Weird Mind News Room Episode 150: January 5th - 11th

 *music tracks that feel close to Shakespeare*

Hello to all of you wonderful people and who you want to be, My name is Sam and I welcome you all to the 150th edition of this weekly series with a focus to another week of all new media in the realm of new releases, trailers and News from the week of content. So lets not waste too much time on the intros and lets get to talking on all things media for another week.

Releases of many appeals

Movies

Hamnet

So in the first of the new releases of this week is bringing us a fine selection in the realm of a project that has been making its presence known around the Awards season scene and will be giving us the sense of love and compassion and the birth of a famous writers works in the form of found on the stage and literature in what inspired it as we have the release of the new film known as Hamnet. The film will tell the story of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his Wife Agnus (Jesse Buckley) as they celebrate the birth of their son of Hamnet. However when tragedy strikes and Hamnet dies at a young age, it will inspire the poet and writer to create and write his timeless masterpiece of Hamlet. Reception on this film has seen some very strong reception with praise on its performances (especially its 2 leads), its cinematography and writing and seen as one of last year and this years best and seems to have quite a presence at these recent award shows and if you want to see the buzz for yourself then you can check it out now in cinemas.

Giant

For the 2nd film of this week is seeing us getting trained up, the strength up and preparing to get dirty and bloody as we step into the ring for an all new take on a true story of a famous fighter as we have the release of the new film known as Giant. The film is inspired on the real life true story of Prince Naseem 'Naz' Hamad, a British-Yemeni Boxer, and his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a world champion and his training under Brendan Ingle who played a crucial role in his success. Reception on this film seems to be mixed to modest at best with praise on the performances and concept of telling this persons story, though the elements of the truth or full perspective may leave a little bit to be desired but if you want to get in the right and see for yourself then you can catch this film out now in cinemas.

People you meet on Vacation

For the last of the films for this week is one of the sense of the first of what I see as some bit of love in unexpected places or circumstances but in some form of way they will find themselves coming together in the end as we have the first of the films this year to be adapted from novels with the release of the new film of the People we meet on Vacation. Based on the popular novel from 2021, the film will tell the story of Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth) 2 friends from 2 different parts of the world where Poppy wants to explore the world while Alex would much prefer to stay home with a good book. While not the closest of friends nearly every year for a week they will end up on a form of a summer vacation together before something causes them to drift apart in their friendship a few years back, but when a wedding in Barcelona for his brother David occours, she makes the opportunity to make amends and see if it was destined for them to be together after all of this time. Reception on this film has seen some well recieved reception with praise on the casting, setting, story and for being a nice adaptation on the novel and if you want to check it out yourself it is available to watch now on Netflix.

TV Shows

A Thousand Blows Season 2

Moving to TV shows and the first of these stories is seeing us heading back into a form of a ring but in more of being a bit more bare knuckled and in the grizzly streets of London back in the dawn of industrial change as after a bit of a stretch since its original season, Steven Knight is back once again with a 2nd season to his new acclaimed series of A Thousand Blows. The new season will see us back into the seedy underbelly of London and will see Hezekiah return as A shadow of a man he once was and sets out for revenge, Sugar Goodson hitting rock bottom but looking to seek redemption, and Mary Carr storming back in Wapping with Alice Diamond to rebuild the Forty Elephants. Reception on this 2nd season so far has seen some very strong reception like the first season with praise on the performances and continuing narrative against the backdrop of the setting to this whole series and if you are looking for more of a Brawl, then you can catch the full 6 episodes of this new season out now on Disney+.

Heated Rivalry

As for the last of the shows for this week, there is a bit of a confusion on this release as this may have already released, but going off of the calendar it seems it only dropped just a few hours ago, but its time for some sports based action, that even if this game will be happening on the cold hard Ice, things will be anything but cold but a lot more steamy as we have the release of the very popular new show known simply as Heated Rivalry. Based on the book series of Game Changers, the series follows Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two professional hockey players who compete on rival teams of the Montreal Metro's and Boston Raiders. Although their on ice rivalry is amplified by media coverage and public perception, the two develop a private, initially casual sexual relationship that continues intermittently over several years as they pursue their hockey careers. Reception on this new series has seen mass critical acclaim becoming a massive success in its performances, chemistry and story and becoming a global sensation, with one of the episodes now listed as the 2nd highest and best scoring episode on IMDB which is quite something to say and if you want to check it out for yourself and see the craze then you can catch the show on Crave since like late November but now on Sky in the UK and Ireland. 

Trailers to the Max

Avengers Doomsday X-Men Teaser

So its that time again, its another week of trailers but in the focus of this first edition for the week we once again continue to watch as the clock continues to tick on and countdown to the day of the demise and terror that has been foretold to happen as coming to us from first being shown in front of that Blue Man group in space, we have recieved the 3rd teaser for the upcoming end of year juggernaut of a title with the release of Avengers Doomsday. The film will be set 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts* and a follow on from Endgame and will consist of different factions including the Avengers led by Sam Wilson's Captain America, The Wakandans, the recently arrived Fantastic 4, The New Avengers and the appearance of the X-Men and will team up together to face a new powerful threat of Doctor Doom who looks a little close to a familiar face from the past. SO we have had the first one on the confirmation of Steve coming back in some form, then we had the more subtle form with Thor and now this time we get a look of some faces that helped to kick off the superhero film genre with some faces of the X-Men including Charles, Magneto and Cyclops which gives us the sense that its going to be another huge project in the works and that many have agreed in the brief clip of Cyclops in his now comic accurate look that they gave him more of a respectful use and done more then the Fox series ever did and it is nice to see them back (even if it felt odd they had a whole serenade at the end of Deadpool and Wolverine, but I digress) and it seems like even if its brief glimpses there is some appeal. Now I am not sure if next week is the last one or there is more planned for the next few weeks but I guess we will see but I hear the next is more based on the aspects of the heroes of culture and lineage and some from the an alternate history but we will see if it does release next week as the clock ticks down to the big battle when it releases into cinemas from the 18th of December. 

They Will Kill You

For the 2nd trailer this week is one that will bring that sense of a strange outcome coming along that was not listed in the job posting and will now be seeing a new part of a job is to stay alive as we have a sort of all out bloody violent action from the director of It with the trailer for the film of They will kill you. The film will see a young Woman (Zazie Beetz) answer a help wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious New York City High Rise, not realizing she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years and will be down to fight her way to survive from this onslaught of the residents. So the ideal of this trailer may give a lot of the film away but it does have some appeal that I am sure may work as it gives the energy of the John Wick style setting in tone, mixed with the bloody ordeal of the original Ready or Not and just having a lead that has played a form of action role before with a lot of luck then I sense that maybe it could be an appeal popcorn flick and worth a watch but I guess we can see in due time as the film will be out to kill in 2 months time on March 27th.

Greenland 2 Migration

So this 3rd trailer is a bit of a weird one as technically it released this week but only in the states but I will add it in the blog as the date for this one is a little confusing on release here and is likely one of those films that only gets a cinema release stateside and then shadow dropped over here but in this case we have a bit of a disaster film on the horizon and after surviving it once before, its time again for them to make it to a safe zone before an even bigger disaster make impact as we have the final trailer for the follow up of Greenland with Migration. Set 5 years after the events of the original and in the aftermath of the comet strike that decimated most of the planet, the Garrity family must leave the safety of their Greenland Bunker in order to traverse a shattered world in search of a new home to survive. So it is a case I vaguely remember the original film that came out during the pandemic and I saw it was decent and the reception was good on it and I feel it has its interesting aspects of it all and while you can see you usual disaster films as one and done it seems they had another bit of a story to tell that has an interesting idea of seeing the effects of the world after the initial devastation that could appeal and while I have seen reception being a little mixed to modest at best, I am sure it will have its appeal. Now the film has released this week in the states but on the likes of this releasing over here is unclear but I will say it will be out by the end of Spring. 

The Death of Robin Hood

For the first of the trailers from the studio of A24 is giving us a take and perspective of a famous character of history that while we have seen his starting times, origins and the appeal of his fame and infamy, this will be more of a grizzled take and one near the end of his life and reflecting on their choices and how their story will end as we have recieved the first trailer for the upcoming film of the Death of Robin Hood. Grappling with his Violent Past, Robin Hood (Hugh Jackman) finds himself gravely injured after a battle that he thought would be his last. He soon gets a chance at salvation when he meets a mysterious woman and a young girl who take him in and heal his wounds. It is a case that we have seen a lot of these narratives in the past of this character but I like this aesthetic of a more older and mature form of the character that is based on some classic poems or tales and I like this idea of seeing it then the usual affair of this famous bandit and it gives off a sort of Northman vibe to me from thsi trailer but I am interested to check it out. Now there is no set release date for this film yet but the film is set to release this year so I am sure we will get an idea of that in due time.

Send Help

Our next trailer is one seeing a sense of being stuck on an island with the one person that you do not want to be trapped with has its uses but it comes to a point of how long it will be before you learn to respect them more or something snaps insides of them and becomes a bit of a fight for survival which is seen here with the release of the final trailer for the upcoming survival thriller of Send Help. The film follows a woman named Linda (Rachel McAdams) who ends up stranded on an island with her overbearing boss (Dylan O'Brien) after a plane crash. They must soon overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but will ultimately become a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. The concept of the stranded on an island is not the most original concept but it has been a while since we have seen a film or project in that setting (that I am aware of) and given this is a film by the man behind the original Spiderman Trilogy and the Evil Dead films, I am sure there is more to this concept and project and the trailer so far have been decent in what I have seen so maybe it will be worth a watch and its not too long away either as the film will be released into cinemas from February 6th.

The Wrecking Crew

The next trailer is seeing some iconic figures and big personalities coming together for all out action, butting heads and punching things (I assume anyway) as we have the trailer for a film based or named after a film from the late 60s known as the Wrecking Crew. the Film follows two Half-brothers (Jason Mamoa and Dave Bautista) a Loose cannon cop and a disciplined Navy Seal, must work together to unravel a conspiracy behind their fathers murder in Hawaii. It can be a case that sometimes you can have the films that will make it a mission to be all out serious and then you have ones that are not trying to be a masterpiece but still has their appeal and entertainment value and I see it fitting into that latter aspect as the film has its appeal in being all out action, some depth of its humour and some heart mixed in there with 2 leads that I am not sure have teamed up in a film yet but I enjoy this dynamic and I will be interested in giving this a bit of a watch in due time and its not too long away as the film will be dropping onto Amazon Prime in 3 weeks time on January 28th.

Undertone

For the last of the A24 films for this week is one that is taking a page out of the realm of horror but also giving a focus perspective to where we give a lot on seeing things, this one is more in the focus to what we may hear and see as being confused on what it was which is the focus of this new look of a horror with the release of a trailer (technically there was 2 trailers this week for it) for a new film known as Undertone. The film follows a Podcast host that would cover spooky content while moving back home to care for her dying mother. This starts to get unsettling when she is sent recordings of a pregnant couple's paranormal encounters, she soon realizes her story starts to parallel hers, with each tape played pushing her more towards madness. So the ideals of this seems likes a reasonable one that the likes of the focus more on sound then on seeing things has an interesting idea and the likes of the trailer shown was a little jarring and one that I am a little mixed on but overall I can see the appeal of it and it seems to have had a bit of success with some decent reception back when it was first shown at a film festival in July but maybe it could be interesting and it is not too long away from release either as the film will be releasing into cinemas from March 13th.

The Burbs

for the one tv trailer for this week is technically a new take on a cult classic film that while not being the strongest in reception or box office has gained a beloved audience for it and its time for a new take where the ideals of a perfect neighbourhood may all be a bit of an uncertain or messy aspect with secrets around every corner and behind every door as we have the trailer for the new series based take on the Burbs. The series based on the original 1989 film will see some old secrets begins to resurface when a newly married couple (Keke Palmer & Jack Whitehall) relocate to the suburban neighbourhood of the Husband's youth where they begin to suspect the residents are hiding something and the neighbour in the house across the way may be a possible killer. Now I am not sure if I have seen the original film but it seems like it could be a fun little watch and the concept of a new take on it is one that I don't see as being a bad thing cause from the footage it does not look too bad and has some entertaining elements to it all, plus I really enjoy Palmer as an actress so I will watch it for her (I mean she was a strong part of Nope and she was super great in that film) and I see this as being a fun little watch when it does come out and its not too long away as the series will be releasing on Peacock and I believe Sky and Now in the UK and Ireland from the 8th of February.

Crime 101

The last of the film trailers for the week is the focus to the realm of getting an all star cast, a simply stylish approach and working for a big score to tackle those that get rich on our own demise in a bit of a modern day Robin Hood setting as we have the release of the 2nd and final trailer for the upcoming Crime thriller film of Crime 101. The film will follow the workings of an elusive thief (Chris Hemsworth) who is eying his final score, soon encounters a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) trails them hoping to thwart the Multi-million dollar heist they are planning. If there is anything, I do enjoy the likes of a heist based film or project when it comes around with the likes of Sicario, Hell or High Water, the Town or No country for Old Men just to name a few and this has that feel with some well established big stars in Hemsworth, Berry and Ruffalo and from what I have seen on this project looks like it could be one of those sleeper hits but I am sure it will be well worth a watch and its not too long away before the heist is in motion as it will take place in just about a months time in cinemas on February 13th.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Broken Things

For the last of the trailers that we have for this week is the only Game based project trailer and its a return to a location that we have been visiting for about almost 5 years now where we have went deeper and deeper into this old facility to find out what really happened in this place, how do we stop it and were we involved with all of this somehow but I am sure we will find out as we have recieved a new trailer for the 5th and possibly final chapter of Poppy Playtime with Broken Things. In this new chapter, you will be propelled further into the gruesome depths of the factory, with playtimes security of Huggy Wuggy in hot pursuit. Abandoned by your only allies, your fight for survival gets all the more challenging as you plunge deeper into the depths that is his domain where shadows whisper and the pupper master who lords over this realm pulls the strings to all of this madness and brings the question if you can stand against this evil and put an end to this whole nightmare. the Ideals of this game has been quite the journey where it came out with a small 1st chapter that had some interesting ideas and then chapter 2 had its drama from NFTS and other internal stuff being a mess and then the 3rd chapter brought appeal back and then Chapter 4 had some mixed appeal on its narrative aspect and buggy launch but it seems the series may be back on the appeal and I see it as hopefully having a bit of a solid finale to this game that has spanned over 5 years now and thankfully this chapter is not too long away either as the trailer officially confirmed the release date for it with this chapter dropping on windows (and likely consoles or soon after) on February 18th.

News for the January Blues

The array of castings across the media sphere

Now on the first of the 2 stories that we will be giving a focus on for this week (the 2nd being a one story focus) is with this week is not really a hodge podge but more of a focus mainly in one area and that is with the ideals of some new casting news and announcements from confirmation, in talk discussions, rumours and some that has caused a little bit of drama from a casting announcement, and one extra bit of non casting news for film but more of a studio, but we can get into all of them and let us see what was brought to us in this weeks media.

So we will start with one that we have seen some confirmed aspects to it all before hand and this is to do with an upcoming video game adaptation and this is to do with Amazon's new take on the popular Tomb Raider series. Now over the last few weeks we have been given confirmations on a small number of cast which include Sophie Turner as Lara, as well as 2 supporting cast in the form of Sigourney Weaver and Jason Issacs confirmed last month to be in this project that is being developed by Fleabag creator of Phoebe Waller Bridge. Well it was expected that there was going to be more as part of this series and it was just earlier this week that we have gotten a confirmation of more supporting cast for this project with the 2 recently confirmed actors and a selection of 9 more actors which consist of Martin Bobb-Semple (One of Us is Lying), Jack Bannon (Pennyworth), John Heffernan (Dracula), Bill Patterson (Fleabag), Paterson Joseph (Wonka), Sasha Luss (Anna), Juliette Motamed (Magic Mike Last dance), Celia Imrie (Thursday Murder Club) and August Wittgenstein (Faithless). Now it is quite an interest array of characters to be cast in this project and some that I forgot what they were in and remember enjoying their performances and I can see them working as ally's enemies and other forms for this new series on the globe trotting treasure hunter and I am very interested to see what will come of this project and if there is more cast confirmed to be announced. Now at the moment I have no idea on when the show is releasing or who this cast will be portraying but I am sure we will see by its production start date and in the case if I hear anything I will provide in a later episode

So we move to the next story that is somewhat of an adaptation, but more from one style to another as we are talking once again on the ever growing changing shifting world of Disney live action adaptations. The concept of if these are still going on changes by the week cause in one instance that Snow White nearly saw the adaption being scrapped and then that changed when Lilo and Stitch made a Billion and we have had some that were confirmed to have been scrapped, which include the Aristocats that was being made by Questlove and the other that may have been confirmed recently being the live action take on The Hunchback of Notre Dam that apparently had Josh Gad as Quasimodo, but that was unclear at that point and mainly I feel it was shelved as the original is quite dark that it would be a mess to fully plan out, but we are not talking on those but instead we are talking on the next Princess to get the live action treatment after Moana and that is with the take on Tangled. Now I have covered the last few weeks on the likes of the rumoured names for Rapunzel and for the possible casting of the villain of Mother Gothel but nothing was set in stone and been the whole final 4 then a possible frontrunner and all that and nothing was confirmed until just this week where they have officially confirmed the casting on the main 2 leads of Rapunzel and Flynn with them being portrayed by actress Teagan Croft (Titans) and actor Milo Manheim (Disney Zombies). Now things were all good for a bit of time but then a lot of complaints started to form mainly around the casting of Flynn as there is a lot of debate due to the opinions of this actor on his thoughts on an ongoing conflict in the world and from this many have voice their issue of the casting and want them changed an Disney did not learn after Snow white on the casting or to see this film be boycott (which is a similar outcome to what happened with that upcoming Scream film next month) but whether it will happen is anyones guess and will have to go with it.

That is not the only news part of this story as there is another character that is in focus and that is of course the villain in Mother Gothel, who initially for a short bit of time was going to be portrayed by Scarlet Johansson before she dropped out due to her busy schedule with the new Exorcist film and the Batman sequel and there was talks and discussion as to who may portray her now, but that also was brought up and may have been answered and its a choice that many people have wanted for this as it was reported that they are in talks with Kathryn Hahn to portray the character as many has fancasted it and I see this as the best fit for the role. Currently it is not fully confirmed yet but I would honestly think that they made an actual solid choice in that casting if its set in stone but I guess we will see in due time. Now at the moment this is all early days and we have no idea as to when this adaption will release (likely will be told by D23 later this year) but if anything comes about it I will provide it in a later episode.

But speaking on a casting of the previous one, we are jumping from Live action adaptions, to new adaptions on Comic book characters as we are talking about the caped crusader himself of Batman. Now the project as I mentioned has seen Scarlett Johansson jump from Tangled to this project and will be joining Robert Pattinson as his take on this iconic character and it was a case there was some rumblings going around on the possible villains for this project and it seems the casting announcement for this one may help set an idea as to who one of them may be in this as it was reported earlier this week that Marvel star Sebastian Stan is reported to be in talks for this sequel and the reported casting going around is that he will be portraying the character of Harvey Dent or otherwise known as Two-Face. Now this could be just a red herring and he could actually be playing a different character as they may want to bring in characters that never got the chance to be a proper villain in the films (like how it was for the Riddler in the first film) with an idea of him portraying either Hush or Mr Freeze as another option for the role but in all form I can see his performance as being one that will appeal. Now its fully set in stone and on the case as to who he is playing but with the sequel now set to start filming in a few weeks in the UK I am sure we will get an idea of the role he will be playing and in the case if I do hear anything I will provide it in a later episode.

Now I did say that it as mainly casting stuff but there was a project update and 2 release dates also given this week that I wanted to add in as well that I initially forgot about and we will start with a project update that has made its presence known and it comes to us still in the realm of the superheroes as we talk on a project that has had a rough few years of being made but it may have just been nailed shut as it was reported earlier this week that the planned film for the MCU on Blade may have been quietly cancelled. This project has had a lot of difficulty getting off the ground from its announcement in 2019 then a planned few release dates over the last 3 or 4 years and changing directors and writers that just could not seem to crack it properly and maybe the joke from Deadpool and Wolverine may have made it apparent. It is however not fully confirmed by Marvel as of yet but it seems the case that the project could still be alive or in this case the character will be more of a focus to another project that this will be morphed into which is with a new planned film based on the Midnight Suns which may help to provide more action and may make the rumoured new saga after the multiverse being fit in the supernatural that will likely see the return of Sasha Baron Coen's Mephisto and Aubrey Plaza's Lady Death in some form and maybe even the introduction of the character of Nightmare that was initially set as the villain for Multiverse of Madness by the original director. Now if its a case then I am sure Marvel will make the announcement or that reported story from last week of Jordan Peele working on the project could be this going ahead but its yet to be seen but for now if any updates come about I will provide it in a later episode.

So I felt in the case of the release date stuff that I decided to lump them into one piece story as they don't have too much to discuss on yet with the project but both are confirming a date for one and a surprise reveal for the other. Starting with the surprise reveal came to us on Thursday where it was revealed by Johnny Knoxville that we are actually getting a 5th Jackass movie and also the case it is coming out this year with the film set for release on June 26th which is quite a welcome surprise. The films and show was nonsensical and was full of these friends just getting themselves injured in the name of comedy and entertainment and they can be quite a bit of fun to watch in general and I will be giving this a watch when it does release. As for the other project is coming to us in the focus of the film that was unveiled last year, given a title about 2 months ago and then confirmed for this year, but finally this week we were finally given the official release date for the follow up to Godzilla Minus One with Minus Zero now set for release on November 6th this year. Now I will say that last film was proper solid and made them distinct between the Monsterverse that has its appeal and charm with the varying movie monster titans and for this one being more of the grounded story with a giant kaiju wrecking havoc and looking visually fantastic and on a very small budget as well too (which I see this one having a slightly bigger budget but still small and manageable) and in all case of things I am looking forward to this follow up as well and I am sure I will make a pilgrimage to check these out in the cinema.

Now on the last of the stories in focus of the announcement is back to a casting of people but not in the form of a new film or show on the way but rather it is in the realm of a new change of management as a few months ago it was confirmed that head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy will be stepping down as head of the studio by the end of the year and the reports about her replacement have been a bit quiet as of late. This has now changed since this week it was announced that it may be a dual head role at the company as its reported that Clone Wars and Mandalorian creative Dave Filoni and Creative Manager Lynwen Brennan may be the new heads of the company. Now both of them have had their experience of working for the studio as well as some connective groups like Industrial Light and Magic and seem like a reasonable fit, though some are still very skeptical and adamant about the choices made here. Its a case that Filoni has helped create some of the best content for Star Wars with helping develop the Mandalorian with Jon Faverau and for also making the Clone Wars series a hit that it was, it does bring some concern that them leading the studio may not be the best choice and make some messy creative choices overall. At the moment it has not be set in stone as of yet but if there is a case that some news of this confirmation happens I will provide it in a later episode.

But what do you think of all of this, do you like the casting additions to Tomb Raider, do you see the choices for Rapunzel and Flynn as good or who would you choose instead and what about Hahn as Gothel, Do you see Sebastian Stan working well as Two-Face or is he playing a different character in this film, Do you see the Blade film being cancelled and reworked or is it still happening, will you be checking out the new Jackass and Godzilla films this year and do you think those 2 for the leads of the company as a solid choice? Let me know what you think of it all down below in the comments.

Is this brick really that smart

As for the 2nd and final story for this week is one in the realm that may not have been originally a product full of tech but with the new unveiling, it may be changing and it is seeing a real concern and some backlash in the process and its all to do in the focus of LEGO. Now a lot of us love LEGO (I mean I have a heavy ton of sets and more in mind to get for more time-lapses in the future in video form and would love some sponsorship by the company) like myself and it has been a case of loving the product from years as a youthful person to the present and its a case that these little brick pieces have inspired so much creativity and imagination from their creations and for a while there was reports that a patent was floating around that was going to change that and in this case that is about to happen here and come true. During this years Consumer Electronic Show, LEGO had a presence at this event where they finally unveiled the product that is known as the Smart Brick which is this new electronic clear shiny bring that has an ability to provide new sounds and interactivity with items, builds and even some minifigures that will change a new way to play and with this announcement also came with the focus that they will be starting with the range of their biggest licensed range of Star Wars sets with an X-Wing, Vader's Tie Fighter and the throne room battle from Return of the Jedi which will likely see the sounds of the ships, characters and the lightsabers. Now the likes of this does not sound too bad.... but it does provide a lot of issues and since its announcement (and even to its patent) it has seen a lot of backlash. It mainly comes down to 2 aspects of this ordeal with the first being that it takes away an element of creativity and imagination as it used to be a case of us as kids and still to this day where we would all make up our own sounds and noises for the characters and built sets and with this now making noises and being more of an upgraded Light Brick aesthetic, it does bring a lot of questions as to losing that creativity and just using the elements of the basic cycled audio pieces or sounds after a point but if its a case there is more to it then maybe I am overthinking it. The other major aspect to consider will be that this will see an increase for set prices as sets that could be seen as pricing around 50 or so in price could then increase by a fair bit for this new tech element with the 3 sets that were announced costing the lowest at €70 (Tie Fighter), next set is pricing around €90-100 (X-Wing) and the most expensive at €160 (Throne Room). Now these prices can often vary with Tie fighters averaging on the minifigure size between €45-€75 so it somewhat fits in the pricing, The X-wing can vary as the bigger model ones cost more the average price on an X-wing would be a little more cheaper with the closest to it being Poe's X wing from the sequel trilogy which I think was around 80-85. The Throne room is the one with the biggest price difference as the cost of the diorama version was €100 which adds another 60 onto that with this one (though it may be by minifig count and it has a call back to an old set design that released around Episode 3's initial release) and it brings a concern that the amount of these smart bricks per box if the number of pieces are low in it as well will increase those prices and make it ever more of a difficult hobby to really invest in but I do hope it will not be the case and that its more manageable and not a mess. Now we will not see these into full swing until the beginning of March when these sets release but I am sure I may give a look at one of them if possible and give my thoughts on them in due time and see what else this will be a part of in the future.

But what do you think about this new Smart Brick feature, do you think that its a good addition to these sets or will this cause a major issue overtime? let me know what you think down below.

And with all of that rambling now, this ends the 150th edition of Weird Mind News Room and I do hope you enjoyed the rambles for another week. Let me know your thoughts 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 :)

Take care, keep being you, signing off

Sam H :)