Anime Viewing Schedule for December 21, 2013

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Wood Dale Public Library

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

(Click on links to view Video Previews)

10:15 - 11:05    My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU eps. 9-10 [Video]
11:05 - 11:55    Nagi no Asukara 2 [Video]
11:55 - 12:20    Kyokai no Kanata 5-6 [Video]
12:20 - 1:10      Kill La Kill 4-5 [Video]
1:10 - 2:00        Club Meeting / Announcements / Christmas Party [Video]
2:00 - 2:50        Attack on Titan 22-23 [Video]
2:50 - 3:15        Coppelion 3 [Video]
3:15 - 4:45        Steins;Gate - Fuka Ryouiki no Deja vu (Movie) [Video]

 

ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW -- This will be our End-of-the-Year Holiday Party!!! --

10:15 - 11:05    My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (Episodes 9-10)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The story follows loners, the pragmatic Hachiman Hikigaya and beautiful Yukino Yukinoshita who despite their varying personalities and ideals, offer help and advice to others as part of their school's Service Club. It largely depicts various social situations faced by teens in a high school setting and the psychology driving their interactions.

Episode 9 "For The Third Time, He Returned To His Original Path": Hachiman grows restless as the end of summer approaches while at the same time babysitting Yui's dog Sablé. As thanks Yui invites Komachi and Hachiman to the upcoming Fireworks Festival, however Komachi slyly declines the invitation, instead pressuring Hachiman to go with Yui. On the day of the festival, Hachiman suppresses his human instincts of being with Yui with his own warped logic. As they shop for Komachi's items, they encounter Minami Sagami and her clique who innocently tease Yui for attending with Hachiman by making the Festival out to be a girls-only social event. As the fireworks start, Yui remarks on Hachiman's thoughtfulness, while running into Haruno. As the three sit and watch the fireworks, they discuss their relationships with Yukino, with Haruno lamenting that things never seem to work out for Yukino. At the end of the festival, Haruno offers to take Hachiman and Yui home in her limo, although they end up declining despite Hachiman's words that he isn't bothered by the past accident. Later, Yui asks Hachiman if Yukino had ever told him about the accident to which he negatively replies, stating that they should not dwell on matters that Yukino would rather not discuss. Yui retorts that she would like the three of them to get to know each other better, hence be closer friends and suggests that herself and Hachiman would have been friends even if the accident hadn't occurred. Although Hachiman rejects Yui's theory on the basis of cause and effect. As the discussion takes a romantic turn, Yui is interrupted by a call from her mother and hurries off. School resumes the next day and Hachiman and Yukino run into each other. Finally Hachiman ends with a monologue explaining that he hates himself for believing his own ideal of Yukino, because just like any ordinary person, she too lies.
Episode 10 "The Distance Between Them Still Has Not Changed As The Festival Is Soon A Carnival": Yui begins to notice the gap developing between Hachiman and Yukino during the usual Service Club meetings. After falling asleep during class, Hachiman is nominated, along with Minami Sagami as 2F's representatives for the committee responsible for Sōbu High School's upcoming cultural festival. At the committee meeting, Minami nominates herself to be its president in order to further her own social reputation as well as self-actualization. That evening, Yukino decides on suspending the Service Club for the festival when Minami and her clique visit and ask for their assistance in running the festival committee. Yukino solely accepts, upsetting Yui who makes Hachiman look out for her if anything goes wrong. As the committee starts preparing, Yukino, as the vice-president overwhelms Minami in her understanding and tactical management of the various priorities that encompass the festival. Later, Hachiman is able to dodge being a part of Hina's yaoi play due to his committee duties. Meanwhile, Haruno shows up at the committee and tries to apply for a musical performance much to Yukino's reluctance, but, after arriving late, Minami approves, in an attempt to get back at Yukino for taking the committee's spotlight. Afterwards, Minami suggests that they take a break and help enjoy setting up for the festival to Yukino's disapproval. Eventually the remaining committee members divide the work amongst themselves, with Yukino efficiently taking on most of it. Hayato and Meguri Shiromeguri grow concerned over Yukino's division of work, but her initial stance is indirectly justified by Hachiman, causing her to reconsider. Minami arrives to check their progress and basically makes Yukino her committee proxy before leaving to enjoy setting up. Yukino takes most of the work home and the following day fails to show up at school because of a cold according to Shizuka.

11:05 - 11:55     Nagi no Asukara (Episode 2)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Long ago, human civilization had lived on the oceanfloor. However, there were many humans who wanted to live above the surface and they moved to land creating a fundamental separation between the two. After their school closes down, four middle school students from the sealand have to go to school on the mainland. This is about their lives as they adjust to a new environment and the relationships with each other.
Episode 2 "The Chilly Dessert": Manaka attempts to instigate another curse when her cursed fish departs to keep Tsumugu happy. Angry about Manaka's acts toward Tsumugu, Hikari verbally lashes out against her during school while Manaka attempts to balance her friendship with Hikari and her relationship with Tsumugu. Tsumugu, Manaka, Hikari, Chisaki, and Kaname all volunteer to make the offering for the Ofunehiki wherein they discuss Shioshishio and Tsumugu. As Manaka, Hikari, Chisaki, and Kaname leave for the day, they spot Akari kissing a man as she is dropped off at the pier. With relationships between sea people and land people on their mind, the four contemplate their individual concerns on the matter. The next day, Chisaki discovers Tsumugu is making a watering hole but wishes Tsumugu wasn't so nice. At Uroko's, Manaka begs to be cursed again being interrupted as elder men of the village dragged Akari to Uroko's place since due to her being involved with someone from the surface. Hikari and Manaka can only watch on as Tomori takes Akari to Uroko.

11:55 - 12:20    Kyokai no Kanata [Beyond the Boundary] (Episodes 5-6)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] One day high-school student Akihito Kanbara instinctively goes to save his fellow schoolmate, Mirai Kuriyama from committing suicide. Following his pleads however, Mirai suddenly stabs Akihito with a sword formed out of her own blood and is shocked to discover that Akihito is an immortal "half-youmu"—the offspring of a supernatural creature called a youmu and a human. After learning that Mirai is a Spirit World Warrior and the last surviving member of her spirit hunting clan, their lives become intertwined as Akihito seeks to help Mirai gain the confidence to kill youmu so that she may stop attempting to kill him as practice.
Episode 5 "Chartreuse Light": Mirai finally caves in and joins the Literary Club due to Akihito's constant pestering. Afterwards, Mirai, Akihito, Mitsuki and Hiroomi visit the Nase mansion where they run into a departing Miroku. Izumi then confiscates Mirai's Spirit World Warrior license for a month on account of disobeying her orders and going after the Hollow Shadow. Mitsuki then agrees to take Mirai to her part-time job in the hopes that her boss would hire her so she may have income for the next month. While they discuss this at a pancake house, Mitsuki and Mirai also discuss the latter's change of heart to socialization and Akihito's relationship with the Nase clan. Just then, they notice a passerby possessed by a youmu and instantly go after it. Mirai eventually battles and kills the youmu just as Shizuku shows up and treats them to barbeque as thanks. As Mirai notices a poster of the annual Nagatsuki City Lanturn Festival, Mitsuki recalls how she was barred from ever attending due to her duties as a Spirit World Warrior. Afterwards, Mitsuki and Mirai visit Ayaka's shop for the former's part-time job, and Ayaka hires Mirai in addition to forcing her into a photo shoot for extra money. Afterwards, they mention Akihito's depression following his youmu transformation. While they watch the shop, Mirai tries to ask Mitsuki why she refuses to go to the festival to no avail, leaving her with the answer that Spirit World Warriors are alone. However, Mitsuki eventually changes her mind when she recalls how she had set up chartreuse lanterns in her room as a child. Finally, Mirai and Mitsuki run into a surprised Akihito and Hiroomi at the festival, and upon Akihito's confusion at their arrival, Mirai knowingly implies that on the night of the festival none of them have to be alone.
Episode 6 "Shocking Pink": Mirai starts bringing bonsai to the Literary Club meetings and Akihito deduces her gardening hobby to be the true culprit behind her constant financial problems. Having gotten her license back, Mirai gets information from Ayaka about a valuable fruit-type youmu that lurks on their school roof and Mirai immediately runs off without waiting for Ayaka to explain its characteristics. Afterwards, Akihito arrives too late to stop Mirai from confronting the youmu and both become drenched in a yellow noxious-smelling liquid as part of the youmu's defense. That evening, Ai explains that the youmu gets easily distracted by human girls and thus a two-person team would be needed to defeat it, hence Akihito and Mirai pressure Mitsuki into helping. The following day, Mirai showcases some seductive poses in front of the youmu while Mitsuki approaches from behind, however that plan quickly fails and the youmu marks Mitsuki in a much more horrendous pink liquid. As the group contemplates giving up, Hiroomi explains that the last time the youmu was killed, a special song was used to distract it. However, that plan also fails when Mirai turns out to be a terrible singer. As the entire group showers again that day, everyone decides to seek revenge against the youmu for constantly giving them a horrible stink, and hence spend the next week practicing the words and dance choreography for the song. Akihito, Mirai, Mitsuki, Hiroomi and Ai then show off the results of their training and perform the song perfectly in front of the youmu and lowering its guard. When the performance ends however, the group horrifically realize their failure of assigning someone to kill the youmu—at which point it explodes and covers the entire roof in a torrent of yellow liquid. 

12:20 - 1:10     Kill la Kill (episodes 4-5)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Kill la Kill is set at Honnouji Academy (本能字学園 Honnōji Gakuen), a fictional high school in post-apocalyptic Japan that is dominated by its fearsome student council, led by Satsuki Kiryuin. The council members wear special uniforms called Goku Uniforms (極制服 Goku Seifuku) that grant them superhuman abilities, which they use to oppress the rest of the school's students and staff. Ryuko Matoi, a student wielding half a scissor-shaped longsword, transfers to Honnouji Academy in search of the owner of the other half of the scissor blade, the person who killed her father. Defeated by the council after interrogating Satsuki over the killer's identity and whereabouts, Ryuko comes across a sentient sailor uniform she names Senketsu, who puts himself on Ryuko. Using Senketsu's special abilities, Ryuko stands up against Satsuki and her henchmen, the Four Elites, to liberate Honnouji Academy from their iron grip and find out the truth behind her father's murder.
Episode 4  "Dawn of a Miserable Morning": While Senketsu is laundered, Ryuko is faced with "No-Late Day", a school event where students must navigate a trap-filled obstacle course and reach school on time, or else they will be expelled. She and Mako make their way across the perilous course, along with an injured girl named Maiko Ogure, while Mako's family attempt to deliver Senketsu to Ryuko. After hijacking an armored bus, the girls manage to make it to the school grounds with 15 minutes left. However, Maiko is revealed to be a member of the disciplinary committee, who steals Senketsu and puts it on herself in a bid to overthrow Satsuki. However, she is immobilized by the freshly washed Senketsu's starchiness, allowing Ryuko to retrieve him. With five minutes remaining, Maiko sets off one more trap to send Ryuko and Mako back to the start of the course. They two reach class on time using an express cable car, while Ira Gamagoori, the disciplinary committee chair and one of the Elite Four, expels Maiko for her treachery.
Episode 5  "Trigger": A sniper named Tsumugu Kinagase attempts to assassinate Ryuko, but is interrupted by the gardening club, who he manages to defeat. After dealing with the biology club, Ryuko is attacked by Tsumugu, who pins her down and attempts to force her to strip, but is forced to retreat when he is interrupted by Aikuro. As Aikuro and Tsumugu talk later that night, Tsumugu explains that the Kamui could prove a great threat if left alone. The next day, Ryuko confronts Tsumugu, who attacks her with needles that drain power from Goku Uniforms and Kamui, whilst they both come under attack by the gardening, rakugo and hyakunin-isshu clubs. With the clubs wiped out and Ryuko backed into a corner, Senketsu gives himself up to protect Ryuko, but Mako stands up to Tsumugu and returns Senketsu to Ryuko. As Tsumugu comes to understand the bond between Ryuko and Senketsu, they are confronted by one of the Elite Four, Nonon Jakuzure, but Tsumugu helps the two escape. 

 1:10 - 2:00     Club Meeting / Announcements

Merry F-ing Christmas!  Merry F-ing Christmas! Merry...

• Convention Coverage
• Animation News from around the world
• Cosplayers/Skits/Masquerade
• Anime Music Videos
• And other weird, interesting stuff...

Only one week til Christmas and I haven't started gift shopping yet!

2:00 - 2:50    Attack on Titan 22-23

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In an alternative, middle-ages setup, the human population is dwindling in numbers. With the advent of Titans, giant humanoid creatures that attack and devour any human on sight, what remains of civilization is protected by three concentric walls, hundreds of kilometers long and around fifty meters tall, called Wall Maria (the outermost wall), Wall Rose and Wall Sina (the innermost wall housing the capital). All efforts to expand the human territory beyond the walls have failed so far, but the citizens inside remained safe for a hundred years, until two unusual Titans, a colossal one, sixty meter tall and another one, covered with a hardened shell, break through Wall Maria, bringing the other Titans inside, forcing mankind to once again face its greatest threat to ensure its survival. The series follows the story of Eren Jeager, a young boy whose father disappears after his mother is killed during the fall of Wall Maria. Years later he enlists into the army, accompanied by his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and their childhood friend Armin Arlelt. When the Titans threaten to break further through Wall Rose, Eren discovers that he possesses the ability to temporarily transform himself into a Titan. Seen as a threat by some, and a ray of hope by others, Eren joins his companions in a war to protect what still remains of mankind, making use of his newfound power while looking for answers to the mysteries surrounding the Titans, the walls, and his own existence.
Episode 22  "The Defeated: 57th Expedition Beyond the Walls, Part 6": Levi orders Mikasa to distract the Female Titan in order to get Eren back. Levi launches a successful high-speed attack that debilitates the Female Titan, but Mikasa leaves herself vulnerable when she tries to finish the Female Titan. She's saved by Levi, who breaks his leg in the process. They retreat with Eren's body, leaving the Female Titan badly wounded and slumped against a tree. As the Corps mourn, count their dead, and retrieve the bodies before returning home, Erwin orders that the fallen whose bodies were not retrieved be reported MIA. However, a Corps member, Dieter, against direct orders from Erwin, retrieves his dead friend Ivan's body, which draws the attention of two Titans to the retreating Corps. Mikasa kills one of the Titans to save Dieter, who loses both Ivan's body and another friend to a Titan. In order to outrun the remaining Titan, Levi reluctantly orders some of the bodies to be disposed in order to lighten the wagon's load, including Petra's body. Later, Eren wakes up from a dream of his past to find himself and the Corps back at town, safely behind the wall. He becomes angry upon hearing the townspeople berate the Corps' ineptitude, until he sees a boy who admires their bravery, which sends him into tears. All the while, a shocked Levi is questioned by Petra's father over his daughter's whereabouts, who reveals that Petra planned on devoting her life to Levi. The townspeople also become enraged and upset at Erwin over the failure of the mission and the casualties that were sustained. As a result of the failed expedition, Erwin and his subordinates are summoned to the capital, where it will be decided that Eren will be handed over.
Episode 23  "Smile: Raid on Stohess District, Part 1": Annie has a dream of being trained by her father before waking up. In the Stohess District of Wall Sina, the Military Police are ordered to escort the Recon Corps convoy once they enter the capital. The Military Police are shown to be lazy and corrupt which one of Annie's colleagues, Hitch, reveals she joined the police for that reason. Another colleague, Marlow, is disgusted, revealing he joined the police so he could reform it to become a better organization which Annie respects since he reminds her of Eren. After the convoy has entered Stohess, Annie is secretly called by Armin in the alleyways. Armin asks for her help as he is helping Eren escape the capital as the one riding in the convoy is actually Jean in disguise. She refuses at first but after Armin begs again, believing she is a good person, she finally agrees. Together with Annie, Mikasa, and Eren, Armin leads them to an underground tunnel. However, Annie refuses to enter as she has noticed Armin behaving strangely and hidden Recon Corps members watching her. Armin finally reveals his suspicion that Annie is the Female Titan since the Maneuver Gear she had after Sawney and Bean were killed is Marco's and the Female Titan did not kill him during the last expedition. Eren and Armin beg Annie to prove them wrong by following them, but knowing her identity is exposed, Annie laughs sadly and tries to transform. Despite the Corps' attempts to stop her, she succeeds in transforming using the spike in her ring.

2:50 - 3:15    Coppelion (Episode 3)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In 2016, a catastrophe occurs after a nuclear meltdown from the nearby Odaiba nuclear power plant contaminates Tokyo, forcing the government to order its citizens to evacuate. 20 years later, Tokyo has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation which the government has banned entry for anyone. When a distress signal is received from Tokyo, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force dispatches 3 teenage girls from the Dispatch 3 Special Force Coppelion. Due to genetic engineering, the Coppelions are immune to radiation while also possessing special skills. Thus the Coppelions journey to the ruined capital to find survivors.
Episode 3 "Hope": The Coppelions meet the man whose been delivering supplies and radiation suits to the survivors, Doctor Denjiro Shiba, which the girls learn from Onihei was the scientist who design the Tokyo Power Plant. Feeling responsible for the meltdown and how not all the survivors could escape Tokyo, Dr Denjiro tries to make amends by helping the survivors. However, with high level radiation spreading recently, Dr Denjiro and his assistant Kawata are unable to deliver supplies to the survivors which led them to call a distress signal for help. The Coppelions decides to help Dr Denjiro rescue the other survivors after he agrees to surrender himself to the authorities. Ibara tries to rescue a "Granny Ayame" from a museum but discovers she's been kidnapped by two mercenaries for seeing them. Ibara tracks them to military airfield where the mercenaries tried to bring Ayame into their B2 stealth jet. A gunfight ensues where Ibara manages to rescue Ayame while the men fly off on their jet. Wanting to question them for answers, Dr Denjiro and the Coppelions chases the jet on a jeep with Ibara armed with a missile launcher. 

3:15 - 4:45    Steins;Gate - Fuka Ryouiki no Deja vu (Movie)

Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The film takes place in August 2011, one year after the events of the anime series. After going through a painstaking journey across multiple 'World Lines' due to the invention of 'D-Mail', text messages that can be sent to the past, Rintarō Okabe has assumedly landed in the "Steins Gate" World Line, in which he was able to prevent the deaths of both Mayuri Shiina and Kurisu Makise, as well as prevent a future ruled by SERN due to the invention of a time machine no longer exists. On August 3, Kurisu arrives in Japan for a press conference and reunites with all the members of the Future Gadget Laboratory. Meanwhile, Rintarō starts having intense side effects from his time travels, seeing visions of a World Line he hadn't even encountered before. The next day on August 4, a mysterious visitor shows up at Kurisu's hotel, telling her to remember three things: a cell phone, a microwave oven, and SERN. Later that day, as Kurisu is talking to Rintarō about how her own instances of déjà vu may be similar to Rintarō 'Reading Steiner' ability to remember things from other World Lines, Rintarō suddenly disappears before Kurisu's eyes. Furthermore, no one else seems to remember Rintarō ever existed, with Kurisu barely retaining a faint memory of someone.

A week later on August 11th, as Kurisu finds a fork that Rintarō left behind and remembers the words the stranger left her, she learns Itaru "Daru" Hashida had for some reason hacked SERN, suddenly giving her the urge to build a Time Leap machine. Using the machine, Kurisu leaps back to the night of August 3, where she observes Rintarō disappearing and reappearing from existence, with everyone's memories of him changing accordingly. She is then contacted by the visitor from before, revealed to be Suzuha Amane, who came from the future using a time machine Kurisu built. She explains to both Kurisu and Rintarō that all the memories of World Lines Rintarō had visited is overloading his Reading Steiner, causing him to fluctuate between the current world line and the "R" world line, the only other world line where neither Mayuri nor Kurisu die. Suzuha states the only way to save him from vanishing completely is to use a time machine to travel to the past, but Rintarō ostensibly refuses, as he feels neither time machines nor time leap machines should exist and doesn't want Kurisu to go through the same suffering he went through, saying he would rather disappear to allow her and Mayuri to live in peace. He instead urges Kurisu to forget about him, leaving her with a kiss.

As Rintarō disappears once again the next day, Kurisu breaks down in tears before grudgingly deciding to accept his wish and try to forget him. Later, on August 13, as the Future Gadget Lab gets word that it might have to close up, Kurisu is once again approached by Suzuha, who tells her that she is not being honest with her own feelings, eventually convincing Kurisu to go with her in her time machine. In order to keep Rintarō in the Steins Gate world line, he must be implanted with a powerful memory that helps distinguish it from other world lines. The two travel back to June 30, 2005, where Kurisu attempts to talk with the young Rintarō, only to result in him getting into a car accident instead, leaving her too afraid to attempt another trip to the past. Back in the present, Kurisu discovers Mayuri and the others also possess faint memories of Rintarō, which are soon awakened when she does an imitation of his persona, Kyōma Hōōin. Encouraged by everyone's feelings, Kurisu returns to the past, this time succeeding in her mission by implanting the concept of Kyōma Hōōin into Rintarō's mind and giving him his first kiss, which led him to take on his 'mad scientist' persona to protect Mayuri. With this, Kurisu manages to bring Rintarō back to the Steins Gate world line.

Next Club Meeting is December 21, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Celebrate the Holidays with us!

Wood Dale Public Library

520 N. Wood Dale Road

Wood Dale, IL  60191

Main Meeting Room

Saturday, December 21, 2013

10:15 AM - 5:00 PM

Map
Public Transit Options

Our next club meeting will be at the Wood Dale Public Library, 
Main Meeting Room (on your right as you enter the front doors), 
on December 21, 2013, from 10:15 AM to 5:00 PM 
(until the library closes).

There is public transportation available. 
A Metra train-stop is located within walking distance. 

Please note: If you are driving, please park your car 
on the south side of the building (not the front) in order to 
make room for other library patrons.

 

A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.

 

Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps) 

Disney's "The Pirate Fairy"

 
Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies are off on their next adventure! Disneytoon Studios' "The Pirate Fairy" is the story of dust-keeper fairy Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks) and young pirate James (voice of Tom Hiddleston). Directed by Peggy Holmes ("Secret of the Wings").

When a misunderstood dust-keeper fairy named Zarina steals Pixie Hollow's all-important Blue Pixie Dust and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to return it to its rightful place. However, in the midst of their pursuit of Zarina, Tink's world is turned upside down. She and her friends find that their respective talents have been switched and they have to race against time to retrieve the Blue Pixie Dust and return home to save Pixie Hollow. With comedy, heart and epic thrills for the whole family, "The Pirate Fairy" sets sail Spring 2014.

TITANFALL

Experience Titanfall's fast-paced, vertical combat with this Angel City cinematic multiplayer gameplay video.

Titanfall delivers fast-paced, future combat that gives you the freedom to fight your way as both elite assault pilots and fast, heavily armored Titans. The game experience combines heart-pounding, online multiplayer action combined with dramatic, cinematic moments lets you enjoy the fiction of the universe without having to leave your favorite game mode. 

Prepare for Titanfall and pre-order your copy today for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC here: http://www.titanfall.com/buy

Available March 11th, 2014 in North America and beginning March 13th in Europe.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 International Trailer

New international trailer reveals additional footage! With the emergence of Electro, Spider-Man must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter Parker comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.

In theaters: May 2, 2014.

Renny Harlin's THE LEGEND OF HERCULES

In the epic origin story THE LEGEND OF HERCULES, Kellan Lutz stars as the mythical Greek hero -- the son of Zeus, a half-god, half-man blessed with extraordinary strength. Betrayed by his stepfather, the King, and exiled and sold into slavery because of a forbidden love, Hercules must use his formidable powers to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom. Through harrowing battles and gladiator-arena death matches, Hercules embarks on a legendary odyssey to overthrow the King and restore peace to the land.

In theaters and 3D nationwide on January 10, 2014.

Motion Comic for I, FRANKENSTEIN

Here’s the animated set-up for I, FRANKENSTEIN - which finds Aaron Eckhart as an amped up, badass version of Frankenstein’s ‘monster’ fighting a war with demons and the like.  

The movie opens January 24. 

Part One of what looks to be three motion comic installments can be found HERE.

Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow

[Source: AnimeNewsNetwork] The official Twitter account and Facebook added new images for the upcoming Hollywood movie Edge of Tomorrow, based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The images show Tom Cruise in costume, a helicopter exploding, and actress Emily Blunt.

Sakurazaka's original Japanese prose novel and revolves around a battle-armored soldier who finds himself dying and re-incarnating over and over again. The film stars Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Charlotte Riley, Kick Gurry, Bill Paxton, Kidus Henok, Tony Way, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Viz Media published Sakurazaka's novel in English to launch its Haikasoru imprint for Japanese science fiction and fantasy in 2009. The book's cover art was drawn by Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei). Viz will also release a one-volume full-color graphic novel adaptation of the story on May 6, 2014. Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground) will adapt the story and Lee Ferguson (Green Arrow, Miranda Mercury) will draw the art.

Manga artist Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note) will launch his own adaptation of All You Need Is Kill with writer Ryōsuke Takeuchi (ST&RS) in Shueisha's Young Jump magazine in January.

The film will open in the United States on June 6, 2014 after opening in select international theaters on May 30, 2014.

GODZILLA - Official Teaser Trailer

In theaters May 16, 2014.

An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

Gareth Edwards directs "Godzilla," which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass"), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai," "Inception"), Elizabeth Olsen ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche ("The English Patient," "Cosmopolis"), and Sally Hawkins ("Blue Jasmine"), with Oscar® nominee David Strathairn ("Good Night, and Good Luck.," "The Bourne Legacy") and Bryan Cranston ("Argo," TV's "Breaking Bad").

Jupiter Ascending - Official Teaser Trailer

In theaters July 25, 2014

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis star in "Jupiter Ascending," an original science fiction epic adventure from filmmakers Lana and Andy Wachowski.

Jupiter Jones (Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people's houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

From the streets of Chicago to far flung galaxies whirling through space, "Jupiter Ascending" is written and directed by the Wachowskis. Award-winning producer Grant Hill, with whom they have collaborated since "The Matrix" Trilogy, is producing, together with Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski. Roberto Malerba and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers.

Live-Action Kiki's Delivery Service Movie Trailer

[Source: AnimeNewsNetwork] Fūka Koshiba (Iki mo Dekinai Natsu) plays the title witch girl Kiki in the film. 16-year-old actor Ryōhei Hirota performs the critical role of Kiki's friend Tombo. Co-starring with Koshiba and Hirota is Machiko Ono (Suzaku, Like Father, Like Son) as Osono, the owner of the bakery where Kiki works. Hiroshi Yamamoto plays Osono's baker husband Fukuo, and Miho Kanazawa plays a woman named Saki who visits the bakery. Rie Miyazawa (Oceans, Hana, Peony Pavilion) plays Kiki's mother Kokiri, and Michitaka Tsutsui (Reunion, Ballad: Namonaki Koi no Uta, Shikoku) plays Kiki's father Okino. Additionally, Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer, Lupin III) will play veterinarian Dr. Ishi.

Satoko Okudera (Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Princess and the Pilot) has written the script for the film.

Filming began on May 23 in a Tokyo studio, and it wrapped up in July. The film will open in Japan on March 1, 2014.

Fox Announces Another X-Men Movie

Here's What It Means for Disney...

[Source: MotleyFool.com By Tim Beyers] Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) owns Marvel, but 21st Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA) won't stop reminding moviegoers that it has control over a large and important swath of the Marvel Universe.  

On Thursday, X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer took to Twitter to hint at a potential X-Men movie announcement. Fox confirmed the news Friday morning.

X-Men: Apocalypse is due on May 27, 2016, and presumably will feature the Marvel villain Apocalypse, who first appeared in the X-Men comics in the 1980s, when I was still a young collector. Those stories centered on an ancient Egyptian mutant -- i.e., Apocalypse -- who'd been stirred to life by a series of time-shifting events introduced in the X-Men spinoff book, X-Factor.

One of the X-men's most infamous villains - Apocalypse

Whether Singer will choose to explore that plotline is unknown at this point. All we can say for sure is that he'll build on whatever is revealed in the next X-Men movie, Days of Future Past, which hits theaters next year on May 23. Here's what I think the announcement means for Disney:

1. Marvel's profit profile is growing more impressive by the day. We spend a lot of time talking about the numbers Marvel Studios puts up for self-produced films, and for good reason. Both The Avengers and Iron Man 3 earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office, resulting in what I suspect was at least $1.8 billion in gross profit. Yet Fox's six-movie X-Men franchise has earned $1.07 billion in U.S. grosses and $2.3 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. We also know from filings in years past that Marvel's licensing deals typically called for a producer fee of between 8% and 10% of the gross. Fox's future X-Men movies could bring Disney hundreds of millions in profits.

2. Disney is never getting the X-Men rights back. On the downside, Fox's ever-expanding X-Men movie slate means Disney and Marvel are unlikely to ever reclaim this franchise. So long as Fox continues to make movies based on the characters, it keeps the license barring some sort of buyout. Investors shouldn't expect (or want) Disney to overbid when the current deal pays so well.

3. Demand for multi-universe crossovers may be coming. Fans, on the other hand, have plenty to groan about. Avengers vs. X-Men as a movie? It won't happen, unless studio executives come to a landmark cross-licensing arrangement that allows for co-producer credits and equitable sharing of movie costs and profits. Sadly, Hollywood doesn't have a great reputation when it comes to striking such fan-friendly deals.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. What do you expect from X-Men: Apocalypse? Do you like Fox's approach with the various X-Men movies? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

Letter to Momo Wins at Chicago Int'l Children's Film Fest

[Source: AnimeNewsNetwork] Hiroyuki Okiura and Production I.G's A Letter to Momo film won the Second Children Jury's Prize in the Animated Feature Film category at the 30th annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF) held October 26 to November 3. First prize was awarded to Thomas Bodenstein's Knight Rusty from Germany. 

 

A Letter to Momo follows a girl named Momo who struggles with her father's sudden passing and her move to the countryside. Momo finds an otherworldly surprise at her new home. This film is Okiura's first return to the proverbial director's chair since Jin-Roh in 2000. 

The film held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011, and it opened in Japan on April 21. The film received the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film at last year's New York International Children's Film Festival and won the main prize in the "Feature film" category at the Czech AniFest, Best Animated Film at at the 6th Asian Pacific Screen Awards, and is currently nominated for an Annie Award. 

GKids screened A Letter to Momo film at the Laemmle NoHo 7 theater in North Hollywood last month. The film ran for one week in this Los Angeles County theater to qualify for the Academy Awards consideration. 

The festival also screened Makoto Shinkai's Children Who Chase Lost Voices.

Here's our first full look of The Hobbit's Smaug

We finally have our first, full look at the namesake dragon in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug — though it’s not exactly what we expected. The trailers and footage shown off so far have done a good job of keeping the look of the beast, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, under wraps. But thanks to a new cross-promotion with Air New Zealand, the veil of secrecy has been lifted. To help promote the trilogy (which was filmed in New Zealand), the airline is painting a massive version of Smaug of the side of an airplane — and it’s freaking awesome. Yeah, that’s right: When you see this airplane flying, it’ll literally have a dragon wrapped around it. In addition to the pic above, the airline has also released a nifty time-lapse video showing just how much work it took to get that badass dragon up there, and it’s amazing the effort involved to make this happen.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 Movie Trailer

[Source: blastr.com] The 2-minute-plus trailer is our first real look at footage from Marc Webb’s eagerly anticipated sequel, and sets the state for a boatload of storylines that will likely drive the franchise over the next few sequels. We also get our first look at Jamie Foxx’s Electro, which looks about as badass as we’d expect as he tosses police cars around downtown.

In theaters May 2014

And the Role of Wonder Woman will be played by...

'Fast and Furious' actress Gal Gadot cast as 

Wonder Woman in 'Batman vs. Superman'

Gal Gadot, who played a supporting role in "Fast and Furious 6," has been cast as Wonder Woman in Warner Bros. upcoming untitled sequel to "Man of Steel."

Director Zack Snyder stated: "Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character."

Gadot was named Miss Israel in 2004 and competed in the Miss Universe pageant that year at age 19. She got her acting start in Israeli TV in 2007, but her break came in 2009, when she beat out six other actresses for the role of Gisele Harrabo in Universal's "Fast & Furious."

"Batman vs. Superman" -- just a working title, mind you, but it could wind up being official — is set for July 2015. The film is considered a sequel to "Man of Steel," though not Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, hence Ben Affleck in the Batman role.

Space Dandy

One of the most highly anticipated anime is coming next year!

Space Dandy

Space Dandy (スペース☆ダンディ Supēsu Dandi) is an upcoming Japanese anime series directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and produced by Bones. The series will follow Dandy, an alien hunter who is "a dandy guy in the space", in search for aliens with his robot assistant QT and a cat alien named Meow. The anime has been licensed by Funimation in North America and by Madman Entertainment in Australia. The series will premiere in the United States before Japan in January 2014, at 11:30pm on Adult Swim's Toonami block. It will air in Japan on Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, and TV Osaka in January 2014. The opening theme will be "Viva Namida" (ビバナミダ Biba Namida) by Yasuyuki Okamura.

Toonami's trailer for the premire in January:

English dub will broadcast on US TV in January via AdultSwim.

Iconic Starship Set Built for Star Wars VII

[Source: blastr.com] According to the U.K. site of Yahoo Movies, Han Solo's battered yet indestructible Millennium Falcon has still "got it where it counts" and will appear in the new J.J. Abrams-directed film, which begins shooting at England's Pinewood Studios in early 2014. 

A source revealed, "A full-scale 1:1 Millennium Falcon has been built, as well as the interiors of the ship for filming. The Falcon is done -- inside and out. The sets were built off-site, ready to move when Lucasfilm/Bad Robot were ready to move into Pinewood."

Of course, as with nearly everything regarding Episode VII, none of this is official yet -- although the appearance of the Falcon would make a lot of sense given Abrams' love for the original trilogy and his repeated desire to honor the franchise's legacy.

The question is: If the Falcon does show up, who will be at the controls? Will it still be Han, with trusty Chewbacca at his side? Will it be the offspring of Han and Princess Leia? Or will it be the mysterious "military man" who has apparently been introduced into the new draft of the script that Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have written?

We suspect it will be a while yet before we find out, but in the meantime, the possibility of the Falcon's return, combined with the confirmed appearance of this iconic character, suggests that Abrams and company intend to include a lot of links to Star Wars history.

Star Wars Episode VII arrives in theaters Dec. 18, 2015.

Paul Walker of Fast and Furious Dies at Age 40

Paul Walker

(1973 - 2013)

"Star of The Fast and The Furious"

Paul William Walker IV (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. However, he is perhaps best known for starring as Brian O'Conner in The Fast and The Furious movies.

• Born: September 12, 1973, Glendale, California, USA
• Died: November 30, 2013, Santa Clarita, California, USA
• Cause of Death: Traffic collision 

To movie-goers, Paul Walker was the sexy “Fast and Furious” FBI agent who infiltrated the local street racing scene and never let go. 

Off screen, the 40-year-old actor who died Saturday in a fiery car crash loved fast cars just as much as his alter-ego but lived a quiet, philanthropic life centered around his 15-year-old daughter who moved in with him this year. 

Paul Walker strolls with his daughter Meadow, right, and an unknown girl in Montreal.

In an interview with KNBC on Monday, Walker's heart-broken father said Paul was "the most courageous" of his sons, even as a child. He once stood up for a small boy who was being bullied by "a big husky guy."

“Paul never thought anybody was beneath him," Paul William Walker III said. "When he hugged me it was like this is a special, special thing. He had this way, this bounce, the way he walked, I always kidded him about the way he walked.”

On Monday morning, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office told NBC News that investigators were still piecing together the cause of the accident. The autopsies on the remains were put "on hold" Monday, as the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office waits for dental X-rays for each man to make the official identifications said Craig Harvey, chief of the coroner's operations bureau.

Walker died while attending a charity event for Reach Out Worldwide, an organization he founded after he volunteered in Haiti in 2010, following the island’s devastating earthquakes, and witnessed first-hand the lack of resources needed to deal with natural disasters. The car show and toy drive event was held at Walker’s automotive shop Always Evolving in Valencia, just north of Los Angeles, with proceeds earmarked for families affected by the typhoon in the Philippines and a tornado in Indiana.

"Paul wasn't someone who would just write a check and lend his name to an organization; he was the heart and soul of Reach Out Worldwide,” JD Dorfman, who worked at Reach Out Worldwide, told Christian Today. “Paul was the first one in and the last one out; he led by example and his hard work and dedication inspired everyone who had the privilege of working with him.”

According to Dorfman, Walker led one of the first teams into the hardest hit areas of Haiti and later traveled to Chile to take water and medical aid after the earthquake and tsunami there. He also cleared debris and helped people move back into their homes after the tornadoes in Alabama.

“Paul was an honorable, hardworking, dedicated, respectful man with a humble spirit who shared his blessings with those who needed it most,” Dorfman said. “It was an honor and a privilege to be able to work with, learn and look up to someone who walked the walk." 

A friend of Walker’s who attended the car show event on Saturday told E! that the organization meant “everything” to the actor and he put "everything he could" into his charity.

"He had been so happy," Townsend said. "He was there at the event and had managed to raise thousands and so many people had brought toys. “So many people had come out to support the charity and he was with his friends. It was a great day for him. He was so overwhelmed to have so much support."

Walker went for a ride in a red limited-edition Porsche Carrera GT with his friend and chief executive officer of Always Evolving Roger Rodas when the accident happened. Walker was in the passenger seat, and speed may have been a factor, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office said. The car knocked over a tree and a concrete lamppost. About 20 witnesses told police they tried to extinguish the fire to remove the two men from the burning vehicle but they were unsuccessful. By the time, the Sheriff's office arrived on the scene, the car was engulfed, police said.

"[My son] tried to extinguish the car," said Jim Torp, who attended the event and heard the crash, in an interview with "Access Hollywood." "It was a small flame when he got there. He put the fire extinguisher on, and then the car blew up. Within split seconds, I was trying to get other people from A&E up there to help. Everybody thought it was a special effects explosion, because there's a special effects place right behind the studio."

The actor's father said his son usually liked to race his cars at the track because “the last thing I want to do is hurt somebody driving crazy, that’s the last thing I want to do.”

Walker’s daughter, Meadow was also at the car show to support her father. The 15-year-old moved in with her father full-time this year, after growing up in Hawaii with her mother. The actor told Entertainment Weekly in March that his daughter had given him a new sense of home.

“My heart was desperate for so many years with the situation with my daughter,” he said. “She’s living in Hawaii and she’s there and I’m running here. My daughter lives with me full time now and she’s the best partner I’ve ever had. It’s so nuts. I’ve never had anything like this in my life. I’ve been so transient, I’ve been on my own since I was 16. I didn’t even have my own place until I was 32 years old. I literally lived out of bags for 16-plus years.”

Walker dated Meadow's mother, Rebecca McBrain, when he was in his mid-20s, but the actor has said he wasn't mature enough to get married, according to People magazine.  Although she lived in Hawaii, McBrain and Walker shared custody and Meadow often visited her father on the sets of his movies, Walker taught her to surf. 

Meadow Walker posted a tribute to father on Facebook Sunday: "When I was little he taught me to walk, taught me to smile, and taught me to never give up. I loved him even before I knew what love was. He was my hero. My REAL life hero! He will always be in my heart. It brings tears in my eyes as I write this. You’re gone, but not forgotten. R.I.P Dad!"