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Something to Stream: RWBY, TV

I watch near-realtime streaming TV shows from Hulu+/Amazon or Cable/Show/Network Apps because being tied to the TV Show clock is so 20th century. To begin I have to mention that RWBY kicked off its new season the other week, filling in lots of the missing backstory pieces explaining how everything got to be like this as well as advancing the current plot line to new levels of tension. This is my favorite animation created in Poser, it is quite nicely realized. It is also streamed from one of my two Asian near-realtime services, those being Crunchyroll and Funimation. They want to simulcast them within an hour or so of their Tokyo/Seoul/Hong Kong air time, but they face the added challenge of getting each episode subbed into English before they can post it online. Sometimes that makes the presentation a few hours late.

But next week we get a number of Broadcast TV shows I have been waiting for eagerly, so it is appropriate I mention them in this post since I will not be watching them as the shows air. In most instances, Broadcast TV shows are available to watch starting at local midnight after their transmission, just like the cable companies VOD presentations (and under pretty much the same distribution contract), and I usually go on a binge the following weekend. I might not be able to wait this week though.

Tuesday brings the long awaited Season 2 premier of Agent Carter, which is pretty much my favorite Marvel franchise. If you missed season 1, you can watch the whole thing for free on their site to get you caught up for Season 2, but you only have a few days to do so. The other stand alone show I have been waiting for is Heroes Reborn, but this time it is the season finale rather than the start of anything; that happens Thursday. And yes, you can watch the entire season of that online for free to get you ready to see how the season closes.

Tuesday also brings the Winter Premier (the 2nd half of the season) of The Flash, kicking off the next round of CW DC Universe stories. That is followed the next day by Arrow, and I expect both of them to be crossover stories gearing us up for Thursday’s Series Premier of Legends of Tomorrow. I am looking forward to this up-leveling of the DC Universe presentation, which finally puts them within range of Marvel’s TV offerings. Somehow, I just haven’t found the excitement in Supergirl, which needs to step up to the plate to be on a par with the rest of the shows.

It doesn’t quite end there. Also this week, on Wednesday Supernatural kicks off the second half of the season, and The 100 adds its own flavor to Thursdays. And finally, next Sunday we get the long awaited rebirth of The X-Files, bringing a true classic back to television. All in all, it promises to be one hell of a season!

Lost In Hong Kong Trailer

Lost In Hong Kong is a truly twisted film, and the sequel to the highest-grossing film in China’s history (until Monster Hunt came along last July), Lost In Thailand. It does have some great action and comedy sequences, but the flavor of the trilogy, so risque and adventuresome in Lost on Journey, slid into slapstick with Lost In Thailand, and finally into mainstream with Lost In Hong Kong. Still, each of these films was quite entertaining in its own way, and this final one of the set will be out on DVD in March (it hit US theaters back in September).

Hail Caesar! trailer

The film Hail, Caesar! isn’t genre, so why post the trailer here? Because it cracked me up, and when I finally stopped laughing I knew I had to share it. Plus, it is comfortably recursive, a movie about making movies, poking a lot of fun at the industry and itself in the process. I may just have to be in the theater on February 5th to catch this one.

Something to Do: Movies

We get the animation Norm of the North in wide release this week, polar bear vs. corporation. In what appears to be a limited theatrical release, the live action film 400 Days tells about a group of trainees in a long duration space mission simulation who lose contact with mission control. This is a bit unusual because it is produced by Syfy Films, but being released in theaters and on demand, rather than being aired on the Syfy Channel. Also, it was released on DVD in Australia last October.

Something to Watch: Discs

The Martian is out on disc this week, based on Andy Weir’s book and starring Matt Damon. The film has been nominated for a number of awards already, it will be interesting to see which ones it takes home. For animated family silliness we also get Hotel Transylvania 2, with the further antics of Dracula’s daughter. While Mr. Robot: The Complete First Season may not be genre, it is cutting edge TV you should be watching, and it too is up for an assortment of awards. From now to January 21st you can watch all 10 Season 1 enhanced and uncensored episodes on their website, especially if you are voting for any of those awards.

In Anime, Argevollen Collection 2 continues to up the ante in the war, with newer and better combat mechs rolled out to both sides. It is beginning to look like the only winners will be the companies that create the giant robots. The IGPX Immortal Grand Prix: Complete Collection originally came out in 2005 as 2 box sets, this is the first time the entire thing is in a single package. It combines auto racing with combat mechas for a rather unique sport.