Weird Mind News Room Episode 133: Sept 8th - 14th
*a nice bit of music for a very long walk*
Well hello again to all of you wonderful peoples out there on the information superhighway to the 131st edition of Weird Mind News room where we are back again with another week in focus of some of the new Releases, a trailer or 2 and some news stories of media, so lets not waste time and discuss all of the things of media that were released from the week.
New Releases worth walking for
Movies
The Long Walk
So the first of the new releases will bring the concept that we may see this as a bit of a form of exercise and will be all worth doing for some health and exercise, but in the case of this project it will be taking the simple idea and putting it to the extreme, as we have what I will assume is the last of the film adaptations based on the stories and novels of Stephen King as we have the release of the all new title of one of his first ever written stories with The Long Walk. The film is set in an alternate dystopian United States that is ruled by a Totalitarian Regime (well dystopian may be a bit of a strong word currently right now over there) where it will see a group of young men entering an annual walking contest where they must walk at least 3mph without stopping or they will be warned before they are shot and killed and the continued walk does not stop until one boy is left alive. Reception on this new film adaptation has been very highly well recieved with praise to the performances, the tension and of being one of the more well made and finest versions of a Stephen King Adaptation, and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can walk yourself down to the cinema now to check it out.
Downton Abbey The grand Finale
Then for the 2nd film release of this week is in the focus that we have seen a fair amount of class and grace over the years and after many years in focus it is time for the finest form of a royal farewell as we have the release in the 3rd and final entry of the films based on the beloved classical series with Downton Abbey the Grand Finale. Set in the summer of 1930, The Crawleys grapple with the threat of possible social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial struggles and will look for a way to resolve the dilemma. Reception on this final entry of the films has also been very highly praised with notes towards the beloved character performances, story and being a well respected wrap up to the films and series as a whole and some of the late cast and if you want to see a find farewell then you can all catch this new film out now in cinemas.
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle
Now for a bit of an anime fix for some of you out there with the focus of where some previous film releases were seen as some compilation films, this will be a full length continuation for many fans of this series as we have the release of the all new film of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle. This film will follow on from the conclusion of the 4th season of this series and the first part of a trilogy and will see Tanjiro Kamado and the members of the Demon Slayer Corps finding themselves outmatched and facing off in an epic Battle in a Location known as the Infinity Castle. Reception on this title has been also very well recieved with praise to its animation, storyline and for visual spectacle and continuing arc of the series and adaptation of the Manga Arc it is from and if you are up for checking it out yourself then it is available to check out now in cinemas (and possibly on Crunchy Roll too).
This is Spinal Tap II: The end continues
The last of the films that we have for this week is a follow up to a band that may or may not have been real, the legacy forged in the eyes of many and after being quiet for decades they are back to bring the end once again as after nearly 40 years since the world were introduced to this legendary rock band, they are back once again with the release of Spinal Tap II: The end Continues. The film will see documentarian Marty Dibergi follow estranged Spinal Tap bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls as they search for a new drummer and prepare for a reunion tour in New Orleans. Joined by music royalty of Elton John and Paul McCartney, they soon wrestle with their checkered past to put on a show that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of Rock 'n' Roll. Reception on this follow on is a little mixed but still mostly modest in reception with praise to the returning cast, film style and humour, though the concept of a follow up may be a bit more mixed to some and if you want to see how the reunion will turn out then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.
TV Shows
Only Murders in the Building Season 5
Now for the focus of the main tv series for this week, it is time to return all the way back to the Big Apple once more and to the location of the one place in town that always seem that when you least expect it that someone is going to end up getting themselves in a possible body bag or unexpected death and it seems that these amateur sleuths have gotten their work cut out for them once again as we have the release of the 5th season of the popular series of Only Murders in the Building. The new season will see Charles, Oliver and Mabel find themselves looking to find a way to resolve the death of one of their beloved members of the Arconia with the death of the friendly doorman, and will focus on the themes of past vs present New York where the trio will discover a deeper divide between the storied city that they thought they knew and the New York evolving around them - one where the old mob fights to hold on as newer, even more dangerous players emerge while the trio finds a way to solve the case of this murder. Reception on this new season like the previous 4 is still very well recieved with praise so far aimed at the seasons themes, guest stars and leading stars of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, though some see it starting to show some signs but it is mostly still well loved, and if you are up for tapping into this next mystery, you can catch the first 3 episodes of this new season now on Hulu and Disney+ with a new episode releasing every Tuesday.
Video Games
Borderlands 4
And the last of the new releases and the focus of the video games that we have for this week is in the perspective that after a bit of dormancy for a couple of years (besides a bit of an underwhelming trip into another media format) it is time for the levels of chaos, violence and criminals to make a return to vast planets and strange locations as after about 6 years since the last entry we are back once again with the next entry of the popular looter shooter series with Borderlands 4. In this title, you will take on the role of a Vault Hunter who must lead a resistance against a ruthless dictator named the Timekeeper and his army of synthetic followers, while searching for secret Alien treasures. Reception on this new entry has mostly been positive with praise on the game being a return to form after the mixed appeal of the previous entry as well as the improved gunplay, writing and graphics, though some of the performance issues, specifically on the PC but I am sure will be fixed very quickly and if you are up for playing the new game yourself then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with a Switch 2 version releasing on October 3rd.
A clear mystery of trailers in focus
Wake up Dead Man: A knives out mystery
Now for the trailers and the first one that has been one I am all for waiting for since the release of the first 2 entries as it seems to be a case that the presence of death and mystery seem to be everywhere and occour when you least expect it and in the case of this, it looks like some sense of a mystery has occoured in a place of worship and prayer and under strange and mysterious circumstances and it will take one man with a southern twang of a voice to crack this case once more as Benoit Blanc is back once more with the 3rd film in the popular mystery series with the trailer for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The new film will see Benoit Blanc find himself in his darkest case yet as he find himself investigating and sifting through a series of suspect when he learns of a Monsignor who turns up dead under mysterious circumstances in his Church. So in all of the case I love this series after seeing the original in cinemas all those years ago and it seems like Rian Johnson really knows how to craft an appealing mystery as both of the previous entries have been great and from the sounds of the reception for this next one it seems like it is 3 for 3 and I am all for this new mystery to unfold and we are not too far away from release as the film will be getting a limited cinema release from November 28th and then releasing onto Netflix from December 12th.
The Smashing Machine
As for the 2nd trailer for this week is seeing these next 2 both have a focus in the area of talking on sports based biopics and this first one will see a legacy of the time getting a focus in their career in the ring and the struggles outside of it, as Benny Safdie and Dwayne the Rock Johnson are bringing a new take on an iconic legacy with the release of the 2nd and final trailer for the new bio film of The Smashing Machine. The film will see the Rock play former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr as we experience and see the focus of the peak of his career in the industry, but in the journey of that success with see him face some personal hardships along the way and how he would make a recovery in his relationships, health and career to make him an iconic name for the industry. So it is really interesting to always see when an actor or talent goes through a massive transformation to make something new or telling a life and this is especially seen with the Rock in his methods of looking a lot different then I am used to seeing him (or a while since his early days in the acting scene looking close to this) and it does seem like it is showing more of a layered performance then his usual film affair and it does look like it is a possible award contender for Johnson and see a change of roles for the wrestling star (I mean this film did get a 15 minute standing ovation that I question if it really was 15 mins cause it seems excessive) but I guess we will see how the film will come about as the film will be smashing its way into cinemas from the 3rd of October.
Christy
And the last of the trailers that we have for this week and the other project in focus that is in the realm of sports and the art of fighting was showing more in this growing sport that many would see a lot of time as a Male based sport but it is proven that Women (and other non specific genders) can prove they have what it takes and in this case we are telling the focus of a star that was the best of the best, took a tumble and through trials and tribulations, they will rise again to prove their worth as we have the release of the trailer for the new Boxing Bio film of Christy. The film will tell of the story of Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney), known as one of the most successful Female boxer of the 90s and will chronicle her rise in the sport of the 90s as well as the focus about surviving against the attempted murder by her Husband in 2010. So it is always intriguing to learn of some of the famous faces and careers that I may not be well known with but some of them have that intrigue to learn more about and from the looks of this one could be something really interesting. As for the likes of the Lead for this film, while I can give or take Sydney Sweeney's acting that she is decent in some, she hasn't fully gripped me in proving her acting prowess (and may ease some of the continued controversies that have evolved recently for some people) and could prove with the right project it may appeal more but I guess we will see what comes of it all with the film punching its way into cinemas from November 28th.
The Witcher Season 4
Now this last trailer just came in as I was finishing up the writing of the episode itself and it is a case I may as well add it in as we are returning to the realm of the fantasy land of monsters and to follow a man with the heavy build, powers and long flowing White hair, although it seems that a new face is in order for this new form as we have recieved a new teaser trailer for the upcoming 4th season of the video game adaptation of The Witcher. This new season will follow on from the shocking, continent - Altering events of the last season, it will Follow Geralt (Liam Hemsworth), Yennefer and Ciri as they are faced with traversing the war-ravanged continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of Misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire - and finding one another again too. So it is to say that the changes have been a bit of a wait to see what will come of this overall project itself and I know the likes of this project in general has slowly been dwindling with positive appeal in general, but maybe the case we can see if Hemsworth can live up to the appeal of the man himself of Cavill but I guess we will see in due time and it is not too long away to see what will come of this follow on as the new season now has a release date and will be unleashed onto Netflix from October 30th.
News to level up with
Let'sa Talk the new Direct and some issues of Nintendo
Now the big main story of the news that we have for this week in a week of quiet media news and a lot of discussion debate of an event that happened that I am not going to touch on, after much rumoured speculation and leaks and reports, we finally got the proper first party Nintendo Direct this week that was a big one of being 2 directs in 1 with both the normal direct and one focus on the realm of the 40th anniversary of the mustachioed Plumber where over 40 projects were announced or given updates to and I will be going through and announcing everything that was in focus and make it through as quick as I can, so lets delve into talking on what was announced at the direct.
Then I feel it may be time to clean the stress away as we have the unveiling of the sequel of Powerwash Simulator that will have you cleaning up vast new locations across the world that are covered in tough dirt and then some items you find can be used for decorating your own house builder and can even play 2 player split screen or 4 player online co-op and I am sure it will be well worth to ease the stress off with the game releasing in the Autumn this year.
And then to wrap up the massive direct with one final title was a return to a series that has been noticably quiet for a fair bit of time and that is with an all new entry of the Fire Emblem series with the new game of Fortune's Weave that looks to bring some classic characters back as well as provide a new setting and new faces in some massive games battle arena from the setting and I am sure it will be well worth a try (and get some recommendations from a friend that loves this series of where to start) with this game coming out in 2026.
Now I will say in all case of things that I really did like this direct itself, I thought there was a lot of big games and titles that were needed that have been quiet for a good part of time and it is a case that some I hoped didn't show like I am holding out hope for a Red Dead 2 port that was rumoured a few weeks ago and then no word yet on the new Professor Layton game that is out this year (but that one will be confirmed at Tokyo Game Show in 2 weeks so we hold hope for that then) but there is some issues I will bring up that I have some concern about and I know a few I have talked with have said the same and that's with what's going on at the company cause it really feels a bit questionable on the basis of the pricing for a lit of these games and the difference between Switch 1 and 2 versions cause it seems they don't notice that yes, everything is getting more expensive and it just feels a bit more of a concern that a company that more often then not releases really solid 1st Party titles are getting a bit too money hungry (which I mean this is expected from the management of the company now being that they were former financial or bank management taking over where all they want is money compared to management of the past that cared for their audience). This also comes with the case of the DLCs being a bit too pricey or being announced way too early all of a sudden to feel overwhelming, or the case of the Virtual Boy Accessory being needed to play the games on the console and asking for another €100 for it when people already paid about €500 for the console already, but then again this is seen with any company like Sony as well with varying prices for tech and accessories or Xbox too and it just dampens the bit of the whole aspect. Lastly in the case with Pokémon, I don't mind the games that were shown like Z-A looks fun, as does the Pokopia, but with Z-A needing to have a Online member to get the mega Evolutions or announce DLC before the game has been made available for people is really just messy and thats not even getting into the ordeal that is going on that was announced before this conference with the whole patent they filed for that would affect about summoning a character and letting it fight one another and the case of smooth switching on riding object, as while I can see this targeting their main issue of Palworld, this will cause a major issue with other big games and companies that will basically limit mechanics and uses for other games and I feel they didn't think it through and it is really all a mess. Now I apologize if I sound like a Nintendo Defender from the discussion of the direct above for a lot of it but its a case I love that company, I have enjoyed playing my Switch 2 and games for years with them and all, but some bit are hard to defend in some elements like I mention here and I just hope that they will work a way to fix these issues, learn the error of the ways and go back to being like they were in making quality games nearly all the time and being supporting and fair to their fans and not in the way now of high pricing and getting every coins. from their pockets but I hold out hope that it could happen but I guess we will have to see.
Now with all of that out of the way and I apologize for being a bit negative when I don't want or try to be, I wanna know what you think of this direct, was their any games that you are the most excited about and do you think that Nintendo can change back and see the error of their ways? Let me know what you think of it all down below.
These cases seem to be appearing out of thin air
Now this last story is going to be kept in the case of just being a lot more brief and the approach of this has me questioning if they are really milking this more and more then it needs to be but we are talking again about one of last weeks big new releases with The Conjuring. Now after the last of the mainline series was announced and was the highest opening for a horror, beating the record held by the recent adaptations of IT, it seems to be a case that Warner is seeing this as a big financial ordeal as earlier this week we got the confirmation that the initially announced tv series based on this franchise first mentioned about 2 years ago was back in the full swing of production after the success of the new film. This was however not the only announcement as a day or later, it was also confirmed that the films are not over (even if the most recent was called "Last Rites") as it seems we are getting a prequel film also on the way which will likely be a focus of their first cases or something but we have no idea. Now personally I feel in all the sense of things that the series was well good when it first started and the 1st sequel is solid as being the most known and felting the most unsettling and most grounded in tone (even if the basis of the supernatural could be seen as questionable) but I feel in general that maybe it is milking this franchise dry from the many spin offs of characters in the main films and then continuing the story that seeing everything at once or too much will get unappealing very quick overtime. Do I see it working in terms of a series or a new film, I see yes and No, as the case it would be what they could do the approach of the series in if like a season is expanding one case across 8-10 episodes or what cases would appeal, or if its like a short story an episode of some of the haunted items in their former museum of oddities. I feel in all case the one thing that many are saying needs to be back for this is getting James Wan to direct the project in some way as people seem to emphasize it for the appeal back that the last 2 mainline ones seems to be missing but I guess we will see what comes of this overall and if any updates come about, I will provide them in a later episode.
But what do you make of these announcements, will you be interested in a Conjuring tv series and Prequel film or do you feel it has run its course already or should end with this last film just released? Let me know what you think down below.
And with all of that, this end the very long 133rd episode of Weird Mind News Room and I do hope that you enjoyed the ramblings for another week. Let me know your thoughts on all of this 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 :)
Take care, keep being you, signing off
Sam H :)
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