Guardians Of The Galaxy is a bit different than the other Marvel film outings so far, and I am definitely looking forward to it. Let’s see… a bunch of misfits who ended up together because no one else understood them, and then the Galaxy As We Know It was threatened with destruction and they are the only ones who can save us from the danger. Yep, sure enough, that was never used as a Marvel plot line or premise before. 🙂 Seriously, though, I WILL be in the theaters on opening day, or at least opening weekend. I have really been waiting for this one for a while.
A bizarre blend of Edo era Samurai action, and wild west Cowboy violence, the Japanese remake of Unforgiven is just a little surreal. Taking place in Hokkaido in 1880 with Tombstone right next door, it looks like they did an excellent job blending the two cultures to tell a story that is equally heart-wrenching in either one. I particularly liked the scene of the cowboys riding off across the western terrain against the backdrop of Mt. Fuji.
This is more about the author and his books than the movie; perhaps I should call it Something To Read? I have been waiting for a decade or so for them to turn Dean Koontz’s wonderful character Odd Thomas into a movie, and I have heard about them doing so for the last few years. It has finally gotten beyond the rumor stage; a week from Friday, this one hits the big screen! The delay was caused by some legal issues between film making partners which should never have gotten in the way. From the trailer it looks like they have built the perfect film version of the first book in the series, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that they pull the box office numbers necessary to allow them to continue cranking out the entire collection of stories for our viewing enjoyment!
Have you read the Odd Thomas books or graphic novels? Oddy is a short order cook working the breakfast crowd at the grill, because that simple job allows him to zen out and let his mind come up with the proper solutions to help the various dead who appear to him. They don’t speak to him, for the dead do not talk. But they do make him aware of what their problems are, so he can help them. Most often they are looking for Justice, to have their killer stopped so they can not kill others. Sometimes they just need to be reassured they will be remembered, or that their mother knows how much they loved her, or maybe they just need that final ball to fetch. Odd Thomas has been seeing the dead since he was a child, and he is finally beginning to figure out how he can best serve them.
Dean R Koontz is a unique writer because his genre is horror, and his message is about how beautiful the world is, and how wonderful most of the people in it are, and most of all how full of hope and love even the most terrifying situation is. I never liked horror until I started reading this author. Actually, I still don’t like horror, but when the story carries this strong a message about how the world is right and good when good people stand up against evil, how could I not like it? The other series Dean does that impresses the hell out of me is his Frankenstein set, where Victor is trying to reduce people to slaves/robots, and not just a couple of folks, but entire cities and states. Meanwhile, the first Monster he created is still alive a few hundred years later, has learned the trick of quantum teleportation from the Dali Lama, and is out to save humanity from him with the help of some New Orleans cops, a sentient cancer tumor, and the 10th clone of Victor’s first wife. Trust me when I say Dean will always take you on a fun ride with lots of surprising stops along the way and will always leave you grinning ear to ear when you finally get to your destination.
The only movie I could find this time was an almost-direct-to-DVD release called Battle of the Damned, which is basically Dolph Lundgren and his Robots vs. a Zombie virus outbreak in a remake of Escape From New York. I say almost because it did show up in some theaters in Germany last year, but nowhere else that I am aware of.
We do better in TV, with Game of Thrones: Season Three, bringing the next book of the George R.R. Martin series to the home. I realize that is also only a single title, but the category makes up in quality for the difference.
Where we really make out this week is in Anime; not only more than one title, but more than one excellent title! Ever dream of being able to join your school’s Robot Research Club, and build a giant fighting robot based on your favorite Anime, that would then battle it out in competitions? If so, Robotics;Notes: Part 1 is a must see, from the folks who did Chaos;HEAD and Steins;Gate. But be careful what you wish for; when a sentient AI program begins giving the club members hints about secret robot designs hidden online, things take a turn for the really strange. Naruto ShippÅ«den the Movie: Blood Prison is actually the 5th movie about the Nine Tailed Fox and his ninja friends. They should probably start putting numbers directly in the titles so you wouldn’t have to wonder. In this one, Naruto is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and ends up in prison inside a castle, which I suppose must mean a dungeon. He befriends a few of the inmates and gears up to get free, whatever way he can.
Jormungand is the story of a child soldier desperately seeking those who murdered his family, who ends up as the newest bodyguard for Koko. She is an arms dealer who brings the Boom to the downtrodden masses while preparing for her own version of World Peace. This is one of those instant gratification releases; while season 1 and season 2 are two separate box sets, they are being released on the same day. Folks like me who go nuts being forced to wait 6 months or a year to find out how the story turns out really appreciates that. Of course, in 6 months they will no doubt release both seasons in a single box set for about $5 more than just one season will cost you now, but who wants to wait? I should probably also mention this is from the team that brought you Black Lagoon, so you should expect quite a large helping of ultra-violence and amorality.
Finally, Time Bokan: Royal Revival i just too funny for words. A classic Anime is getting remade, but to select which series of the original 9 different seasons with different casts, the bad guys from the original shows are building their own giant mechas and having a race. Except, the bad guy’s robots in Anime only do one thing really well; get destroyed in some visually stunning fashion. Plus, they are bad guys; cheating and dirty tricks are their stock in trade. My favorite quote about this program is: It’s Grand Theft Mecha Vs. Super Moron Kart as the baddies slam, bash and dirty trick each other to the finish in TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL! This one is actually from 1993, and was first released on DVD in the US in 2005. This re-release does mark the first time you can get it in Blu Ray in North America, and if you haven’t seen it before it is quite amusing.
When I posted about new movies for this weekend, how the hell did I not mention A Winter’s Tale, this year’s perfect Valentine’s Fantasy? It opened today, do not miss it! Tonight I thought I would mention a short list of 5 of the best Science Fiction romantic comedies for Valentines Day from years gone by. I’m starting with a personal favorite, Earth Girls Are Easy, about a fuzzy alien (Jeff Goldblum) and a human girl (Geena Davis). The fact that they were wildly in love with each other at the time gives this film a chemistry that you almost never find on screen. Besides the Out Of This World romance, it is a wonderful musical comedy, featuring the songs of Julie Brown and the antics of the whole cast, who include some very funny people. Hopefully they will get the live stage version going sometime soon. Also in that vein, Blast From the Past has a boy raised in a fallout shelter going to the surface world for the first time, where a nuclear war never happened after all. The Princess Bride is a classic Fantasy that never gets old, and Warm Bodies is the best Zombie romance/comedy I think I have ever seen. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World rounds out the group with an Apocalypse setting for its story. If you have missed any of these, stream or rent a copy and watch it with your special someone; I am betting you will be glad you did.
On Wednesday we get the reboot of Robocop, and excellent franchise about corporate greed and what it means to be a man. I look forward to finding out if this one stands up to the previous movies and TV show, but from the look of the trailer I believe it will. Also out this weekend in extremely limited release is Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, sequel to the 2009 Norwegian horror/comedy Død Snø. And let’s not forget Vampie, a sweet story about a vampire girl allergic to blood who eats VAMpire PIEs to sustain her, and the evil vampires that want to use her food source to raise the dead and enslave the living. I have no confirmation that that last one is actually being released this week, but it looks like it could be fun so I had to include it anyways.