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A ‘Blade Runner’ Speedrun for a Sunday

Posted on July 14, 2013

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

Posted on July 12, 2013

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

Posted on July 11, 2013

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’

Posted on July 10, 2013

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

Posted on July 8, 2013

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’

Posted on July 6, 2013

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

Posted on July 2, 2013

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

Posted on June 28, 2013

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]

These Japanese Posters for ‘The Wolverine’ Are Very Cool

Posted on June 26, 2013

In the old days (before the Internet) movie posters were considered a big part of how to market a movie and get people interested in seeing it. Back then, studios also spent a lot more time and money (most of the time) designing said posters.

These days, movie posters mostly tend to look the same. Giant heads of the main actors and maybe an explosion or something. At least in this country. Fortunately, the movies are a global business and we often get some really great posters from elsewhere.

These posters for The Wolverine are a prime example. Check them out below.

Moving On (Again)

Posted on June 25, 2013

H and I are in the process of moving to our new house. If I have anything to say about it, this will be the last move we do for a long time. I don’t enjoy packing. This wish will be made possible, in large part, because the new house is much bigger than we really need so we can grow into it should “Project M” ever decide he needs a sibling, or whatever.

Although, chances of that happening are slim at best. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed not to happen. Besides, he’s got to start learning to live with disappointment and this is as good a time as any to start.

Of course, with the move and move-related activities this week, things are a bit hectic for me, as you might expect. As I mostly work at home these days and have a more “flexible” schedule than H does, many of the moving particulars have fallen to to me.

In truth, it’s not so much the actual move that’s taking a lot of time (although it does), it’s all the other things you need to do to a house before you can move into it and all the logistics involved.

Things like painting, installation of new appliances, transferring of TV and Internet providers, utilities and more take a lot of time. Plus, there’s a lot of other things involved when closing out one household and opening another while also maintaining a third during the process. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, I’m not complaining, just explaining.

All of this leads me to the conclusion that I won’t be writing here (or anywhere) much this week, unless, of course, I am. Also, it’s going to be next Monday before I get Internet in the new place. That’s just the way it goes.

But fear not, I’ll be back soon enough to torment you with tales of my exploits and all the other gems and tidbits you’ve come to expect from this site, and me. I won’t let you down.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, the pic above is the J-Pop group “Secret” from their album “Moving In Secret.” Yes, I realize it has no more than a tacit relationship with actual moving, but I thought it would be more interesting than a pic of sweaty dudes hauling boxes.

I hope you agree. And if you don’t, I’ll try to live with the disappointment.

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