Posts Tagged ‘ Real ’
Last week I was treated to a tour of Warner Brothers facilities by some folks who work there, and one of the greatest thing I got to see was an exclusive look at Wonder Woman. I wasn’t able to say anything about the footage I saw until this very morning when Warners released the first official trailer for the 2017 action film. Check out the trailer below.
Will Smith will always be known as an acting juggernaut, more than capable of bringing in a crowd regardless of the film. Some of his ventures have been hit or miss (Winter’s Tale, Jersey Girl, Legend of Bagger Vance) but over all, he’s capable of playing incredibly memorable, and powerful characters, and ‘Concussion’ continues that tradition. Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered a connection between football injuries and brain damage in the early 2000’s, and was met with an incredible amount of resistance by both scientists and the NLF. From the opening scene of the film when Bennet Omalu lists off his academic accolades, the entire movie theater was impressed. And Will Smith does a great job filling the shoes of a brilliant doctor.
The most notable factor about the character of Dr. Omalu is his Nigerian accent. Accents haven’t been Will Smith’s strongest suit (After Earth for example), but even though his accent in ‘Concussion’ does waver in and out, it’s not enough to take you out of the film… (like in After Earth). Oddly enough the accents are one of the only weak points of the film. Alec Baldwin’s Dr. Julian Bailes has an odd wavering southern accent at certain parts of his sentences, and the rest seems like regular Baldwin. This however is NOT to discredit his incredible acting in the film. After 30 Rock, Baldwin can be hard to take seriously because of the show playing his dry, straight faced humor as his strongest card. ‘Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation’ is filled with seriously played lines from Baldwin that the audience took as a joke because it sounded like a 30 Rock line. ‘Concussion’ however jumps this hurdle, and Baldwin’s character Bailes comes across as a deeply conflicted, emotionally dignified character who belongs on screen next to Smith.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who was amazing in Under The Lights) plays Prema Mutiso, Omalu’s room mate/love interest. To her credit, she does very well with what she’s given, her acting is superb, and every motivational speech, or heart breaking moment she goes through feels real, and substantial. That being said, Prema is a nurse dating a doctor, and didn’t seem to lend much help to the medical plot points of the film. At certain points in the movie it was almost as if she was there simply to have things explained to her, so that the audience would understand. Case in point: when Will Smith demonstrates a brain in a skull by showing her a peach in a jar half filled with water, and shakes it around. (She’s a nurse, I’m fairly certain she knows how a concussion works.)
As for the film itself, there are a few more humorous moments than one would expect from a film with such serious subject matter. There are many deliberately awkward moments between Omalu and any of the other characters that serve as good humor, and the film balances this well with darker moments that even drew a few gasps from the crowd. ‘Concussion’ has a unique way of making its point using real NLF footage. Even from the opening monologue from “Iron Mike Webster” (played brilliantly by David Morse) the movie intercuts with highlight reels, and gives the film a much more visceral feel. There are even moments of police footage that are used to astonishing effect. Smith’s character even uses dialog to illustrate his point in graphic manor, describing men “being hit in the head with sledge hammers” or “pouring wet concrete down a sink” relative to choking a brain.
The overall writing in the film is also superb, and doesn’t seek to demonize the NLF, but simply demonstrate that certain individuals within its ranks would do whatever it took to keep the league unshakeable. There are lines like “You’re going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the WEEK… The same one that the Church used to own.” that demonstrate the gravity of Omalu’s plight. Omalu even has a few very stirring lines of his own, including the now famous trailer scene “When I was a boy, Heaven was here, and America was here [just below]” (which I’ve read was an actual quote from the real Dr. Omalu).
All in all, the film comes from a great true story about helping people, and not being afraid to speak the truth. The conclusion of the film may not be as satisfying as some movie-goers may want, however, it’s the way things work when it comes to real life. ‘Concussion is very well written, and treats its characters like real people. There is no general antagonist just counting money in the NLF offices doing evil things to keep people down, every character seems conflicted in their motivations, and has reason for feelings the way they feel. The doctors, and scientists especially, rely on facts and evidence before making decisions, and sometimes even state that although they may dislike Omalu, and his reasoning, or his motivations, they cannot deny the scientific evidence… which is the way REAL scientists behave.
The emotional moments in the film (especially a break down, beautifully acted by Will Smith) all have weight, and resonate with the audience. Some cast members shine brighter than others however. On the high scale, David Morse as Mike Webster was shockingly strong, and on the other hand Luke Wilson as the NLF commissioner was barely even in the film. ANY person with hair could have played that role. There are one or two scenes that may not fit into the film, like an awkward club scene that was just there to give Nina Sky some more royalties, but as a whole, ‘Concussion’ delivers as a heartwarming story of a person who will not stand for letting the truth be unheard. I definitely recommend it this christmas.
People have asked what it is about the ‘Back To The Future’ franchise that makes it one of the defining trilogies in pop culture history, and although everyones answer may vary, there’s no doubt that nearly anyone has seen one of the films. Back To The Future took movie theaters by storm in the 80’s, and continues to fascinate filmgoers of all ages to this day. The sequel ‘Back To The Future 2’, feature what has become more and more iconic as time has marched on… a trip to the far flung future of… TODAY.
The future portrayed in BTTF2 was quite spectacular, magical, and spell biding for its time, but how would Marty and the Doc feel if they came to the actual Oct. 21st, 2015?
Don’t be fooled, realistic as he is, he is not real.
” I like to use the human form as a way of exploring the nature of what we consider to be “real” and how we react when our visual perceptions of this reality are challenged. In our modern society we have become obsessed with our outward appearance, and now with modern technology we are able to alter this in almost anyway we desire. How does this outward change affect us and how we are perceived by others? ” – Jamie Salmon.
Jamie Salmon is a British born, Vancouver resident, contemporary sculptor. He specialises in photorealistic sculpture, utilizing materials such as silicone rubber, fibre glass, acrylic and human hair. The themes of Salmons works are varied.
In a world where movies consistently go over the top with stunts, and CG flipping cars, and visual effects gorillas, its nice to see film makers returning to practical action shots (Meaning everything on film was actually filmed, and not just faked by amazing visual effects artists). The next installment of the Mission Impossible franchise, looks to deliver a stunt more mind blowing than Tom Cruise hanging outside of the the largest building in the world (which was also real), being Top Cruise hanging off of a military aircraft as it takes flight. Not kidding, there are multiple photos of it being shot. 
Aside from this pretty awesome cherry on top of a great trailer, is the Lauren Hill, ‘Ready or Not’ remix that plays in the background. The song meshes perfectly with the dark and ominous tone of the 5th franchise film that depicts the IMF team against their more dangerous advisories yet. Check the method below, and I’m curious to see what people think of that plane scene.
Nicki recently teased her over 6 million followers with a short video from her upcoming music video Anaconda. The track itself is a re-working of Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s ‘Baby Got Back’, take a listen below.
The snippet Nicki put up on her Instagram account the other day, has been the subject of a massive response. There is no sett release date for the video as of yet, but many are waiting to see what the finished product will look like when it drops. Check the method below
Surreal photography is something that baffles the mind, and stimulates the imagination. It’s a rough style to pull off, and often requires quite a bit of photoshop manipulation. However, some, like Russia’s Katerina Plotnikova have taken to the practical approach. The animals, (yes all of them) in this photo collection are real. There’s no visual trickery, or compositing, Katerina invests the time to use real animals in all her shots, and it pays off tremendously. In an interview Ms. Plotnikova had this to say about working with the animals in her visually stunning work.
Of course they are real! The fox, for example, is a real domesticated animal. His name is Adyssey. He has a bit difficult temper, but he is very loved by his owner. All the animals that are in my photo shoots are treated really well. Sometimes, I even think that their owners treat them better than their own kids!
Dynamite Entertainment has announced a rather unique comic crossover today in the form of Django/Zorro, a comic continuation of the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained in which the hero will cross paths with “The Fox.” You can read the full press release on the announcement below.
The acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino comes to Dynamite for the first time with a sequel to his film Django Unchained, as Django meets the legendary Zorro! Known for his incredible films that are uniquely “Quentin”, such as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, Django/Zorro will stand-out from every comic book coming out this year. Django/Zorro is co-plotted by Quentin Tarantino and will be co-plotted and written by comic book legend by Matt Wagner (Mage, Grendel, The Shadow, Zorro). Reginald Hudlin, writer of the Eisner Award nominated Django Unchained screenplay adaptation and a producer of the Django Unchained film, will be working closely with Quentin and Matt as the editor of Django/Zorro! Stay tuned for information on Django/Zorro, set for release later this year from Dynamite Entertainment and DC Entertainment!
“I’m very very excited about both this story and the opportunity to work with Matt. It was reading his Zorro stories that convinced me what a good idea it was to join these two icons together. And the story idea we came up with is thrilling, and I think will be an exciting new chapter for both characters.” – Quentin Tarantino
“This project is an absolute thrill,” adds writer Matt Wagner! “When Quentin and I first met, it felt like we’d known each other for years. The give-and-take energy of our initial story sessions was just incredible! It’s a particular buzz to be writing Zorro once again…and especially to team him up with the magnetic lead character from Quentin’s most straight-up heroic movie, Django Unchained! The Wild West is never gonna be the same once these two come to town!”
“This series is the first time Quentin Tarantino explored the continuing adventures of one of the characters from his films,” states Django Producer Reggie Hudlin. “That he would do it in a comic book demonstrates his love and appreciation of the medium. Quentin is not just a comic collector – he’s got a spinner rack in his house!”
“First and foremost, this is a dream project to have both Quentin and Matt, both master storytellers, collaborate for the first time by bringing the scope of cinema to the comics medium,” says Dynamite CEO/Publisher Nick Barrucci. “I can’t express how happy I am to co-publish this series with DC Entertainment, and release what is sure to be THE Cross-Over event of the year.”
“We are excited to see that our Eisner-nominated Django Unchained movie adaptation has inspired Django’s appearance with Zorro and are pleased to be part of what is sure to be a highly-anticipated crossover event,” stated Hank Kanalz, Senior Vice President of Vertigo and Integrated Publishing, DC Entertainment.
“In previous adventures, Zorro’s rich history has teamed him up with the Shadow and with the Lone Ranger, as well as many other iconic characters,” said John Gertz, CEO of Zorro Productions, Inc., “But this will be his greatest meeting yet! Django and Zorro are the perfect team, and so are Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner. It is an honor for us to work with these two masters of their craft.”
“Matt has worked hand-in-hand with Quentin to put together a meeting the likes of which comics have never seen.” – Joseph Rybandt, Dynamite Senior Editor
“Django Unchained captures the same spirit as Zorro — namely, that the bad guys get what’s coming to them,” says Keith Davidsen, Marketing Manager of Dynamite Entertainment. “We’re a culture that has thrilled to, and thrived on, the swift and brutal justice of the vigilante. In the deft hands of mind-blowing filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and master storyteller Matt Wagner, the explosive comic book pairing of these two Western icons will surely satisfy that most guilty pleasure.”
Following yesterday’s teaser image, director Zack Snyder has given us not only a look at the Batmobile, but a first look at Batman (Ben Affleck) in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman! Check it out below and let us know what you think of the designs. Snyder’s tweet said: “I shot this with my @Leica_Camera M Monochrom. #Batman #Batmobile #Gotham”. And if the photo below is a little dark in contrast, click here to see a brighter (in order to see the Bat-Suit a little better.
If you search for “bass orgasm,” “subwoofer orgasm,” or “sound system orgasms,” you pull up a series of videos of attractive young women sitting in cars and being brought to orgasm by the sound systems. What happens is as follows: a dude turns on an EDM song or something of that nature, and the vibrations produced by the bass cause the women to writhe around, toss their hair sexily, and pant like dehydrated corgis.
Although all of these videos are pretty much exactly as described above, there are a few subtle variations. Here, for instance, is “Super Bass Orgasm.” The best part of the video is how nonchalant the crowd seems to be about the woman in the car, like, “There’s Patti, listening to Skrillex and having an orgasm again. Hey, when’s Bobby supposed to be coming by with the Natty Light?”
Some people have stated that the women are faking it, and that it’s impossible for a woman to climax via a subwoofer. Weather these videos are the work of the ones holding the camera who just want to get their YouTube views up, or these tuner sound systems actually do what some some men can’t… They are quite interesting to watch. But even without the women being a part of these videos, no one can deny that the impressive work that people put into their cars is something to be marveled at.
But when it comes to the female orgasm as a result of woofers being a myth, I want to see the Mythbusters tackle this one.
This 15” long MIDI instrument features real guitar strings and works wirelessly over Wi-Fi. The company behind the JamStik, Zivix, says there’s no tuning required, and the low latency means instant responsiveness with the strings—very important. There’s a rechargeable battery so you can whip out your Stik for those campfire sing-a-longs, and it has full MIDI support for those home studio sessions. Plus, the bundled JamTutor system promises to teach you things Activision never could.
Slinkachu is as a London-based artist who creates very small street-based installations and then photographs them. He modifies tiny human figurines from model train sets and places them in real urban situations, capturing them sight-seeing, camping, grocery shopping, fighting and dying. Slinkachu creates tiny scenarios that, seen from afar, are almost unrecognizable, but when viewed up-close unveil an almost-hidden alternate reality.
During a work trip to Florida, I got to stay in house with a movie theater in it, and out of all the movies I chose to watch during my stay, ‘Finding Nemo’ was one of the first on the list. Who knew that only two weeks after, Disney and Pixar would announce that the film is getting a sequel. Finding Dory will arrive in US cinemas on November 25th, 2015, and (as you may have guessed) will follow the adventures of Dory, the helpful if somewhat absent-minded Blue Tang from the original movie.
The film will take place roughly a year after the events of the first film. Many favourites will return, including Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, among others. Other details are scarce right now, but the film will take place partly along the California coastline.
Ellen DeGeneres seems pretty ecstatic about reprising her role as a forgetful fish. “I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” said DeGeneres. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.’ But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is—it’s got a lot more Dory.”
And the director of Finding Nemo, Andrew Stanton, will also be returning to oversee the sequel. “There is no Dory without Ellen,” he said. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.”
Emulator Dual View System (DVS) is the most revolutionary experience for on-stage performers in the last 30 years. Emulator DVS is the first REAL and USABLE Multi-Touch MIDI Control System that allows the crowd to see exactly what the artist is doing on a huge transparent touch screen. Whether you are a VJ, Lighting Programmer, Controlling Lasers or the DJ, you can use the Emulator DVS to control your software all while the audience watches in awe.
The truth may hurt — but it’s still the truth.
I’ve always enjoyed mind-bending visual displays, and I would love to hop a plane and fly to Minneapolis immediately to visit the Walker Art Center and experience this in person. These pieces are part of an exhibition entitled Lifelike. Featuring over 50 artists working in painting, sculpture,video, and more, the show centers on commonplace objects that have been taken out of their familiar context in various ways, rendering them strange, beautiful, and new. If you are in the Twin Cities area you should rush to see this; the show is up until May 24th. Lifelike will also be traveling to other museums in other cities, so if you cannot make it to the Walker you may still be able to catch it.
The decision that Busta Rhymes made to sign to YMCMB might have been a bit shocking to some. People seem to have thought it might impede his ability to make great music, or that his records may not have sold as well, or… (whatever else people were thinking. Personally I loved the decision). The remix of ‘Why Stop Now’ is a perfect example of Bussa Buss can do not just on YMCMB, but on any label he’ll ever be on. Between the success of the original, and the re-introduction of Missy Elliott on the remix, this song is destined to have tons of radio play.
With the Grammy’s occuring last night, a few devout Hip Hop heads noticed that both Common and Drake were both in attendance. After Common’s repeated Drizzy disses, Drake simply said at a concert that Common should try and “say it to [his] mutha f*ckin face”. The Grammys were certainly an opportunity for the two to come face to face, but instead, Common spoke to a drunken Toure’ (from Fuse TV) and seemed to squash the beef. (A friend pointed out that after Common’s album was released, and he had to see Drake in person, he squashed the beef in a timely manner.) But it’s a good things to see two emcees ending a feud that ultimately amounted to nothing but a few memorable songs and people talking sh*t.
As much as some would love to stop hearing about it (… like myself), word on the street is that the duo met coincidentally back stage, and got into some type of scuffle. The police were called in to break up the confrontation, and before both parties left the building, it happened a second time. Now, this is all rumors as of now, and I hate reporting on rumors, no matter what the topic, but if it’s true, I know people would love to know exactly what went on.
I came across Viktor Hertz’s brilliant idea for a series of honest logos, revealing the actual content of the company, what they really should be called. Some are cheap, some might be a bit funny, some are so true they might shock you. Check the method below.
Click the pic to see the trailer.
As a quitting smoker, I’m always interested in the newest, most successful ways of kicking the habit, and one of the best ways I know of that helps me the best is seeing the entire smoking industry in a new light. Its rare that entire motion pictures come out on the topic (the last one being ‘Thank You For Smoking’), but when I got glimpse of the newest film to breach to subject, I had to put it up. Click the pictures either above or below to take a look at ‘Addiction Incorporated’, and if your a smoker, just see if it doesn’t change your outlook just a little bit. Below is the official synopsis.
In 1980, a young scientist named Victor DeNoble was hired by a major tobacco company. Fourteen years later, he was testifying in front of Congress that, despite the sworn testimony of the industry’s chief executives, nicotine was addictive… and the research he did could prove it. ADDICTION INCORPORATED tells the incredible true story of how one of the most important whistleblowers of our time dropped a bombshell on one of America’s most powerful industries- a bombshell that still reverberates today. If you think you know the story, if you think you know the science, and if you think you know Big Tobacco’s next steps, this incendiary documentary will prove you wrong on all counts.
Click the pic to see the trailer.
Personally I’ve been shocked by the public’s response to Machine Gun Kelly. The man just seems to be a monster with songs that stick out from the crowd. But another thing I didn’t expect was a recent collaboration with DMX for the track “I Don’t Dance”, and the duo even got together on stage to perform the track. For those of you wondering… this video IS from the same show where DMX got attacked by a fan, which you can see here.
I hope almost everyone remembers the epic video game Wipe-Out. Basically you flew around on floating ships and raced on ridiculously gravity defying track in a futuristic world that made you wonder “when will people ever be able to actually do this?” Luckily for the kids out there that had this thought in their heads… The brilliant minds over at the Japan Institute Of Science and Technology have used Quantum Levitation to create a scale model track. Quantum Levitation is something I’ve covered in a previous post, and its wild to see just how fast this advancement is taking strides forward. In the nearer future, we just might see a breakthrough in transportation. Check the method below.
Virginia native MC and G.O.O.D. music representative Pusha T, drops off some new visuals for “What Dreams Are Made Of”. Directed by Jason Goldwatch “What Dreams Are Made Of” is very cinematic, like an introduction clip to a movie about cocaine; this shit is ill. The black and white video shows Pusha’s lyrics coming to life, as they are all made out of that pure white.
The clip matches perfectly with the context and lyrics of the track, I’m gonna watch this shit a hundred times tonight. “What Dreams Are Made Of” is off of Pusha’s debut solo album Fear Of God II, which is in stores now. Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think.
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