The first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters project is out, and it is tasty. The animation work is by Dreamworks, so you know it is good, and the voice cast is world class, and includes Kelsey Grammer and Ron Perlman. The main character Jim was voiced by the late Anton Yelchin, at least for the trailer, and further demonstrates just how versatile he was. The production is another Netflix Original Series, and will begin playing on December 23rd.
The re-imaging of Ghostbusters becomes available this week, starring four very gifted and funny women. Approaching the Unknown is a story about the first mission to Mars, which in this version has a single expedition member. The most recent iteration of The Legend of Tarzan was a solid example of the franchise, but it just didn’t speak to me the way some of the work done in the 40s and 50s did. We also get an animation this time around, Ice Age: Collision Course being every bit as funny as the previous four entries in that series. I loved the visual of the proto-squirrel being carried away in an alien’s flying saucer that was the heart of every trailer I saw.
In Anime, Wish Upon the Pleiades: Complete Collection puts a bunch of magical girls in a spacecraft and sends them into the skies to retrieve pieces of a destroyed alien ship. And Level E: Complete Series is coming out in a S.A.V.E. edition, for those who haven’t picked it up yet.
I loved the UK version of Dirk Gently back in 2012, and now it looks like we have another winning version. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency comes to BBC America beginning Saturday the 22nd of this month, and it looks hysterical. The cast includes Elijah Wood, who brings the quirkiness to his character that a show based on a Douglas Adams book needs. In case you were not already aware, here are a few trailers to give you the general idea.
Movies bring X-Men: Apocalypse home, which I am excited about because I haven’t seen it yet. It is probably the only Marvel movie of the last few decades I didn’t get to see on the big screen, and I am determined not to let that happen again any time soon. I likewise missed Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV in the theaters, with the difference that I have no intention of watching it at home either. The low key and intelligent Into The Forest is a post-apocalyptic tale with heart, and no zombie hoards or maniacs with muscle cars and chain saws anywhere to be seen. Probably the less said about The Purge: Election Year the better, but I do have to mention the quirky Swiss Army Man also comes out this week.
How many of you saw the 3D version of It Came From Outer Space when it hit the big screen in 1953? It was only the 6th movie ever made with a stereo soundtrack, and that too has been restored in the new Blu Ray 3D release coming out this week. They also fixed a number of problems with the vertical being out of alignment between the two film tracks, and corrected several scenes where the 3D was reversed (the stuff in the back of the scene appeared closer to the audience than the stuff in the foreground). Since they remastered it from the original duel film strips, they were able to convert it from its original red/green anaglyph format to the modern Blu Ray 3D format, so you will have none of the lose of brightness that format induced by virtue of limiting your visual input to just 2 parts of the spectrum.
Anime starts with a live action film this time, Attack on Titan Movie: Part 1, for those who missed it because its theatrical run was so limited. Gundam Reconguista in G takes place after the war torn Universal Century has ended, but the new century’s peace and prosperity hides some serious problems. Re-Kan! is a bout a new girl in school who hangs out with Ghosts, and pretty soon one of her classmates is seeing them too. Naruto Shippūden uncut box 28 brings more Ninja goodness home.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Complete Collection is the first time both seasons can be found in a single box set. Strike Witches The Movie is also out on disc for the first time this week, which completes that series, with seasons 1 and 2 already being out in a S.A.V.E. edition. Blood-C: The Complete Series and Blood-C: The Last Dark are both coming out in S.A.V.E. editions as well.
The teaser had me promising to be in the theaters for this one, now that I have seen the third full trailer of Moana there is no doubt where I will be this Thanksgiving. Both the artwork and the CG animation look excellent, and I have already seen enough just from the trailers to know I will enjoy getting to know both of the protagonists.
Captain America: Civil War is pretty much it for western movies and TV this week, but if you can only have one, what an excellent choice! Anime doesn’t do any better, having only two titles, neither of them new. Maken-Ki!: Season One is being re-released in a S.A.V.E. edition, and everything from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is being released in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. That means 28 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (seasons 1 and 2), 25 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya (likewise 2 seasons), 13 episodes of Nyoron! Churuya-san, and 16 episodes of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, along with some artwork and extras, all in a single boxed set for over $100. The good news is, they are also re-releasing each of those titles individually at reduced rates, so if you already have a lot of them, this is a great time to complete your sets. I will be picking up The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan since that is the title I am missing, as an example.