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Something to Watch: Discs

The movies this week include The Last Witch Hunter with Vin Diesel. I missed this one in the theaters, I will catch it when it gets on one of the premium services I already have. There are also two animated feature films, Batman: Bad Blood is a direct to video story that may have The Dark Knight on the dark side. And the 1937 animation classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be released on Blu Ray/Digital HD for the first time, completely remastered and restored. Finally I have to mention Simon Pegg’s Man Up, which isn’t genre but is a whole lot of fun. Supposedly. Sadly it didn’t play at a theater close enough to me so I could see it on the big screen, but I will get to see it now.

TV has Falling Skies: The Complete Fifth Season and the continuing battle of alien invaders vs. human defenders. Since that was the final season, you will also be able to pick up Falling Skies: The Complete Series in Blu Ray or DVD. We also get From Dusk Till Dawn: Season Two this week, one of a number of spin-offs generated by the original film.

Anime finally gives us the next episode of a true classic after entirely too long a wait! Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo is hitting the shelves, and as a person who was trying to watch it 3 years ago, I am thrilled to finally see it make it into the light of day. It is a reboot of one of the iconic Anime series of all time, and now we just have to wait for the fourth and final part to be released. The other release this week is worth everyone’s attention is From the New World, where the lines between Time and Space may blur, but the lines between people are razor sharp.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is a classic from the 80s telling the story of a young kitten who faces problems well beyond his age. The Festival of Stars becomes his escape, and he and his childhood friend are thrilled as the Galactic Railroad whisks the two away for parts unknown! Then there was Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection, where maidens try to control spirits, before the Demon King gets their contracts before them.

Something to Do: Movies

The only choice this weekend is Kung Fu Panda 3, at least from my perspective, another excellent entry in the franchise. The animation on this series has been very well done, using different artistic styles to differentiate the different aspects of the story. The cast is world class, and the story itself is one worth telling. I have been a fan since the first one, no way I am missing this on the big screen.

The Boy and the Beast Theater Showing

Get ready for The Boy and the Beast, in select theaters this March. It is the latest film from Mamoru Hosoda, who’s previous works include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the cyber adventure Summer Wars and the Ghibli-esque Wolf Children. It has picked up a number of Film Festival awards already, no surprise considering its creator actually worked at Studio Ghibli before forming his own small animation studio with the goal of making quality animations like the world had never seen before. This is another presentation made possible by Funimation, and they have more coming soon.

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.