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New Trailer for Season Four of ‘The Walking Dead’

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I read The Walking Dead back when it was just a comic book and not a hugely successful tv series. Even then I was hooked on it and devoured each new installment the moment I could get my hands on it.

Then, it became a tv show. And of course, I watched it. And each week it delivered a solid bit of tv drama complete with all the characters and situations (for the most part) that I’d loved from the comic. It also became a mega success.

Sure, it got kind of bogged down when the show decided to spend a lot of time searching for Sophia and living at the farm. But then things got really great again after they reached the prison and met the Governor.

It hasn’t gone exactly like the comic, but that’s okay. It doesn’t have too. It’s a tv show adapted from the comic, and that’s all the loyalty it owes to the source material.

Fortunately, what they’re doing with the show lately is really paying off and I’m very much looking forward to the next season. Speaking of that, there’s a new trailer for Season Four that’s just come out.

Check it out and let me know whart you think. I know what I think.

I. Can’t. Wait.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSi2fJALDyQ?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

How ‘Man of Steel’ Should Have Ended

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I’m not sure I agree with everything in this video. However, I do appreciate the time and effort that went into making it by the folks at HISHE.com and it does raise some very good points.

So, if you’re one of the people who thought Man of Steel should have gone a bit differently, this just might be for you. Okay, who am I kidding, it never would have ended this way, especially not for a big Hollywood blockbuster. It’s just for fun.

But heck, it’s still pretty funny.

Also, while we’re on the subject of comics and movies (as we often are), I’ll be in San Diego later this week for Comic-Con. So, if you’re going to be there, be sure to say “Hello” if you see me.

I will also be posting some stuff here and over at The Flickcast during the show so be sure and look out for that. You don’t want to miss it.

Enjoy the video.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjSNLmb0Ndw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

A ‘Blade Runner’ Speedrun for a Sunday

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If I was going to make a list of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies, on that list would have to be Ridley’s Scott’s 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner. As I mentioned in a previous missive, the film made quite an impression on me as a young man.

I first saw it at a screening in San Diego in May of 1992, after having won tickets from a local radio station, and was treated to a version somewhat different from the finished product released to theaters the following month. It was an amazing experience.

I’ve watched it many time since that day and each time I enjoy it more. It’s definitely a movie worth seeing again and again.

Of course, not everyone has the time to watch entire movies. People have lives and schedules to keep. For those with limited free time, the Speedrun was invented.

Simply put, a Speedrun is an animated version of a popular film told in sixty seconds made by the talented folks at 1A4 Studio. This one is Blade Runner, as if you couldn’t guess.

Enjoy. Oh, it has some adult language, so be advised it’s probably NSFW.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ILbDz7tTqU?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Think ‘Pacific Rim’ Is Total Fantasy? Meet Atlas

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Yes, the movie Pacific Rim is out today and yes, it features giant monsters called Kaiju who we humans fight with giant, mechanized, human-piloted robots we build called Jaegers. And sure, the idea that monsters come from wherever they come from (no spoilers here) and we need to build giant, mechanical creatures to fight them may seem far-fetched and relegated to the world of fantasy and the movies.

And really, I can’t vouch for the likelihood of giant, alien monsters coming to destroy humanity. That does seem rather unlikely. However, I do believe we’re not that far away from being able to create the mechanical robots that would fight them if they did come.

Don’t believe me? Meet Atlas in this video and maybe you just might change your mind.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkBnFPBV3f0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

LEGO Super Star Destroyer Timelapse

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I’ve been into LEGO since before it was cool. Back when the blocks were bigger and they only had a few basic colors. In fact, I still have some of my original sets of blocks. One day I will get them out, take a few pics and post them here. But that’s for another day.

Moving on I’m also, surprise, a big fan of Star Wars. Or, in this particular case, The Empire Strikes Back. I’ll wait while you recover from the shock of that revelation.

So, when these things are combined, as they are in this pretty awesome video, I take notice. What is this video you may ask? Well, it’s a timelapse recording of Jeff Needles, who works at TWiT, assembling a LEGO Super Star Destroyer.

I think it’s pretty cool. Perhaps you will too.

Now to scrounge up an extra $300 to get one for myself.

The First Trailer for Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’

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As with many things in life, I don’t like change. Change to me isn’t something to embrace, it’s something to resist. That being said, change can occasionally brings good things.

In fact, I’ve had some changes of late that have been very good and very positive. So, perhaps, I may have to rethink my “No Change” policy. Maybe.

Until then, this brings us, in a roundabout way, to Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-Wook’s film Oldboy. At first, of course, I resisted the notion that Oldboy needed a remake at all. The original is a complex, gripping thriller that if you haven’t seen, is definitely worth watching.

I also wasn’t sure Spike Lee was the right guy for the job of bringing the film to mainstream American audiences. I don’t know why, exactly, I just didn’t think he necessarily had the requisite mindset to get the film right. Park Chan-Wook, on the other hand, that guy has a mindset, in spades.

Anyway, as I’ve heard and seen more of Lee’s vision for Oldboy, Ive started to become convinced he may, indeed, be on to something. This new trailer, a redband of course, helps push that hypothesis even further.

The short version is I like what I see so far and I want to see more. As with many thing, your mileage may vary.

Oh, one more thing, this trailer is a redband for a reason. Please exercise appropriate precautions before watching it at work or something. Unless you work at a really cool place which, let’s face it, you probably don’t. Not this cool anyway.

David Fincher’s New Calvin Klein Ad

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This new ad for Calvin Klein is directed by David Fincher and features an actress he likes to work with quite a bit: Rooney Mara. Gotta say, it’s pretty impressive.

To me, this is an almost perfect ad. I say this as a person who doesn’t really watch commercials anymore unless I have to (I don’t really like most of them) and also as a person who used to make commercials.

It’s beautiful to look at and evokes just the right mood. Plus, the message is very clear amongst all the visuals.

I also have a fondness for black and white, so that might have something to do with how much I like this too. Still, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great ad. It is. David Fincher definitely knows what he’s doing.

Check out the ad below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0JMFIVzo9c?rel=0]

It’s Saturday, So Here’s a Trailer for ‘Yakuza Weapon’

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I can’t keep putting things away in the new house and not take a break. So, during one of said breaks, I came across this trailer for the movie Yakuza Weapon.

If you’ve followed this site for any length of time, you know my fondness for movies and TV shows out of the Hollywood mainstream. I think Yakuza Weapon qualifies.

I won’t bother trying to explain the movie except to say it involves transformation, the fight between good and evil and the question of what it means to be human. Oh yeah, there’s lots of action and stuff blows up too. Of course.

It was directed by Tak Sakaguchi (who also stars) and written by Sakaguchi and Yūdai Yamaguchi. It’s based on the manga by Ken Ishikawa. Check out the trailer below and enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTs-mM4A6TQ?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Picking Up the Pieces and Putting Them Away

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As I mentioned previously, we moved. In fact, we did the whole thing last Saturday on what was, up to that point, the hottest day of the year. Not a great day to be hauling boxes and whatnot from one place to another.

In truth, we had movers do the majority of the actual hauling. We just have way too much stuff and, more importantly, H is gestating Project M at the moment so she shouldn’t really be lifting anything. And as we know, I’m extremely lazy (and have a useless back). So, movers.

The movers were mostly okay and managed not to break 99% of our stuff. Sure, a couple things were damaged, but it could have been a lot worse. Most importantly, they got everything in the truck, got it to the new house and put it pretty much where it goes. All for a reasonable fee. I’m calling it a win and moving on.

Although, I did call the moving company to tell them about the few broken items (again, none of them were critical or irreplaceable) just to see what they would say. They haven’t called me back yet. I suspect I will be politely told to suck it up, but we’ll see. I could be surprised.

Now we are in the process of unpacking and putting stuff away. I only hate this part a little less than packing. Although, one highlight for me was finally being able to install my Nest thermostat and get it going. Yes, I did it myself and managed not to be electrocuted.

Plus, starting to set up my office and getting Internet installed were also very good first steps. It’s amazing how much we’ve come to rely on having super speed Internet. You really miss it when you don’t have it for a couple days.

There are many other aspects (good and bad) of moving and home ownership I won’t get into now. Suffice it to say we are slowly getting back to normal.

Or, as normal as we get.

‘Great Gatsby’ VFX Before and After

great gatsby

Helping to continue our irregular series of visual effects articles is this new video from visual effects supervisor Chris Godfrey. According to Godfrey, he’s been allowed by director Baz Luhrmann to show this video highglighting the before and after visual effects of his most recent film The Great Gatsby.

This video serves to highlight, once again, what a crucial role visual effects play in modern motion picture production. In truth, it’s hard to imagine a movie made these days (especially a period piece) that didn’t have at least some visual effects shots in it.

With all that it does for filmmakers, let’s hope that the visual effects industry will begin to get the respect it deserves. That would be nice.

Meantime, as I’m a fan of this movie, the director and behind-the-scenes movie secrets in general, this video is pretty interesting to me.

I hope you find it that way as well.

[vimeo 68451324 w=560 h=315]