The Sun and Moon are going to arrive together come November 18, 2016, for this latest instalment of the Pokémon franchise. Unlike previous teases of what’s to come for this video game for the Nintendo New 3DS XL
Immediately, I’m wondering how involved this person will be during the game?
Continue reading “Thoughts on the Trailer for Pokémon Sun & Moon!”
J-pop group Band Ja Naimon! (バンドじゃないもん!) released the music video attached to their upcoming single “Kimemaster! (キメマスター！)”. The all-female idol group was transferred from Warner Music Japan to Pony Canyon in January, 2016. “Kimemaster! / Kimochi Dake Sanka Shimasu (キメマスター！ / 気持ちだけ参加します。)” will be available for purchase May 18th and is the 2nd major label debut for the group formed in 2012.
“Kimemaster” is directed by Daisuke Kondon with animation by Yuka Ota and Akane Okamoto of pH Studio Inc.
Band Ja Naimon! will be performing May 17 and 18th at the Akasaka Blitz (赤坂BLITZ) in Minato, Tokyo as part of the Band Ja Naimon! nationwide Tour 2016 ~Teppen Mezasouze! Mushashugyo-hen~. Doors open at 6:15 pm (18:15) with show at 7 pm (19:00).
Continue reading “Band Ja Naimon! Releases “Kimemaster” MV as Part of Pony Canyon Debut”
By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Director of the latest Ghostbusters film, Paul Feig, has faced a lot of hate since the announcement over a year ago that an all-female reboot of the franchise was to make its way to the silver screen.
The venom spewed at Feig has been of the scale reserved for only the most heinous of criminals yet Feig continues to fight his detractors, telling one who printed abuse for months over Twitter to “go **** yourself.”
Two weeks ago the Ghostbusters debut trailer became number 21 in the “Most Disliked YouTube Videos” as compiled by the YouTube channel MyTop100Videos (it is currently in the number 12 spot as of May 8, 2016). Now the New York Daily News has amended an interview it published on May 2, 2016 when it was found quotes used by the author of Feig defending Ghostbusters were in fact from an old interview two years previous. Feig’s prepared response of this incident was distributed via his official Twitter account earlier today (edited for coarse language):
Continue reading “Ghostbusters Director Paul Feig says Bullies Aren’t the True Geeks”
Free Comic Book Day is an annual ritual event for me to attend. With it operating for 15 years, that’s an impressive milestone to promote literacy and a love for the medium. Without it, I would not have discovered some great wonderous pieces of work like Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and David Petersen’s Mouse Guard. Although these stories are relegated to a single book edition of Boom! Studios Summer Blast, should I be disappointed?
When each comic store I hit limits the number of books I’m allowed to grab, I had to choose wisely. Although an original story was offered, sadly (and I hope to find it as leftovers when I head to town the next day) it had to be missed. The previous years were great when there was an issue dedicated to Mouse Guard. One of the reasons why I’m attracted to this series is the gorgeous art! Plus, the creator is a regular at Emerald City Comicon!
I was eager for this year’s event and did not even sleep since I wanted to grab Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom before this title disappeared. I’m eagerly waiting for Shout! Factory to release the animated movie. The comic book has been out for some time, but I somehow missed hearing about it.
When the stores here in Victoria, BC do not carry every title available, it’s easy to miss the odd gem. While I try to scan Diamond Press’ Previews advance order catalogue for the titles that I find exciting, just how I missed this title is still a mystery. I was busy in my final year in college at the time, so that may be the reason. Or, perhaps the stars were not right.
I arrived at Curious Comics, Legends Comics & Books and Yellowjacket Comics & Toys a few minutes before they opened and had my face pasted against the window to peer at what titles were brought in. I figured out what titles I wanted to grab the most. As I left one store, I saw Captain America (from Superheroes of Victoria) just standing around, in front of the Curious, posing for kids and adults who wanted a photo. To see him appear is to no doubt make folks aware that the movie, Captain America: Civil War, is here. With the Greater Victoria Public Library also joining in the fun a few blocks away (only the central branch participates), up to sixteen books can be obtained.
With 50 comics to choose from, the decision-making can be tough. The stores here bring in at least two-thirds of the entire run (by my count). A few titles might be harder to obtain. Of course, the selection depends on how much money the establishments are willing to spend to bring these free products in.
In what I grabbed this year was the Dark Horse sampler, which included Legend of Korra. I’m guessing they will be presenting all new stories in this latest chapter of the Last Avatar series very soon. With this book containing this company’s take on expanding the How to Train Your Dragon series, I was more than hopping with excitement! Other titles that caught my eye were DC Super Hero Girls, Lady Mechanika, The Phantom 80th Anniversary, ROM the Spaceknight and The Tick. I could have filled my quota, and I’m not greedy.
Unlike certain sampler comics, not everything is meant to be collectable. On eBay, which is a rough gauge on collectability, I’ve noticed a few titles since this programme’s inception supposedly grow in value. However, I think the idea of getting titles that are free to sell online is ridiculous. On eBay, a few folks are capitalising on offering complete sets at a cost! In a hobby such as this one, I’m just in it to enjoy reading and forget about profiteering. You can’t buy a new car with the selling of modern titles. The scarcer golden age comics (published 1959 or before), however, is a different matter.
Arriving just in time for May 8th in select theatres and VOD is Mothers and Daughters, a film showing how important family ties is. Not to be confused with the Garry Marshell comedy Mother’s Day, this film is different. It’s also not about Amazons or warrior princesses. Although that would help draw male viewers in, some movies look like it can be better understood by those who have done Women’s Studies as a discipline in college. Very little is known about writer/director Paul Duddridge’s academic background and rise as a filmmaker. While this film is based on an idea of his to look at the lives of several young ladies through the lens of Rigby (Selma Blair), an art photographer, the images presented feels more like a celebration of the special bond the generations have than that of the men involved with each woman’s life.
An all-star cast headlines this film. Wonderful talents like Susan Sarandon, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci and Courteney Cox appear. I would have liked to see them interact all together in one huge set, but instead, I see them paired up in separate tales. Sarandon’s real-life daughter Eva Amurri Martino appears. In her story, she’s seeking help from mum to help her hubby start a pastry business. It’s tough to convince the matriarch for financial assistance and the resolution looks more at how the two can face other trials together. In Becca’s (Ricci) tale, she struggles at the shock of learning the women she thinks of as a sister is actually her mom.
Although Paige Cameron fashioned the screenplay from Duddridge’s idea, more could have been done in the writers room with input from the performers to make this film bloom. When there are acting families in the room, the better tales should also come from experience too. The ideas offered here feel more like seeds at different states of its genesis. The bouquet of flowers offered here needed further finessing to truly appreciate the themes of unconditional love often shared by children with their parents.
3 Stars out of 5
For the nearest screening near you, please check local listings.
A Beautiful Planet is a gorgeous film that only IMAX can capture. No other film format will do to capture what astronauts behold every day while living in the International Space Station (ISS). Most of the filming was done by those astronauts on their downtime and I suspect they were given minimal direction by writer/editor Toni Myers on what to catch on camera. I loved looking at the life on board this station more instead of looking down upon the planet Earth.
When peering down, weather systems can be examined, the spread of humans upon the continents are better understood (Moscow truly looks like Star City, even though that’s in Moscow Oblast), and the light from these cities is nothing but awe striking. My only nitpick is that when looking at this planet, I did not see much depth to this 3D product. Either my vision is not being perfect or the 3D compositors working on the conversation had no reference to give those scenes the feeling of looking far away real. Some layers of the atmosphere being peeled away as a camera drone entered it would have made for an excellent view. The 3D window to the world that is Earth was kind of flat even though it was rendered in fantastic Ultra 4K. When the type of camera brought aboard the station is a single lens model, the conversion to 3d should not have been done.
The look at the work the astronauts did inside the station to study the affects of living in space leapt at me more.
