Well Hello again to all of you very fine and wonderful people across all forms of the Internet, my name is Sam and I welcome you all again to the newest edition of my weekly series of Weird Mind News Room where for another week we are back here focusing on all forms of New Releases, Trailers and News Stories that are in a focus that you may have missed from the last week in focus, but let us delve into it all and see what is in the focus of media that was presented this week.
New Release Fighter
Movies
Street Fighter
On the first of the new releases for this week will be time to get prepared to train with all your might, hone your skills and prepare for the biggest tournament of your life against some of the world best fighters that may include one that you can see like a honorary brother but something sinister may be hiding throughout all of this, as we have the release of the newest video game adaption with the new take on Street Fighter. The film will see estranged street fighters of Ryu and Ken Masters get thrown back into the world of combat when the mysterious Chun-Li recruits them for the next world warriors tournament -- A brutal clash of fists, fate and fury. However behind the battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons from their past. Reception on this new fighting game adaption however is a bit more of a mixed outcome as while performances and action are well liked, the films narrative is a lot to be desired, editing is a little choppy and some characters get underutilized. Now I was actually invited to the premiere of this earlier in the week and while some aspects of the reviews I will agree on, looking past it I had a very fun time with the title and probably would've still liked it even if I went normally to see it and if you are ready for a fight then you can check it out now in cinemas.
Forgotten Island
Moving to our own animated film of this week will be bringing us a sense of a adventure, in the focus of tales of legend from centuries past of a powerful and mysterious place and combining with the ideals of memories and the strong bond of friendship will bring it on an adventure that they will not want to forget as we are back with Dreamworks once more with the release of their all new animated adventure of Forgotten Island. The film is set in the 90s in the Philippines, where childhood friends Jo and Raissa promise to remain close forever. As they graduate from High School, Raissa prepares to move to the US at the urging of her parents. Fearing the loss of their bond, Jo tries to persuade her to stay, but suddenly they are transported to a portal to the fantastical world of the forgotten island of Nakali, where memories fade the longer one remains. Reception on this new title has been highly well recieved with praise on its animation, its focus on the culture and characters and narrative and seen as one of this years best film. Now I have also gotten the time to see this film this weekend and I will say that despite some issues of some characters development of some side ones and a bit of pacing problems, I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I will say I got a little misty eyed near the end (just not to the level of full blown crying during the 2nd half of Wild Robot)) and hope people will give it some love and if you want to go on an adventure then you can catch this film out now in cinemas.
Whalefall
The last of the films for this week is one in the case that we have seen or had a focus of an ordeal of one concept and that is the fear of the ocean depths where we have seen it mainly in the likes of the apex predator of varying forms of Sharks from the iconic Mechanical wonder of Bruce, The big prehistoric Meg, the dangers of the Deep Blue Sea and some other creatures found in our depths, but in this format it will be another dangerous Mammal of the Ocean depths and its more of the biggest Mammal that will have our focus of a character in an uncertain sense of claustrophobia as we have the release of the all new title of Whalefall. The film focuses on Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) who following the death of his father (Josh Brolin) goes diving off the central coast of California in search of his remains, but ends up getting swallowed by a massive Sperm Whale. While trapped inside its stomach with only an hour of Oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape. Reception on this title has been well recieved with praise on the performances, the tension and suspense found across this films runtime, even if the film feels a little messy in the use of flashbacks but if you are up for this sense of tension then you can also catch this film out now in cinemas.
TV Shows
Visionquest
Moving over to the tv shows for this week will be starting off with the returning world of superheroes and while we are barrelling down the clock to the big movie event at the end of the year for this universe, we will be focus to another conclusion for a series of shows on some of these characters from a trippy series of reality making it seem like its a strange episode of a sitcom to the tales of the supernatural and a coven who head will cause a great ordeal of chaos, but we wrap it all up with one created from a powerful Artificial being looking to decimate humanity and turned to good and while this version is not the original version we have followed, it will be a journey for one to find themselves again, even if it means the assistance of one that caused quite a new decimation of humanity as we have the release of the all new Marvel TV series of Visionquest. After being resurrected at the end of Wandavision, the Android Vision lives in hiding while they attempt to understand who he is by communicating with various AI personas that are embedded in his programming, including the return of Rogue AI Ultron. Soon when a bounty is placed on his head, he will go on the run with a mysterious teenager who may be his reincarnated son. Reception so far on this new series seems to be well recieved with praise on its focus to a character that has not really had a chance of a major focus in quite some time, the visuals, narrative and being a decent wrap up to this Wandavision trilogy and if you are up to upload the answers for this Android, you can catch the first 2 episodes now on Disney+ with a new Episode every Wednesday.
Crystal Lake
The next title on the tv side of things is bringing things that fit well for the time of year as we are deep into the spooky month and we have seen many a famous creature feature and slasher icon over the years from those spooky clowns, chainsaw wielders, Creatures beyond our planet and the sense of the supernatural, but in this case we will focus of one of the most well known and long famous slashers that was created by the fallacy of those around him and in this case we will see where it all began and how this sense of torment and horror will be a sense of a family affair as we have the release of the new Friday the 13th prequel with Crystal Lake. Set as a prequel to the whole series, after a fatal accident takes the life of young Jason Voorhees, his mother Pamela is left grief stricken. As the tow moves on Pam holds out hold her son is still alive since a body was never found. She soon finds comfort with the towns Chief of police and they grow a bond, but their connection will soon be called into question when more bodies start to pop up all around the quiet town of Crystal Lake and may lead to a dark and twisted outcome that many know she will become. Reception on this new series seems to be well recieved with praise on keeping the bloody ordeal of the classic films, the performances (especially to lead of Cardellini) and being a solid foundation of where the story of everything began and if you are ready to return to Summer Camp you can catch the series now on Peacock in the US and on Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland.
Helluva Boss Season 3 Part 1
For the animated series in focus for this week will be taking a trip once more down to the underworld and while we still have a bit of time to see when we will see any appearance again to checking in to a specific hotel, we will instead be in a focus to another part of this underworld in the focus of hired guns is a profession done best with this crew, though with some elements of recent events may see the focus be a little more messy overall as it will be time to return to the series of Vizziepop and this series first iteration onto the streaming service with the release of Volume 1 of Helluva Boss season 3. This new season will see the high octane continued narrative of this corporation as well as some major developments with the team from a possibility of Millie being Pregnant, some of the other 7 rings of Hell with Envy and the tumultuous relationship of Blitzo and Stolas, all in the focus of being just another day at the office. While there is not a lot of reviews out there for the title, some reception I have seen online seems to be well recieved with praise on its animation, songs and continued development of the narrative and characters and if you want to see what ordeals will occour down below then you can catch the first 3 episodes now on Amazon Prime with a new episode every Wednesday, Episodes dropping a month later on YouTube and Part 2 of the season dropping sometime early next year.
Hollywood Arts
The last of the tv shows for this week will be a bit more of a blast to the past in the focus of some classic series getting the sense of a reboot or follow up treatment where we may reminisce on some of the places we attended or people we met along the way and see how they helped to shape us in some form of a successful outcome, but sometimes there is a focus that while the career path for some may not have worked out at first, going back to an old stomping ground could be beneficial in the long run as we are returning to a new take on a classic Nickelodeon series with the all new series of Hollywood Arts. The new series will focus on Trina Vega (Daniella Monet) who has been struggling as an actress for years and decides to return to Hollywood Arts where she becomes an unqualified Substitute teacher where she will soon clash with and inspire a new generation of ambitious and eccentric students. Reception on this sequel series has been decently recieved from the few reviews floating about that while it may not be to the levels of the highs of the original series as of yet, its bolstered by the lead performance of Daniella Monet and brings a more focus and appealing blend of the series compared to some other shows that delved into follow on narrative and if you want to have a bit of a blast to the past then you can watch the full series now on Netflix.
Video Games
Castlevania Belmonts Curse
Now on the gaming side of stories for this week and this first one is to a return of another long running IP that will be bringing some new life and a sense of fresh blood into the mix and it will be down to another wave of the hack and slash ordeal to stop the rise of some powerful beings that can be seen as the rulers of the undead or underworld as we have the release of the newest title in the long running Castlevania series with Belmont's Curse. Taking place in 1499, 2 decades after the events of Castlevania III and Curse of Darkness where you will take control of Rose Belmont, daughter of Vampire hunter Trevor Belmont as you delve into the corrupted and cursed lands of Paris to take on the monster horde and the undead king of Dracula and free the innocent from Bloodshed. Reception on this new entry of the series has been continued to be well recieved with praise on its visuals, gameplay, bosses and narrative and being another solid entry in the overall saga and if you are up for more monster battle action then you can play it now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Valor Mortis
The last of the games and new releases will be taking a focus of approach to the world of alternate history and while we have seen it mostly towards one particular war of the past seeing alternate outcome, this one will be more to a focus to a different war further back to when it was of ones sides power changing in a drastic way, this one brings a bit more of a corruption and plague that needs to be cleansed as we have the release of the all new Souls-like title of Valor Mortis. Set in an alternate 19th Century Europe where Napoleon won the battle of Waterloo and caused the Endless war across Europe and soon unleashes a supernatural plague in the process. You take control of William, a British Soldier in the Grand Armée resurrected by Napoleon, as he fights to survive against his former comrades who have now turned into undead monsters and unravels the mysteries and conspiracies behind the plague and his own resurrection. Reception on this new title has been well recieved with praise on its gameplay, combat and concept of story with most issues stemming to the difficulty and some with performance issues but its expected some of them will appear and if you want to change the course of history then you can play it now PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Trailers not to be forgotten
Hexed
On the first of the trailers for this week will be taking us on a journey through a sense of a strange and powerful place where the ideals that some of us feel we don't fit in may be the key to a whole new world of possibilities that the way that we look may be the key to saving the world and discovering something powerful we never knew that we had as we have the release of the 2nd trailer for the upcoming new animated affair from Disney with a new look at Hexed. The film follows Billie (Hailee Steinfeld), an impulsive and unconventional teenage girl, discovers she has magical abilities that take her from Suburbia into Hexe, a realm of Witches. With her cautious mother Alice, she investigates family secrets that connect to the world of witches. It can be said that this title has had quite the bit of a journey and a sense of discussion and debate for a fair bit of time now in trying to find an appeal and audience as many have said the case that this film is mainly seen in the eyes of some that this feels too basic of a concept that stemmed from the changing of the lead from Male to Female and the other is mainly the ideal that this was created from the company's cancellation of the popular series of The Owl House and I can understand the concerns of many of these people but I will say that I guess we can see the outcome of it all by its full release as I can get where they are coming from and I can see the issues but its best in most case not to assume things at the moment and may be worth waiting to see the full outcome as I still have some appeal and interest in checking this out and could be a lot better then expected and provide something special too but I guess we can see by its release into cinemas in about a months time on November 25th.
Narnia The Magician's Daughter
But speaking on the concept of magic and strange and wonderous new worlds, our 2nd trailer is with the focus to the ideals of a strange and magical place that many of us know some of the stories from adaptions past that all stem from a world found in some inconspicuous piece of furniture, but in this case we will be going back to start where the real narrative of this world and our own truly began as we have recieved the first trailer for the all new take on this classic book series by Greta Gerwig with Narnia the Magician's Nephew. Based on the first novel in timeline order, it will follow a pair of children as they discover a wood full of pools that will lead them to some strange and colourful worlds of wonder. However one will lead them to a dead city beneath a dying sun, where they will awaken a queen (Emma Mackey) who caused the extermination of the population and will soon accidentally bring her back to London and they will soon have to find a way to stop her new plan. Now the ideals of adapting this series especially to start from the beginning has been one that I am surprised has taken this long but then again its one of the titles in this series that most would not be the one many would jump to first as it would be more of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe that most of us would look towards first, especially by the adaptions from Disney about 2 decades ago but I like the ideals of telling it all from the beginning and go from there. Personally there is a lot of appeal in the visuals and concept tone and setting and while I am a little skeptical in the likes of casting choices (the big one being that Aslan is voiced by Meryl Streep, even though they confirm the character is still Male) I can for the moment give it the benefit of the doubt as her adaptions of brands and novels have proven a success so far so I am interested to check this out as well and we can see by its outcome when the film releases into cinemas from February 11th before debuting on Netflix from April 2nd.
The Beekeeper 2
The 3rd trailer for this week is one that in the ideals of sorts that the outcome of this makes sense to be made into a form of a series but the ideals seem a little more of a major stretch in concept that started off in taking down some people that ha e every right to be taken down for messing with peoples livlihoods but where that had some sense, the concept is about to become a lot more massive in scope and common sense be damned as it seems Jason Statham is returning for round 2 to one of his recent yearly titles as we have the release of the trailer for the sequel to The Beekeeper. The film will see the return of Adam Clay (Statham), who will soon become a wanted man when he has to save the President of the United States from his own organization, the beekeepers, who have gone rogue. It has I feel at this point become a staple of the media landscape of getting some new Statham led title every year now and I am surprised that a film that was at first about him being a former high ranking military man trying to leave that all behind to be a simple beekeeper in the countryside that will take on a vile concept of people of scammers that ruin the lives of people by taking their savings with no remorse to where this feels like it could be some form of a John Wick style organization coming after the main lead took quite a change in tone and focus but I would expect less from a title from this leading man and I can see if more then anything will have some appeal and could be one of those titles to not take overly serious and just turn your brain off for it all but I am sure we can see the outcome to it by its release into cinemas from January 15th next year.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake
The last 2 of these trailers will be more of a focus to the ideals of some gaming news and both of them will not need much of an introduction as it will be a focus to what is essentially the biggest duel in the gaming scene this year and this first one will be bringing us back to a title that defied a generation and a series in a way not many have seen in quite some time and where it will have a focus to really defying a legend of itself in critical reception and given an all new fresh coat of pain as we will have the release of a new trailer for the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. This of course will be the fully remade title based on the beloved N64 classic where you will once again take control of Link as you explore the lands of Hyrule across 2 timelines to save the lands from the evil Ganondorf who is trying to obtain and corrupt the power of the Triforce for himself and will a journey that will truly prove to become a tale of Legend. It has been a case that the likes of it being a contest between this and the long awaited new crime based sandbox title has been quite the ordeal as this was one that was announced less then 6 months ago and will be on its way out very shortly but one thing I can't deny is that the game looks visually stunning from the models, to the world and everything in there too and its something I feel will be quite an achievement and worth getting the new Nintendo Hardware for (even if the case I would know that Nintendo could make it work on the Switch 1 hardware as well) but I am honestly excited for this title and look forward to giving it a try when the game releases onto the Switch 2 from the 5th of November
Grand Theft Auto 6
The 2nd game in focus this week I feel need no introduction as its a title that has been a focus for many of us for years that after 13 years since the last entry the long wait will soo be over for many of us and will soon be time to return to a part of the world and series we have not been too for about 2 decades but will be time to return to a new sunshine state and the tale of 2 new protagonists in focus as we have the release of the Launch trailer for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. The plot was also given with the trailer with the game set in Vice city and you will play as Jason and Lucia who have always known that the deck was stacked against them, but when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida - forced to rely on each other more then ever if they want to make it out alive. It has been a roller coaster of a journey for this title for its long development that we are only weeks away from its release and while it has had a few stumbles from the overpriced collectors box to no disc in the normal copy that you can't deny the game looks exciting and even though my judgement I know I will be giving this a play of soon enough and you will be as well with the game dropping in just about a months time on November 19th.
News of the Arts
A variety of choice in all different parts of the genres
Well its another week and you know that makes it for this part of the episode, it is the focus on the roundup of media stories in our weekly serving of Hodge Podge with this week giving a focus of titles on updates, new casting additions and even a law and product or 2 getting a focus of this week so let us delve right into the stories and see what we will have in focus for this week.
So these first 2 stories will be some brief little updates to some projects that we are well aware of coming along and this first one will be a return to a focus of some all out monster adventure as after starting filming production on the title early last month, we have finally been given an official name for the upcoming new 4th title in the Mummy Series with the 4th film now entitled Book of the Dead. Now of course this will be a focus of it being titled after one of the prominent artifacts from the original title film and I am sure it will have some use and feature in focus akin to the likes of the Necronomicon from the Evil Dead series so I am sure there will be some focus and use of reason for the overall new entry in the series and I know for sure that it will be well worth seeing Fraser and Weisz back again on another action adventure after all this time and I am intrigued to see what will come of this title and the narrative in focus but I guess we can see by its release in a years time from October 15th.
As for the other small update announcement was with the ideals of the concept about the form of the License to Kill, but this is not to do with any form of focus to the film series news yet but rather in the side of the gaming news as after a few delays it was finally announced this week that the Switch 2 Port of 007 First Light finally has a new set release date with it now launching on March 18th 2027. Now I can understand the delay for this version of the game as it was a late announcement for the title as it was already set in stone for the other consoles and PC and was unveiled around the Switch 2 reveal conference in April last year so I can understand them wanting to make sure that the version they are making for the hybrid system will be a solid version like the other ports and I am intrigued to give it a try on the hybrid system (plus it will be a solid post Birthday present for myself as it releases a week after I become another year older) but I am intrigued to give it a go on the console when it releases next year.
Now we shall move over to some casting news and updates to some projects in development and this first one will be bringing us quite a combination for the focus to this next title in mind of a well established name and studio working with an acclaimed young actress as it was announced this week that Emmy winner and presumed wife of Tom Holland of Zendaya has been casted for the upcoming new unknown Sci-fi film being helmed by Alex Garland and A24. Now both of these names are quite busy with some respective projects as Zendaya will be part of the big Christmas battle of blockbuster with their appearance in Dune 3 and then Garland will be busy in the likes of finishing production on his film take on Elden Ring for the studio and likely will eventually be writing the 3rd and final part of a supposed planned 28 Years Later Trilogy but it will be a case to see what he will do in the likes of this genre as he has proven himself before with Ex-Machina and other recent titles like Civil War so it will be an interesting one to see play out and see these 2 work together on a project. Now as things stand there is no other confirmed casting additions to the film or when we may see this project itself but once I hear anything new I will let you know in a later episode.
The next of the casting based projects will be a focus to all forms of it being a little more serious as it will be soon be time to having to solve another elaborate murder and in this case it will require a pair of familiar faces taking their stab at solving it as it was announced this week as well that the new 5th season of True Detective has its 2 big leading stars this time around and that is with Antonio Banderas and Nicolas Cage. Now I will have to say in the likes of castings for a show like this, this is quite a duo to have for this new season but they have shown they can do well with some more serious roles (and the case Cage has already been a detective this year, albeit with super powers as Spider-Noir but you get my point) but it will be interesting to see how they will compare to some of the other self contained stories of the series with some of their big stars that were in focus but guess we will see down the line. Now at the moment there is no indication as to when we may see this new season and what case and location they will find themselves in but if I hear anything else about this I will try to let you know in a later episode.
So this next announcement or update to a project was one that I was a bit skeptical on at first but from the method that it is taking here with it all, I will give it a bit of a chance in the outcome for it all. So to give a bit of a summary, last week it was announced that the production on the Batman Part 2 has been put on Pause as director Matt Reeves had to step away due to a personal or family reason and I made it clear on my thoughts that people need to have some patience and have some respect for someone dealing with a personal matter and not complain about a film project that sure was delayed a few times but to give people time to heal and come back when they are fit to do so (and its one I can wait even if it means another delay). Well it seems that this update will be coming a lot sooner then expected as it looks like some assisted help will be coming along when needed most as it was announced that director Steven Soderbergh had personally approached Reeves and has given his assistance to step in to help finish the film of the project that is about 4 to 5 months of filming at this point. Now initially I was a little skeptical on this as I felt the sudden announcement was a worrying form but maybe it was if it was with any other director or name stepping in that would be a sense of more major worry but with Soderbergh there is a bit more of a chance that he will be one to respect Reeve's vision and make it another solid title with how well this director can adapt to different genre of films so I will give it a hope. It is also confirmed that Reeve's will still be the director on this and will help in any form of the filming and being the helming of Post Production making this a co-director affair and I am sure it will help to make it another solid title and help to bring the next entry in this planned hopefully trilogy to life and make it as solid as the original film and the Penguin and I am looking forward to see how well the vision will be respected in this format. In all regards I do hope all the best for them and for Reeve's to take all the time he need to heal and recover from the personal matter and I am sure another title will be making its presence known hopefully by early 2028.
Now on the likes of the next story in focus is with a focus more to a physical product item itself and this is unfortunately not with a new LEGO set to focus on, but rather we are back with a new edition in the focus of the ever evolving world of gaming collector's editions. Now we talked on the likes of an item about 2 or 3 weeks ago which was of course with the GTA 6 Welcome to Leonida box that included a mixed array of content from a shot glass, sunglasses, double sided metal Poster, small figure, keychains, magnets and a few other items all in this box that for a lack of a game and the excessive price point of $400. This saw a comparison with some other well liked collectors editions from Cyberpunk, The Arkham games, Smash Bros and even the likes of other Rockstar titles like Red Dead 2 and GTA5 and we all gave it a well earned call out, but it seems like one other company thought that doing this was a great idea and that is once again with the another fumble by Sony as earlier this week they unveiled a new collector edition for an upcoming title in the form of the God of War Laufey game that comes in a nice box and includes a mini artbook, a collection of 51 Oracle Deck cards and a light up statue of Faye which all sounds well and good, but what's that you want the game with it..... well it looks like you are going to have to pay for that separately as its confirmed with this edition that the game does not even come with the game itself and will be coming in with a $150 price point. Now the amount in comparison to the other big collectors box is fair enough a bit more tolerable but it is still a case that its a bit of a shame that they have to make this a thing now when a price point like this with the game as well makes a lot more sense then having to pay 150 for that and then another 70-80 on top of that for the game itself and just seems to be another poor decision by PlayStation in a continued series of decision many people are mad at the studio for. I feel for some reason this will not be the last of the collectors editions with this formatting and will just be the start of it all but I do hope I am wrong and some ways this will be resolved and maybe they can release a version with the game as well but I guess we will have to find out in due time.
But the final story for this week is one that will be something we have not delved into focusing on too much in these episodes but we have some news in the world of some forms of laws and this will be in the focus of the world of video games and will be in the focus of some new laws that may be coming in that could see a possible big change for the industry that may appeal to many people. Earlier in the week it was announced that a new law may be in focus to get passed known as the "Power to the Players" act that will be a bill that will make sure that the games that consumers buy will be actually owned by them and not be seen as a license to be lent and rented to and just taken away all of a sudden which has been a big discussion point for well over the last few years with a lot of appeal behind the likes of this movement. Now this in some form sounds akin to another big project that was making a lot of headlines over the last few months and that was with the Stop Killing Games campaign (the one that was nearly killed by a streamer that was misinformed of the information presented, has yet to properly finish his indie game and if you were unaware had "Worked" at Blizzard for nearly a decade) that may have hit a little bit of a road block but if this is a case of publishers allowing people to own their games and to also make titles offline playable before shutting servers should be the method that has to be done and I am all for this to be passed in the states and to have it the same over here as well. I guess it will have to be seen if this gets passed and I hope it will be a step in the right direction but I guess we will see the outcome for all of it in due time.
But what are your thoughts on these stories, are you excited for the new Mummy film, will you be picking up the Switch 2 version of 007, what concept do you see the sci-fi film with Zendaya and Garland entailing, do you think Banderas and Cage will work well for a True Detective season, will Soderbergh keep the vision for The Batman as close to Reeves intended or will it has a slight different direction, do you see this as a continuing trend of collectors editions or will this be a one time thing and do you hope that new law is passed for gamers? Let me know what you think down below.
And with all of that, this brings us to the end of Episode 190 of Weird Mind News Room and I hope you as always enjoy the ramblings. Let me know your thoughts on it all 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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