What could be more American than Mister Peabody and Sherman? I can’t wait for the new movie to be in the theaters, and once more hear that exciting command: Sherman, set the WayBack Machine! Along with Fractured Fairy Tales, this was something I looked for every week in the Rocky And Bullwinkle Show.
We hit the jackpot this week, and I don’t mean the ton of horror flics coming out on Halloween. Best action/adventure based on a literary property is definitely Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, which comes complete with a world-class cast. For those in the mood for a heartwarming time travel romance we have the wide release (previously in Limited) of About Time from the team that did 4 Weddings And A Funeral. The animated treat for the weekend is Free Birds, with time traveling turkey’s out to change the Thanksgiving menu forever. Finally, the foreign film of note is Man of Tai Chi, which is a Hong Kong martial arts film, even if Keanu Reeves is directing and starring in it.
The remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty looks really good, possibly even better than the original, although I think I will have to watch them both on the same day before I come to any conclusions. It is based on the book by American humorist and illustrator James Thurber.
The Wall is a German fantasy adventure about a woman who suddenly finds herself isolated from humanity by an invisible barrier she can not cross. This looks like it could be a very powerful interior movie if it is done right. The documentary this time is Necessary Evil: The Villains of DC Comics, because there just isn’t enough nerdyness already in the world.
In TV, the excellent but short lived Primeval New World: The Complete Series is available to bring home. I liked that series, and was very sorry it did not get renewed. The other tasty series is Nikita: The Complete Third Season, spy fun for the whole family.
In Anime, Blood-C: The Last Dark is the feature film that complements the TV series about the half-monster vampire killing girl. Kokoro Connect: Complete is about a group of friends who suddenly find themselves swapped in each others bodies with no clue as to why. Even with the cross-gender swapping, objectionable content is mild; this one is played strictly for the laughs.
Winning the award for this rounds longets title, Yamibo – Darkness, the Hat, and the Travelers of the Books: Complete Collection, I find the premise of this one interesting. Our protagonist has had her elder sister/love interest vanish in front of her. In the process of seeking her out, a talking parakeet leads her to the Great Library, where every book is a gateway to its own unique world. Not surprisingly, this is from Bandai, the same folks who distributed Read Or Die.
Di Gi Charat: Complete is centered around an extraterrestrial princess and her friends who descend on Tokyo with the objective of making her an Idol. The original anime and OVA were kind of promotional, since the Gamers store it is set in, in Akihabara, actually exists, and is part of a chain that has stores as far away as LA, California. This is more of a re-release, but it has been quite a while since the series was available in North America.
This one looks very tasty, I Frankenstein has the monster as the hero, much as Dean Koontz portrayed him. This isn’t quite the same one, as this is based on the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel I, Frankenstein created by Kevin Grevioux.
This week Big Ass Spider looks like the camp comedy winner, with several of my favorite actors in it. The Carrie remake is also this Friday, proving yet again that religious brainwashing, school bullies, and telekinetic power are not a good mix. My favorite choice this time around has to go to Chinese Zodiac, with Jackie Chan leading a team of mercenaries out to recover the stolen artifacts.