Sunday Old School With ‘Jason and the Argonauts’

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Chris

jason-and-the-argonauts-battling-skeleton-warriors

Today is Sunday. Check the calendar if you don’t believe me. Okay? We good? Maybe take a guy’s word for it next time, huh?

Anyway, as I often do on Sundays (at least until Project M “officially” begins), I’m watching old movies. Although, the one today isn’t that old.

It’s 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts featuring the amazing stop-motion work of the master Ray Harryhausen. If you’ve never seen it, it is definitely worth watching. . . for many reasons.

Not the least of which is this pretty awesome skeleton fight that blew me away when I first saw this movie as a kid. No, not when it came out. Later, on TV.

In fact, I think the first time was a Sunday much like this one on the old Channel 13 in LA. I miss that channel, they had some great stuff.

Here’s the skeleton fight, just so you can get a taste of what I’m talking about.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_Fi7x93PY?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

Posted in Geek, Movies, Personal | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Your Caffeine Intake Levels

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Chris

caffeine-intake-levels

As you might have guessed, I like coffee. In fact, some would say, I’m slightly obsessed about it. Truth be told, I don’t think I’m alone in that. I think lots of others like coffee as much, or more, than I do.

So, in the spirit of helping out my fellow coffee fans, here’s a handy little graphic that helps illustrate just how much caffeine you’re getting from various kinds of beverages.

I hope this helps.

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‘Walking Dead’ Season 3 Visual Effects

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Chris

Walking Dead

Continuing our trend of highlighting visual effects work, here’s a reel from Stargate Studios showcasing their work on The Walking Dead season 3. In addition to all the great zombie kills, pay particular attention to what they did with the prison. And they did it all with Adobe After Effects. Huh.

Great stuff.

[vimeo 63430867 w=525 h=295]

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Building a T-Rex

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Chris

Jurassic-Park-T-Rex-Eye

I had the privilege of knowing effects guru Stan Winston a little, having met him originally though a mutual friend. In fact, I visited his studio during the time he was working on the first Jurassic Park movie.

I was amazed at what I saw and when the movie eventually came out, I was even more amazed at how it all came together combining Stan’s animatronics with Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett and Michael Lantieri’s work (among many others). It changed the way movies were made forever.

In short, he was pretty much a genius.

So, many years later, it’s fun to see these videos put out by the Stan Winston School shot during the time he was working on the movie. Things sure have come a long way in the visual effects world, but at the time, this was the pinnacle of technology and very cutting-edge stuff.

I think it still looks pretty damn good. Enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SK1qTnhHzI?list=UU1rKAv7IwCeynqa9MPNfYaA&w=525&h=295]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoswY2-1AbM?list=UU1rKAv7IwCeynqa9MPNfYaA&w=525&h=295]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtJVh3nUyU?list=UU1rKAv7IwCeynqa9MPNfYaA&w=525&h=295]

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All Six ‘Star Wars’ Movies at the Same Time

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Chris

star-wars-movies-all

Yep, you read that right. Someone went to the trouble to put all six Star Wars movies together in the same screen and run them at the same time. To be honest, I don’t know if I love this or hate it. Maybe a bit of both.

I do know I’ve got a headache from watching it. Enjoy and you’re welcome.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOLqGxuvf08?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

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The 70’s Were Awesome

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Chris

JesusChristSuperstar Ted Neeley

Because it’s Easter weekend (and I had had a few drinks), H and I watched Jesus Christ Superstar last night with some friends at a BBQ where we had earlier in the evening eaten a lot of steak. The irony was not lost on us.

Based on the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, JCS tells the story of Jesus’ rise, fall and rise again through song and dance. If you’ve never seen JCS, the video below will give you an idea of what it’s like.

It’s not my favorite musical (or my favorite ALW/TR collaboration), but it’s still pretty fun. It’s also directed by the guy who directed Rollerball (the original), so that’s pretty cool.

Enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3mFBh2z9sc?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

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How to Teach Your Unborn Child About ‘Star Trek’

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Chris

star-trek-enterprise

Geeks/nerds out there expecting a child in the near future, this video is for you: How to Teach Your Unborn Child About Star Trek. That’s right, it’s never too early to start teaching your child the important fundamentals.

Well, you might want to wait until they actually have ears and can hear (about 20 weeks or so). But then, get to it.

If I ever have children (hey, you never know), in addition to Star Trek, I will also be teaching them about Star Wars during the all-important internal gestation period. This will, of course, inevitably lead to many enjoyable Star Trek vs. Star Wars debates.

That does sound like fun. I may have to work on that.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPt9vVYd-oE?rel=0]

(h/t to Dr. Tom Mahoney for the link)

Posted in baby, Movies, Parenting, Personal, Star Trek, Star Wars, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

And Now, a Very Special Episode of ‘Downton Zombey’

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Chris

downton-zombey

This amused me quite a bit. Of course, it helps if you watch Downton Abbey… And love zombies.

Fortunately, I do. I guess I should also mention that if you do watch Downton Abbey but haven’t seen this season’s finale, you may actually get some spoilers in this. So, beware and enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p540lbdF70?rel=0&w=525&h=394]

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A ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ Trailer. . . Made With LEGO

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Chris

LEGO-Kirk-1

If you recall a couple weeks ago, I posted the trailer for Man of Steel made with LEGO. Well, Antonio Toscano is back and he’s got a new trailer.

This time it’s for Star Trek: Into Darkness and yes, it’s also made entirely out of LEGO. I think this is great. You probably will too.

Enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7JGT0yxxMw?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

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Google Glass Meets Beer Glass

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Chris

saint-patricks-day-beer

In honor of St. Patrick’s day (on Sunday, you drunks), some enterprising folks thought about what it would be like to use Google’s Glasses during the holiday. Naturally, they made a video. You can see that below.

In other news, I made another step towards responsible adulthood today. There was a lot of paperwork, phone calls and, unfortunately, some harsh language. But in the end, it all worked out and basically boiled down to writing a big check.

To be honest, it was the biggest one I’ve ever written. And yes, it hurt. . . But only a little.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to one and all. Yes, I think I’ll have a beer. I know I’ve earned it today.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GAd1QDcutc?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

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