We just had the most expensive Bollywood Sci-Fi film of all time, Robot, kicked loose to the big screen this past weekend. I have to wait until I go off call before I get to see it (that bit about turning off your cell phone in the movie theater means I have to wait until I can turn mine off), but there is another film that will be coming out on 5Nov10 I need to mention: Action Replay. Depending on who’s reviews you read and believe, this flic should be somewhere between Back To The Future and Hot Tub Time Machine, which were each variants on the same theme anyways. I do appreciate how each of these movies have the Grandfather Paradox at their core, bringing the concept out to the public in a format that makes sense to them. Once Upon A Time In Mumbai has some of the same flavor to it.
This one looks like it will be fun! The new trailer from Skyline, the first kick-ass invasion film since Independence Day. It hits the big screen November 12th.
Sadly, the best bet this weekend is an American remake of a movie that was perfect to start with. Let Me In can only have been made for people who can not read, because the films being in Swedish and therefore needing subtitles was the only drawback to Let The Right One In for English speakers. I expect the US remake to be very disappointing, since the original was brilliant and riveting even with the subtitles; you might as well try to remake the first film in that other world-class Swedish film trilogy Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Oh, wait, I think they are…
The winner in the movie category this week is obviously Iron Man 2, a film that built on the premise of the first one and ran with it. Of particular interest is the way it fleshed out more of the Avengers arc and back story, and introduced several new characters with Black Widow being the best represented. The other movie this week is no slouch, even if nowhere near as well known: Suck is a rock-and-roll vampire film with some real bite, and a cast that includes Malcolm McDowell as Eddie Van Helsig, Nicole de Boer, Rob Stefaniuk, Jessica Paré, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Moby, Henry Rollins, and more. It picked up at least seven awards including ones from the Toronto IFF, SXSW, and Fantasia.
Live Action TV series include Legend of the Seeker: The Complete Second Season, based on the Terry Goodkind novels, and not much else that I have seen.
In the field of western animations, the important releases are the final two seasons of Red VS. Blue, Red vs. Blue: Recollection which is season 7, and Red vs. Blue: Revelation, season 8. With these, the entire run of Red VS. Blue is available to play even on TVs with no web interfaces.
There are several Anime releases this week, including Bleach Box Set 6, another season of our favorite Soul Reapers in action. If you want to watch some of these online, including the latest episodes as they air in Japan, you have a couple of choices; Crunchyroll, where a premium membership allows you to watch the latest episode an hour after it airs in Japan, and Viz Anime, where you can see the released in the US episodes as well as the current season only a week or two after they played in Tokyo.
Also out, Hell Girl: Three Vessels Collection 1 does not let go of the pressure generated in seasons 1 and 2, but continues to build on it. Season 3 collection 2 of Hell Girl will be available at the end of November, if you were wondering, and I can’t say I am very surprised to learn there is conflict in Hell. Kaze No Stigma: Season 1 is the story of a family of Fire Users who banished one member who later returned as a very powerful Wind Spirit controller to challenge them all. Nabari No Ou: The Complete Series gives you a taste of what it is to be a Ninja with a hijutsu (hidden technique) that can control all other Ninja’s, much in the spirit of One Ring to Rule Them All. All three of these tales fit in here because they are fantasies from my perspective, but in terms of the cultures which created each of these stories (and yes, like the US, Japan is not a monolithic society, no matter how much the multinational corps try to homogenize us all into one big consumer culture) is told from a world view considered the core reality by its society members.
Howl will be in limited release this weekend, and while it might be hard to find a theater it is in, it will be worth it. Also in limited release, Enter the Void was inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and is every bit as strange as that implies. In wide release, the animated Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole brings Kathryn Lasky’s wonderful books to life in 3D. The animation looks amazing, and believe me when I say I will be in the 3D showing.
Ondine did pretty well when it made the festival circuit, getting lots of good buzz, but when it finally made a limited theatrical release it played no where near me. Now that is coming out on DVD this Tuesday I will finally get to watch this tale of a mermaid-like creature and the fisherman who catches her. The other live action movie out this week is the
Ridley Scott/Russel Crow version of Robin Hood, complete with WWII amphibious assault craft.
For TV programs, Being Human: Season Two just finished its first run on BBC America and is now heading for the shelves. A lot of the second season involves dealing with the consequences of the first, such as George accidentally turning his girlfriend into a werewolf and Mitchell’s new position in the local Vampire hierarchy. But there are new enemies to deal with this time around, one just for Annie and an organization out for the whole group and all their associates. Mythbusters Collection 6 is also available for anyone who likes their science with some serious attitude, and the new season rolls out on October 6th.
Xam’d: Lost Memories – Collection 1 is the story of war between humans and human/Hiruko fusions, told from the viewpoint of the high school boy who just got merged. The animation quality is excellent, and a bonus is the opening track by Boom Boom Satellites. Two other animation series come out in reduced cost editions, Ghost Hunt – The Complete Series in a S.A.V.E. version, and Samurai 7 in a Viridian Collection.