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The Year's Best Performers Star in 11 Very Short Films

Directed by Janusz Kaminski, cinematographer of many films such as Artificial Intelligence, Saving Private Ryan, and many other Spielberg films.

Slowed Down Cricket Sounds Like People Singing

Composer Jim Wilson has recorded the sound of crickets and slowed them down significantly.  The results are surprising to say the least.

Celebrities Read Mean Tweets 5

Jimmy Kimmel has released the 5th part of the series, Celebrities Read Mean Tweets.

How to Fight A Baby

If babies seem very threatening to you, Gavin McInnes has some tips on how to fight them.

Seth Rogen and James Franco parody Kanye West's Bound 2 Music Video

Earlier this month Kanye released his music video with Kim Kardashian.  Check out Franco and Seth Rogen attempting to rekindle the same sexual fire.

Here is a side by side comparison video:

Two Old Men Recreate A Teenage Youtube Online Bicker

Two teenage fan girls fight over who is gay in One Direction reenacted by two old sports.

Nymphomaniac Red Band Trailer

Lars Von Trier's borderline pornographic two part film finally gets an official trailer.  Obviously very not safe for work.

Nymphomaniac Official Trailer from Zentropa on Vimeo.

Brotherhood of Boys Stick Up for 6 Year Old Boy with a Speech Impediment

Danny is a waterboy for the 5th grade football team.  He was teased by some kids about the way he dressed and talked so the boys in the football team decided to stand up for him.

Movie Review - The American (2010)

A veteran assassin retreats to a small town in Italy after being hunted in Sweden on his last assignment.  An expert at machinery and modifying firearms, Jack (George Clooney) is hired to build a weapon for another client.  Paranoid and only confiding in himself, Jack approaches a crossroads.  He must decide between his skills in trade or his heart.

The American is a taut, minimalist thriller reminiscent of Le Samourai (1967).  The life of an assassin is a lonely one, filled with personal rules to survive through the line of work.  Much like the technical thought in building his customized weapon, the film itself is stripped down to a stark realism, and the soundtrack is mostly filled with a large void of ambient noise and silence.

This might be surprising to some, but The American's plot structure and themes are extremely similar to the much more popular Drive.  Released almost exactly a year before Drive (both had a September opening), The American follows a similar lonesome working professional who finds love.  Observe the pictures below for one example.  Note how both Clooney's "Jack" and Gosling's "Driver" rely on the bare minimum to live.  A table, his tools and craft are all he needs to get him through the day.  Both movies contain minimal dialogue, and what is spoken is pretty much straight to the point.

Jack working on his craft in The American

The Driver working on his craft in Drive

There are some differences in the main characters.  Jack is more about constant suspicion to survive the risks in his profession, whereas the Driver has more loyalty to those around him despite their untrustworthy character.  Both main characters commit acts of violence, but the Driver's are more grisly and one of Jack's isn't justifiable.  Drive is treated with a romantic glossiness, blaring catchy 80s inspired music and staging beautiful dramatic slow motion set pieces.  The American has a colder approach, with realistic short action sequences, more brooding and visualized nuance.  Most would prefer Drive, which in its own respect is a solid film, but watching The American is at the very least a comparable piece that differs in presentation and approach.

The American is available for stream on Netflix

Rated R for violence, sexual content and nudity

Alfonso Cuaron's Son Directs Short Film Linked to Gravity

If you haven't seen Gravity yet, there is a scene where Sandra Bullock's character calls for help.  She finally notices that she isn't calling a space station, but a random Earth dweller.  Have look at this interesting spin off titled Aningaaq by the co-writer of Gravity, Jonas Cuaron.

Pig Drumming 101

Watch this simple tutorial on how the drum a pig.

Muppets Most Wanted UK Trailer

The Muppets are at it again in this sequel where Kermit is framed by an evil imposter.

Channing Tatum parodies Jean Claude's Volvo Commercial

A few days ago Jean Claude Van Damme did the splits between two Volvo semis.  Today Channing Tatum, on the set of 22 Jump Street, takes it to the next level.

Hayao Miyazaki's last film gets an Exclusive Western Trailer

Earlier this year Hayao Miyazaki announced that he is retiring for good after creating an amazing canon of animated films.  Here is the trailer for The Wind Rises, which is about the creator of the Japanese fighter planes used in World Warr II.

Neneh Cherry - Blank Project

Swedish pop singer Neneh Cherry will be releasing her first solo album in 16 years.  Titled Blank Project, the LP will consist of an appearance of Robyn and tracks produced by Four Tet.  Listen to her title track below.  Blank Project releases February 25.

The Alternate Ending to Breaking Bad

Check out this interesting video clip on how Breaking Bad could have ended.

Jean Claudes Still Got It

Jean Claude Van Damme does one of his old action movie tricks for this Volvo commercial.

Move Review - Frances Ha (2012)

Frances Haliday (Greta Gerwig) is an aspiring dancer in her late twenties in New York.  She spends her time constantly attempting to make a touring dance team only to be cut short.  Her best friend and longtime roommate Sophie decides to move out to a nicer apartment.  Frances is forced to move from place to place, barely scraping by and always late on rent money.  All of her friends seem to be going places with their careers, connections, and romances while she pursues the one thing she is passionate about.

Directed and co-written by Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha is a joy and pleasure to watch.  Greta Gerwig (who also co-wrote the screenplay) delivers a great performance, filled with awkwardness, comedy, and authenticity.  She recently wrote her experience filming a scene which shot for two hours straight for 28 seconds of footage in the New York Times.  

"In 50 days of shooting, we averaged around 35 takes per scene. Most independent films shoot in 25 days with, at most, 10 takes per scene."

Shot in black and white, the format and the subject matter are an homage to French New Wave Cinema, known for its exploration of modern social matters instead of period pieces in the 1950s to 1960s.  The colorless stock also highlights the textures of each setting.  It is almost as if the complexion of the film itself speaks on the many rough patches Frances has to work herself through, emotionally with her friends and physically with the constant relocation of her living space.

There is beauty in the struggle, and Frances constantly searches for it.  She holds on tight to her dreams even though she doesn't know how to get there, much like many twenty somethings today.  Her honest and outspoken aspirations are both admirable and endearing.  The destination is always the same, but the journey constantly changes.

Frances Ha is available for stream on Netflix

Rated R for sexual references and language

Blood Orange music video for "Time Will Tell"

Sporting all white and an 80s dance, "Time Will Tell" is the last track on Blood Orange's album Cupid Deluxe.

"The song itself was recorded live in a one take that lasted about 15 minutes I ad-libbed the vocals recalling lyrics from songs of mine and a song by Adam Bainbridge (which he was unaware i was going to do). Adam was on the drum machine, Blue May on guitar, Sam Beste on piano, & Tawiah on backing vocals. I then took some of my vocals from towards the end and overlaid it as a backing vocal."

Darren Aronofsky's Noah releases official trailer

Russel Crowe as Noah headlines an star studded cast of Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins and Ray Winstone in Darren Aronofsky's Noah.  The movie hits theaters March 28, 2014.

Stream Death Grips new Album Government Plates

Industrial Hip Hop group Death Grips has released their full album Government Plates for stream and download.  You can stream below or download.

Uniquely Animated Commercial Captures Christmas Spirit

John Lewis "The Bear and the Hare" segment evokes a tangible quality of life.  Most of that reason is because it was created with traditional 2D animation along with real physical miniature sets.  Watch the video below, with the making of under it.

Yahoo! Parodies ESPN's 30 for 30

ESPN's documentary series 30 for 30 covers a wide range of athletes and moments in sports history.  Yahoo has created a bit that parodies as if Space Jam, the animated movie, really happened.

Interactive Talking Food

Dave Besnier, a professional flash animator from France has created a playful interactive collection of talking donuts, muffins, and other eating paraphernalia.  There are numerous movie/television references including Lost in Translation, Die Hard, Snatch, My Neighbor Totoro, and Breaking Bad.  There are video games sounds from Mario Bros. and Earthworm Jim.  Also take note of music references: Queen, Flight of the Concords, and much more.  Even though the majority of it is in a foreign language, the animation itself is still entertaining to watch.

Find all the references now!

Sasha Baron Cohen Kills Award Presenter

So this is what Sasha Baron Cohen was doing last night...

Mark Nixon's Photography of Vintage Stuffed Animals

Mark Nixon is a professional award winning photographer who created a series Much Loved Bears.  The series can be fully experienced in his book, with the owners' personal stories behind the wear and tear.

“When you see these teddy bears and bunnies with missing noses and undone stuffing, you can’t help but think back to childhood and its earliest companions who asked for nothing and gave a lot back.”

Beary Age 6

Belongs to Tom O' Connor Jr.

Pierre Age 9

Belongs to Charlotte Mcdonnell

Flopsie Age 6

Belongs to Lua Spencer

Pink Teddy Age 24

Belongs to Aisling Hurley

Teddy Tingley Age 45

Belongs to Nicky Griffin

Bunny Age 9

Belongs to Ben Bracken

Bobo Age 34

Belongs to Shane Maher

Stream Blood Orange's Cupid Deluxe Full Album

The sophomore effort of British singer, songwriter, and producer Dev Hynes (a.k.a. Blood Orange) is available for stream on Itunes for the United States and Youtube for everywhere else.  Cupid Deluxe releases on November 12.

Movie Review - The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

A young teenage emperor named Kuzco (David Spade) is on the verge of turning 18.  On his birthday, he plans on building a summer house on an occupied hill in his kingdom.  He notifies Pacha (John Goodman), a llama herder, that his home will be demolished for this vacation dwelling to be built.  Yzma, the emperor's newly fired administrator turns Kuzco into a llama to usurp the throne, and the only one left to help him is Pacha.  

The Emperor's New Groove is one of the more lighthearted Disney features that never takes itself seriously throughout.  There is a self awareness this time, and there aren't any montage sequences with musical numbers or beautiful princesses.  We all know there will be a happy ending, but the journey there is a pleasant one, filled with funny gags and humor.  

The best thing about this animated feature is that it pushes the extremes on what a goofy cartoon should be.  Absurdity layers upon more ridiculous situations with spells, magic, and eccentric characters.  This film is definitely a casual watch, reminiscent of Looney Tunes humor.  The Emperor's New Groove is a lot of funny slapstick with a small helping of basic lessons about selfishness on the side.

The Emperor's New Groove is available for streaming on Netflix.

Rated G

The Impressive Wire Work of Seung Mo Park

Seung Mo Park is a Korean artist living in Brooklyn.  He has constructed sculptures out of aluminum metal wiring.  These images are part of his Object series.