Video
'Star Wars' 'Suicide Squad' Trailer
As I’m a huge fan of Star Wars (of course) and also looking forward to Suicide Squad, this mashup trailer by The Usual Suspect amused me quite a bit.
Enjoy.
The History of Cinema in 100 Shots
This video, put together by Editor Jacob T. Swinney, is very impressive. It chronicles the history of cinema, starting with the 1915 film Birth of a Nation, by highlighting iconic shots from 100 films of the past 100 years.
Very impressive indeed. Enjoy this bit of history.
(h/t to the a.v. club)
The Awesome 'Daredevil' Season 2 Stairway Fight
By now you’ve likely seen the entire second season of Daredevil on Netflix. If so, pretty great, right? If not, what are you waiting for?
Either way, this fight scene from Episode 3 of Season 2 is, if not the best, at the very least one of the top two or three fight scenes ever done in a TV show or a movie.
Kudos to all involved.
Cool Video Saturday
I don’t know about that post title, sorry. I just needed to give this post one, so that’s what I came up with. I can do better . . . and I will . . . next time.
Until that magic moment, here’s a cool video of Porsche 911 engines being assembled. The attention to detail and precision is amazing. I’m also posting it on a Saturday . . . I’ll wait. There it is.
Ok, here you go.
Plus, a cool bonus video of 918 Spyders being assembled because I’m just that kind of a guy.
No, I’m not buying a Porsche (Not today, anyway). I just appreciate all that goes into making these great machines.
David Lynch's Ice Bucket Challenge Is Just What It Should Be
What can you say about this? It’s David Lynch. It’s the Ice Bucket Challenge. It goes as you would hope and expect.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvkqr-S-1Ac&w=560&h=315]
BTW, here’s a link to donate to ALS research. Save yourself some time and trouble … and also from being wet and cold.
The Samuel L. Jackson 'Motherfu***r' Supercut Is Everything You Hoped It would Be
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the best and most entertaining actors working today. I’ve been a fan of his since way back. No, I wasn’t “into him before anybody.” I’m no hipster.
I just think he’s very, very good at a variety of roles and always seems to keep them fresh. He does, however, have one thing he goes back to again and again with pretty much every character he plays.
What is that one thing? Well, he seems to like to use the word “motherfucker” quite a bit. I can’t blame him, it’s a pretty effective word and does tend to get his point across. He just seems to use it a lot more than pretty much any other word. How much?
Well, some folks at HuffPo Movie Mashups decided to find out and put together an entire supercut of every time Jackson uses it. It’s pretty amazing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0LBi1MHoaU?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
How to Do Visual Comedy the Edgar Wright Way
One of my favorite writer/directors is Edgar Wright. His films, including Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, are some of my all-time favorites. Why, you may wonder?
One of the many reasons is his very inventive visual style. He knows how to use a camera and his actors to maximize comedic or dramatic effect. And sometimes he even does both at the same time.
Don’t know what I mean? Fortunately, I don’t really have to explain further because someone else, Vimeo user Tony Zhou to be exact, has already made a video highlighting exactly what I’m talking about.
Watch it. You just might learn something.
[vimeo 96558506 w=560 h=315]
Now I Have a Reason to Get an XBox One or PS4 (Maybe)
I have not made the change to a “better” console for gaming yet. I’m still using my trusty old XBox 360 (and occasionally the PS3) for all of my console gaming needs. And for me, it handles the task nicely.
In truth, I don’t have a lot of time for gaming these days and it didn’t seem like a priority to upgrade for what little time I do have. Also, I hadn’t really found a game compelling enough to make me want to switch.
But now, perhaps, I have. Enter Project CARS. Simply put, the game looks amazing and shows what real power these new consoles have. But don’t take my word for it, check it out below.
Fortunately, the game doesn’t come out until November, so I have some time to save up. Excuse me while I go check the sofa for change.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBLMscFP5ec?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
'Jodorowsky's Dune' Tells It Like It Pretty Much Is
As some of you may know, I worked in Hollywood for a bit. I’m not famous or anything, but I did spend quite a bit of time doing what they call “Production.” Briefly, that’s the nuts and bolts, day to day part of the filmmaking (or TV or commercials) process where you pull all the elements (lights, cameras, locations, vehicles, crew, etc., etc.) together and then push, drag, bribe, cajole, beg, borrow or steal and finally get the whole thing kicking and screaming into the light.
It’s an extremely rewarding experience helping bring something that only exists on paper to life on the big or small screen. It’s also a huge amount of work (I’m talking 15-hour days, seven days a week sometimes) and, on many occasions, a monumental pain in the ass.
The truth is in showbiz sometimes shit just doesn’t go right and often a person in my (former) position is one of the few people who can fix whatever the problems are and get the whole thing working again. But sometimes things just can’t be fixed and you have to cut your losses and move on. Sadly, that happens more often then it should.
That brings me to the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. In case you’re not familiar, someone tried to make a movie version of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune before we ended up with the one David Lynch (or Alan Smithee depending on the version) ended up making.
That person was cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsk. And this documentary is the story of a monumental failure that ended up changing modern sci-fi movies forever. I have no trouble believing almost (if not) all of what the movie says happened, happened. Hollywood is a crazy bitch sometimes.
Check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WWu1kclNDA?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
'Star Wars' Visual Effects
I find this shit fascinating. Also, I really think the “old school” method looks better than a lot of the the CG being done these days. Models look more 3D because they are 3D in real space, not created in a computer.
Of course, I also still often write with a pen or pencil on actual paper, so what do I know? Well, something at least. I know what I like.
Anyway, check out this great video and learn all about stop motion, blue screen and more of the tricks of the trade that helped make Star Wars, Empire and Return of the Jedi the classic movies they are.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIlYk7KQe-s?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
'Batman vs. The Terminator'
Time flies. Or is time a flat circle? I get those mixed up. Anyway, it’s been many days since I last put something here and I know it’s time to fix that. I do have an excuse, however. Personal stuff.
Yes, the dreaded “Family Emergency” rendered me unable to post during the recent past. Fortunately, things seem to be resolved for the moment, so I’m back now . . . with a vengeance.
Well, not so much a vengeance, really, more like a an impulse or a need. A need for speed. Or video.
That brings me, not so subtly, to today’s video: Batman vs. The Terminator. Yeah, it’s pretty much as cool as it sounds. Enjoy.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDYyAAdtDfk?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
This Supergirl Fan Film Is Worth a Look
It’s become somewhat of a tradition around here. That is to say I like to bring interesting videos I find out there on the Interwebs to your attention. Frequently. Well, as frequently as I can now that I’m also Mr. Mom (more on that in a separate post).
I bring things to your attention, mostly, because I care. I care about you and I care about people doing interesting and cool things. So, if I can bring those elements together, I think the ten minutes or so I spend doing it is time well spent.
This time around the video in question is called Girl of Steel. It’s a Supergirl fan film with a great deal of promise. It’s good, in other words.
Watch it and enjoy.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
A Very Effective and Touching Apple Ad for the Holidays
I don’t watch a lot of commercials. This is mostly because I record to a DVR or stream from a source like Netflix or iTunes. So, I fast forward through them or they don’t appear at all. Plus, as I don’t work in that world anymore, my interest in them has wained considerably.
However, I do like a good commercial. When they’re done right, they can be quite effective and fun to watch. I also like to try to bring them to your attention when I find a good one, even if most of the time I’m disappointed by uninspired, boring and/or ineffective drivel.
This latest holiday commercial from Apple is not boring, not ineffective, not uninspired and not, by any means, drivel.
In fact, it’s very much the opposite. It’s excellent in pretty much every way that counts. Kudos to the team that put it together.
If you don’t have some sort of emotional reaction to this commercial you are likely a robot and have no soul. For the rest of us humans, enjoy that warm feeling. You’ll need it to get through the rest of the holidays.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImlmVqH_5HM?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
'Lord of the Crumbs'
Let’s just say for the record that I love Sesame Street. I also love Lord of the Rings, both in book and movie form. I even have the extended version of the films on Blu-ray. Don’t judge.
I can’t wait to share them all with Max when he’s old enough. I know he’s gonna love them all too. Sesame Street, in particular, taught me so much when I was a kid and it’s still going strong today.
Naturally, when two of my favorite things get together, as they do in this parody video called Lord of the Crumbs (starting everyone’s favorite cookie-fanatic), I need to watch and bring it to your attention. This video has everything you could want in a Sesame Street parody video, including cookies. Lots of cookies.
And really, who doesn’t love cookies?
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
'The Wolf of Bedford Falls'
I was having a discussion recently with some pals on Facebook in which we postulated what elements a sequel to Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life would contain. The possibility of a sequel was in the news recently and we wondered just how far Hollywood would go so it would cater to the lowest common denominator and be a hit with the youth market.
I have to say, it was pretty funny. At least to us. Maybe you had to be there. Anyway, today I saw this.
It’s not exactly what we were talking about, but it’s similar. It’s a recut of an It’s a Wonderful Life trailer to mimic the trailer for Martin Scorscese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo Di Caprio. I think it’s pretty funny, especially if you know the original film well.
Yes, I know the footage is in color. That’s how this was done. Try to enjoy it anyway.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
Dragon Park
I love finding this kind of stuff on the Interwebs and seeing people who still care about making things better. This park looks like a fun place to visit. I wish I lived close enough to check it out in person.
The fact that it’s maintained solely through donations is also pretty cool. Here’s some more info from the folks who put together the documentary about “Dragon Park.” And no, we won’t be saying anything about the relative quality of the documentary itself.
That’s not why we’re here today. We’re just gonna let the good will flow instead:
“This is a short documentary on “Castle Park” or “The Dragon Park”, located in Carbondale, Illinois. With a unique fantasy motif, this private park attracts a variety of visitors each weekend and is funded entirely on donations.
The documentary tells the story of the park through the eyes of its patrons and visitors, and explores the reasoning behind the park’s appellation of “Carbondale’s Best Kept Secret”.
Wish I had this kind of place to play when I was a kid.
[vimeo 42254605 w=560 h=315]
Medieval Land Fun-Time World
You can probably guess I’m a big fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones. If you know me at all, ever heard my podcast or read most anything I’ve written, it should be pretty obvious I’m a geek/nerd. And geek/nerds love GOT.
The show is really fun and I enjoy pretty much every minute of it. In fact, I can’t wait until it starts again with season four.
I never read the books before I saw the series, but I don’t really see that as a problem. I think the series stands on its own as one of the best on TV.
That said, I can also see the potential humor in a lot of what goes on during the show. Some of it, although taken very seriously, could be very funny if presented in a different way. Apparently, the folks who made this video agree and have taken the idea and run with it. Far.
I haven’t laughed this much in some time. That could be because I’m extremely tired (we do have a new baby in the house after all), but if so, that doesn’t take away from the fact that this video is extremely funny. Enjoy.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Krz-dyD-UQ?rel=0&w=560&h=420]
Paper Is Not Dead
I’m someone who has embraced the new technologies and does a lot of content consumption and creation via the iPad. I am also someone who still uses a pen, pencil and paper often. I really like that kind of analog stuff – almost as much as the guy who did an entire article on the best reasonably priced pen available.
What is this amazing pen? You’ll have to check out the article to find out. Rest assured, though, I have checked out the pen for myself and procured several of them for my various bags and offices. They really are quite nice.
Meantime, like the folks who made this commercial, I don’t believe paper is dead. After watching the commercial, I think you will agree.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_gOZDWQj3Q?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
'Breaking Trek'
In truth, I haven’t watched the last couple seasons of Breaking Bad . . .yet. I have, however, watched every episode of every Star Trek series. More than once, in fact.
I also like when smart, talented people put things together and see what happens. Keeping that in mind, what do you think you get when you combine Star Trek and Breaking Bad?
Well, wonder no more because in the video below, we all get to find out.
On a mostly unrelated note, being a new father has, as you may expect, caused me to lose considerable sleep. Consequently, I’ve been having some difficulty being on a regular schedule and also fining the time, and coherent moments, to put anything here. Rest assured, I will get back to my version of normal as soon as I can.
Although, I guess with a new son I need to be open to the possibility things will change quite a bit and I will have to adopt a “new” normal. Fortunately for all concerned, the new boy is pretty awesome so if things have to change (which they surely will) I won’t mind one bit.
Anyway, here’s the video.
The D&D Animated Series Is 30 Years Old This Week
I still remember that day in 1983 when this show graced the Saturday Morning Cartoon airwaves. To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember for sure if I loved it or not. I think I did, but that was a long time ago.
No matter, it’s always fun to check out things from my past, especially the mostly innocent ones. Here’s a bit of the series in all of its 1983 glory.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YacKar7y3mc?rel=0&w=550&h=413]