Well here we are back again and a welcome to you all too for another week and another episode of my weekly series of Weird Mind News Room, where of course this week we will be once again talking on some of the contents of the world of media, including a large selection of New Releases, some trailers and a News Story or 2, so lets not waste time on it all and lets get to talking on all things media for this week
A selection of new releases for the taking
Movies
Caught Stealing
The first film of this week in focus will bring a sense of utter chaos, unwanted conflicts and a madcap caper that will get your hands dirty, when it all seemed like a simple job of pet sitting for a mate, as renowned Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has returned with an all new mad cap caper with his new film of Caught Stealing. The film follows Hank Thompson, a New York Bartender who gets asked to mind his punk rock neighbours cat for a few days, but in the process soon finds himself caught in the middle of a Motley crew of threatening gangsters who all want a piece of him. Reception on this new film seems to be well recieved with praise to the concept and performances, particularly of leading star Austin Butler, though some of the story concepts can get a little muddled in all of what is going on at once but I am sure its the flair of the director himself and if you want to check it out for yourself, then you can do so now in cinemas.
The Roses
Now for the 2nd film of the week is bringing a sense that all can seem well and good in a relationship and supporting one another is all good and wholesome, but all it takes is one bad chain of events to make it all come crashing down and have each other by the throat and a conflict to arise as we have a new focus of a romantic comedy based film with the release of the new film of The Roses. The film follows Theo and Iva, a picture perfect couple that seem to have a perfect life: successful careers, a loving marriage and great kids. However, not all great things last as a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment soon emerge when Theo's career nosedives and Ivy's own ambitions takes off before it reaches a boiling point that could spell a messy outcome. Reception on the film seems a bit more mixed but still towards the positive side with praise for the lead performances of Cumberbatch and Coleman and for some of the humour, though it seems to be mixed in the approach of feeling a little lacking in content and some jokes not working the best and for feeling there may be better takes on this story itself, but I am sure it will have its decent share of appeal and if you want something to have a laugh with a partner or so then you can catch this new film out now as well in cinemas.
The Toxic Avenger
For the 3rd movie of this week is one that has been ready to go and initially premiered back in 2023 but has been sitting idly waiting to be released and in this case, a creature so morphed by unspeakable horrors that it being unleashed spells danger and chaos as we have the release of the long awaited homage, reboot or follow up of the 80s creature feature with The Toxic Avenger. Set in a fantasy world close to our own, the film follow Winston Gooze, a janitor who becomes a bit of a social outcast when a freak accident at a chemical factory turns him into a mutant. Armed with a weapon of his corrupted brush, he soon uses his newfound superhuman strength to battle slimy criminals and a corrupt CEO to save his town, all while finding a way to have a better relationship with his son. Reception on the film seems to have been well recieved then and now with praise on the homage to the original film, performances and for being unapologetically gross and graphic and some well done visual effects as well and if you want to see this thing for yourself then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.
Thursday Murder Club
As for one final film for this week is time to provide a sense of mystery can be solved no matter the age of the person, their history and the ways they will go about it as a mystery can always be solved in many different ways as we have the release of a new adaptation of a recently acclaimed book with the release of the new film of The Thursday Murder Club. Based on the first novel in the franchise, the film will follow a group of amateur Septuagenarian sleuths who love to tackle and solve cold cases in their comfy retirement home that consists of a former spy, a former nurse, a former trade union official and a former psychiatrist. But when an actual murder takes place in their local area, they will soon step up to the challenge and take on the case before the killer strikes again. Reception on this title seems to be decently to modestly recieved with praise to the ensemble cast and tone of the book getting the right feel and charm to it all, though some of the critiques feel the film crams a bit too much of the book at once and seems to be missing elements of it as well that feel it could've provided but I am sure if given a chance with the follow ups they can make it work and if you want to check out this mystery yourself, then you can catch this new caper now on Netflix.
TV Shows
The Terminal List Dark Wolf
As for the one tv series that we have for this week, we delve into talking on the discussion that it will come down to get locked and loaded and while there is discussion that you were trained to be the best, sometimes the legacy of a past will come back and prove that something much more sinister that changes a person as we have the release of an all new prequel to a popular action based series and novel with the new series of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf. The series will tell of the early career of Ben Edwards, a Navy seal who has found himself involved in a very risky CIA operation. Soon he will find himself entangled in moral grey areas where soon an internal Struggle breaks out between his light and dark sides. Reception so far on the new series has modestly recieved with praise for the tone, story and characters, even if the likes of the narrative may be a little messy, but it seems to be better recieved then the original series and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch the first 3 episodes now on Amazon Prime, with a new episode every Wednesday.
Video Games
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater
So a good few of these new game releases for this week are some new remasters or new remakes in this regards and in the first of the new releases is a remake that has been a long time coming, or as they would say "kept you waiting huh" as it is the start of what I see as the beginning reworking of the story of Big Boss as we go back to where it all began as we have finally seen the release of the remake of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. This of course is a remake of the 3rd entry in the acclaimed MGS series as we see the beginning era of Snakes career from a soldier on a mission in the soviet jungles to rescue a Russian scientist, destroy a dangerous super weapon from falling into the wrong hands and take down his defected former boss and begin to become the legend he'll become. Reception on this remake has been very well recieved with praise on the visuals, gameplay updates and everything that made the original such a beloved entry in the series are still present and given love and while I am sure it will see the other entries get this remake approach, I feel we can focus on this entry for the moment and if you want to play it for yourself, then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World
As for the next title getting a new release, it is a return to a title with a bit of an all new update and approach of exploring a mysterious location, lost to time, but with the control of a small and cute little pink creature using his powers for fun new methods and soon another new magical land will be found in the process as we will see the Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land with the new Add on of Star Crossed world. The original game of the title is still present of Kirby exploring a strange forgotten town and city and use their unique inhaling powers to control some strange objects like cars and vending machines to learn of its past, with the new expansion seeing Kirby and a friend named Elfilin exploring a new world made from crystalized star and save the starries trapped in the crystal and help to seal away a terrible evil. Reception on this new edition of the title seems to be very well recieved with praise to the updated visuals of the original beloved title and the new expansion is a great story piece that easily connects well into the wider narrative for a fun new extra story adventure and if you are up for a new adventure then you can get the full game (or the expansion separately if you own the original version) now on Nintendo Switch 2.
Gears of War Reloaded
The last of the remaster, remakes for this week is one where it will be time to suit up, gear up and bring the big guns to the battle as the original title of this popular series is back with a new coat of paint and on some new platforms as well as they have released the remaster in the first title of this Xbox series with Gears of War Reloaded. This will of course follow the original games story set in Seras where you play as Marcus Phoenix and leading a troop of soldiers and assist in a last-ditch effort to end a war against a genocidal subterranean enemy of the Locusts and save the remaining inhabitants of this planet from extinction. Reception on this new updates take seems to be modestly recieved critically, though a litt more mixed from audiences with praise to the updated visuals and allowing to play across new hardware, though some issues seem to stem to performance and technical aspects but I am sure a few patches will fix that and if you want to play it now it is available on Xbox Series X/S and PC and for the first time on PS5.
Lost Souls Aside
Then for the first of 2 new title based entries is one that will bring a sense of great power and control to the world and how you control it will be how you save yourself and others from a much great threat, as after a bit of a delay, we have finally seen the release of an all new game known as Lost Soul Aside. The game will have you play as Kaser, a man who embarks on a journey to rescue his sister Louisa, and use some form of power to save humanity from the Voidrax, mysterious invaders that have appeared from across vast dimension. Now reception has not been made present much but from the Steam reviews, it seems to be a bit of a mixed appeal that while the combat and visuals have been praised, elements of other gameplay mechanics, story and characters have been much left to be desired, but if you want to try it out for yourself then it is available to play now on PS5 and PC.
Shinobi Art of Vengeance
The last of the games that we have for this week is one in the realm of the side scrolling hack and slash and will be a return to a beautiful land and a title series that has made a return like another popular series that focuses on the way of the Ninja as we have the release of the new metroidvania hack and slash with Shinobi Art of Vengeance. The game will have you return to the role of series protagonist of Joe Musashi, who after finding out their village was decimated by a military organization of the ENE corporation, he will soon go on a journey to exact revenge on its mysterious leader of Lord Ruse and thwart their plans for global domination. Recetpion on this new entry of the series has been very well recieved with praise to its visuals, combat and story and being another strong entry in the series and if you are up for fast based combat adventure then you can play it now on PS4/5, Xbox One/ Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Albums
Sabrina Carpenter - Mans Best Friend
Now of course the last 2 are some albums that we have released for this week and one is more well known then the other and that new one is bringing a sense of raw sex appeal as we have the release of the new album from massive rising star of Sabrina Carpenter with Man's Best Friend. Described by a friend of mine as a bit of a call out album to some past poor relationships, the album contains some well known tracks to listen to including Manchild, Don't Worry I'll make you worry, Nobody's Son and Never getting Laid just to name a few. Now I have seen reception for this album and seems to be well recieved with some feeling its a great album and some feeling it a little messy and need a few songs that need another draft from some outlets but it seems that even through a controversy over the album cover, it seems it will be another success and if you want to have a listen to the album then you get it where albums are sold as well as on all popular music streaming platforms.
TWRP - The Longest Weekend
While there is many that are all for Carpenter (and will not complain as she makes some great songs and will listen myself) there is another album out there that released the same day from my favourite group of Groove Crusaders that works best for those breaks from the hustle and bustle of life and that is the case of TWRP coming in with an all new album in the form of The Longest Weekend. This of course is the new album from those funky group from Canada bringing an album for when you want a break from the noise with tracks like Big Day Off, Critters, Stargazing, the title track itself and many more in this album that appeals in their funky tone. Now given my music taste is more in ones that are not overly seen, I think its another solid album itself with a nice mixed variety of genre music in tone and appeal and will be definitely up for listening more of this overtime and if you are interested you can get their album from their official website or listen on all music streaming platforms.
Trailers
Sisu Road to Revenge
Now we only have a small group of trailers for this week and the first of them is with the release of a title that came saw its first entry about 2 years ago come put of nowhere and became something of a sleeper hit but a action classic of a wick in the world war style project. Well out of nowhere it was revealed that a follow up was happening and in that case, we have the trailer for said follow up as that sees a simple man looking to live peacefully on his land with his stash of gold take on an army by himself as we have the release of the follow up to Sisu with Road to revenge. Set in 1946 in soviet occupied Karelia, we see Aatami Korpi, or the man that refuses to die, dismantle the home of his family that were killed in the war, load it onto his truck and become determined to rebuild it somewhere more safe in their honor. However when the Red Army discover Korpi's arrival on their soil, Igor Draganov, the man responsible for killing his family, comes back hellbent on a mission to kill the legendary solider by any means necessary. Now the original was one I believe my Dad initially told me about and then I got invested in and thought the film was really good and the announcement of a sequel was a bit of a welcome one and from what I have seen of this project, it looks like it is going in the same blood high octane action as the original and some of the action pieces and kills are really cool looking from the trailer and I am hoping will have a lot more appeal to this one with its release and in this case it is not too long away as the new action title will be going to war into cinemas from the 14th of November.
Bugonia
And for the 2nd and final trailer that we have for this week, it is time for the focus of the returning team up of another iconic director and actress duo that seems to come along and get real weird or original with their ideas in mind and in this case it is looking to get like his award winning film, a fair bit weird in the process as Yorgos Lanthimos and his actor mainstay of Emma Stone are back again with the release of an all new trailer for his new film of Bugonia. The film will follow 2 conspiracy obsessed young men who end up kidnapping the CEO of a major Company as they are convinced that they are actually an Alien who is intent on destroying the Earth and I am sure a lot of chaos will ensue. Now the likes of this concept is not far off the ideals of being strange or abstract as the likes of the conspiracy realm has really seen a lot of crazy ordeals in more recent memory and I can see this having something of a unique idea of working well and being a little bit of a madcap concept done well and hopefully when he goes for a period piece or something extraordinary then I can see some interest and I am sure will be something to check out in due time with the film releasing itself into cinemas from October 31st.
News to provide a sense of opinion
A plethora of releases for Cold weather, Fighting champions, a former actress book and making people smile and new starfighters too
Now the first of the 2 stories in focus will bring the case of talking on a selection of projects that have garnered some release date announcement, delays and some announcements of new additions to a project in mind and we have a few in mind to discuss and lets delve into what those projects are in particular for the week.
So I will start with the first announcement that has e very happy and in this case will indeed put a smile on my face as after a bit of a wait to get a confirmation, we were given the announcement on Wednesday of this week that we have the official release date start of season 3 to Smiling Friends with it confirmed starting on the 5th of October of this year. Now I enjoy this series and I always feel when the season of episodes are out and over that I am excited for more as the series always feels fresh and appealing and still uses a large focus of 2d animation with the added appeal of mixed media of random content out there as well and I always love the randomness of these episodes in focus and I am all for checking out this new season to make myself smile in the process come early October.
Now the next is not in the focus of a film, show or game but rather in the focus of some more physical media as we have the announcement of a new book, and in this case, after the breakout success of her self published memoir, former actress and now writer Jennette McCurdy has returned again with the first original story novel with the announcement of her new book title Half his age that has gotten an official release date for January 20th next year. Now the novel is set to tell a story about a 17 year old girl named Waldo as she navigates an affair with her teacher and in the process exploring the complexities of desire, power and self-discovery and while it has an element of a Lolita story to it, I can feel her writing and wittyness to it can help appeal to it all and I am sure it may be well worth a read of as her memoir of I'm Glad my Mom Died had a great success and had a lot of array of emotions and I am interested to give this a read in due time and I am sure we will learn more by its release in the new year.
Now for one of the only 2 delays that was announced at the end of this week as on Friday evening, it was announced out of nowhere that the new adaptation on Mortal Kombat 2 has been delayed from its initial late October 2025 release and will now be out 7 months later on May 16th 2026. Now the reason for this is supposedly has to do with the case that Warner doesn't want to go up with competition at the time, which in this case would be releasing the same day as the currently well recieved Vruce Springsteen Biopic and then the 2nd weekend for The Black Phone and 3rd Weekend from Tron and decide to push it to the middle of May, which in this case doesn't make sense as it will now have some more tougher competition as it will be releasing alongside the film of Is God Is, the 3rd weekend of Devil Wears Prada 2 and then a week later will likely be crushed by the release of the Mandalorian and Grogu film (and then even more so with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 on the 26th) so I wonder if they thought this through (similar in case to Cat in the Hat last week). Now I felt it was well fit for a Halloween release as it could release to a decent appeal and just before a bit of a week off midterm but I guess we will see what comes of it. Do I see this as the last delay, I have no idea but I feel its possible for another slight change up but I guess we will see when this fight and fatalities comes to the big screen in May next year.
Now this last date discussion is also with a slight delay as well but in this case it also comes with an update to the name of the entry as we have been given some news in relation to the 6th film in the Ica Age series and it was confirmed as I was writing this that the new film is now titled Ice Age Boiling Point and is now scheduled for Release on the 5th of February 2027. The delay makes total sense as it was likely going to be decimated by both Dune and Avengers on that weekend so it made sense to release it a little later and from what I have gathered, it is seeing the pack of animals returning to the lost world below the ice to some far reach dangers from the sound of the description and so far it was confirmed that Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, Buck and Scrat the Squirrel (as well as his new adopted child) are all confirmed back with no word on the likes of some other characters yet. Now I am intrigued to see what will come of this film as I have a bit of an appeal with these films but I guess will see by its release in about a year and a half's time.
And the last of the stories for this news story in confirmed announcements is not to do with release dates but rather with one bit of casting news as it was announced that their some new additions being added to a return to a galaxy far far away as we have been given news that Mufasa and Lanterns star Aaron Pierre and Arrival and Nightbitch actress Amy Adams have been cast in the upcoming Star Wars film of Starfighter alongside main lead Ryan Gosling and other confirmed stars of Matt Smith and Mia Goth. Now this also came with the news that the film has started production and seems to be full steam ahead and I am interested to see what roles these 2 will be in this film itself and if anyone else will be added to the list. Now we have gotten no word on who they are playing just yet but once I hear anything else I will provide in a later episode.
But what do you make of these release dates, are any of them you most excited about and who else do you see being cast in the new Star Wars film? Let me know what you think down below.
Some announces of a coloured road to why, talking cars, Machines of mystery, demon fighters and some elements of magic
And for the 2nd batch of stories will be focused more on the likes of projects that have been announced to be in the works with some of my own thoughts on these projects as well as updates for some other ones in where they are at in development, but for the moment, we can delve into this and see what comes of the announced content.
Now lets start with the big success story and the one many have been excited nd hope would happen (and was also a follow up to a story I talked on a few weeks ago) and that is the case that on Wednesday of this week, it was announced that we are now officially getting a sequel to K-Pop demon hunters. Now this is adding onto the massive success this film has garnered since its release in Mid June with the film garnering great reception, is now the most watched Netflix Original film of all time (out beating the previous holder of Red Notice) and also from the re-release of the film in cinemas last weekend as a singalong (I couldn't see any rerelease where I was so mainly from the states or from specific cinemas probably) that the film was the #1 film at the weekends box office, outbeating Weapons and other big films (even including the re-release of the Highest Grossing film of this year of Ne Zha 2's english dub release) so to say it has been a massive success is an understatement. Now I am sure they will give some time on the project for new music and for the stellar animation and will likely see it release after Sony's next 2 films of Goat and Spider-verse but maybe Netflix animators will come in to assist but we will see. Overall I am happy to see this success and look forward to find out when we can expect it and will of course update it when it does get the official date.
Now for one that is a little bit more questionable and have to wonder why they decided on this project but we have seen a few projects of classic stories and literature getting reworked into a new take on the story, and while this next one has had some follow ups or new spins on it, the approach for this new one feels really messy and not sounding that great but it was announced on Tuesday that Amazon Prime is planning to make a new series based on the classic novel of The Wizard of Oz with the film being aimed to be Young Adult focused and will also some elements of deep themes with the known one they have mentioned is that the Yellow Brick Road will symbolize and be a metaphor for the challenges and struggles that young adults face today. Now I know the case of this franchise has seen its share of ideas in mind such as a follow up in the 80s that was a little disturbing, a Disney prequel that was about how the Wizard ended up in Oz, the Wiz, a more upbeat musical take with MJ as the dancing Scarecrow and then of course a part of me that probably feels this is being made cause of the massive success of Wicked, but I don't know why this option is seen as a decent idea if its just retelling the original story but trying to be modern about it, cause I don't really see that working that well in general as I feel in some ways it will become dated real quick if done poorly or in general and I feel that something like this doesn't need a new Modern take on the material. Now likely case is that it will have some that may appeal and some that may not and will have to be seen what comes of the whole project or if it really takes off and if any more news comes of it I will update as it develops.
And lastly on one that I feel that in all case I am much more fine in seeing getting a bit of a fresh new take on a classic of the past and with the people that are planning to do so then it is all good to see what comes of it but it was announced earlier this week that the creatives behind the recent success of Cobra Kai are looking to take a spin on another classic 80 series as they are planning a film based on the series on Knight Rider. Now for those that are unaware it was a series starring David Hasselhoff as a man named Michael Knight who alongside his talking car named Kiff, travel across the streets of LA or wherever the series was set and solve crimes through action set pieces and tech and all and it seemed like it would be interesting to see what would come in the present series of this show with the advancements of technology in cars now a days that it would be interesting to see what will come of it all. Now I know the case is also being helped along with action director of David Leitch who did provide another classic 80s series into a film with last years Fall guy so it will be interesting to see. The question would be who is the best choice to fit the role of Knight himself or if it will Hasselhoff back as the character as I would be unsure of who they would get for it or be a legacy thing but I say even if he's not the choice for the main star, he could be the voice for Kiff as a passing the torch kind of thing but it is hard to say right now. At the moment it is early days, but once anything else comes out about it I will provide the info in a later episode.
But what do you think of all of these stories, are you excited for a new K-Pop demon hunters sequel, what do you make of this planned YA series on Wizard of OZ and would you be interested in a Knight Rider movie and who would you cast in the project as the lead and the car. Let me know what you think of it all down below and lets chat on that there.
And with all of that, this brings us to the end of another episode of Weird Mind News Room and I hope you enjoyed the ramblings once again like always. Let me know your thought on all that was discussed down below and as always I hope you all stay being wonderful people and have a great day everyday and I will see you all in the next episode :)
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