This is just too funny for words, only watching the video will give you an idea. Many thanks to John at SF Signal for finding this one.
The movie release of choice this week is Surrogates, a fun little action/adventure outing starring Bruce Willis as a man who has to avoid wearing his robot body while hunting down a killer.
If you didn’t have a chance to see it in the theaters, RiffTrax LIVE: Plan 9 from Outer Space hits the shelves Tuesday, along with several other RiffTrax titles, including Planet of Dinosaurs and Voodoo Man, as well as several collections of shorts.
Naruto Shippuden releases both Box Set 1 (you can select the regular or special versions) and Volume 5 of the series. These are a somewhat older crew of Ninja’s than the original series gave us. Speaking of Ninja’s, Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny volume 2 also gets release this week. And the one that looks most interesting to me is the Sands of Destruction Complete Series.
This week brings us one of the monster festivals of the year, the Sundance Film Festival from the 21st to the 31st. As always with Sundance, there are a ton of great films and workshops to attend, but there are two that look particularly interesting. The first would be Splice, a story of genetic engineering and its consequences, while the 2nd is Pumzi, a story of restoring the Earth to support life after WWIII. In the Comedy category we have Tucker & Dale vs Evil, which shows you what is really happening in all those Texas Chainsaw derived movies, and for the documentary side, Life 2.0 leads the pack with a representation of one of my favorite segments of virtual reality.
Other films worth noting include Howl, an experiment in film making showing the the birth of a counterculture, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers for the musically oriented, and the entire Drunk History series, of which my favorite is Drunk History: Tesla & Edison. There are about 20 more films I feel the need to mention, but if I don’t stop now, I may never do so.
Another festival running from the 22nd to the 24th is the Trail Dance Film Festival in Duncan, OK. Ready Teddy looks like a fun one there, with the story of how the Beatles kidnapped Elvis (yes, that comes under the heading of Alternate History).
James Cameron had a quality interview at The Wrap in which he answered political critics comments about Avatar, and spoke about the technology and the future of movie making. Word is also going around that Daniel Craig is talking with the makers of Cowboys and Aliens, and might be taking over the lead in that film. The part opened up last week when Robert Downey dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts with Sherlock II and Iron Man III. The premise is similar to one of my favorite Harry Turtledove series, only this time the aliens land in the 1880s old west, instead of WWII. And word came out today that an Iron Man II IMAX release will be happening simultaneously with the regular theatrical release on May 7th.
Coming out this Friday is Daybreakers, in which most of the human race has been turned into vampires with the remaining humans sufficient to supply their blood needs for a matter of weeks only. With an all star cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, and Isabel Lucas, this film has the potential to be something special. Also this week, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus hits screens everywhere, ending its limited release run.
For a small but immediate chunk of Neil Gaiman goodness, go watch his new (short) movie Statuesque at Pink is the New Blog. It stars Bill Nighy and Amanda Palmer, runs about 8 minutes long, and does an amazing job of storytelling with no dialog.
2010 has some very interesting movies scheduled to make the theaters. Other films coming out in January include Legion, The Book of Eli, Tooth Fairy, and When in Rome. February has the sequel District 13: Ultimatum, as well as Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and The Wolfman.
It isn’t coming up until March of 2010, but one of the films I am looking forward to this year is Hot Tub Time Machine, starring John Cusack and Chevy Chase. Nothing profound on this one, just silly fun.
The latest season of one of my favorite TV shows gets released this Tuesday: Chuck, season 2. If you thought season one was somewhat amusing, brace yourself for the next great sequence! Here is a hint; watch for some world class actors reprising their best roles here, including such masterpieces as Die Hard and The Whole 9 Yards.
In the American Animation collection for the 5th, the prime choice is Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, yet another exquisitely silly cartoon! For Japanese anime, Night Head Genesis the complete collection tells a story of psychic power and rebellion.
Then there is a Japanese Live Action film, called Akiballion: Battlemaids of Akihabara. Hard though it may be to believe, these three women battle the very Forces of Nature to protect the Geek part of town!
Which should get everyone ready for Wake Up Callz, where an evil orbital device does its best to steal Earths dreams.