Monday, May 17, 2010

Week at a Glance: May 17 to May 24

...Aaaaand we're back.  I have to apologize for last week.  Things got kind of crazy, and I managed to fall behind on every single one of my projects.  First and foremost I would like to let everyone know that I will be writing a series of articles for Bell of Lost Souls regarding the application of military philosophy to wargaming.  In the mean time: here is what we can look forward to this week.

In the SFSNNJ:
Wednesday we meet up at Borders Books & Music in Ramsey, NJ for Moderator Barry Weinberger's Films to Come 4-Star movie discussion group.  Among the topics of discussion will be Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, and the top grossing films of 2010, as well as a look ahead to the awesome line-up of genre films due out in June, including Toy Story 3.  On Saturday, our Heroes & Rogues Gaming Group will host the next chapter in the Rogue Trader "Wolves in the Fold" Campaign (interested parties, please visit http://www.sfsnnj.com/Groups/HNR.html).

In the Movies:
Last week saw the introduction of Robin Hood to the box office, but this new Ridley Scott/Russel Crowe vehicle just did not have the drive to smash through the walls of powerhouse blockbuster Iron Man 2.  Given the potential staying power of Iron Man 2 it might be a worry for Dreamworks as Shrek Forever After is due to come out this Friday.  Given the longevity and popularity of How to Train Your Dragon, this looks to be a banner year for the Dreamworks Animation team, and even if it does not top out at the box office, it cannot help but swell the coffers of studio.

On DVD & Blu-Ray:
Kind of a light week for DVD & Blu-Ray releases, but we still have a few notable genre titles to choose from.  Outlander is a strange cocktail of comic-book, historical, and science fiction starring Jim Caviezel, and The Spy Next Door pits Jackie Chan against kids in the espionage spoof (though how they explain an obvious Chinese actor with a thick Chinese accent working for the professional paranoiacs at the CIA really pushes this into the realm of Fantasy).  Clash of the Olympians compiles 16 different sword & sandals epics into one big (and surprisingly well priced) bundle.  Classic films on DVD brings us Gamera and The Navy vs The Night Monster.  In TV releases to DVD & Blu-Ray we have the classic Greatest American Hero as well as SyFy Channel's Ghost Hunters: Military Investigations.

In Gaming:
Games Workshop's Forgeworld studios keeps on putting out the hits, with Imperial Armour vol 8: The Raid on Kastorel Novem as well as a number of new models for Orks, Raven Guard, and Elysian Drop Troops.  Fantasy Flight announced the upcoming release of Death Angels, a Card based version of the classic Space Hulk game, as well as new editions and add-ons for Ingenius, Tide of Iron, and Tannhauser, and completely new projects like Dragonheart, Dungeonquest, and Constantinopolis.  In Video Games we mainly have the release of Super Mario Galaxy II to occupy the hands and eyes of gamers, but rest assured that there is more on the way soon!

In Books:
This week sees some interesting new releases in the genre book section, including the latest from Robin Hobb, Dragon Haven.  A few other books hitting the shelves will be such selections as Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth, Stealing Fire by Jo Graham, and Genesis by Bernard Beckett, but the most important release this week is bound to be George R.R. Martin's latest short story collection, Warriors, with selections from Naomi Novik, Diana Gabaldon, David Weber, and many more.

On the Blog:
Tuesday: SF News: Is SyFy Salvagable?
Wednesday: Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger
Thursday: Gaming: The Fantasy Flight Juggernaut
Friday: TV & Movies: Iron Man 2

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