Movie Review - Hugo (2011)

Hugo exists not only to entertain, but hopefully to inspire a child's imagination and wonder about the history of film.

It's A Christmas Photoship Miracle

Observe the power to digitally enhance beauty with a dash of holiday spirit.

Funny Beans

Animated short with great visuals, action, and a little comedy.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Flash Halloween Sale


Get it discounted while you can!  Store wide sale starts now until midnight November 1.

Trailer for Labor Day


Adapted from Joyce Maynard novel and directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno), Labor Day stars Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet.  The movie releases January 31.





Mogwai - Remurdered


Scottish post-rock band Mogwai has a new song out.  Their new album, Rave Tapes, drops January 21.




Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Second Trailer for Martin Scorsese's The Wolf on Wall Street


The Wolf on Wall Street's release has been moved from the original November 15 release to Christmas Day.  The biopic is based off of real life stockbroker Jordan Belfort's memoir.





Stream The Kronos Quartet's Full Album Aheym


Best known for their recordings of the soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream, Heat, and The Fountain, the Kronos Quartet's new album Aheym means "homeward" in Yiddish.  The music, composed by Bryce Dessner (from the band The National), is pulsating with energy and vibrance.  

Full album stream and more information here.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

First trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past


Bryan Singer, the director of X-Men and X-2 has returned to bring us X-Men: Days of Future Past.  Patrick Stewart and Iam McKellen return to play Professor X and Magneto in future form.



Trailer for Michel Gondry's Is the Man Who is Tall Happy


Michel Gondry filmed his conversation with linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky.  Out of this recording he animated the ideas and thoughts expressed.  Have a look at the trailer below.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Stream Cut Copy's Full Album Free Your Mind


Free Your Mind doesn't officially release until November 5, but Cut Copy has decided to make the entire album available for stream.  Frontman Dan Whitford described the theme of the album:

"The concept of freedom is one that's universally positive and timeless, and whatever each person's version of that freedom is, it's a good thing to be reminding people or even just ourselves to be 'free.'"

Listen below.





Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Sequel to "Going to the Store"


David Lewandowski is a director and animation artist based in Los Angeles.  He created the very popular and hilarious video "Going to the Store".  Here is the sequel, "Late for Meeting".






Saturday, October 26, 2013

Dogs Shaking in Slow Motion




Carli Davidson has assembled a photography book dedicated to capturing dogs shaking off water.  The results are funny and surreal.  Check out the slow motion video below created by Variable







Banksy unveils Grim Reaper


Somewhere in the Bowery in New York is a Grim Reaper riding a bumper cart.  More work from Banksy's New York visit here.




Friday, October 25, 2013

Movie Review - The Kids are All Right (2010)

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and her younger brother Laser are approaching their late teen years.  Joni, a senior, has just turned eighteen and Laser asks her for a favor.  He wants her to request a meeting with their biological father because she is of legal age to ask.  These siblings were conceived via artificial insemination to two mothers, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening).  Even though Joni isn't interested in meeting him, she contacts the sperm donor for her brother.


Joni and Laser finally arrange a meeting with Paul, their biological father (Mark Ruffalo).  A mutual affinity develops between them, and Paul's introduction into the family's life starts to complicate paternal roles.  Nic, the breadwinner of the family starts to feel threatened and undermined by Paul's presence.  She starts to feel at a loss of control in influence and stature as Paul grows closer to the kids.  According to her, Paul has no right to causally integrate himself into their family without all the effort and years she and Jules have put in.


Co-written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right is presented naturally with dynamic characters.  Much like real life, the issues and problems presented aren't easily fixed, and there are always flaws to improve and people to forgive.  This film presents the question of what truly defines a family: the ones with closest blood relations or the ones who raised you?  


Like the teenagers and adults surrounding them, this movie also encompasses the underlying theme of what it means to mature: Joni is about to transition out of the nest and into college, Laser is learning about what a true friend is, Nic is attempting to provide for the household without neglecting it, Jules feels disregarded at times by Nic, and Paul is just starting to experience the need for others to care for after living a single life.  No matter what experiences they may have behind them, no one has it figured out, and everyone has something new to learn about life and relationships.


The Kids Are All Right is available for stream on Netflix

Rated R strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use





Thursday, October 24, 2013

Arcade Fire - Reflektor Album Full Stream


Reflektor will be available for purchase Oct. 29.  Listen to the full album below.


Tracklist (Jumps to Youtube Page):

0:00:00 Reflektor
0:07:34 We Exist
0:13:17 Flashbulb Eyes
0:16:00 Here Comes the Night Time 
0:22:30 Normal Person
0:26:53 You Already Know
0:30:51 Joan of Arc
0:46:22 Here Comes the Night Time II
0:49:07 Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)
0:55:23 It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus)
1:02:02 Porno
1:08:05 Afterlife
1:14:02 Supersymmetry






Trailer Leaks for Darren Aronofsky's Noah


Someone has camera captured the trailer for Noah, the well known Biblical tale directed by Darren Aronofsky.  There has also been recent news that the director is fighting the production company Paramount for the final cut after some unfavorable test screenings.  View the trailer on Gawker.





Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Childish Gambino - 3005


Another new song from Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino.  His new album Because the Internet drops this winter.









Experience a BMX Flip over a 72 Foot Canyon


Kelly McGarry has a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet.  See and hear what it feels like to do a pro BMX trick run.


...and the view from the onlookers:

















Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Arcade Fire - Afterlife Lyric Video


Arcade Fire has arranged it's new single "Afterlife" with visuals of the 1959 film Black Orpheus.  Their new album, Reflektor, drops October 28.




Cut Copy - We Are Explorers


Cut Copy's new album Free Your Mind comes out November 5.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Music Video for Azealia Banks - ATM Jam


Azealia Banks has a new music video for her single ATM Jam featuring Pharrell.  Her debut album, Broke with Expensive Taste has a planned January 2014 release.  She is apparently almost finished with her second album Fantasea II.






The Paintings and Performance Art of OLIVIER DE SAGAZAN





"For more than 20 years, Olivier de Sagazan has developed a hybrid practice that integrates painting, photography, sculpture, and performance. In his existential performative series Transfiguration, which he began in 2001, de Sagazan builds layers of clay and paint onto his own face and body to transform, disfigure and take apart his own figure, revealing an animalistic human who is seeking to break away from the physical world."

Oliver de Sagazan's performance art is reminiscent of a Francis Bacon painting in motion.  Probably most well known for performing Transfiguration in the film Samsara, Oliver's live work is a captivating watch.








28 Years of Global Timelapse Footage


"We believe this is the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public."

-Google

This map has satellite timelapse footage from 1984 to 2012, showing the impact humanity has had on Earth for the past 28 years.  The interactive map can be found on the bottom of this webpage.  Some examples below.




Sunday, October 20, 2013

Photographer Takes Street Photography of Grand Theft Auto V

Location: Marathon Avenue, Los Santos

Photographer Fernando Pereira Gomes from São Paulo, Brazil has used the video game medium to create seemingly natural street photos.  The fact that the game changes lighting for time of day as well as the types of people who frequent certain streets and areas almost makes each capture feel alive and real.  More Grand Theft Auto 5 street photography here.  

Location: Dorset Drive, Los Santos

  Location: La Puerta Freeway, Los Santos

  Location: Palomino Avenue, Los Santos

 Location: Alhambra Drive, Sandy Shores 

  Location: Nikola Avenue, Los Santos

 Location: Integrity Way, Los Santos

 Location: Rockford Hills, Los Santos









Saturday, October 19, 2013

Issues of Owning the Building Banksy Painted


Banksy has been making a run on New York this past month.  The London based graffiti artist has shown animal puppets in a truck, Ronald McDonald getting his shoe shined, and sold artwork at discount bargain price on the street.  With this piece, an owner opens up about the reactions of society on their property after it was painted on.  


Another tagger was assaulted by onlookers as he attempted to deface the artwork.  He was apprehended by them as he was fleeing the scene.  Even when Banksy isn't making a statement about how branding and celebrity status adds perceptional value to artwork, this ironic situation demonstrates the same point.





The piece was later restored with the use of rubbing alcohol.  Later that night, the piece was covered to prevent further "vandalism".




Friday, October 18, 2013

Movie Review - The Crow (1994)


Eric Draven and his newlywed wife Shelly are brutally murdered in their apartment.  Eric was the first to die, being stabbed, shot and thrown out the window.  Shelly was repeatedly raped and beaten by the four culprits, later dying in excruciating pain in the hospital.  This is not the end of a story, but the beginning.  The Crow is one of the rare comic book films made in the early 90s that holds true to the essence of its source material.


According to the film, a crow is responsible for carrying newly deceased souls from the land of the living to the afterlife.  Sometimes a person could die with so much anguish that the crow returns that spirit to its body to relieve its pain.  Eric Draven is resurrected with immortal power, returning for vengeance.  The wicked are hunted down one by one and executed in a somewhat sacrificial fashion.  


Based off of the popular comic book series by James O'Barr and directed by Alex Proyas, The Crow merges the Gothic with the mythical in a modern backdrop.  Even though the movie is set in Detroit, it is extremely stylized with black stone architecture under never ending rainfall.  The city seems like it is warped back to the middle ages, where crime has become the institution, and evil is commonplace.  Eric Draven comes back not only as a grim reaper, but to give some small measure of hope to the few good people left.  


There is a haunting pull of real darkness in this film.  This heavy feeling looms because of Brandon Lee's accidental death during filming.  There are scenes where body doubles were used to finish shooting, and as the plot progresses to the middle of the film, Draven's face is seen less and less, as if he is more of an apparition than flesh and blood.  There is something ominous about seeing shadows and silhouettes in place of a man that already ceased to exist.  The Crow is definitely not horror, but the menacing acts on screen and the tragic story behind the projected image sure create the atmosphere of one.


The Crow is available for stream on Netflix

Rated R for a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality