a byte of sci fi

The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) (Remastered Deluxe Edition)

Due out April 6th

Amazon.com Product Editorial Review:  Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi’s animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien’s trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo’s inheritance of “the One Ring” of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf’s triumph over the evil army of orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Rosenman’s accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi’s animation creates and sustains. Bakshi’s lamentable decision to combine traditional cel animation with “rotoscoped” (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action footage is jarringly distracting and aesthetically disastrous, but when judged by its narrative content, this Lord of the Rings deserves more credit than it typically receives. –Jeff Shannon

See more of this week’s new releases at Amazon.com at this link

Character actor Clancy Brown may be most widely known for his role as Captain of the prison guard Byron Hadley in the critically acclaimed movie The Shawshank Redemption, but he should also be a familiar face to fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy as he has had many roles in that genre throughout his long career.  Early on he showed up as Rawhide, one of the Hong Kong Cavaliers in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984).  Two years later, he chewed up the role as the main heavy Kurgan in the first (and best) Highlander (1986) movie.  He showed up as Career Sergeant Zim in 1997’s Starship Troopers and also voice the character in the animated spin-off series Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999).  His other television roles in the genre include the NBC series Earth 2 (1994) along with his standout performance as Brother Justin Crowe in the excellent HBO series Carnivàle (2003).  He has also guest starred on any of a number of television shows including his role as Dharma agent Kelvin Joe Inman on Lost who crossed paths with both Sayid and Desmond.  Along with his acting roles, Brown has stayed busy with voice over roles in animation providing the voices of many characters including Lex Luther and Mr. Freeze from the Batman, Justice League, and Superman shows.  And most surprising of all, Clancy Brown has been the voice of the irascible Mr. Crabs on Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepaints since that show debuted in 1999.  You can read more about his extensive career and the roles he has played at Wikipedia and at his official website.

In the fourth installment of the Shrek animated movie series, our favorite ogre makes a bad deal with a pixie named Rumpelstiltskin that creates an alternate reality where none of his friends and family know him anymore  (is this a sideways reality, or should we expect Hiro to stop by to fix things?)  Following is the latest trailer from the movie:

Astro Boy (2009)

Due out March 16th

Amazon.com Production Description: Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him.

Also Due Out: The Princess and the Frog, Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition)