, it is also hentai, and as such for adults only.

There are a few re-releases into lower cost packaging today. Kino’s Journey – Complete Collection and Ikki Tousen – The Complete Series [S.A.V.E.] can now be acquired for $20 or less if you shop around.

New John Carter trailer

I first read this book when I was 14 years old, and immediately wanted to see it on the big screen. There have been various versions and attempts at it in the past, and strangely enough my favorite one so far features a former porn star as the Princess of Mars. But with the release of this trailer, I don’t think it is a contest any more. This will be the definitive version of ERB’s John Carter of Mars. Even if they did drop the of Mars part out of the title.

Sherlock Returns

In season two of Steven Moffat’s Sherlock Holmes it looks like Lara Pulver get’s to play Irene Adler. There are no trailers yet, but word is the new season starts on New Years Day, and the folks at Blogtor Who have some good promo pics posted. Of course, the Robert Downey Jr. movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows hits the big screen next Wednesday as well. And I assume everyone has been listening to BBC Radio 4 Extra over the past month, as they have played every Sherlock Holmes story ever written as radio plays. This is a great time to be a Holmes fan.

Something to Do: Movies

For the second week in a row, no real new genre releases but they have turned one of the better books by a good author into a film I will be going to see: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. And once more, John le Carré’s hero Smiley gets put through the wringer for our enjoyment. They put together a quality cast for this project as well, in my opinion it should be a good counterbalance to enjoy against next weeks Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows release.

Something to Watch: DVDs

Topping of the film list this week is Cowboys & Aliens, the incredibly well done reimaging of Gene Autry’s 1935 classic The Phantom Empire. It absolutely gets my vote as best Western so far this century. As a counterbalance to that, Alien Armageddon has a bunch of cowboys trying to save Los Angeles from Space Zombies. Three guesses which one I will be bringing home. I am not even completely convinced that The Return of Post Apocalyptic Cowgirls wouldn’t be a better choice, also coming out this week, and extremely NSFW. And don’t even get me started on The Incubus, which can’t hold a candle to its 1982 namesake.

While not exactly genre, Jim Carey’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins is surreal enough to get an entry here, and a whole lot of fun. And the sleeper this week seems to be the Brazilian fantasy Astral City: A Spiritual Journey, which looks very reminiscent of What Dreams May Come, both in its cinematography and in its story. This one is worth checking out.

In TV, the primary choice this time around is The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fourth Season. I miss Elizabeth Sladen, and am glad we have one more set of adventures to go on with her.

Captain Power: The Complete Series returns a 1980s show briefly to circulation. This one was somewhere between The Terminator and Power Rangers, and I think it may resemble the original Transformers by being a TV show spun off as a way of selling a children’s toy. But it did have a few things going for it, including the fact that along with Max Headroom that same year it was one of the first shows on TV to combine computer graphics with live action footage. But somehow Max has an honored place in my collection, while Captain Power does not, and will not.

In Anime, new this week is Tales of the Abyss – Part 2, continuing the story of the super powered boy hoodwinked by a general… or is he? Perhaps his companions will keep him from being used. Also coming around for the first time (that I am aware of) is Rozen Maiden Ouverture, which is an OVA prequel of the TV series. At the same time, they are also releasing Rozen Maiden – Complete Collection which includes season one (12 episodes), season two (another 12 episodes), and the prequel Ouverture (2 episodes). Since the complete collection is only double the cost of Ouverture while containing 12 times the number of minutes of animation, if you don’t already own the full series you will want to get the former.

Birdy the Mighty: Decode – The Complete Series finally brings this set down to a more reasonable cost than it had when broken down between the first and second season. I still own Birdy the Mighty: Final Force, which this one is pretty much a remake of, but I am looking forward to adding the new version to my collection. Also in re-release, Devil May Cry – The Complete Series S.A.V.E. Edition puts the entire anime series (not to be confused with the games, the manga, etc.) in your hands for noticeably less than $20 if you shop around.