There are two tasty choices this weekend; Kick-Ass 2 could be even more off the hook than the original. Hit Girl gets grounded, and Kick-Ass teams with a group of costumed vigilantes inspired by their original antics. Based on the trailers I have to say Jim Carrey’s character looks well and truly twisted. The other film worth checking out this time around is the docu-drama Jobs, and there is one thing I am hoping they deal with. That is their near mythical raid on Xerox PARC, where they supposedly stole the idea of the mouse and its use with clickable icons to create a graphical user interface. That GUI format was later supposedly stolen from them as Bill Gates madly played catch-up and replaced DOS with Windows in his bid to compete with the Mac. As with all such mythologies, the reality was a bit more complex than that (see the Stanford story linked above), but it made a great story.
My favorite movie release this week has to be The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, the Luc Besson French Steampunk masterpiece. The film is the first in a series based on the graphic novels by Jacques Tardi, which are also being released in hardcover volumes in the US for the first time since the 1970s. It was previously available in the US only as an import from Canada at a noticeably higher price point. You can watch it in the original French with English subtitles, or dubbed into English.
From Hong Kong, The Guillotines is a historical martial arts epic about the effect of the import of firearms on a traditional secret police organization who’s primary assignment is assassination. The short answer is, nothing good, as they find themselves under attack by both sides. The Korean fantasy A Werewolf Boy is the story of a feral child taken in and taught to eat at a table and otherwise pretend to be normal. When his bestial strength and speed are displayed to protect his benefactress, he is abandoned with a promise of return. This one is a bit of a tearjerker.
The US film of note this time is a documentary, A Band Called Death, about one of the earliest Punk bands. Their 1976 album was only released in 2009, after the discovery of their 1974 demo track generated some serious interest.
In TV, Once Upon a Time: The Complete Second Season hits the shelves. I am happy to report it looks like this show is coming back for a third season, as it just seems to keep getting better.
In Anime, Eureka Seven Astral Ocean: Part 1 is a sequel to the original series, taking place on an Earth caught between warring alien armies. The young Ao flies into combat in a giant Mecha that is somehow connected with his missing mother, being chased by monsters. This is the first twelve episodes in the new series. Blast of Tempest: the complete 1st season has a banished sorceress and a murdered girl triggering a war across time and space. Again, the first 12 episodes of the series.
Sword Art Online: Aincrad Part 1 is an excellent series, cyberpunk virtual reality game play at its finest, but with just 7 episodes in this package and a price tag starting at $40 and heading up from there, it is a bit overpriced. While I am waiting for a more realistically priced edition, I will continue to watch it streaming on Crunchyroll, which is why I chose the link I did for it. Finally, Shining Hearts: the complete collection is the story of a peaceful island where elves and humans live in harmony, untroubled until a beautiful castaway washes up on shore. She has amnesia, and so can not explain why pirates and brigands are suddenly invading the land, searching for her.
NSFW, but it definitely looks like Kick Ass 2 is going to be just as off the hook as the first one. Just one of many new trailers that have hit the web during and after Comic Con this weekend.
There is no doubt that the primary choice this weekend will be The Wolverine, next from the Marvel X-Men franchise. I am pretty much on the must-see bandwagon when any new Marvel movie hits the big screen, so I don’t even need to think about it any more. If you are in the mood for silly fun instead, The To Do List may be more your speed. There is also Stranded, but I am not a horror fan unless it comes with a lot of comedy.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec was an amazing 2010 French movie by the master Luc Besson, and it is finally being released on DVD in the US. This is thanks to the team at Shout Factory, a company I have grown to appreciate as they keep releasing those quirky little programs that don’t have the kind of mass market appeal to bring in the millions of copies sales the big companies insist on. Examples in my collection include the complete surviving works of Ernie Kovacs, the entire ReBoot animation series, way more Roger Corman movies than I should ever admit to owning, and a Blu-Ray version of the cult classic Harlan Ellison movie A Boy And His Dog, complete with a reversible cover o you can pretend it is another movie entirely when your friends come over. This one really is one of the best, pretty much Steampunk based on an excellent graphics novel series by the guy who did The 5th Element, you should catch it as soon as possible.
And going on now; check The Schedule to get a glimpse of what all is going on, check Comic Con‘s very own web site for all the amazing details, and check any one of the hundred’s of sites webcasting from there for all kinds of coverage. Sadly, that no longer includes G4TV, because it no longer exists; it is in the process of being converted to a soft porn channel owned by a soft porn magazine.