Laser Sharkbear

Zelda Ruminations

2011-11-19T23:34:00.012-05:00

Some thoughts on the Legend Of Zelda franchise. Hope that getting this out there will help me sleep tonight. With Skyward Sword being released tomorrow, I've got that giddy Christmas-come-early buzz.
I focused just on the console games, as they've had the most lasting impact on me.

Beginning the very first game with no weapons, items, or defense of any kind. This is perhaps the first game where the player is thrust into a strange world with absolutely no help whatsoever. But walk into the first cave you see and a strange old man gives you a sword. Is he simply a good samaritan? Does he know something about your destiny that you don't? The Legend Of Zelda is short on answers, but still manages to convey a sense of wonder.
I remember seeing the game display in the store for the first time (I would have been five years old), making it one of my earliest gaming memories.
And when our copy of the game inexplicably died one day, and no amount of tapping on the console or blowing in the cartridge would fix it, I remember my grandparents buying us a new copy. Only to have the first cartridge start working again sometime later. Two Zeldas!.

Despite being way too difficult for me when it came out, I still loved Zelda II. The combination of overhead world exploration with side scrolling combat opened up the series in exciting ways. Running away from Ganon's shadows as you explored the map, learning new abilities from basement wizards, discovering towns that each had their own distinct local flavor, and conquering insane maze-like dungeons. But the thing that is still seared into my brain to this day is Ganondorf's horrible, mocking laughter that greets you at the GAME OVER screen. I hear it in the back of my mind sometimes when I'm feeling less than heroic.

This is the first Zelda game I ever played to completion, as I was old enough to really start playing games properly. To this day it remains one of my favorite games of all time. The world, despite it's Saturday morning cartoon aesthetics, felt so serious and real to me at the time. I remember actually caring for many of the characters I came across throughout the adventure, in a way that wouldn't be rivaled until the release of Majora's Mask. Seeing the flute playing boy in the forest slowly turn into a tree still fills me with a twinge of sadness.
This was the first game in the series that really seemed to be trying to tell a story - foam the rain drenched prologue, to the rousing final cinematic that shows a destroyed world restored (very reminiscent of the final scene of The Neverending Story). The closing credits also contain what is still my favorite arrangement of the classic Zelda theme song. I could go on and on about this game.

This seems to be the undeniable favorite of many Zelda fans. This game continued the trend of broadening the world and mythology of the series, and did it in strides. It's difficult to pinpoint any specific thing that I remember with particular fondness, because the entire game is just a massive collection of those. But if I had to choose, I would choose the game's implementation of music. The Legend Of Zelda series has always had a great soundtrack. But bringing the music front and center with the ocarina empowering Link was a stroke of genius. So many beautiful melodies will be forever stuck in my head because of this game.

I've only played this game to conclusion once. It's a difficult one to get into. But once you're in, it becomes one of the most rewarding games in the entire series. Like Ocarina, there is a time jumping element to this game. But unlike Ocarina, you're at the mercy of time rather than its master. The game's time limit turned a lot of people off, which is a shame. Because the world of Majora's Mask, while smaller, is perhaps even more rich than that of Ocarina.
Majora's Mask features the same attention to detail and diabolical dungeon design that made Ocarina so great. But where it really excels is in narrative and tone. Easily the darkest game in Zelda's history, you are plunged into a doomed world whose inhabitants are only too aware of their fate. Every person you encounter knows the moon is about to come crashing down on them, and a major part of Majora's Mask is about helping these people find closure before their final moments. The fact that (of course) you save the world in the end, doesn't diminish the fact that everyone around you is contemplating their mortality throughout the duration of the game. Major's Mask is still as fun and vibrant as any other Zelda game, but it also has an emotional depth unequaled in the series (or most game series, for that matter). How many games have you played that are about conquering regret? I can think of just the one.

Ah, the game some people just had to hate because it was too cute. After the beloved "realistic" turn of the Zelda franchise on the N64, the cell shaded cartoon graphics of Wind Waker just turned some people off. Part of this was probably due to the Zelda preview video Nintendo showed at E3 the year they introduced the Gamecube. The video showed an Ocarina-style Link battling Ganon, with the much improved graphics of a new generation. Then the Zelda series went into hibernation until Wind Waker was finally announced. The sudden juxtaposition of a much younger, cartoony Link with the previously shown footage pushed some people over the edge. I can't think of any other time a game was so feverishly debated before it was even released. To this day people try to hate on Wind Waker. I call those people idiots.
I admit that sailing the boat around the vast oceans of Wind Waker was probably a bit more tedious than riding a horse through Hyrule. But if that's a make-or-break deal for you, then you don't deserve nice things. Every aspect of Wind Waker retains the polish we've come to expect (perhaps even take for granted) from a Zelda game. And despite what one thinks about the graphical style, it is perhaps the most beautiful looking game in the series. At least, I expect, until Skyward Sword.
Once again, the mythology of the Zelda series is broadened, even adding shades of depth to the series' constant villain, Ganondorf. His final scene is breathtaking. Actually, most of the game is breathtaking. And that sailing some people found so tedious - I loved it. The sense of adventure you feel as you set sail is wonderful. You can practically smell salt in the air, and feel wind in your hair.

It's like this entire game was made to appease the Wind Waker haters. Twilight Princess is the next generation Ocarina Of Time the masses were clamoring for. Perhaps it is that to a fault. Despite the addition of becoming a wolf in portions of the game, this one almost seems to play it too safe. It doesn't add any wrinkles to the mythology the way each of its predecessors did. There aren't as many moments from this game that have a lasting impression on me the way earlier ones do. It's not that it's a bad game, it's just that it all felt so familiar.
That said, Twilight Princess takes the familiar and amps it up. This is a beautiful game, with all the spit and polish one can expect from the series. The cut scenes are the most cinematic in the series up to this point. The world feels huge and inviting. And turning into a wolf is pretty damn cool. The motion controls work nicely, even if they don't always feel essential (something I understand has been corrected for Skyward Sword). I have revisited this one less than the previous games. Partly because it hasn't drawn me back in yet, but mostly because it is the most recent game. I'm sure this one will be remembered fondly. Even the weaker Zelda games are incredible.

To be continued:

Star Fox: Space Oddity

2011-07-02T19:13:00.002-04:00

Easily the best thing I've seen all day:

[via Joystiq]

Why Was Six Afraid Of Seven?

2011-05-17T08:51:00.007-04:00

We have a regular customer who comes into the store with her daughter. Their drinks almost always come out to $6.66, which the woman doesn't abide. Her daughter usually adds a second shot of espresso to her beverage to fix the situation.

Yesterday this prompted a conversation. This was awkward for me, being in a position where it wouldn't really be appropriate for me to state my true feelings on the matter. This sort of thing tends to happen to me.

Apparently this woman has a thing with numbers in general. They are moving to a new address and the woman expressed concern about the address being 911.

Her: "Would you move into a place if the address was nine-eleven?"

Me: "I once moved into an apartment that was 1313..."

Her: "How was it?"

Me: "It was probably the best apartment I ever lived in."

Her: "Nothing really bad happened to you there?"

Me: "No."

I think I was pretty diplomatic. I stated my general opinion on the matter without negating her view, and delicately avoided having to answer her original question. And before she left she thanked me for making her feel better about the situation. She managed to rationalize that 911 was actually a good number, seeing as how it's our lifeline in times of emergency. Fair enough.

I always feel weird when put in these situations. Every part of my rational brain tingles when people talk about superstition and supernatural gobbledygook. And it's separate from people with religious belief. Maybe it's because religion is such a common thing in this country, but someone simply stating a religious belief doesn't cause the same thing in me, even though I think it comes from the same place.

I can understand the appeal of certain religions, while I don't subscribe to them myself. But the pure superstition of assuming that some numbers are good while others are bad seems somewhat primitive to me. Even if you take the religious stance that 666 is somehow related to the devil, where did that come from? That number isn't from the bible (at least not the original bible). It was someone's invention much later on.

I worry that attributing these imaginary values to ordinary and common numbers might drive someone insane, like in that Jim Carrey movie I never saw.

I have a feeling that every bad thing that happens to this woman at the new address, no matter how small, is going to be attributed to the number 911. A completely pointless and arbitrary association. Whatever sort of structure this kind of thinking provides someone in their life, I can't imagine it's a balanced one.

Gold Digger

2011-05-16T19:29:00.005-04:00

I stumbled across this photo series featuring androgynous model, Andrej Pejic. I'm kinda crazy about them.

Several more from this Anthony Maule series can be seen here

I'll Have What He's Having

2011-05-09T09:29:00.003-04:00

David Lynch is releasing his own line of damn good coffee. Here's the commercial:

David Lynch Signature Cup Coffee from David Lynch on Vimeo.

I'm sure it would make Agent Cooper proud.

[via Ebert]

Immortals

2011-04-27T17:12:00.001-04:00

Tarsem Singh's The Fall is one of my favorite films, and almost unequaled in visual panache. Part of that is because so much of the movie is filmed on location in astounding places in multiple countries around the globe. With his new movie Immortals, it seems he's going the 300 route. From what I can tell from the first trailer that's been released nearly all the locations are computer generated. This is an obvious choice from a budgetary standpoint, and not entirely out of step with Tarsem's previous film, The Cell, which was cold but visually impressive.

I'm hoping Immortals manages to keep some of the warmth and emotion of The Fall, despite having the heavily stylized CGI venear of The Cell and 300. I'm glad to see Tarsem's taste for wacky costumery seems to be intact here, at the very least.

Storm

2011-04-22T18:34:00.001-04:00

Tim Minchin's delightful little song story, Storm, is candy for skeptics. And this new animated video for it makes it eye candy as well.

Things That Exist Part 3

2011-04-19T16:47:00.002-04:00

While the previous two Things That Exist entries focused on extremely bizarre ocean creatures, this is...something else. I'm not sure how to describe this, really. Wait until 1:33 and see for yourself. My god.

Initial 3DS Impression

2011-03-28T20:06:00.004-04:00

Now that I've spent a few hours messing around with my shiny new 3DS, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about it. Maybe this will encourage some of you to go out and buy one.

Things You Can Do With The 3DS Hardware Right Out Of The Box (After The Excruciating Initial Battery Charge):

1. Take 3D photos of yourself and anything else. These are somewhat nifty but on the gimmicky side, considering the only way to view them is on a 3DS and the resolution of the camera is quite low.

2. Record and edit short audio clips, or listen to music from your SD card (2GB card included with system.

3. Play AR Games with the AR cards included with the system. These include a target shooting range, and fishing game that are projected onto any surface you place the card on. One of the coolest things about this is how it makes the surface you're playing on appear to bend and stretch in reaction to the game. These are generally fun little toys that amuse for short periods of time.

4. The oddly named Face Raiders is a more fun AR-type game that doesn't require aiming the camera at a card on a flat surface. It imports pictures of your face (and friend's faces) and maps them onto little floating orbs. These are then cartoonishly animated (which is much funnier in play than it sounds), as they attack the screen. You have to shoot at them to score points while you move the DS around. The camera just uses your surroundings as the background, so you have to aim the DS all around you to hit the different enemies. There are even boss battles, and it keeps track of your stats.

5. Create Miis, just like on the Wii. But now there are a few more options to choose from, and more to do with them. In addition to trading Miis with other players and importing them into select games, there are now a couple small bonus games included into the Mii package itself. These include collecting puzzle pieces to form 3D Nintendo-themed images, and a little RPG adventure in which you fight ghosts to rescue your Mii. In order to play these games you need to collect Miis from other players to help you. This is done simply by leaving your system in sleep mode. If it comes within range of another 3DS, they will trade Miis and other information (more on this later.

6. The initial system update downloaded OK GO's 3D music video "White Knuckles" to the menu screen, which was a sweet little bonus. But it says this will be erased with the next system update (which I believe is scheduled for May). Still pretty cool.

7. While in sleep mode, the 3DS records your steps like a pedometer. Every 100 steps earns you a play coin. These can be used for lots of things, including buying items in certain games (like character statues in Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition), or buying random Miis for use in the Mii mini games. This is one of those features that future developers can use to add more content to their games, and I'm really interested to see how some of them incorporate it.

These are some of the main features I've enjoyed just with the system alone.

As for the games, I picked up two: Nintendogs + Cats and Super Street Fighter IV.

I've spent more time with the latter so far. I won't get into much of a game review (it's great), but I wanted to mention how it uses some of the unique 3DS features. I mentioned that you can use play coins to buy character figurines in the game. These are based on each of the 30-something characters in the game, and come in different levels with varying stats. You can then choose which ones you want on your roster (five total), and save this information to the system. If you then come into contact with another 3DS owner who has this game, your figures will auto battle, and you will see the results later and earn rewards. This happens automatically, even if you don't have that particular game in the system.

I imagine a lot of games are going to use a variation of this StreetPass system in the future. It's an exciting prospect that you can collect stuff for any number of games just while traveling around with your system in sleep mode. This will get better as more people own the system and more games are released to implement it.

Nintendogs + Cats is essentially a pet simulator. There are three different versions, each with its own initial selection of seven dog breeds (though they can all be unlocked eventually on any of the games). I went with the French Bulldog edition (because those things are freakin' cute!). After selecting my dog (a female Frenchie), I brought her home and named her Ponyo. You name your dog by recording yourself saying it a few times until it understands. This is also how you can teach your dogs tricks by voice command. Let me say, that as cheesy as this sounds (and I strongly resisted buying the last incarnation of this game on the DS), it is surprisingly addictive. I've already found myself talking to the dog far more than just the few commands it recognizes. I'm not sure what that says about me.

You can take your dog for a walk, go shopping for all sorts of needs and accessories, and enter it in competition. You can eventually have up to three animals at a time (I understand the cats are less impressive and more of an after thought, though).You can also use the AR cards to snap photos of your pets in the real world - I've got a couple of Ponyo sitting in the palm of my hand. And you can unlock new breeds and items with the StreetPass mode.

I haven't spent as much time with this game yet, but it is fascinating having a little virtual pet that responds to my voice.

As for the 3D, my experience so far has been mixed. In many cases it comes off as a bit gimmicky (much like 3D movies), but it is nonetheless a very cool effect. No glasses required.

For action games like Street Fighter it's sometimes easier just to turn the 3D off. Especially if your vigorous button mashing jostles the screen too much. If you're not looking directly straight at the screen from the right distance it gets askew. I also noticed this during the AR games. It can be difficult keep the system the proper distance from the AR card while at the same time keeping the screen at the correct angle for your eyes. However, it was very cool while playing Face Raiders. Overall, I'm curious to see how future games make the 3D screen actually necessary, other than just a very pretty effect. I do like Ponyo poking her cute little nose out at me, though.
What? What are you all looking at?

I have to say I am incredibly pleased with the 3DS so far, as I was with the regular DS. The graphics are much improved. The AR has a lot of potential. The StreetPass feature is going to add tons of extra value to future games. And online gaming is much improved.

Each 3DS system will have a friend code that works for ALL GAMES as oppossed to the previous Nintendo strategy where each game required its own friend code to be traded. Your system will also alert you when friends are online and what they are playing, allowing you to set up games easier.

If you are on the fence about getting a 3DS I would say go for it. Even if the 3D turns out to be a gimmick, it is still a very pretty one. And everything else is such an improvement over the original DS, which was a tremendous system. Future updates are going to add a simple web browser, and a store for downloadable games (including old GameBoy and Game Gear games, similar to the Wii's Virtual Console).

It Has Begun...

2011-03-28T14:34:00.005-04:00

As with the Wii before it, early reports of 3DS-related maladies are already beginning to hit the internet, apparently. I expected this to happen.

For several months after the Wii's release, stories and images of black eyes and broken tv sets from errant Wii remotes were everywhere.

With the impending release of their latest system I wondered how long it would take for the eye strain and brain damage complaints to appear; despite abundant warnings - on the packaging, on the menu screen, and pretty much everywhere - about prolonged use of the 3DS (not to mention a prominent switch that just turns the 3D effect off).

I haven't had any trouble so far, but I've only used the 3DS in short spurts since getting it yesterday. But I generally don't have trouble with 3D movies or motion sickness in general, so I probably have a higher threshold then some.

Nintendo claims that taking a short break will alleviate any problems, and that there is no long term damage. But no one knows how an all day 3D marathon will effect people yet.
My theory is that it could look something like this:

This Would Really Tie The Wall Together...

2011-03-22T19:15:00.004-04:00

Abide is one of the best paintings I've ever seen:

Oh, that expression on the Dude's face. I wouldn't mind having a painting of just that.

[via Laughing Squid]

Art For Japan

2011-03-21T14:42:00.007-04:00

Ransom Notes has a couple links to some interesting art prints you can buy and help benefit relief in Japan.
They include a red version of Alex Pardee's "Guilty Smurf":

I bought this one:

[via Boing Boing]

Blinky

2011-03-21T07:04:00.001-04:00

Here is an awesome short film about a robot named Blinky. He's friendly!

Blinky™ from Ruairi Robinson on Vimeo.

[via io9]

To Boldly Go...

2011-03-20T14:22:00.005-04:00

Excellent things are in store for the second season of Star Trek: The Continuing Mission! Season one was a tremendous amount of fun for me. The work continues to be a labor of love for everyone involved. It's a small, dedicated crew. For that reason it sometimes falls behind schedule, but it's only so the final product can be as good as possible.

One of the major changes you'll notice is that I've gotten a bit of a promotion. In season one I played science officer Lt. Stephen Knight (as well as one or two other smaller guest spots). I enjoy playing Knight, although the character hasn't had a chance to shine quite yet. Fortunately, Knight gets some more action in the season two premier. But he will be voiced by another actor.

I will be playing Captain Paul Edwards in future episodes of the show. I'm honored to have been chosen to play the head of the Montana's crew, after the fine work that Tim Renshaw did in season one. My characterization will be a little different (as my voice is different), but the writing and spirit remains true to the original character.

Also, listen for Dani in a guest role!

I'm happy to post the brand new trailer for episode one, entitled "Earth":

We're starting off with a bit of a wacky episode, which is a lot of fun. Star Trek can't be serious all the time. Some of my favorite classic episodes are ones where the characters are just cutting loose and having a good time.

Later in the season there are going to be some other great episodes, which I can't wait to hear.

Ultimate Home Videos

2011-03-16T16:29:00.007-04:00

TED talks are always impressive, but this is one of the best I've ever seen. An MIT researcher wired his home to record 90,000 hours of audio and video. He did this to study his baby son learning how to speak. The data they are pulling out of this experiment is pretty remarkable and has much larger implications than they originally intended.
But this video gets me on a very human level. Some of the family moments, including an audio time-lapse of his son learning to say "water", gave me chills.

[via Boing Boing]

Fantastic Mr. Star Fox

2011-03-13T10:33:00.001-04:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

[via Laughing Squid]

Sword & Sworcery EP

2011-02-26T08:56:00.005-05:00

Wondering why you threw down all those bones on that iPhone or iPad? This brand new trailer for the upcoming game, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, finally puts that question to rest. I've been looking forward to this game since early video of it was first released, and it now looks better than ever. I love the minimalistic pixel graphics and animation, which somehow recall 8-bit classics like Out Of This World.

The EP in the title suggests that this may be a sort of mini adventure, hopefully with promises of more to come later. I hope any potential sequels aren't as long in development, and possibly even come in the form of free updates.
Anyways, watch:

Audience Calibration Procedure from Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery on Vimeo.

Looks like the release is just around the corner! Drool drool drool...

[via Joystiq]

Selene

2011-02-24T15:54:00.005-05:00

Selene is a hip hop concept album based on the movie, Moon. It's one of my favorite science fiction movies (featuring a full on double Sam Rockwell!), and these tracks sample the film's atmospheric soundtrack.
The music may contain some spoilers, so don't listen if you want to experience the movie as it's intended. Which you really should have done by now.
Selene by Max Tannone
I suggest they follow this with an EP based on Primer. That would be rad.

[via io9]

Legendary

2011-02-22T17:09:00.004-05:00

So, The Legend Of Zelda turned 25 this week. When the original game came out in that beautiful shiny cartridge, it was pretty much the most epic thing I'd seen up to that point in my life. I was six years old, so that's not really hyperbole. The open world was unlike anything we had played before. We became obsessed with the land of Hyrule (Was it called Hyrule back then? I'm not sure.) and the strange idiosyncratic characters that inhabited it.

I also remember being completely despondent when the cartridge refused to work one day. No amount of blowing on it or tapping on the NES would revive it. Our grandparents saved the day by buying us another copy. And then the first one started working randomly some days later. Score!

Twenty-five years later, and I have yet to defeat Ganondorf in Link's first outing. Yet I still start up the game from time to time just to explore that world.

Now check out this awesome painting someone did.

Slow Motion Kitten/Chipmunk

2011-02-16T17:27:00.004-05:00

The danger of watching cuteness at this speed is potential shortness of breath, or jaw cramping from protracted awwwww's.

This footage also depicts most accurately how I feel after a couple glasses of red wine.

The Legend Of Zelda (1987) Movie Trailer

2011-02-15T06:19:00.002-05:00

"I gave her my heart, she gave me a jar."

[via Boing Boing]

The Wicker Tree Trailer

2011-02-09T16:42:00.005-05:00

Just to be clear, this is the upcoming sequel to the Wicker Man. That's the original British Wicker Man, not the American remake starring Nicolas "NOT THE BEES" Cage. It's from the original director, and has Christopher Lee returning. So while it's less likely to become another YouTube sensation, it might actually be good. Here's hoping.

[via io9]

REGULAR IS NOT A SIZE

2011-02-08T05:49:00.003-05:00

All of this happens multiple times a day. It is not an exaggeration. Well, maybe less swearing.

The Chapel

2011-02-08T05:34:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of HDR photography. This is the first time I've seen it applied to video, and it's pretty awesome. I half expected to see Link ride in at the end and start wailing on some Deku Scrubs.

TheChapel. A short film. (HDR timelapse) from Patryk Kizny on Vimeo.

[via Geekologie]

Enter Genki Sudo

2011-02-02T10:33:00.002-05:00

I guess making the leap from MMA fighter to dance pop artist wasn't such a big stretch for Genki Sudo. He apparently brought that same style and showmanship every time he entered the ring:

Genki Sudo Presents World Order

2011-02-02T00:29:00.012-05:00

World Order is a new music project by a retired UFC fighter, and it is my new favorite thing.
Oh, Japan. I love you.

[via Laughing Squid]

It's Showtime!

2011-02-01T11:56:00.001-05:00

[via Nerdist]

Axe Cop...The Movie!

2011-01-28T15:21:00.004-05:00

Here's a fan film adaptation of the sensational webcomic (also, book comic) Axe Cop). Hopefully there will be more.

Axe Cop: The Movie - Part 1 from Peter Muehlenberg on Vimeo.

[via io9]

Hanna

2011-01-28T14:19:00.004-05:00

Few movie trailers take me by surprise any more. Usually by the time I get around to seeing a movie all the previews are for something I'm not interested in at all, or something that is already on my radar. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this trailer for Hanna in front of Black Swan the other night. Hanna looks so very cool I can't believe I haven't been reading about it online for months already.

Can't wait to see it!

Fight The Foot

2011-01-24T05:44:00.004-05:00

Here's a pretty nifty little fan-made film in which some gritty Foot Clan goons get the grit beat out of them by a gritty ninja turtle. Gritty.

I would love to see the Turtle franchise rebooted. The animated film, TMNT, that came out several years ago was a lackluster attempt. 2010's made-for-television flick, Turtles Forever, in which the modern turtles join forces with the 80's turtles and the black and white comic turtles, was actually quite entertaining though.

Fight The Foot [via io9]

Symphony Of Science - "The Big Beginning"

2011-01-20T19:38:00.000-05:00

This Is An Actual Movie

2011-01-20T08:59:00.004-05:00

Genre: Horror-ish
Premise: Possessed car tire rolls around, explodes people's heads.

Trailer:

Genre: Horror-turned-unintentional-comedy
Premise: Wooden actors wave their hands in the air, overlaid with animated clip art birds.

Trailer:

It's A Gas!

2011-01-17T18:40:00.004-05:00

While birthday shopping for my 5-year-old niece, I came across a book called Walter The Farting Dog on Amazon. It had several five star reviews and a one star review. The one star review is pretty funny, but I don't think the writer would get it.

Andy And Pee-Wee's Night Out

2011-01-16T16:50:00.003-05:00

[via Boing Boing]

Things That Exist Part 2

2011-01-13T13:36:00.004-05:00

Add the Korean Penis Fish to the list of things that will haunt my dreams forever:

And not only does it exist, but is considered a delicacy all over Asia.
Dig in!

[via Nerdist]

Cee Lo Green - "[Inappropriate Hand Gesture] You"

2011-01-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

Oh, this makes me miss ASL class:

Axe Cop

2010-12-04T17:35:00.005-05:00

I don't know how I've gone this long without discovering the remarkably charming and wacky web comic, Axe Cop. It is the creation of a six-year-old kid and his 29-year-old artist brother.

Axe Cop's origins are fairly humble: "One day at the scene of a fire, The Cop found the perfect fireman axe. That was the day he became Axe Cop."

It gets much crazier after that:

[via io9]

Speak American, The Harry Potter Way

2010-11-22T19:00:00.003-05:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

[via Laughing Squid]

Cats + Lasers = ^_^

2010-11-06T10:40:00.002-04:00

I could watch this for hours. And I have.

[via Geekologie]

Eye See You

2010-10-30T13:20:00.002-04:00

These close up photos of people's eyes are both creepy and beautiful:

Arts And Farts And Crafts

2010-10-02T20:31:00.004-04:00

My first attempt at a felt plushie from scratch. Kirby, with powerful sucking action (cappies beware!)

I was mostly pleased with the finished product, especially since I was winging it and the design kept evolving mid-process. I think it's pretty good for a first try. I would like to figure out a cleaner way to do some of the stitching, particularly around the layered mouth area.

Since this was my first one of this size, I didn't properly account for how some of the detail lines would be distorted after it was stuffed.

Batman Does It Better...

2010-09-29T13:18:00.003-04:00

I need no further proof that I need to start watching Batman: The Brave And The Bold than the following innuendo-laced musical number in which the Birds of Prey size up DC's greatest heroes:

[via io9]

Never Say No To Panda

2010-09-22T20:20:00.002-04:00

This is my new favorite series of commercials.

Cee Lo Green - "Fuck You"

2010-09-01T19:53:00.001-04:00

NSFW!

Great song, great video!

Cinco De Mayo

2010-09-01T17:28:00.006-04:00

io9 recently posted their "ultimate guide to September's science fiction awesomeness". It just so happens to feature my cousin's new book that came out today!

Here's the cover:

Here's the premise:
"On May 5, in a flash of pain, every man, woman and child on the planet receives a second set of memories. A new name, a new language, a whole new life slips into their minds, along side their own.

In Chicago, a transit worker knows enough about the Aryan Brotherhood to mark him for death.

In Abu Dhabi, a playboy experiences modern day slavery.
In New York an advertising executive shares the memories of a blind railroad worker in China.

In this transparent world of instant intimacy, no one is left untouched..."

And here's a link to it on Amazon!

I look forward to reading it.

Obama: The Most Irreverent Man In America

2010-08-30T16:13:00.009-04:00

This picture was on the front page of Sunday's NY Times:
It was also the inspiration for one of the craziest political rants I've been forced to listen to. One of my customers at work came up to the counter holding the Times. She started by mumbling "I wish I could just buy the front page..." She continued in a mildly agitated tone, "This is the most irreverent man in America!" I couldn't see the paper so I asked who she meant. "The President," she said.

I don't like to have political conversations with fellow employees on the job, let alone random customers I've never met. My usual response is silence. Unfortunately, some people see this silence as agreement or simply an excuse to sound off, unchallenged.

"This is a dead man!" she continued. She began pointing at the picture, beginning with the saluting soldier to Obama's left. "See him? Look at his eyes, he's looking at the coffin. Now look at Obama, staring straight ahead. He can't even acknowledge this man who died for his country!"

She then told me that she wanted to take the paper home so she could burn it in front of her son (Yay! Family night!). She ultimately left without buying it, due to it being the pricey Sunday edition. I got a slightly raised blood pressure and an amusing anecdote of the situation. What bothered me the most was her assumption that I naturally shared her righteous indignation, or that the photograph's "offenses" were perfectly clear.

I don't understand the fear and hatred people have of our President. This goes way beyond disagreeing with policy or having differing political views. I don't care if you're conservative or liberal if your ideas are firmly grounded in some rational thought or reason. The fury inspired by the completely normal picture above is just another sample of this growing outrage. It just confuses me. There are obviously extreme examples of people dehumanizing Obama, or resorting to the most base and offensive racial insults. You can find a few of these nuts at any large Tea Party rally.

But the conservative media has been legitimizing questions about Obama's religion and birthplace since before he was elected. By giving equal voice to fringe pundits that call into question his very patriotism and nationality, those ideas naturally bleed into a certain percentage of the popular culture. These people are quick to deny they have any racist motivations, and often call "reverse racism" on anyone who tries to label them as such.

I don't believe that all of Obama's political opponents are racist, but I do believe they exploit racism. I can't think of any other reason why a "birther" movement would carry any weight at all. Do they think there's no screening process for a man poised to become the next President? That birth certificates aren't a matter of public record? That Obama's parents forged a false one lest he someday run for office?

The sad truth is that some people simply can't conceive of a man whose father was Kenyan, whose grandfather was Muslim, whose middle name is Hussein, whose skin is brown, and see anything other than a foreigner. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Obama as President if you have conservative leanings. If you say he's a Kenyan, or a Muslim, or a Socialist/Communist, you automatically remove yourself from the realm of rational conversation.

I've gone off the rails from my original story. The woman at my store didn't mention anything other than Obama's failure to look at a soldier's coffin for the fraction of a second it took for a photograph to be taken. She didn't mention his birth country, or religious preferences, or political alignment. But it doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to guess what her opinions about those subjects are, if a picture of the man doing nothing out of the ordinary inspires in her the desire to burn it.

Atomic Robo: Last Stop

2010-08-30T16:03:00.002-04:00

This is a teaser for an upcoming animated film based on the comic, Atomic Robo. I'm not familiar with the comic myself, but it is apparently about a Tesla-created robot that fights paranormal creatures. Sounds good to me!

[via io9]

Koch Suckers

2010-08-30T15:17:00.003-04:00

I recently heard about the Koch (pronounced Coke) brothers on an episode of Fresh Air. Charles and David Koch own Koch Industries, the second largest privately owned company in America. In addition to being a major oil company, Koch Industries owns a number of popular household brands. And in their spare time they like to pump millions of dollars into radical libertarian and conservative organizations they founded, and are major contributors of the Tea Party movement.

The following brands (among others) are owned by Koch Industries:
Vanity Fair
Angel Soft
Quilted Northern
Sparkle
Brawny
Mardis Gras
Dixie
By buying these brands you are inadvertently funding private political groups that disguise themselves as grassroots movements.

Joker & Lex/Calvin & Hobbes

2010-08-30T15:05:00.004-04:00

Lex Luthor & The Joker reimagined as a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip:

[via io9]

Cee Lo Green - "F**k You"

2010-08-25T11:03:00.003-04:00

Delightfully NSFW

R.I.P. Satoshi Kon

2010-08-25T08:09:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite directors has died. Satoshi Kon was the creator of the incredible visionary anime films Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and the series Paranoia Agent. All of which are required viewing for fans of animation or Asian film and television.

Most of his work deals with a blurring of dreams and reality. His movies capture the nature of dreams in amazing and visceral ways, at a level Christopher Nolan's Inception never comes close to.

Tokyo Godfathers is the one exception to this theme. It is the story of three homeless people on the streets of Tokyo who discover an abandoned baby, and their adventure to find the baby's parents. It's basically a heartwarming Christmas miracle story, turned on its head.

Satoshi Kon marries whimsy with the darker aspects of life and human nature in a way I don't think I've seen anywhere else. At least not to such an extent. But his movies also tend to suggest that no matter how bad things might get, the human heart can persevere.

[via A.V. Club]

Things That Exist

2010-08-16T20:27:00.006-04:00

Here are two creatures that actually exist, but shouldn't. They also explain why our ancestors got the hell out of the ocean millions of years ago.

1. Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

The blobfish may be facing extinction, and that's probably a good thing. They're so ugly they're cute, and back to ugly again.

2. Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

"Goblin Shark" is but a rough translation of the original Japanese name, which can only be pronounced properly while projectile vomiting. The very existence of such an animal should make you pray for death. Of course, this prayer would go unanswered, because any universe that would include a Goblin Shark is surely devoid of any deity, let alone a merciful one.

Both the Blobfish and Goblin Shark live in the deep ocean where sunlight doesn't reach. It's a common misconception that sunlight isn't capable of penetrating the ocean depths, but the truth is that it chooses not to. Because it is scared shitless.

Spoiler Alert

2010-05-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

Symphony Of Science - "The Poetry Of Reality"

2010-02-25T19:43:00.002-05:00

I've been incredibly busy and distracted for the past couple of months, doing opera and whatnot. But I couldn't miss posting the new Symphony Of Science video that came out today. This is one of the best yet!

Symphony Of Science - "The Unbroken Thread"

2010-01-06T17:38:00.002-05:00

Symphony Of Science's latest delight brings David Attenborough and Jane Goodall in on the action. Enjoy!

A Glorious Dawn
We Are All Connected
Our Place In The Cosmos

Happy In Paraguay

2009-12-29T00:20:00.001-05:00

Star Trek dubbed with nonsense dialog that matches lip movements = hilarious.

[via Geekologie]

Om Nom Nom: Origins

2009-12-20T03:48:00.002-05:00

Perhaps the most important educational documentary I've seen in recent times:

[via Boing Boing]

2009-12-09T11:15:00.004-05:00

My November albums:

1. Steel Panther - Feel the Steel
2. El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop
3. Sunset Rubdown - Sunset Rubdown EP
4. Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
5. Tor/Sufjan Stevens - Illinoize
6. John Vanderslice - Emerald City
7. Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman
8. Sam Roberts - Chemical City
9. Dennis Diken - Late Music
10. R.E.M. - Live At The Olympia
11. Earthless - Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky
12. Mastodon - Leviathan
13. Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God
14. Sleep - Dopesmoker
15. Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
16. Opeth - Watershed
17. Baroness - Blue Record

Metal albums discovered here.

Happy Thanksgibbon Day!

2009-11-26T21:12:00.001-05:00

Symphony Of Science - "Our Place In The Cosmos"

2009-11-23T21:44:00.005-05:00

Symphony of Science is back with another outstanding geeky auto-tuned gem. Once again, Carl Sagan takes the lead, proving he is still modern science's greatest poet. But he's getting terrific backup on the hook from Richard Dawkins!

"A Glorious Dawn"
"We Are All Connected"

UPDATE:
Just discovered the 7" vinyl of "A Glorious Dawn". The album's B side is "An etched reproduction of The Voyager Golden Record".
Only six dollars? Hell. Yes.

[via Geekologie]

The Fabulous World Of Jules Verne

2009-11-15T23:13:00.008-05:00

I discovered the delightful trailer for The Fabulous World of Jules Verne while watching the DVD 42nd Street Forever 5 with my friend, Dr. Lao. I immediately wanted to go out and find a copy of the film.

Fabulous World is a 1958 Czech film based on the Jules Verne book, Facing The Flag. What makes the movie so cool is its gorgeous production design and stop motion animation. Everything in the movie is made to look like old fashioned engraving illustrations like those found in the original editions of Verne's book. And the live action, animation, and other special effects are meticulously integrated.

You can watch the entire movie in pieces on YouTube, but the quality of the print is pretty lousy and you don't get to see a lot of the detail that went into it (the trailer found on 42nd Street Forever is much better looking). It's a great example of how innovative filmmakers could be on a tight budget, and long before CGI became available.

This movie is begging for a restoration. And with the popularity of steampunk these days it wouldn't even be that hard to market. Here's hoping someone will pull this out of obscurity and put it on DVD or Blu-Ray where it belongs (ahem, Criterion).

Al Roker Gets His Nub Yubbed

2009-11-10T21:47:00.004-05:00

On October 30th, the entire cast of the Today Show got into the Halloween spirit by dressing like characters from Star Wars. They even hired extras to play characters like the Ewoks featured in this clip. Maybe you should have a better screening process for extras when you have a live broadcast...

That Ewok is my new hero.

[via Geekologie]

Beer + Clam Juice...Oh, It's Happening

2009-11-09T17:19:00.003-05:00

Introducing the Chelada, an unholy concoction of Budweiser and Clamato. They might as well have called it Cthulada, and slapped an image of ten thousand tormented, wailing souls on the label.

[via Laughing Squid]

Paranormal Activity

2009-11-07T18:25:00.003-05:00

I saw The Blair Witch Project way after all the hype had died down, and was completely underwhelmed. Paranormal Acitivty wasn't very high on my radar for this reason. Generally when something starts to get hyped as the SCARIEST MOVIE EVER, I tend to tune out. But I ended up going, and was fairly surprised.

I found Paranormal Acitivity to be a pretty successful attempt at the faux documentary style. And it was genuinely scary (something which Blair Witch was not), and gradually built the scares up in a very effective way.

There are a lot of familiar elements at play, including characters that are so thick headed you want to throttle them. There are a lot of don't-investigate-the-creepy-sound! moments, but at least the stubbornness feels like a character trait rather than poor writing like it does in lesser horror films.

There are some very startling and disturbing moments, and everything is heightened by the convincingly natural performances. This should become a classic rental or purchase for people looking to creep themselves and their friends out.

Where The Wild Things Are

2009-11-07T18:12:00.009-05:00

I really enjoyed Where The Wild Things Are, but wasn't blown away by it. I loved the style of it. The special effects were very impressive (props to the Jim Henson Company, and the CGI crew).

I always appreciate kids movies that aren't afraid to have real emotion, or be scary occasionally. Some of my favorites growing up were movies that terrified me in certain parts, like The Dark Crystal and The Secret of NIMH. Wild Things has a lot of serious stuff going on. It really captures the range of conflicting emotions that young children have to deal with. And splitting those different emotions into the different characters of the Wild Things was really clever.

There was also enough quirky humor to keep things from getting too bogged down in angst and grief. Bob and Terry were a particular highlight.

Great performances, direction, soundtrack...All around terrific movie. The only thing that kept it from being a classic for me was the general lack of story. But it's hard to fault it for that since it already has more story than the book. It's hard to create conflict in a movie without real villains. But it's still a great adaptation.

Carl Sagan Day

2009-11-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

"Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries."

Today is the first annual Carl Sagan Day. We all know that he sounds good auto-tuned (if not a little bit like Kermit the Frog). But his voice and words are beautiful enough without manipulation. Take this brief ode to our planet:

Sagan's gift, more than anyone else I'm aware of, was in highlighting the beauty of science and nature. His ability to see the whole of mankind's history and future in a single blurry snapshot of a pinpoint in space is startling.

The fantastic radio series/podcast, Radiolab, featured the following story on their episode entitled "Space". It perfectly illustrates Carl Sagan, the scientist and the romantic.

2009-11-05T20:01:00.006-05:00

My new music from October:

1. Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones
2. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
3. The Divine Comedy - A Secret History
4. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
5. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
6. Lil B - Based Blunts Vol. 1
7. Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
8. Mojo Nixon - Bo-Day-Shus!!!
9. Mojo Nixon - Frenzy
10. Mojo Nixon - Gadzooks!!! The Homemade Bootleg
11. Mojo Nixon - Mojo & Skid
12. Mojo Nixon - Otis
13. Mojo Nixon - Root Hog Or Die
14. Mojo Nixon - Whereabouts Unknown
15. Mojo Nixon - Whiskey Rebellion
16. The Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice - Moon Colony Bloodbath
17. The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Black Pear Tree
18. Muse - The Resistance
19. Music Go Music - Expressions
20. Roy Orbison - The Very Best Of Roy Orbison
21. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
22. Tegan & Sara - Sainthood
23. Uri Caine Ensemble - Wagner e Venezia
24. The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa
25. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear...

2009-11-05T17:07:00.002-05:00

Bears look weird without fur, apparently:

[via Boing Boing]

Illinoize

2009-11-05T02:02:00.005-05:00

Illinoize is a very tasty mash-up album of Sufjan Stevens songs with various hip-hop artists, including Outkast, Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, and Gift Of Gab (of Blackalicious). Oh my yes.

[via A.V. Club]

Michael Moschen

2009-11-03T01:47:00.002-05:00

Remember that cool crystal ball trick Jareth did with his hands in Labyrinth? Michael Moschen was the juggler behind that wonderful image. Here's a video where he makes that trick look like child's play:

[via Laughing Squid]

xkcd - Movie Narrative Charts

2009-11-03T00:46:00.006-05:00

The latest xkcd strip is both an exercise of supreme geekery, and a wonderful work of art. Click for the largeness.

I want a posterized version NOW.

I've Been JibJabbed In The Back!

2009-10-28T22:00:00.001-04:00

Leslie posted this sweet video on Facebook. It's the the must-see Halloween movie of the year!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Now You Know...

2009-10-24T22:25:00.003-04:00

G.I. Joe: Resolute, the awesome animated miniseries written by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, FreakAngels), is coming out on DVD next month. This brief trailer shows the proper way to update the beloved franchise (hint: it doesn't involve power suits):

Sell The Vatican, Feed The World

2009-10-22T21:09:00.003-04:00

I love this bit Sarah Silverman did on a recent episode of Real Time:

Symphony Of Science - "We Are All Connected"

2009-10-20T16:09:00.003-04:00

Another awesome auto-tuned science track from the people who made "A Glorious Dawn", featuring Carl Sagan and others:

I don't think the hook is quite as catchy as the first one, but I really hope they keep making more of these. I can't get enough!

Zombieland

2009-10-15T12:08:00.005-04:00

There is an aspect of zombie stories that is about wish fulfillment rather than horror. It's fantasy for people who like to imagine the complications of life being stripped down to its basic elements, where the rules no longer apply. Or in the case of Zombieland, have simply been replaced with a different set of all important rules.

Zombieland is another zombie comedy, but one that sets itself apart from previous ones like Shaun Of The Dead. Whereas Shaun is often about paying homage to classic zombie movies, Zombieland takes the zombie concept and just goes to town with all the wish fulfillment stuff. While the characters are often in peril, they don't spend most of their time cowering or running away. Rather, they seem to make the most of things. A huge section of the plot revolves around two of the characters making their way toward their favorite amusement park. Because if the world has ended you may as well ride a roller coaster or two.

And everyone seems to enjoy killing zombies for the most part. They even keep track of who had the best "Kill of the Week". Zombieland is generally an apocalyptic movie for optimists. In this world the geek can get the girl, you can hang out with your favorite celebrity (I won't reveal the amazing cameo, although it's unlikely it hasn't already been ruined for you), and you can smash and loot to your heart's content. The only downside seems to be that there is never a Twinkie around when you need one. Oh, and all your loved ones are dead (but let's not focus on that, shall we?).

Zombieland is an incredibly entertaining film (with a ton of potential sequels, apparently). I'm a huge zombie fan, and it's great to see such a fun, original take on things.

Lincoln Shot First

2009-10-15T11:49:00.002-04:00

I effing love this shirt:

More wonderfully geeky shirts at TopatoCo.

[via io9]

You Don't Mess Around With God's America

2009-10-09T01:03:00.004-04:00

Today NASA is gonna punch the moon right in its stupid moon face. That'll show it who's boss. Here's a fairly accurate representation of how it all went down:

Finally, science is beginning to live up to its potential.

2009-10-08T11:49:00.007-04:00

My new music from September:

1. Voltaire - The Devil's Bris
2. The Non-Commissioned Officers - MAKE-OUT with VIOLENCE OST
3. The Octopus Project - Hello Avalanche
4. ArcAttack - Live in Abu Dhabi
5. Makeup And Vanity Set - Presents... The Protomen
6. Voltaire - Banned On Vulcan!
7. They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science
8. I Come to Shanghai - I Come to Shanghai
9. Nellie McKay - Rumor Has It
10. Loudon Wainwright III - High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project
11. Voltaire - To the Bottom Of The Sea
12. BLK JKS - After Robots
13. Bjork - Post Live
14. Yat-Kha - tuva.rock
15. Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
16. The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death
17. Charles Blandy - WHEELER: The Construction of Boston
18. Voltaire - Live!

Hugh Laurie - "Mystery"

2009-10-04T11:05:00.002-04:00

Dani and I watched A Bit Of Fry And Laurie last night. This song by Hugh Laurie was the highlight of the first episode for me:

If you're only used to seeing Laurie as Dr. House, it's pretty amusing to see him doing his earlier comedy work.

Geisha Is...

2009-10-04T10:57:00.003-04:00

Cay Izumi, star of ROBOGEISHA, performs a pole dance to "Dirty Diana":

Now that's how you publicize a film.

Carl Sagan - "A Glorious Dawn" ft Stephen Hawking

2009-09-29T10:15:00.003-04:00

Best use of auto-tune ever.

[via Boing Boing]

I'm Officially Hooked On Glee

2009-09-29T01:43:00.002-04:00

The pilot didn't completely sell me on Glee, but the show has been getting progressively better in each episode. Here's one of my favorite moments so far:

Heeey Laaadies!

2009-09-28T17:32:00.001-04:00

Dating Montage
by smithy00101

[via Boing Boing]

BEARSHARKTOPUS

2009-09-23T16:55:00.004-04:00

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

2009-09-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs was one of my favorite books growing up. When I heard about the film adaptation I was more than a little worried that another piece of my childhood was about to get dragged through the studio muck, stripped of its soul, and stuffed with needless pop culture references. Then I noticed that it wasn't being produced by Dreamworks and my fears ebbed...a little. The trailer revealed my worst fears: the animation looked nothing like the illustrations, and the plot and characters from the book were completely replaced. How could this not suck?

Then along came Keith Phipps' review, which restored a glimmer of hope. I've now seen it, and what can I say - sometimes the studio gets it right.

The movie only vaguely resembles the book, taking the premise and abandoning pretty much everything else. But the new characters and plot are fantastic in their own right. CWACOM is an irreverent, subversive, action-packed celebration of geekery. It's as if the filmmakers made a movie for themselves, and if any kids happened to enjoy it that was fine too.

The story is basically about a geeky kid who grows up to be a nutty inventor (Bill Hader), tinkering away in his elaborate treehouse/laboratory. One day he invents a device that converts water into any food you want, one thing leads to another, and suddenly hot dogs are raining from the sky. Throw in a greedy mayor desperate for tourist dollars, and you have a formula for zany shenanigans. Along the way he teams up with a hyperactive police officer (Mr. T), an amateur weather girl (Anna Faris), and a talking monkey. Bruce Campbell, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan, Benjamin Bratt, and Andy Samberg are also featured.

There are some very good messages thrown in for the kids about healthy eating, and being true to yourself. But none of it is heavy handed. Mr. T never explicitly tells kids to eat their greens, but the message is there. There are also some great scenes where the inventor encourages the weather girl to be herself after he catches her willfully acting dumb. He even gives her an anti-makeover, having her wear the glasses she usually hides, and putting her hair in a pony tail. I think it's a positive scene for young girls to see, and it's a nod to all the guys in the audience who appreciate geeky girls.

The story is fast paced, and the jokes come with frequency and often hit to some degree. It's one of the funniest movies I've seen all summer, and (dare I say) more entertaining overall than Up. I hope I haven't offended the animation gods by saying that. Both movies garner jokes from animals talking with electronic voice boxes, but CWACOM spreads it's humor out a bit more. There are more characters to enjoy, and the pathos isn't as overwhelming. It's simply more fun. (Again, I bow to Pixar, and all that she has given us. Always.)

I highly recommend this movie to anyone. I would say it's almost more fun for the adults than the kids. Also, I saw it in 3D, which definitely looks marvelous, but probably isn't necessary if you want to save a few bucks.

The Origin Of Stupidity

2009-09-22T08:34:00.004-04:00

Mr. Cameron is at it again!

And here is perfectly reasonable response to Mr. Cameron:

[via The Huffington Post]

District 9

2009-09-20T21:04:00.004-04:00

I went in to District 9 with my expectations lowered as much as possible. I thought I would like it, but there was enough uneven feedback to keep me from getting my hopes up too high. It turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year.

This was an interesting year for science fiction. On one end we had Moon, a heady suspense film about the meaning of individuality and humanity. And then there was Transformers 2, an amazing social experiment to see if large crowds of people would pay to have hot pokers jammed into their skulls for two hours (I'm assuming, since I'm one of the alarming few who didn't). District 9 rests comfortably in between, with a fortunate lean toward the Moon side of the spectrum. It's an action movie, but it's also got some subtle social commentary layered throughout.

I don't want to give too much away, because I believe going into it with less knowledge of the plot is better. But it is basically the story of a man who gets caught up in a predicament with aliens stranded in South Africa. The story was often surprising, and I was completely absorbed throughout the movie. I really have no complaints about it at all. There was a lot of very intense action, and the special effects were fantastic. Even compared to movies with much larger budgets.

This was easily one of the type five most entertaining movies of the year for me so far.

Cursed Pirate Girl

2009-09-19T10:47:00.004-04:00

One of the nice things about Dragon*Con (of which I have yet to post anything about here) is the opportunity to discover new things to obsess over. One of the nicer discoveries I made was the comic Cursed Pirate Girl, by Jeremy Bastian.

His artwork caught my eye as I was perusing the comics artist alley, and I ended up walking away with the first issue. It is an epic fantasy tale of a young privileged girl who befriends another girl who claims to be the daughter of a great pirate. The young pirate girl also has a terrible curse on her, as the title suggests.
The comic is gorgeously illustrated with intricate, detailed line work, that is remarkably drawn at the same scale it is printed at. It's a very old fashioned style that is perfectly suited to the story.

They Might Be Giants - "Science Is Real"

2009-09-08T23:03:00.001-04:00

TMBG double dip! Hooray for rationality:

They Might Be Giants - "Electric Car"

2009-09-08T12:31:00.001-04:00

First video from TMBG's new kids' album, Here Comes Science:

2009-09-01T22:46:00.006-04:00

My August music downloads Part 2, in alphabetical:

1. No Question - Got Game?
2. The Octopus Project - Identification Parade
3. Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
4. The Protomen - The Protomen
5. Shearwater - Rook
6. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release
7. Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure
8. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - Chicken Zombies
9. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - Gear Blues
10. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - Sabrina No Heaven
11. Tomoyasu Hotei - AMBIVALENT
12. various artists - Weezer - The 8-bit Album
13. Vieux Farka Toure - Fondo
14. The Weepies - Happiness
15. The Weepies - Hideaway
16. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
18. Yoshida Brothers - Yoshida Brothers II
19. The Young Republic - Recession Special EP

2009-09-01T22:22:00.006-04:00

My August music downloads Part 1, in alphabetical:

1. Andrew Bird - Music Of Hair
2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Bessie Smith - The Essential Bessie Smith
4. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
5. Dengue Fever - Venus On Earth
6. The Fugs - First Album
7. The Fugs - The Fugs Second Album
8. The Fugs - Virgin Fugs
9. Gossip - Music for Men
10. How I Became The Bomb - Deadly Art
11. The Ink Spots - Greatest Hits
12. Jim Noir - Jim Noir
13. Joe Hisaishi - Gake no ue no Ponyo OST
14. Loudon Wainwright III - Attempted Mustache
15. Loudon Wainwright III - Recovery
16. Magnetic Fields - The Charm of the Highway Strip
17. Mew - No more stories...
18. Neil Young - Archives Vol. 1

Eternal Earth-Bound Pets

2009-08-27T22:16:00.003-04:00

This wonderful organization of animal loving atheists is dedicated to taking care of the pets left behind by those taken by the rapture. It's a lovely gesture, and I hope to become a member!

[via Boing Boing]

Inglourious Basterds

2009-08-25T10:44:00.004-04:00

I'm a big Tarantino fan. I look forward to everything he does, and haven't disliked one of his movies yet. I've been following the Inglourious Basterds rumors for years, and have been dying to see what he would do with a WWII film. Now that I've seen it I'm not really sure what to make of it.

On the one hand Basterds features some of Tarantino's best writing and direction. But at the same time the movie seems to be lacking something. Like Kill Bill, the tones and styles of Basterds come from all over the place. But they don't seem to gel quite as well as they did in Kill Bill. Some of the stylistic flourishes are jarring. Most of the scenes are deliberately slow, building tension up to a sudden (usually violent) climax. And because the scenes are so drawn out, whenever Tarantino decides to insert a quick cutaway, usually for a laugh, it disrupts the flow in a very awkward way.

The scenes that work in this movie work very well. The lengthy opening scene, or "chapter", is the best example of the slow buildup that Tarantino re-uses multiple times throughout the movie. It's a scene almost entirely of dialog between two men, one of whom is one of the best villains I've seen in a movie ever. My other favorite scene comes later, and has pretty much the same effect, only with more people thrown into the mix. Neither of these scenes focus on the Basterds themselves.

The trailer for this movie is pretty misleading. This is not just a movie about a group of American soldiers running around Nazi-occupied France and collecting scalps. That's only about half of it. The other half centers on a Jewish French woman who runs a movie theater that has been chosen for the premiere of Joseph Goebbel's latest propaganda film. The two stories of the film are barely connected, but they converge at the theater for the film's final conflict.

With the exception of maybe Brad Pitt's character, none of the Basterds are ever fully developed. A few of them get a single moment to shine, but for the most part are relegated to the background. Their story has some really great turns, and most of the movie's fun comes out of their scenes, but again it feels like something is missing. Perhaps two major plot threads were just to much to sustain in such a slowly paced movie. I'd be interested to see if there is much deleted material, or is this was Tarantino's vision from the start.

Both stories are revenge fantasies, neither one quite as satisfying as the one in Kill Bill. But it's a fun movie, more about WWII films than the actual war itself. I feel like I need a second viewing now that I know what to expect. I could see this one growing on me over time. I just don't feel it's quite up to snuff with the rest of Tarantino's work.

8-Bit Legos

2009-08-24T12:08:00.000-04:00

James Cameron's "Avatar"

2009-08-21T08:04:00.006-04:00

Yeah, I'll watch that.

"Legion" Makes Armageddon Fun Again

2009-08-18T12:02:00.001-04:00

Legion could do for Armageddon what Slither did for alien apocalypse:

You had me at "demon granny gets blasted off ceiling with shotgun."

Ponyo

2009-08-18T01:45:00.004-04:00

I was disappointed to see that Ponyo (or Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea, to use its full translated Japanese title) was playing at the large Pinnacle theater as opposed to Downtown West like all the previous Miyazaki releases. If it had been released at Downtown West there might have been a good chance of seeing it in Japanese with subtitles. Showing on one screen at the biggest theater in town pretty much guarantees a dubbed release. But it seems unlikely that Disney even released a subtitled version in theaters, and that was probably a smart decision. Outside of the ardent anime fans (and Miyazaki fans in particular), the audience for this movie is really young. More Totoro, less Mononoke.

But I'm a fan of all Miyazaki's work. Even - if not especially - movies like Kiki's Delivery Service, which features no greater conflict than a young girl trying to regain her confidence. But under Miyazaki's masterful direction movies like this absolutely brim with charm and beauty, and even a sense of serenity. When's the last time a movie simply made you feel content? Miyazaki handles tenderness and youthful wonder with such a sure and honest hand that it never gets bogged down in false sentimentality or schmaltz.

So, even with the dub (and it's really not a bad dub) it is a fantastic movie. The story of a young sea creature that wants to become a human is obviously inspired by The Little Mermaid, but it is grounded in a unique world. It's a fairly loose adaptation, filled with all the incredible detail Miyazaki is known for.

The only real action scene takes place about halfway into the movie. The rest is saved for great character moments, adventure, and a pleasant story that takes its time to unfold. Even when the entire world is in peril you never get the sense that anyone is too worried about it. The characters in Miyazaki's lighter films prefer to take things in stride, and that's something I can get behind. It's nice to spend time in a world where even evil isn't entirely committed to getting its way all the time.

The Hurt Locker

2009-08-18T01:13:00.004-04:00

The Hurt Locker has been receiving a lot of hype lately, and I will now add to it. The movie somehow manages to show what life on the ground is like for an American soldier in Iraq while not getting overly patriotic or sentimental, and while keeping you on the edge of your seat for the majority of its running time.

The tight focus of the film is centered on a group of soldiers who get called in to disarm IED's. Part of what makes the movie so successful is that it doesn't stray outside these few soldiers' points-of-view. It's done with a near-documentary style and almost a complete lack of musical score. There also isn't much of a story, so much as a series of vignettes as the company counts down the last few days until they get to go home for a while.

Any further description might spoil the layers of tension that are masterfully built up through the movie. It is easily one of the best movies I've seen this year so far.