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.
This is an excellent weekend for movies, starting with R.I.P.D., the Rest In Peace Department from the comic book of the same name. It has Mary-Louise Parker costarring with Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, and Kevin Bacon in this comedy fantasy crime drama. If that wasn’t enough to keep you entertained another action/adventure/comedy based on a comic book is also hitting the big screen, RED 2, in which Mary-Louise Parker is costarring with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, and Anthony Hopkins. That girl is definitely getting around, and getting some excellent parts in the process. Those are both on Friday, and I am going to have to attend both of them. On Wednesday the 17th Turbo is in the theaters, an animation about a snail who wants to be a race car. I really can’t afford to do three movies this weekend, even though it is from Dreamworks, one of my favorite western animation houses. This time around, the animation loses.
Not a great week for movies, with the remake of Evil Dead being about the only new film out there. And without Bruce, I just don’t see the point. We do better in TV, with Alphas: Season Two continuing the story for our team of special powered investigators. Unfortunately Syfy cancelled it, so it didn’t get a season 3, which means this is it for this series. Also this week the excellent BBC America original series Orphan Black: Season One hits the shelves. If you haven’t seen this one yet put it on your must-watch list and join the Clone Club.
In anime, Naruto Shippūden rolls out box set 15, bringing us up to episodes 180 through 192. The latest episode to stream out of Japan is 320, so we have a ways to go to catch up yet, but you can watch them on either the Viz or Hulu web sites. There is a re-release I am excited about this week, in the form of Patlabor (The Mobile Police) TV Series; Collection 1. Giant Robots, sociopaths, madmen waving guns – these aren’t just the problems the Mobile Police have to deal with every day, these ARE the Mobile Police! is a truly apt description, even if it is part of the current ad copy. This wonderful series is directed by Mamoru Oshii, who later went on to do Ghost In The Shell and many other excellent cyberpunk anime stories.
The next film of the franchise, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, doesn’t come out until November, but the trailer indicates it may be just as good as the first one. Suzanne Collins has done a superb job with these books, hopefully the film studio will continue at the quality level they brought to the first movie adaption.
I am more than ready for Pacific Rim to hit the theaters! Finally the US gets its own Giant Mecha vs. Monsters kind of movie!