Monday, April 12, 2010

Week at a Glance: April 12 to April 19

Well it is another new week here in the great land of Science Fiction, and this one will be kicking off a bunch of really neat stuff, so let's roll up our sleeves and get started.

In the SFSNNJ...
This week sees us looking at our recent guest, Jeff Somers, The Electric Church at 8pm tonight at the Borders Books and Music in Ramsey.  We had a great time with Jeff on Saturday, and I am really looking forward to sharing the information from Saturday with the group on Monday.  You can see more about Jeff Somers' appearance on the SFSNNJ's official website at http://www.sfsnnj.com/SpecialEvents/Guests/20100410_Jeff_Somers.html.  On Wednesday, we return to New Moon Comics at 8pm for Drawing a Crowd where we will be discussing Religion, Gods, and Comics.  As an avid reader of comics like Supergod and The Wormwood Chronicles I am pretty psyched to see what our master moderator, Tim Cook, has up his sleeve.

In the Movies...
Clash of the Titans slipped to the number 2 slot in the box office, falling to the depredations of the comedy juggernaut Date Night, but I suspect that Date Night's reign at the top of the charts will be equally short-lived.  That's right, this week sees the film adaptation of the quirky and fun Comic book Kick-Ass hit the theatres like a ton of bricks... or like a wannabe superhero with a can do attitude and no super powers.  I have to say that as much as I was looking forward to Clash of the Titans, I am really kind of interested in seeing Kisk-Ass.  The commercials and trailers have done a great job of highlighting the concept without giving away any of the actual story, which is a bone of contention for me with most trailers, so I am firmly hoping to be entertained.  Also, for those of you who may not have seen it yet, I have it on very good authority from Thom Purdy that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is well worth seeing on the big screen.

On Blu-Ray and DVD...
Amazingly, this is a huge week for DVDs, with a number of unexpected titles bulling their way onto the shelves and begging for you take them home like cute little puppies (or kittens if that is your think).  From Woody Harrelson's edgy superhero film Defendor (which is a great complement to this week's Kick-Ass release) to Three Kingdom: Resurrection of the Dragon, we have only a few real 'new releases in the genre, however there are a plethora of more important Special Releases of older titles making their way out this week.  Apollo 13 hits Blu-Ray with drama in space as Tom Hanks captains the ill-fated lunar expedition, and Disney releases a special edition of The Great Mouse Detective from the restricted confines of its deep dark vault, while anime fans will drool over the Viridian Collection Box Set of When They Cry.  TV on DVD sees shows like Haunted and Ice Twisters vying for your attention, especially since most of us ignored them on TV (although it is hard to blame folks on Ice Twisters as it is yet another tedious and awful SyFy pic).

In Video Games...
Bust out your wallets, folks, because this looks to be an expensive week for all of us!  Coming to stores everywhere are a variety of new releases from the infamous Grand Theft Auto series (Episodes From Liberty City) to Sam & Max The Devil's Playground, which will be stealing their way into a variety of platforms.  On XBox360 we have both Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction and Final Fight: Double Impact, while on PC you can get your truck driving jones on in Rig & Roll or pretend that you are Commando Cody with Dark Void.

In Board, Roleplaying, and Tabletop War Games...
Fantasy Flight Games is set to release The Horus Heresy this week.  The board game takes place in the Warhammer 40K universe, but in the elder days when the Warmaster Horus and 9 Legions of Space Marines turned from the face of the Emperor and slid into Chaos!  This looks to be a major release, and a feather in FFG's already plumage-filled cap.

In Books...
OK, so apparently I lied last week, David Weber's new Safehold book is coming out this week and Charlaine Harris' Dead in the Family is not coming out until May!  Amazon lied!  Apparently by release dates, they meant dates for pre-order (lies and calumny) so I apologize to all of you for the error and will begin hunting down those responsible for this outrageous issue.  Until I can get a better look at what is coming up, I will be holding off on upcoming book releases for now...

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