*Music for a return to a strange and familiar town*
Well Hello again to all of you very very fine people and who you choose to be (mostly for good), My name is Sam and I am once again welcoming you all to the newest episode of my weekly series of Weird Mind News Room where this week we will be delving into a wide variety selection of New Releases, Trailers and News Stories to come from this media sphere of entertainment, so lets not waste too much time on some introductions and lets get to talking on all things media for another week
Return to New releases
Movies
Mercy
So we start off in the focus to the perspective of a future where we may be in the age where many of us either embrace (but don't realize the consequences) or would be very against the concept of AI in the modern day but its a case where this will be the judge jury and executioner of prove your guilt or innocence and if there is more to a crime then it may help in solving it as we have the release of the all new Sci-Fi Thriller based film known as Mercy. The film is set in the near future, where a new AI program has been implemented into the courts and will see an Artificial Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) giving a trail to a Detective (Chris Pratt) for the accused of murdering his wife. He only has 90 minutes to prove his innocence of the trail, or else he will be executed on the spot and must find a way to solve the case from this new elaborate death trap. Reception on this film however has not been the most well recieved as while the concept seems like an interesting one and some decent performances, but the films plot feels a little too simple besides the unique concept and the characters feel a little flat in terms of emotional purpose but may be seen as a form of enjoyable popcorn film for the audiences and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.
Return to Silent Hill
For the 2nd film of this week is seeing us return to a strange and mysterious town that may look normal or a bit deserted at a glance but some of the horrors that await beyond the fog and streets is something to leave behind but in this case, we are brought back to find and solve some answers to it all as we have the release of the first of the many video game adaptions of this year with the release of the new film of Return to Silent Hill. Taking inspiration from Silent Hill 2, the film follows James Sunderland who is devastated after the loss of his soulmate until one day he receives a letter that leads him back to a mysterious town of Silent Hill. However, he soon discovers that the town has been changed by some unknown malevolent force and as he delves deeper into the town, he finds terrifying figures, both familiar and unfamiliar. Doubting his mental stability, he tries to comprehend reality and hopes to stay strong enough to rescue his beloved. Reception on this new adaption however has been critically panned and has already been seen as one of this years worst with issues stemming to not really getting the point of the beloved game accurate and some character reworked to a messy issue, with some praising on its runtime, some visual aesthetic and the implementation of the music from the game. But if you want to see the film for yourself then you can catch this film also out now in cinemas.
History of Sound
For the 3rd film of this is seeing something with a bit of passion, love and a sense of symphony in tones and romance in a film that is seen in the era of a arthouse films (and releasing in the era of the award season) as we have the release of the all new film known as The History of Sound. Set in the era of World War 1, it will follow two young men (Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor) who meet at the New England Conservatory of Music and form a close relationship and will set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American Countrymen during the Winter of 1920. Reception on this new film has seen some mixed to modest reception at best with praise on its story and performances of the 2 leads, though the likes of some of the narrative may leave a little bit to be desired but may be a decent watch overall and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can catch this new film out now in cinemas.
No Other Choice
The last of the films for this week is giving us a film that has a bit of a discussion from the award season appeal (but more on that later) and going a little international for this last film as it will focus on the case that after giving your life to a successful career and job and is all just brushed away like its nothing, how far will one go to try and get it all back in any means necessary as we have the release of the new film known as No Other Choice. The film follows Man-Su (Lee Byung-Hun) who had a successful and long running career at a paper company, who after 25 years is suddenly laid off when his place of work is bought by American Investors and looking to find a job in the same field but going against some tough competition, he will soon go to extreme lengths to eliminate the competition to obtain the job he wants and return to his way of life. Reception on this new film has been very highly praised with praise on its performances, narrative and humour and seen as one of last years best films and a soon to be classic and if you want to find out the outcome of these choices then you can catch this film out now in cinemas.
TV Shows
Game of Thrones: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
For the one piece of television that we have for this week, it is time we return to the realm of high fantasy where we have had the focus of multiple factions and families fighting for a Throne and on the focus to one family that for a very long time rules through bloodshed and fire, but in this case we will be focus of a story set in the time period between these 2 shows with more of a simple fabled focus that could be seen as some Tall tales that may soon become legend as we have the release of the newest series based on the world of Game of Thrones with the series of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Set a century before the events of the original series, the series will follow Sir Duncan the Tall, a Hedge Knight and his young small squire known as Egg, as they travel across the lands of Westeros, and face a series of dangerous exploits during the continued reign of the Targaryen's and the fabled myths of the last dragons left in memory and great destinies and powerful foes await for these improbable and incomparable friends. Reception on this new series has seen some very well recieved reception with praise on it more comedic tone and style compared to the overly serious drama tone of the original series and House of the Dragon and the appeal of the leads of Duncan and Egg and could be some appealing tales focus overall and if you want to check it out for yourself you can catch the first episode now on HBO and Sky with a new episode every Sunday Night / Monday Morning.
Video Games
Final Fantasy VII remake Intergrade
For the first of the games for this week is one that has technically released already back in the past but it has made a form of a return to a new era, a new larger group and audience and a whole new selection of formats to play the title on as a return to an acclaimed and classic RPG game and narrative has made its presence known for new consoles in focus as we recieved the release of the first part of the planned trilogy of the Final Fantasy 7 remake. The game will be a section of the original PS1 title and have you play as Cloud Strife, a Mercenary for an Eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche who will soon team up with his fellow mercs and a mysterious Girl named Aerith as you team to stop the powerful megacorportation of Shinra from using the planet's life essence as an energy source as well as coming into combat with a powerful warrior of the past known as Sephiroth. Reception on the new ports for the title is similar to the original version and updated format in very strong appeal with praise on the expanded story, graphics, gameplay and love for the original seen in this title, though some issues stem towards the linearity and some of the side stuff being a bit tedious but still a solid remake on all forms and if you want to play it now you can play it initially on PS5 and PC and now available on Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2.
MIO: Memories in Orbit
On the 2nd of the games for this week is one for a bit more of the Indie based challenge and give you some competition to work with for the basic of finding out the memories of the past in a very dangerous world as we have the release of the all new Metroidvania title of MIO Memories in Orbit. The game will have you play a character onboard a forgotten ark spaceship named the Vessel, where its AI caretakers known as Pearls have stopped working. Taking control of Mio, an Agile robot soon explores the exuberant vegetation overgrowth and miscreant machinery to revive the vessel's memories to prevent an imminent showdown. Reception on this title has been very well recieved with praise on its visuals, narrative, gameplay and challenge that is presented in the title and could be the new appealing title that could itch that appeal of the post Hollow Knight challenge and if you are up for finding the memories then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 1/2 and PC.
Books
Half her Age
For the last of the new releases that we have for this week is more in the basis of the physical with some new bit of literature that may be a bit of a risqúe and unrequited love of lust humor and all out sense of reasoning as former Actress Jennette McCurdy is back with her second written novel after her self written memoir with a new romance novel of Half her Age. The novel tells the story of Waldo, a 17 year old Alaskian trailer park resident who initiates an intense, uncomfortable affair with her middle aged married creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy, and will follow a plot of teenage obsession , loneliness, power dynamics and a desperate, misguided longing to be desired, rather than glamourizing the relationship. Reception on this new novel seems to be modestly recieved with praise on its witty humour and well written lead character with appeal of the humour and pathos seen from McCurdy's writing of her Memoir, though some see it as being a bit risqúe in terms of it being teetering on a lolita like tale or feeling a little too similar to other romance stories, but if you want to read it for yourself then you can get it in all bookstores or on any digital book formats.
Trailers that may be decided in less then 90 mins
Masters of the Universe
So on the first of the new trailers for this week is seeing us head off to a far off place across the vast realities and to the mythical land of old where through the power of an ancient land and weapon in hand it will be time to prove that once and for all who has the power!!!!!!!! as we have been given a new look into a new retelling of a classic heroes tale of how he became legend as we have the release of the first trailer for the upcoming film adaption of Masters of the Universe. Fleeing a devastating civil war, ten year old Prince Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine) is spirited away to his mothers home planet of Earth to protect him from the evil forces, which separates him from his Ancestor's Sword of Power. 2 Decades later, a now adult Adam must return to the planet of Eternia and rediscover his his lost birthright, becoming the mighty hero He-Man and leading the few remaining warriors of Eternia against the evil forces of Skeletor (Jared Leto). So the ideal of the return for He-Man has been quite a bit of a common thing in the last few years from the animated series on Netflix (one that improved upon the other with the first one getting absolutely decimated online that I felt was a little excessive) and the approach of trying to get a new film based on this world has been a 2 decade ordeal and it has a bit of a worry that it could be a bit of an issue of trying to make another entry after all of this time, though I feel its biggest issue seems to be the casting of the villain as it seems that Leto's track record for films has been a bit of a mess in general. Personally I see the case that it has some appeal, visually it does not look too bad and gives off the vibe of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and even that criminally underrated Dungeons and Dragons movie from 3 years ago that was actually entertaining but I will hold out hope that this could be something very entertaining and worth a watch but I guess when we gain the power to watch this film when it releases into cinemas from the 5th of June.
Star Wars Maul: Shadow Lord
Our second and possibly final trailer is taking us to the far reaches of a galaxy far far away and bring us back to the age of high battles, treasons, the hidden underworld of the Sith and empire and the survival of many but in the case of this focus, it is to see a perspective to one of the most popular yet mysterious members of the Sith and build upon the legacy that he has built and prove his legend as we have recieved a trailer for a new animated series based on the world of Star Wars with Maul - Shadow Lord. The series takes place about a year after the events of the Clone Wars, where we will follow the former Sith Lord of Darth Maul as he rebuilds his criminal syndicate and seeks out a new apprentice on the planet Janix during the reign of the Galactic empire. It has been a case that when it comes to giving Maul more of a presence in this franchise it really seems to be here and there that since Episode 1 and the Clone wars, he has had attempts of other forms from a comic book line, to a planned video game that sounded pretty cool (among a list of other Star Wars titles that had great potential) and the last I remember him appearing was at the end of Solo so giving him a proper focus across a series of Star Wars seems like a no brainer and I am very interested to see how much of this mysterious character will be shown to us and given some new life and make him more cooler or if it will affect his appeal but I guess we will see in due time as it is not too long away from release as the new series will be dropping on Disney+ with a 2 episode premiere on April 6th and released weekly all the way to May 4th.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?
Now initially I was considering leaving this for next weeks episode if I had finished writing the episode before this dropped but it was taking a little bit of time overall so I felt why not add it in as for one last trailer, we are heading back to a magical land full of colourful locations, friendly and odd looking inhabitants and a pair of sibling plumbers turned heroes, as this time we are off on a big grand new adventure that is taking us beyond this kingdom and into the far cosmos as we have the release of a surprise 2nd trailer release for the upcoming film of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The new entry will see Mario and Luigi will join Princess Peach and Toad on an adventure to the far reaches of space and across the galaxy where they face off against Bowser's Son, Bowser Jr, who is trying to save and free his father from being shrunken and imprisoned. So initially I was not expecting this 2nd trailer until another 2 or 3 weeks with the whole Superbowl coming up that it would have a presence but a small surprise trailer for this week was a nice surprise and I enjoyed watching it of seeing a lot more of the worlds and getting a little more of a new look at the Tosterina Sand kingdom from Odyssey and of course finally getting the introduction to Yoshi who really looks adorable and there is so much teased and shown in the trailer that there is a lot I really have to delve and look into and it looks so exciting and it is a reason this is one of my most anticipated films for this year and it is not too long away from release either as the film will be warp starring its way into cinemas from the 1st of April.
News that do provide some choices
Keeping in Gold to talk Oscar Nominations
So starting off the stories of this week is similar to last week as we are focusing on the 2nd week of award season talk as while last week we talk on winners, we are instead this week talking on the nominations as on Thursday of this week we were officially given the full list of nominations of this years Academy Awards or of the Oscars as we had a selection of some big film nominations, surprises and a few odd snubs of the night and a bit of a debate about some admissions and ones being left out but we can discuss that as we go on with this piece so lets delve into what was in focus for this week.
So we start off in the focus of the number of nominations of this year as this week has brought us the all new record of the most nominated film of the Academy History with this going to the film of Sinners getting an astonishing 16 nominations which include nominees for best film, director, actor for Michael B, one or 2 for supporting actor / actress and every other category essentially that's not a focus on documentaries or animated focus and in all cases, that while a lot of people are suddenly coming out of the woodwork to say this film is overrated, I am one that feels it was well deserved of many of its nominations. Coming in then in 2nd with an impressive 13 nominations is with the film of One Battle After another which also saw a few big ones including for Best Picture, Director, acting (with some snubs discussion) but I felt it was likely these 2 that were going to be the big ticket focus of this year. Then to round out the top 5 in most nominated was a 3 way tie for Marty Supreme, Del Toro's Frankenstein and Sentimental Value all getting 9 nominations which include their presence in best picture and some other miscellaneous awards including for acting for a few like Chalamet for Best Actor, Jacob Elordi and Stellan Skarsgard for supporting and some for the leading and supporting actress side as well too which has provided a lot of interesting choices and selection for the awards and numbers per film.
Now there is a bit of a selection of the surprises and some snubs from this years awards with there being 2 films that many have seen as being majorly snubbed at the awards with them being one of this weeks releases of No Other Choice and the Other being Wicked for Good as despite both films getting a few nominations at other award shows like the Globes and critics Choice, both movies walked away with 0 nominations at this years awards which has seen a lot of disdain and complaints across the board and even I was surprised with Wicked being cast out as I expected even in some of the more technical side awards even but I guess it really wasn't good enough for this years awards. Another one that people are jumping to mainly in confusion and discussion about is F1 as it was nominated for 4 Oscars which includes best Picture (the other 4 for best picture include Bugonia, Hamnet, The Secret Agent and Train Dreams rounding out the 10 nominees) as there is a bit of a discourse online about the inclusion of that in best picture over one of the majorly snubbed films. This also has seen a bit of a discussion with the Animated field as the nominees for best Animated feature were with Zootopia 2, Elio, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Arco and Little Amélie or the character of rain, one that has seen complaints by many was the snubbing of the recent Demon Slayer Infinity Castle film after getting a nomination at the globes, but I feel maybe its a case cause its a film that would require prior watching of the main series to understand the follow up film. The last of the snubs that have been in focus was 2 actors getting overlooked with Paul Mescal missing a nomination for Hamnet and Chase Infiniti losing out for best actress for One Battle after Another which I always thought there was 6 nominations in the acting categories but I must've been mistaken. Now I know its easy to just complain and people to jump on the bandwagon of saying this film is now overrated or this deserved more but in a year of strong nominations, I am keeping it more optimistic on this side of things as its been a case that everything has been gloomy and negative lately and I want to have hope and appreciate all the films and nominees at this years awards for their efforts. I will be back to talk on these awards soon enough of giving my predictions and see how close I am to the winners for the night before the event takes place in the Middle of March.
But in this regards, what are your thoughts on all of the nominations, who do you feel deserved an award and who do you see as the winners of these in particular? Let me know what you think down below in the comments.
A small serving Hodge Podge of oddities
So on the last of the stories for this week is once again bringing a fair and balanced selection of the usual array of Hodge Podge Stories that will consist this week of some new additions of being worked on projects, release date confirmations, updates for a few others and some new announcements that may have been expected or seem a little odd but lets delve into talking onto this mixed discussion of releases for this week.
So we will start with the news that is the only grim or low sounding news in general as we focus on the world of some video game discussion as there has been quite the shake up that has occoured over the last week as back on Tuesday or Wednesday, there has been a bit of a shakeup at the gaming studio of Ubisoft as it has seen a fair bit of change around that in the focus of some additions it has seen some studio closures, about 7 titles getting delayed and a total of around 6 titles that have unfortunately been giving the chopping block. The one with the most known from this shift around was the confirmed cancellation of the long developed remake to the original Prince of Persia title that was first announced all the way back in 2020 and was initially set for 2021, got delayed by a fair bit due to some mixed opinion on the visuals and then initially set for release for last Friday but no word was made since that date announcement a very long time ago. This came with a few other games in the focus from some new IPS that were not announced and 2 other titles that have yet to get any idea on what was cancelled and if they were from a series, though one other report could be a continuation to the Watch Dogs series as they have made a mention a few days ago that the series is done with (though I would not be surprised if it returns after that film adaption releases in the future). As on the likes of delays there is a report of 7 titles being delayed but they have not disclosed what those ones are but may be released in the next fiscal year before March 31st 2027, with one of those seeming to be a case that it may be the long rumoured remake of Assassins Creed Black Flag that was reported to be releasing in the early part of this year but nothing has been made official as of yet. It has also seen 2 studio closures with the one in Stockholm and Halifax (the latter being one for mobile titles) has been shut and many layoffs have been occoured to be happening and the focus of returning to the office and phasing out the remote work option or balance. Its reasonable structure is to focus on creating mainly 2 based elements to it all, which mainly consist of Open World games as well as the dreaded Live Service titles, which has proven to be a sure fire success like with some other titles and studios that have tried this approach. This is a shame as it was a remake that I would've honestly tried when it would release as the original was an enjoyable one back in the day but I guess we can't expect a lot these days. They have specified they are dividing up groups to focus on core titles with ones for the Multiplayer and E-Sports, Open World, Narrative and classic series which include Prince of Persia and Rayman and in the case of some good news is that one title that many assumed is dead for lack of news is the Beyond Good and Evil sequel but its still in development and avoided the cancellations and now is the longest developed game in history at nearly 20 years since it was first teased back in 2008 so I am sure we will get an idea of their game project in due time but I guess we will see. What those other games that were cancelled or delayed is unclear as of now but I am sure if there is any updates and ideas of what will come eventually and what was given the shelving, then I will update in a later episode.
But now going from shakeups and cancellations to now a focus of some new announcements and products, for the 3rd week in a row we are talking on the beloved Building Block toy of LEGO cause they have come out with 2 new pieces, one that I alluded to a little bit over the last week or so and the other is with an announcement that has been quite the oddity and think of how practical these ones will be as it was announced that LEGO is teaming up with the popular Shoe Brand of Crocs to make their own pair of Croc shoes and make it look like you are wearing a giant pair of Red Bricks, which while looks really goofy (and a little impractical) feels very on brand from the vibe. This does however comes with the issue that a lot of sets in this day have and that is with the pricing as according to the sources, it may be launching sometime in February with a €200 price tag which is quite a lot to say the least. Now I know certain Crocs are not that overly cheap, especially if you are going for the unique brand style ones such as Lightning McQueen, Mater, Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc or the recently announced pairs based on characters from SpongeBob and the case is that I am sure we will see these sell out very quickly but the resell value are going to be sold out the ass in terms of the costs being a lot more (similar to how I see those Pokémon sets will be costing as well). Do I want to buy them, yes but its a case I would wait for a lower price on them in general and if they would be in my size but I guess we will see what will come of these shoes when they do come out sometime next month.
But speaking of one announcement that is more of being a discussed aspect that I have alluded to if you recall about a new set being a continuation to one of last years big and appealing sets that was made last year and that is the continuing focus sets based on the large builds of Nintendo and Mario Kart range. Now last year we had the focus of the main mustached Plumber and his iconic standard kart and I enjoyed building it and having it on display and I made a mention in the time-lapse build that I hope we get more of this range in the future.... and it seems someone from the small video audience has watched it and agreed as on Thursday of this week, after initially being rumoured, we got a very small glimpse and tease of the next one in this massive build and of course it is with our lovable, easily scared and most attractive Nintendo Character to women with Luigi getting his own build version. Now its not just going to be a recolour of the kart and figure build, but instead he is getting his own distinct kart with it being based on his base kart from the Mario Kart 8 title, which of course is also based on the iconic meme that came from it as well and I am excited and I can already hear my wallet yelling at me from my choices with my adulting money on buying it. Now the full look and design has not been fully revealed yet (and likely about a day or so after I announce this, they'll unveil it and its price and release) but I heard the rumours it may be around the same price as the first item (which was around €170 for Mario) and is set for release in April from the rumours so likely they will either unveil the set in a few day or the latest by Mario Day in Mid March but I guess we will be seeing how it goes about in due time and I am all for buying that when it does release, but if the case I hear anything new I will provide it in a later episode.
Just for this week, we only have the confirmation with one new release date for a project and it is one that has been in a bit of a discussion for a little while now but it looks like we are heading back to the early days and career in law in the basis of rules, responsibilities and wearing a lot of Pink (and no its not to do with that terrible All's Fair show) but rather we are in a focus to the original pop culture female lawyer as we got the official release date for the new prequel series based on the films of Legally Blonde with the new series entitled Elle set for release on Amazon Prime from July 1st. Now this will be a focus to the young Elle Woods as we follow her career through High School that leads her to her ideal career in the world of law and where we were introduced to her in the great original first film. Now in all sense I really enjoyed the films as it just felt like an appealing watch with Reese Witherspoon in the title role and it has been a while since I watched them and I hope from the new series that we will get an interesting idea of what her character so likable but I guess we will see, and given at the same time they have already renewed the show for a 2nd season, it seems they have some faith in this prequel. Now I am sure we will get some idea of the series with some footage or a trailer in probably the next few weeks but I am sure it may be worth a look into by its release in the early days of the Summer.
The last of the stories from this Hodge Podge this week is in a focus to a new addition being added to the productions of the world of superheroes and while it is not in the realm of a new project, this is more to do with an update to a project already in the works or announced but given a little bit of an update to it all as it was announced earlier this week that writer Christina Hodgson has been confirmed to be penning the script for the upcoming DCU project of Batman the Brave and the Bold with that film being directed by Andy Muschetti. Now since this announcement there has been a lot of complaints about her being given the writing duties for this project as her last superhero focused project she wrote for was with the 2023 film of The Flash and I feel they are quick to judge and just seems a little sexist in the case that they think she is incapable of writing projects. Personally I did not hate the writing of the Flash and her other works that she has done or is known for has been decent with the likes of her also being a writer for Birds of Prey and Bumblebee which were both very entertaining (and might I add the former is one of the best reviewed of the DCEU in general) and the only other big name project they have listed she has worked on is the 2nd part of fast X which I have to wonder if that is coming out and I believe she also was the writer for Batgirl before that was shelved that I hope in all sense gets a chance to see the light of day. I think she will do really well and the case she was in mind to write it since 2023 before being a co Writer for the last Fast and Furious film and was part of the writers room hired by James Gunn to map out the overarching DCU which sounds like she knows what she is doing and not to jump to conclusions in general. It is a case they have some time as they are not going to focus heavily on this yet until after the release of The Batman Part II next year but I am interested to take a focus on Batman after writing him as a secondary character (and 3 versions of them) in the Flash so I will give them some hope and if anything new comes about of this project or other works from her I will provide it in a later episode.
But what do you think of these stories, do you wish the Prince of Persia Remake was still happening and what other games do you think was cancelled or delayed and hope that made it from the shelving's, will you be buying the LEGO Brick Crocs and new Lego Luigi Kart set, will you be watching the Legally Blonde prequel and what are your thoughts on the original 2 films and do you think Hodson will be a solid writer for the DCU Batman film? Let me know what you think down below.
And with all of that, this brings us to the end of the 152nd edition of Weird Mind News Room and I do hope you enjoyed this somewhat shorter week of content and rambles. 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 :)
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