3D is the new buzzword. Although it's been around for a while. Anyway, last night I saw My Bloody Valentine 3D. It wasn't without it's charm, but it was a good waste of time. It followed the breadcrumbs left behind by past slasher films. The 3D murders were amazing even if they were a bit tacky. Every 20 minutes or so there were body parts or bullets flying out into the audience. The 3d looked great. It was pretty transparent to the film. And by that I mean, for the most part, the 3D aspect wasn't too intrusive. It served its purpose, and with the exceptions of the kills, it never felt gimmicky. But about 20 minutes into the movie there was, of course, a sex scene. It had bouncing boobs and jiggling asses. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I've seen either of T or A in 3D. Which brings me to my next question. Are 3D skin skin flicks on the horizon? Variety reports that Chinese director Stephen Shiu Jr. is planning on making a sequel to the 1991 movie Sex and Zen
. Really though, who's the audience for these movies? Will there be a XXX theater renaissance? Only time will tell. I'm still waiting for 3D video games...

According to the BBC Michael Jackson is set to "help develop a US stage musical based on the video to his hit song Thriller." The musical is to include music from both Thriller and Off the Wall. I don't know why but this reminds of the Simpson's spoof of Planet of the Apes gone Broadway.
Still, this looks like it'll be fun, especially with input from MJ.

This is what I do all day...I listen to podcast. What do I listen to? Here's my short list, but it's not without a bit of drama. (A few weeks ago UGO's parent corporation scooped up Ziff Davis media which left the future of some great podcast from 1up.com rather uncertain. The dissolution of the 1up's media network left a huge hole in my podcast lineup. It killed 1up yours, 1up show, 1up fm, and last but not least, retronauts. These were all excellent podcast.)

What I've Been listenin' to:

The Slash Filmcast This is a great podcast from the guys at slash film. It covers topics from the entertainment industry, specifically movies and television.

Rebel FM From Eat-Sleep-Game.com this is a fledgling podcast produced by ex-members of the 1up network. They're still trying to get it right, but hopefully they'll find they're footing.

The Giant Bombcast Post 1up yours, this is my principle gaming podcast. It'll have to do for now.

With the promise of a new flagship podcast from Garnett Lee, I guess I'll have to wait patiently and keep scouring the web for new podcast habits.

The push for 3D movies as the standard, may be happening sooner rather than latter. With movies like Beowulf and Bolt legitimately pushing the boundaries of what 3-Dimensional cinema can be, the world is ready to take this technology seriously. The Telegraph reports that Terra Firma owned Odeon will future proof 111 of its 200 theaters in the UK by making them 3D ready. So we might as well welcome this new wave of cinema tech, because it's coming anyway.

I was trying to express to my friend how cool the movie Mary and Max looked, even though I've yet to see a proper trailer. I don't know much about the movie other than what was listed in the Sundance Press Kit, but I'm impressed by visual direction and the seemingly mature content. The character design ain't to shabby either. From the kit:

MARY & MAX is a claymated feature film from the creators of the Academy Award winning short animation HARVIE KRUMPET. It is a simple tale of pen-friendship between two very different people; Mary Dinkle, a chubby lonely eight year old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max Horovitz, a 44 year old, severely obese, Jewish man with Aspergers Syndrome living in the chaos of New York. Spanning 20 years and 2 continents, Mary and Max's friendship survives much more than the average diet of life's ups and downs. Like Harvie Krumpet, MARY AND MAX is innocent but not naïve, as it takes us on a journey that explores friendship, autism, taxidermy, psychiatry, alcoholism, where babies come from, obesity, kleptomania, sexual difference, trust, copulating dogs, religious difference, agoraphobia and much much more.

It slated to open on April 9 2009. Also, be sure to check out its website to see the rest of the characters.

EDIT: I just found the trailer thanks to Slashfilm.

Need something to anger up the blood? Why not try a documentary dealing with a huge, if often unmentioned, social issue. Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy played the Sundance Film Festival and got a pretty decent write-up in Variety. I'm anxious to check it out, provided I ever get the chance. It has an all-star cast with the likes of Bill Cosby, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock. Variety basically calls this one kind of softball, but I'm sure it's more thought provoking than 99.9% of the stuff I'm going to see this year.

Maybe. The director of the forthcoming Gears of War movie expressed an interest in the 3D movie technology in an interview with BloodyDisgusting.com. Anyone who's played the "drop and pop" shooter would just how over the top the series has been, and the implementation of the 3D technology into the its celluloid incarnation, would come as no surprise. I, for one, am a huge proponent of the 3D experience at the theater. It gives the entertainment business some leverage to make profit, and it also provides a more unique experience for movie goers who might otherwise stay home and watch a movie.

If you were as big of a fan of the 1up Show as I was, then this is for you. A new video podcast, if you will(it's on Google), about video games. It's called Co-Op and is being produced by former members of 1up.com, who now call themselves Area 5. Anyway, I'm a big fan of podcasts in general so this is just icing on the cake.

Thanks to Adam Quigley at Always Watching for pointing out how cool the Spanish version of The Spirit poster is. Oddly enough, This doesn't make me want to see the movie though.

Jon Podesta and President Barrack Obama have issued their support for a proposal to change the date that NTSC signals will be stopped. This transition to ATSC broadcasts has been a long time in the making but I cant imagine pushing the dated from February 17th to June 12th is going to make that big of a difference and neither does CES Chief Gary Shapiro. In a letter he wrote to President Obama he outlined 5 specific alternatives to pushing the date back:

1. A fix of the accounting issues such as the anti-deficiency rules that are preventing NTIA from sending out coupons despite available funding. Only 19 million of the 33.5 million available coupons have been redeemed.
2. Examine total funding for the coupon program and explore any need for additional funding, for example, to send coupons out via first class mail to eliminate three week delivery delays.
3. Elimination of the 90-day expiration date on coupons, which would put more coupons into use.
4. Explore additional funding for government call centers and funding to local grassroots groups to answer questions about the DTV transition.
5. Should the government determine that the supply of converter boxes will not meet demand, examine permitting use of converter box coupons to purchase access to digital television either through pay service (cable, satellite or fiber) or credit toward purchase of a limited feature or low cost digital television.

Personally, I don't think things are quite ready yet. Some signals still seem weak and public awareness isn't total yet. But, I also don't think a delay of a few weeks is going to make a tremendous difference. Keep the transition date and push for better quality signals. I can barely even get PBS in my bedroom.

The 81st annual Oscar nominees were announced early this morning. Were there any shocks? A few. The Dark Knight only got 8 nods. Kind of surprising depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on. I'm still surprised that Heath Ledger got the supporting actor nod. But the biggest shock to me is that Benjamin Button got 13 nominations. Benjamin Button? Really? I saw another movie that was a much better depiction of the nuances of aging, and told a much better story,in my opinion, it was called Synecdoche, New York. It, however, was not nominated for A N Y T H I N G. I am really pleased that both Man on Wire and Encounters at the End of the World were both nominated; Both are spectacular. I've to catch up a little in the next 31 days. I've only seen 2 of the movies in the best picture category!

P.S. I wasn't at all surprised at the wrestler not being nominated for best picture.

Last year was the year we needed to escape. The reality of a broken-down economy and uncertain times, had us flocking in droves (movie sales were up 2% from 2007), to the local movie house where we payed big bucks to be distracted, saddened, overjoyed and mystified (and of course, stuffed with popcorn [after all, what's a post about flicks without a nod to corn]). There was a crystal skull, a million-dollar game show and group of anarchist clowns. And we loved it. So instead of doing a traditional top 10 list of my favorite movies from the year that was 2008, I've instead decided to compile a list to celebrate the movies that I've seen and been extremely excited by. I've seen a lot by some standards and too few by others, and all the while I've managed to retain a sense of wonderment and bewilderment. And yes, I'm sure my regimentation will fall along the lines of other top ten lists, but never mind that, these are movies that moved me, reaffirmed my faith in the moving picture narrative as a viable art form well and provided a bit of happiness in an unhappy world. By the way, I'm not going to go in spoiler territory, or even give a synopsis of each film, I'm simply going to state some of my impressions about each movie, after all I wouldn't want to ruin it for you.

Synecdoche, New York

"Every one is disappointing, the more you know someone" Knowing that you don't know is the most essential step to knowing, you know? The past is not static, it's always changing. Of course there is uncertainty about the future but what about the now? This movie doesn't make any sense, and that's what made it so enjoyable to me. Aside from it's aphoristic tendencies and it's mnemonic ciphers, it remains a touching small scale (pardon the pun) story. It's a story about aging and how the past is strictly conceptual now and therefore ever changing. Go see it. Then come back to it. Or don't. Because the movie can be so nebulous and incoherent times, it will constantly be shifting in your memory. But doesn't everything?

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Bole not only introduced a new word into the vocab of the west, he introduced us to Mumbai with this beautiful film. This is a great feel good (sometimes bad) movie gushing with candy-coated mantras about destiny and love, which I suspect, for many people, will be a turn-off. It looks beautiful, sounds beautiful and feels beautiful. Did I mention how beautiful it is? It even winks its proverbial eye at traditional Bollywood flicks. So stick with it, and maybe, by the end, even you may start to believe that love truly does conquer all.

Man on Wire

This movie is ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING
in a low-key kind of way. This movie is sincere, minimal at times and eccentric by the very nature of its subject. It's magic. It's gray against blue with a tiny line in between. It's visually poetic. And the music is superb. This movie amazed me and it wasn't because of the extraordinary feats performed, and they were extraordinary, it was because I realized someone else still believes in the incantatory.

Låt den rätte komma in

Can you recall the satisfaction obtained from crunching through the fresh layer of snowfall on brisk night? Or what it was like to meet someone new? Remember how it was to have a crush on someone before you even knew what that meant? If not, this movie will remind you, if only temporarily. Poor little Eli probably can't remember these things. She's forgotten how. But she meets Oscar, and begins to relearn. As do we. This movie is about abandonment, loyalty and the melancholy promise of a sustained childhood friendship. It can't last. Inevitably we change. This is a cold movie with a somber undercurrent about a warm friendship, and of course...a vampire. You know, when I heard this was going to be remade for American audiences I couldn't help but chuckle and think, hasn't this already been done? And then I thought, why remake it? It's perfect the way it is.

Encounters at the End of the World

If Planet Earth is the Citizen Kane of documentaries then Encounters at the End of the World is the Bicycle Thief. It's boring, but that's a good thing, why should exciting get all the limelight anyway? Sometimes things need to be slow and surgically sterile, after all, that's just as vibrant of a sensation as any. That's not really fair though. This film isn't really boring, it's just reserved and/or polite. Unlike most movies, it's not an assault on our senses. In other words: It's not Bad Ass dude! But really it is.
So there you have it, five fantastic 2008 flicks that caused my heart to swell.

In his article for the New Yorker, The Grammar of Fun: CliffyB and the world of the video game, Tom Bissell presents an extremely well thought out insight into the world of the hipster Cliffster (That's the Gears of war 2 director Cliff Blesinski for the rest of us). It's an exceptional article, you should read it. What was really amazing to me, was the tremendous care and sensibility Bissel extends to the video game genre with his essay, all the while retaining the enthusiasm of most blog site journalist. Hopefully, this kind of writing will continue to appear around the video game sector as video game culture slowly disseminates to the rest of the world. We need it. But you don't have to take my word for it...

The Grammar of Fun: CliffyB and the world of the video game

These days the thought of going to the local megaplex can indeed be perplexing. So the other day I decided to bypass the crowds occupying those vacuous movie halls and take an unscheduled trip to my local cinematheque. Here I was met with surly hello and a less-than-enthusiastic "What movie," but this was okay. In fact, it was excellent or at least better than the standard assembly line antics of the big theater queue. I felt a little inspired, as if the ticket man's performance was custom tailored. I proceeded to purchase refreshments, a medium popcorn and a small cherry coke. The man behind the counter (coincidentally also the owner) hurried me off to my theater (there are only two). I sat down about five rows from the back to prevent neck sprain, and anxiously awaited my movie. The name of the movie doesn't matter; frankly, I could have seen just about anything and I still would've had a good time. No, this trip to the theater was a chance for me to enjoy the whole experience of "going to the movies." This place had an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm to it. And yes, by charm, I mean the dusty drapery, the pieced-together carpeting, the loud projector etc. When the projectionist, also the owner, turned on the projector I noticed the image was off, half way off the screen by my estimate. But this was fine; through natural processes the problem was solved. About three minutes into the movie, one of the four other patrons in the theater finally decided to go tell the projectionist about the framing issue. Seconds later the image bounced and bobbled around the screen before ultimately landing in a spot that roughly fit on the screen. I imagined it was agreeable to all since no one complained. The flicker and pitter-patter of the projector was oddly comforting. It was a pretty quiet crowd, an older couple, a couple of loners and me. One of the other patrons did get up to use the restroom once, which is located inside the theater. How cool is that? Towards the end of the movie I noticed my soda was running out so I refilled-50 cents. As I left the theater I felt satisfied, as if I'd accomplished something by acknowledging the values embodied within the small local theater instead of bypassing them. Movies are an experience, albeit a rather passive one, but going to the movies is an experience too. There's excitement to be had. Be amazed!

First things first: I have not played Braid. I look forward to playing it soon. That being said...
On the drive to work today I was station surfing, because there is never anything good on, when I came across an NPR segment written by Heather Chaplin titled "Xbox's 'Braid' A Surprise Hit, For Surprising Reasons." I immediately thought two things: why was a video game getting media attention for anything other than violence and/or record breaking sales? And, damn I want to play Braid. So I listened. It was the usual outside perspective on video games with sound bites like, "Braid feels like a game that a grown-up can play" and "Blow [game designer] has violated one of the cardinal rules of game-making: that games have to be fun." I don't know if it was the apparent lack of respect to the video game medium as an art form, or the fact that NPR had decided to champion this game as one of the only sophisticated "grown-up" games that angered me the most. NPR, of course, was apt to point out how different this game is than others by comparing it to blood-busters like Gears of War and Halo 3. But here's the thing: Why is our definition of what can be considered an art-form in the video game medium so narrow? Apparently, a game has to be a philosophical journey to the abyss of sadness and self reflection to be labeled with the A-Bomb(you know what I mean). I guess I'm just a bit disappointed that the medium has failed to garner any serious critical praise or stricture for its content and/or sophistication. Whether it's blood-and-guts or spaceships-and-asteroids, games, like their entertainment counterparts i.e. movies, have content too. And it's about time we break out that toolbox (or maybe a different one) and start critiquing that content with the same analytical composure that we apply to other mediums. It's only fair.
NPR Article