Astro Boy | dashPunk

Theater or Renter: October 2009

October 1, 2009 in Movies by Brian Logee

Theater or Renter: October 2009 includes five SF movies Zombieland, The Invention of Lying, Where the Wild Things Are, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Astro Boy. Will we watch? Will we rent? or do we even care?

Rules of the Game: Watch the trailers. Rate the Trailer. Then share with us your comments: does the movie, it’s trailer and buzz make you want to watch it in the theater, rent it, or not interested at all, and why?

Zombieland:

Release Date: 2 October 2009

Listed as: Action, Comedy, Horror

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Produced by: Gavin Polone

Written by: Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

The Plot / Story: A post-apocalyptic zombie comedy featuring a group of survivors crossing the zombie plague ravaged America as they fight back. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

The Invention of Lying:

Release Date: 2 October 2009

Listed as: Comedy, Fantasy

Studio: Warner Bros., Universal Pictures

Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Produced by: Ricky Gervais, Dan Lin, Lynda Obst, Oly Obst

Written by: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Stars: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey

The Plot / Story: Set in an alternate reality we ask what if everyone can only tell the truth except for a lone writer who tells the world’s first lie and learns to wield it’s power for personal gain. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Where the Wild Things Are:

Release Date: 16 October 2009

Listed as: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Studio: Warner Bros.

Director: Spike Jonze

Produced by: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Maurice Sendak, John B. Carls, Vincent Landay

Written by: Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers Picture book: Maurice Sendak

Stars: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker

The Plot / Story: Based on the Children’s picture book by Maurice Sendak. Follow the imaginary adventures of a young boy named Max. A rambunctious and sensitive boy, Max feels misunderstood at home. When his mother sends him to his room for misbehaving he runs away. Finding a boat he sails to an island inhabited by monsters called Wild things. There they crown max as their ruler. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant:

Release Date: 23 October 2009

Listed as: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Studio: Universal Pictures

Director: Paul Weitz

Produced by: Lauren Shuler Donner

Written by: Novel: Darren Shan Screenplay: Brian Helgeland

Stars: Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, John C. Reilly, Michael Ceveris

The Plot / Story: Based on the first three books of the book series The Saga of Darren Shan by author Darren Shan. A fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Astro Boy:

Release Date: OCTOBER 23rd

Listed as: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi

Studio: Summit Entertainment

Director: David Bowers

Produced by: Maryann Garger

Written by: Timothy Harris

Stars: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Bell, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Madeline Carroll, Matt Lucas

The Plot / Story: Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he lost. The new boy unable to meet the man’s expectations, he embarks on a journey in search of acceptance. Becoming part of a group of rowdy kids led by a girl named Cora, and experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators led by the greedy ring master, Ham Egg, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

In a world where everyone can only tell the truth… …this guy can lie.

ASTRO BOY Trailer 2

September 8, 2009 in Movies by Brian Logee

“I got machine-guns… in my butt?”

A nice look at Astro Boy featuring more of his capabilities and a hilarious introduction to the nemesis. Watch the trailer above.

Astro Boy hits theaters October 23, 2009.

Theater or Renter: September 2009

September 1, 2009 in Movies by Brian Logee

Theater or Renter: September includes eight SF movies Gamer, Carriers, 9, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Jennifer’s Body, Surrogates, Pandorum, Astro Boy. Will we watch? Will we rent? or do we even care?

Rules of the Game: Watch the trailers. Rate the Trailer. Then share with us your comments: does the movie, it’s trailer and buzz make you want to watch it in the theater, rent it, or not interested at all, and why?

Gamer:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 4th

Listed as: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio: Lionsgate

Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Produced by: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Skip Williamson

Written by: Neveldine/Taylor

Stars: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Logan Lerman, with Ludacris, and Kyra Sedgwick

The Plot / Story: It’s 2034 and mind-control technology has taken society by storm. A multiplayer on-line game called “Slayers” allows gamers to control human death row prisoners in mass-scale deathmatches. Any inmate who lives through 30 matches wins his freedom. Simon the current champion with 27 wins controls Kable who has lived through them all. kable’s ultimate challenge regaining his identity and independence by defeating the game’s mastermind through launching an attack on the system that has imprisoned him. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Carriers:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 4th

Listed as: Drama, Thriller, Horror

Studio: Paramount Vantage

Director: Àlex Pastor, David Pastor

Produced by: Ray Angelic, Anthony Bregman

Written by: Àlex Pastor, David Pastor

Stars: Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, Christopher Meloni

The Plot / Story: Four friends fleeing a virus pandemic find themselves stranded when their car breaks down in the wasteland, where the epidemic was spreading. They soon find themselves battling the infected and desperate survivors, and eventually against each other as the decisions they must make to survive become increasingly more gruesome. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

9:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 9th

Listed as: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Studio: Focus Features

Director: Shane Acker

Produced by: Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov

Written by: Shane Acker (story), Pamela Pettler, Ben Gluck

Stars: Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau

The Plot / Story: The time is the too-near future. Powered and enabled by the invention known as the Great Machine, the world’s machines have turned on mankind and sparked social unrest, decimating the human population before being largely shut down. But as our world fell to pieces, a mission began to salvage the legacy of civilization; a group of small creations was given the spark of life by a scientist in the final days of humanity, and they continue to exist post-apocalypse. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

More articles on 9 here

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 18th

Listed as: Animation, Family

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Produced by: Pam Marsden

Written by: Screenplay: Phil Lord, Chris Miller Book: Judi Barrett, Ron Barrett

Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Andy Samberg, Mr. T

The Plot / Story: Based on the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Scientist Flint Lockwood has a track record of creating unwanted or faulty inventions. While trying to solve world hunger he develops a method to directly convert water into food and releases the mechanism on the world. Hunger is eliminated as weather delivers food, but a problem of global proportions soon evolves when the food weather machine that Flint invented develops a mind of its own, and starts wreaking havoc on the world. Flint is now saddled with the task of stopping his maniac creation to stop the ensuing chaos. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

get your copy of the book from amazon here: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Jennifer’s Body:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 18th

Listed as: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Director: Matias Anaya

Produced by: Daniel Dubiecki, Mason Novick, Jason Reitman

Written by: Diablo Cody

Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris

The Plot / Story: Jennifer, a sexy popular captain of the flag team ends up as the sacrifice in a Satanic ritual, held by a rock band, hoping that the sacrifice will increase their chances of getting a record deal. The ritual goes horribly wrong and Jennifer becomes possessed by a demon and begins to feed off of the boys in her high school—first seducing them to get close, and then eating them as meals. It’s up to Jennifer’s childhood friend to stop her from killing more of her classmates. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Surrogates:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 25th

Listed as: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio: Touchstone Pictures

Director: Jonathan Mostow

Produced by: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Max Handelman

Written by: John Brancato, Michael Ferris (screenplay), Robert Venditti (story)

Stars: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames

The Plot / Story: Based on comic book series The Surrogates. In a future in which humans live in near-total isolation, never leaving the safety and comfort of their homes, and only communicating with their fellow man through remotely-controlled robotic bodies that serve as “surrogates”, designed as better-looking versions of their human operators. This utopian society starts to unravel with the first murder in years. Bruce Willis is an FBI agent who enlists the aid of his own surrogate to investigate the first murder in years, however, when several humans are murdered as their surrogates are destroyed he has to venture outside the safety of his home for the first time in many years to solve the case. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

get your copy of the book from amazon here: The Surrogates (Graphic Novels)

Pandorum:

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 25th

Listed as: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Studio: Overture Films

Director: Christian Alvart

Produced by: Paul W. S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer

Written by: Travis Milloy, Christian Alvart

Stars: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster

The Plot / Story: They believe that they must be the only ones aboard the spacecraft, but can hear sounds coming from its center. Exploring the spacecraft, they encounter several other surviving crewmembers, and the astronauts start to learn that a terrible event has occurred on board which might affect the survival of the entire human race. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)

Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home – Try free for 2 weeks

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

Speculative Fiction Today #409 “Vampire Hunter V”

June 15, 2009 in Podcasts, Speculative Fiction Today by Brian Logee

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast (speculative-fiction-tody): Play in new window | Download

Culture

Fans vs Haters (via dashPunk)
Contributing to dashPunk just got easier! (via dashPunk)
What Could Make A Dalek Fall In Love (via dashPunk)
WFT: Gene Simmons to Adam Lambert “shut up about sexual preferences”? (via dashPunk)
Darth Vader corset! (via dashPunk)
Weekend Craft: Glowing Alien in a Jar (via dashPunk)
Ghost in a Restaurant? (via dashPunk)

Movie

Harry Potter Half Blood Prince Pensive Clip (via dashPunk)
Early look at ‘77 (via dashPunk)
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra Clip (via dashPunk)
Astro Boy Teaser Trailer #2 (via dashPunk)

TV / Series

Kings Is Back!!! (via dashPunk)
How effective would an active be as a vampire hunter? (via dashPunk)
Making Old Star Trek look like New Star Trek (via dashPunk)
Ridley Scott’s Purefold Web Show (via dashPunk)

Book

Review: Dead High Yearbook by Dutton Books (via dashPunk)
The Confessed #10 – “Wizards First Rule Ch 1-4″ (via dashPunk)
Free Ebooks boost Sales, but How? (via dashPunk)
No one writes alone (via dashPunk)

Webcomic

Subscribe

Subscribe to Speculative fiction Today Subscribe in a reader

Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home – Try free for 2 weeks

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

GameFly delivers the best video games to your door! Start for only $8.95 or Try for free

Astro Boy Teaser Trailer #2

June 11, 2009 in Movies by Brian Logee

The new trailer is out for Astro Boy it looks really good. I’m amazed at the animation of Astro Boy’s cloths as he flys. The movie will hit theaters on October 23rd, 2009. Watch the trailer above.

Second Astro Boy Trailer

April 2, 2009 in Featured, Manga, Movies, Science Fiction by Brian Logee

The second Astro Boy trailer is out and I’m getting excited. Watch the second trailer above!

Astro Boy is based on the 1960’s science fiction manga and television program. Set in a futuristic world wherein androids co-exist with humans. Astro Boy, sometimes called simply Astro, is a powerful robot created by the head of the Ministry of Science, Doctor Tenma, to replace his son Tobio, who died in a car accident.

This animated film will hit theaters on October 23rd, 2009.

Get your copy of Astro Boy Television Collection here from Amazon
Get your copy of Astro Boy manga Volumes 1 & 2 here from Amazon