Geek of Oz

The good folks at Madman are releasing the first 13 episodes of Xam'd: Lost Memories (亡念のザムド) on Blu Ray and DVD on the 16th of February 2010. Produced by Bones , Sony Computer Entertainment and Aniplex Xam'd was first released in 2008 on the PlayStation Network (PSN) as a downloadable series.

Earlier tonight I had the pleasure to attend Anime Matsuri, an anime festival put together by the Japan Foundation and SMASH! as part of the 14th annual Japanese Film Festival. Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is a mix of 3D animation and traditionally painted backgrounds by the internationally renowned Production I.G, the studio responsible for the Ghost in the Shell Series, Patlabor and FLCL among others.

Nausicaa of the Valley of theWind, just one of Studio Ghibli's numerous masterpieces has bee released here in Australia on stunning BluRay HiDef by the good folks over at Madman. Follow on after the jump for my rundown of the film and BluRay features.

The Vampire Knight anime series is based upon the Manga of the same name. It tells the romantic story of a teenage girl, Yuki and her infatuation with a dashing pure blood vampire, Kaname (sound familiar?). But before you think that it stole themes from Twilight you should understand that the manga on which the TV series is based was first published 4 months before Twilight.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Dreamworks latest animated extravaganza, Megamind starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill and written and directed by Tom McGrath, writer and director of Madagascar 1 and 2. Set for release in Australia on the 9th of December I was lucky enough to get an invite to an advanced screening.

The good folks at Marvel have sent us a preview of Avengers Academy #7 featuring the return of Giant-Man.So how will the man giant fit in with Ant-Man and The Wasp still kicking cans around?

This is a special announcement for all of our readers in Sydney Australia. Paramount Pictures are holding a special "Blue" carpet advanced screening in Sydney for Dreamworks latest animated feature "Megamind". I was lucky enough to see this movie last night and it was fantastic. Utterly enjoyable from start to finish. Stay tuned for an upcoming review here at The Geek of Oz.

The good people at Disney have sent us a clip of next years Cars 2! I get excited for any Pixar movies but this one looks like a cracker! Cars 2  goes global next year in a tale of international espionage featuring lovable tow truck Mater—yes Mater—as a secret agent……or not.

I just received this little gem from the good folks at Disney. Winnie the Pooh is back... with a vengeance! Well, maybe not with a vengeance, but he is back. The fuzzy wuzzy honey eater will be returning to theatres in September 2011. Geez that's a long way away! This is some beautiful animation. It is really refreshing to see some traditional animation back in the cinemas. One thing I am a little confused by is the choice of song... Keane seems like a strange choice for a children's cinema release. Then again, what do I know?

The Lost Thing is an animated short-film based on the children's book of the same name written and illustrated by Australian Hugo award winner, Shaun Tan. In addition to creating the book and film, Tan also co-directs the film with Andrew Ruhemann. This film demands multiple viewings and it's really no surprise that it has gained critical acclaim as Shorts Award Winner at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films Winner at the Sydney Film Festival 2010 and Best Short Animation Nominee at the 2010 AFI Awards. The million dollar question however, does critical acclaim make for an entertaining film?

Click to enlarge Introducing Magneto and CANNNNONBAAALLLLLL! I have to say, it takes a brave man to wear all white but I think Magneto is rockin' it!

Has it been #500 issues already? Why, it seems like only yesterday I was... WAIT A MINUTE! Yep, we're doing the "hundy' dance. What's more, we're being stung 5 clams for the  privilege ! I must admit, the lie up of artists and page count seem to justify the price but $4.99USD is almost $18,000 Australian! 

This isn't a comic book movie and it's not animated but it is one of the most earnest and heart warming films I have seen in a very long time. I even enjoyed it in spite of watching on a long haul flight.  The only reason that I'm writing about this film is because you need to watch it. Everybody needs to watch it. I loved Eagle Vs Shark and feel just as strongly about Boy. I'd actually go so far as to say that this was the best movie I have seen all year. Even better than The Human Centipede... So when it get's released by Paramount on the 13th of January 2011 go and get it, EGG!

Just how violent can Wolverine be? Unfortunatley you won't find out here. But if you can wait until January you'll find out exactly how nasty the diminutive canuck can play it!

Click to Enlarge Now with 100% more Frenzy and Basilisk!

Good news for fans of Hack/Slash! Cassie will resume her monthly visits. Image have announced that Hack/Slash will be returning to an ongoing monthly release following the success of the recently completed mini series. Furthermore, the publisher is stating that the new series will be completely accessible to the uninitiated.

Marvel have supplied us with a look at 3 variant covers for the upcoming Wolverine: The Best There Is #1. How much Wolverine is too much Wolverine? You tell me... bub!

The good people at Paramount Pictures have supplied us with another 2 clips from the upcoming Dreamworks picture Megamind! Stay tuned for my review of Megamind late next week!

Marvel have unveiled another two characters on the cover of January's "Age of X". This time Nightmare and Berserker grace us with their presence.

Yet again, Image Comics have graced us with a strange teaser image for an as yet unannounced project.

I didn't expect to be as excited about Tron Legacy as I am. This flick is seriously shaping up to be the holiday period blockbuster. Disney have done a great job of continuing the distinctive Tron styling but turned it up to eleven!

The good folks at Marvel have sent us through this teaser image for the January release of Age of X. It still doesn't give away much aside from the fact that it will include fan favourite Gambit and Hellion. The solicitation states " Mutantkind’s final war starts here. If you don’t know which side you’re on, check your DNA.  " I checked mind and I'm quite sure that I'm still human... damnit...

Someone at Image Comics is on acid. There is seriously something in the water! The next in a string of strange and disturbing teasers for ... for who the hell knows what!?!

It will come as no surprise that I am a massive fan of Paul Tobin, his all ages work has been a staple read for me over the last year or so. Needless to say, I'm very excited to get my hands on the upcoming Spider-Girl #1 this month. Lucky for us the good folks have supplied us a preview of issue #2 featuring the Fantastic Four (yep, FOUR!) and Rulk.

Here you'll find links to the best webcomics on the... uh... web Everybody knows that the internet is chock full of incredibly talented and creative people but some people may not be aware that these people share their work with the world with absolutely nothing asked in return. 

Today I have the honour of speaking with Mr. Patrick W. Galbraith, Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at The University of Tokyo and author of "The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insiders Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan" a cracking read which is a proud member of my bookshelf! This is a must have for anyone who considers themselves to be an anime or manga geek.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your Tangled mess! Tangled: the upcoming Disney CGI feature film based on the classic fairytale Rapunzel. Due for release in Australia on the 6th of January in Disney 3D.

Madman, Australia's leading distributor of anime has released a dual language version of Evangelion 1.11: You are [not] Alone on DVD and Blu Ray. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the best known and most successful Japanese animation franchises of all time. The original series was was released in 1995 followed by a number of additional movies, manga and an absolute swathe of merchandise including everything from action figures to gambling machines and cigarette lighters to cans of premixed coffee. When aired on SBS in Australia it quickly gained a strong following. Surrounded by shows such as Aeon Flux, MTV's Liquid Television and Eat Carpet it soon became the flagship title of the eclectic bunch.

1990's fan favourite Rob Liefeld is lending a hand to the upcoming Onslaught Unleashed books. Mr Liefeld will be contributing the following variant covers.

Marvel have supplied us with a peek at phenomenal Wolverine poster by superstar artist Marko Djurdjevic due to be released in February. Sections of this poster will also be released in  December and January on the covers of a selection of Wolvie titles.

Thanks to Paramount Pictures I have another couple of clips to share with you. I'm really excited for this movie. After watching How to Train Your Dragon it's quite clear that Dreamworks are pulling out the big guns. Hopefully the whole movie is as enjoyable as these clips have been.

The good folks at Image comics have supplied us with a confusing, and somewhat disturbing, teaser image. I'm at a loss. As far as I can see, the shape of the universe is buxom with child bearing hips and... is that a doodle? This seriously has me befuddled. The art doesn't ring any bells and I can't really think of any titles that this could relate to... any ideas? Post a comment if you can shed any light on the topic!