Even though this film was never actually made, it's built up an impressive reputation none the less. Before the first shot made it to film Jodorowsky had already blown 2 million on its conception. That might sound like a lot but when you realize the roster of talent he had lined up to bring his phonebook sized script to life... It's peanuts. Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, Pink Floyd, Mick Jagger, HR Giger, Jean Giraud (Moebius) and yes even David Carradine were all set to contribute their specific talents. It's immensely regrettable that ultimately it all fell apart. Now, decades later, the mother of all unmade movies is getting a fascinating documentary on what was to be and what went wrong.
Showing posts with label Trailers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trailers. Show all posts
February 17, 2016
February 16, 2016
The Congress
Wow. No words to describe it. They should've sent a poet. In this "documentary", Robin Wright, who you might know as The Princess Bride or Jenny from Forrest Gump, plays herself. She is now over 40, her career is running to an end and she accepts or gets pressured into accepting one last contract from MiraMount. In exchange for a large payout, the studio gets to use a virtual copy of her in any manner they see fit.
I am going to cut it there cause really, the less you know, the better. Suffice to say that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that events set in motion by the description above will have consequences far beyond any one person. The film is very loosely based on a story from Stanislaw Lem and has been criticized for not sticking to the source material but personally I am glad that they decided to add and spin so much that you end up with something almost completely new.
The Congress couldn't be any more different from Ari Folman's previous theatrical release, "Waltz With Bashir", the both thematically and visually dark documentary on the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Instead, The Congress is a vibrant explosion of colorful imagination. About the only thing that stayed the same is the mix of live action and powerful animation. Harvey Keitel and Paul Giamatti add a bunch of class to the live action and the animation, probably some of the best I've ever seen, really doesn't need any help.
I don't want to create impossible expectations but for me this is the most fun I've had in the cinema since The Tree of Life. No, this is not 2001: A Space Odyssey but it is the sort of film that takes many liberties with story and pacing, more concerned with making you think about a variety of interpretations than telling a sharply defined completely coherent story, although there are some of those too. Some aspects don't make sense and would look like plot holes in any other film but I am willing to forgive here simply because it feels right here. Dreams, different realities and the truth are things you can play with. I'll save the spoilers for when the rest of the world gets to see it.
This is not something everyone will enjoy but I am pretty sure that anyone who sees it is unlikely to forget it any time soon.
SPOILERS START HERE!
I love films that introduce a ton of dots and then leave it up to you which ones you want to connect and what their relationship should be. The Congress contains a stunning amount of layers and can be interpreted in many different ways. The open and at times almost lucid dream like approach to everything from narrative to visuals and sound sure makes it hard to put into words what you think you saw. There are single scenes that contain so much meaningful background porn that I could fill a page on them. Although the animation might not be for everyone, I think it looks great. There's also Max Richter's hauntingly beautiful score which adds another few gigatons of emotion and all this truly adds up to an enormous explosion out of leftfield. Amazingly it didn't make much noise upon arrival but I am pretty sure that, as we go forward, it will be cherished by its ever growing audience.
Now for some more meaty thoughts; This review will be as disjointed as the film so I am just going to throw out a bunch of random thoughts, make of them what you will.
One of my favorite characters was Jeff, the head of MiraMount. Originally, during the live action part, most of the stuff that comes out of his mind is prophetic, as we move into the animated zone he becomes more of a prophet of doom and ultimately an instigator of said doom. The way he says "this is not science fiction, it's a documentary" about Triple R (Robyn's SF film) which also pointed back to the live action (today) really drives home that the first half hour of the Congress is reality today. The next half hour we move into the near future with Ms. Wright's scan becoming the focal point through which we ultimately get to see the birth of a new world.
Each time she meets Jeff, the Miramax head, he shakes up the world. The embodiment of blind, profit driven disruption, the kind that places dollar signs above life and creativity? The first time they meet he tells her that actors of flesh and blood are a thing of the past, the second time they meet, he's moved a level up, now it's no longer just the actors that get scanned but also the environments which means most people are let go because they no longer need a set crew, make up artists, lighting experts, designers, prop makers, ... Their next meeting takes place in the animated zone. The consequences of his disruptive actions are becoming far more severe. MiraMount has spread its tentacles to other industries and thanks to the development of a new drug the magic of cinema has left the big screen and entered the real world. This new drug seems to take over the interface between sensory input and experience and allows the traversing signals to be modulated. It conjures up vivid and realistic hallucinations which allow consistent and even shared alternate realities. First the drug was rigidly defined and its effects limited in time but as research progressed the drug became more potent, ultimately allowing users to take control over their hallucinations which sets them free but disastrously also closes the feedback loop between want and get with enormous consequences. The last time Wright meets Jeff, he has basically fired everyone that had anything to do with movies. He's still in entertainment but now only sells drugs or "experiences". Things take a turn for the worse when MiraMount starts losing control over its product and global unrest sparks violence.
Ultimately we end up in what I would describe as something similar to a post singularity environment. When the world goes almost completely animated and everyone can be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do. What you think is what you get. That in The Congress this is achieved through controllable hallucinogenics doesn't matter much as the result is pretty much indistinguishable from digital reality substitution, programmable matter or a virtual life. The parallels you can draw between these approaches can be quite surprising. In all these worlds the lag time between imagination and instantiation is basically zero.
Some more thoughts;
The Wright family, thanks to Aaron's disease was the first one that really learned to fly? I have the feeling that there is more to the wright/flyers/Wright brothers connection but I'll probably have to see it again to unravel that further.
The animated zone as a liberal offshore island.
Can you be yourself as someone else? If you relive someone else's entire life, how much of the original you would be left?
Do you take the red pill or the blue pill? Here the pill is chemical instead of digital in nature but here too you could very much hold the opinion that life inside beats the Zion outside.
Does her animator know more about herself than she does?
Should the human race die happy or should we toil in misery? It almost looks like mankind has collectively decided to euthanize itself in the most painless way possible.
Alternatively, are we simply machines that got tricked and manipulated by chemicals to willingly and happily engineer our own demise?
I also really liked how they introduced Aaron and his "illness". Giamatti doesn't yet know how right he is when he says of him that he was born before his time. His condition could be seen as an evolutionary step up because in many ways his mind functions similarly to those who later on end up taking the drug. Before the "singularity" he heard what he wanted to hear and was wrong, after the "singularity" he really hears what he wants to hear and becomes "wright"?
It's not explicitly stated but I can imagine that Aaron would be much better adapted to living a life in a world you shape yourself compared to living a life in the world forced upon him in which he grew up. After taking the drug his condition is likely to work in symbiosis with the drug, boosting his ability to perceive creatively, to play with what is real, to new heights.
It's especially interesting to connect his "illness" with a statement from Jeff who at one point says we make movies so we don't have to read books. The less information you get, the more blanks you fill in yourself which is what makes a story more personal. In this sense a movie is a pre-chewed book, largely the same for everyone who lays eyes upon it. Aaron has the ability to always spin his surroundings and experience into something uniquely personal so for him every movie and life itself will likely be about airplanes or something he cares about. In many ways it's a biological analogue for the digital filter bubble. It comes with both pros and cons.
I could talk about this flick for hours and hours. There are many other dots I haven't pointed at yet, like the meaning of identity in a world where it can be copied and replicated to someone else, but likely you've connected your dots a bit or completely differently so first I want to hear your side.
I am going to cut it there cause really, the less you know, the better. Suffice to say that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that events set in motion by the description above will have consequences far beyond any one person. The film is very loosely based on a story from Stanislaw Lem and has been criticized for not sticking to the source material but personally I am glad that they decided to add and spin so much that you end up with something almost completely new.
The Congress couldn't be any more different from Ari Folman's previous theatrical release, "Waltz With Bashir", the both thematically and visually dark documentary on the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Instead, The Congress is a vibrant explosion of colorful imagination. About the only thing that stayed the same is the mix of live action and powerful animation. Harvey Keitel and Paul Giamatti add a bunch of class to the live action and the animation, probably some of the best I've ever seen, really doesn't need any help.
I don't want to create impossible expectations but for me this is the most fun I've had in the cinema since The Tree of Life. No, this is not 2001: A Space Odyssey but it is the sort of film that takes many liberties with story and pacing, more concerned with making you think about a variety of interpretations than telling a sharply defined completely coherent story, although there are some of those too. Some aspects don't make sense and would look like plot holes in any other film but I am willing to forgive here simply because it feels right here. Dreams, different realities and the truth are things you can play with. I'll save the spoilers for when the rest of the world gets to see it.
This is not something everyone will enjoy but I am pretty sure that anyone who sees it is unlikely to forget it any time soon.
SPOILERS START HERE!
I love films that introduce a ton of dots and then leave it up to you which ones you want to connect and what their relationship should be. The Congress contains a stunning amount of layers and can be interpreted in many different ways. The open and at times almost lucid dream like approach to everything from narrative to visuals and sound sure makes it hard to put into words what you think you saw. There are single scenes that contain so much meaningful background porn that I could fill a page on them. Although the animation might not be for everyone, I think it looks great. There's also Max Richter's hauntingly beautiful score which adds another few gigatons of emotion and all this truly adds up to an enormous explosion out of leftfield. Amazingly it didn't make much noise upon arrival but I am pretty sure that, as we go forward, it will be cherished by its ever growing audience.
Now for some more meaty thoughts; This review will be as disjointed as the film so I am just going to throw out a bunch of random thoughts, make of them what you will.
One of my favorite characters was Jeff, the head of MiraMount. Originally, during the live action part, most of the stuff that comes out of his mind is prophetic, as we move into the animated zone he becomes more of a prophet of doom and ultimately an instigator of said doom. The way he says "this is not science fiction, it's a documentary" about Triple R (Robyn's SF film) which also pointed back to the live action (today) really drives home that the first half hour of the Congress is reality today. The next half hour we move into the near future with Ms. Wright's scan becoming the focal point through which we ultimately get to see the birth of a new world.
Each time she meets Jeff, the Miramax head, he shakes up the world. The embodiment of blind, profit driven disruption, the kind that places dollar signs above life and creativity? The first time they meet he tells her that actors of flesh and blood are a thing of the past, the second time they meet, he's moved a level up, now it's no longer just the actors that get scanned but also the environments which means most people are let go because they no longer need a set crew, make up artists, lighting experts, designers, prop makers, ... Their next meeting takes place in the animated zone. The consequences of his disruptive actions are becoming far more severe. MiraMount has spread its tentacles to other industries and thanks to the development of a new drug the magic of cinema has left the big screen and entered the real world. This new drug seems to take over the interface between sensory input and experience and allows the traversing signals to be modulated. It conjures up vivid and realistic hallucinations which allow consistent and even shared alternate realities. First the drug was rigidly defined and its effects limited in time but as research progressed the drug became more potent, ultimately allowing users to take control over their hallucinations which sets them free but disastrously also closes the feedback loop between want and get with enormous consequences. The last time Wright meets Jeff, he has basically fired everyone that had anything to do with movies. He's still in entertainment but now only sells drugs or "experiences". Things take a turn for the worse when MiraMount starts losing control over its product and global unrest sparks violence.
Ultimately we end up in what I would describe as something similar to a post singularity environment. When the world goes almost completely animated and everyone can be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do. What you think is what you get. That in The Congress this is achieved through controllable hallucinogenics doesn't matter much as the result is pretty much indistinguishable from digital reality substitution, programmable matter or a virtual life. The parallels you can draw between these approaches can be quite surprising. In all these worlds the lag time between imagination and instantiation is basically zero.
Some more thoughts;
The Wright family, thanks to Aaron's disease was the first one that really learned to fly? I have the feeling that there is more to the wright/flyers/Wright brothers connection but I'll probably have to see it again to unravel that further.
The animated zone as a liberal offshore island.
Can you be yourself as someone else? If you relive someone else's entire life, how much of the original you would be left?
Do you take the red pill or the blue pill? Here the pill is chemical instead of digital in nature but here too you could very much hold the opinion that life inside beats the Zion outside.
Does her animator know more about herself than she does?
Should the human race die happy or should we toil in misery? It almost looks like mankind has collectively decided to euthanize itself in the most painless way possible.
Alternatively, are we simply machines that got tricked and manipulated by chemicals to willingly and happily engineer our own demise?
I also really liked how they introduced Aaron and his "illness". Giamatti doesn't yet know how right he is when he says of him that he was born before his time. His condition could be seen as an evolutionary step up because in many ways his mind functions similarly to those who later on end up taking the drug. Before the "singularity" he heard what he wanted to hear and was wrong, after the "singularity" he really hears what he wants to hear and becomes "wright"?
It's not explicitly stated but I can imagine that Aaron would be much better adapted to living a life in a world you shape yourself compared to living a life in the world forced upon him in which he grew up. After taking the drug his condition is likely to work in symbiosis with the drug, boosting his ability to perceive creatively, to play with what is real, to new heights.
It's especially interesting to connect his "illness" with a statement from Jeff who at one point says we make movies so we don't have to read books. The less information you get, the more blanks you fill in yourself which is what makes a story more personal. In this sense a movie is a pre-chewed book, largely the same for everyone who lays eyes upon it. Aaron has the ability to always spin his surroundings and experience into something uniquely personal so for him every movie and life itself will likely be about airplanes or something he cares about. In many ways it's a biological analogue for the digital filter bubble. It comes with both pros and cons.
I could talk about this flick for hours and hours. There are many other dots I haven't pointed at yet, like the meaning of identity in a world where it can be copied and replicated to someone else, but likely you've connected your dots a bit or completely differently so first I want to hear your side.
February 15, 2016
2015's Best Films
Top 10 2015
1. Inherent Vice
2. Sicario
3. Foxcatcher
4. Birdman
5. Whiplash
6. It Follows
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. The Martian
9. Ex Machina
10. Wild
11. The Voices
12. The Big Short
13. Selma
14. Relatos Salvajes
15. Kingsman: The Secret Service
16. Still Alice
17. The Imitation Game
18. Youth
19. Le Tout Nouveau Testament
20. Chappie
21. The Lobster
22. El Capital Humano
23. A Most Violent Year
24. Big Hero 6
25. American Ultra
Top 20 most anticipated 2016
1. Voyage of Time
2. The Revenant
3. Star Wars: Rogue One
4. Story of Your Life
5. Doctor Strange
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. Midnight Special
9. Anomalisa
10. The Circle
11. Silence
12. Hail, Caesar!
13. Room
14. The Witch
15. Independence Day Resurgence
16. The Discovery
17. Passengers
18. Évolution
19. Colossal
20. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
1. Inherent Vice
2. Sicario
3. Foxcatcher
4. Birdman
5. Whiplash
6. It Follows
7. Mad Max: Fury Road
8. The Martian
9. Ex Machina
10. Wild
11. The Voices
12. The Big Short
13. Selma
14. Relatos Salvajes
15. Kingsman: The Secret Service
16. Still Alice
17. The Imitation Game
18. Youth
19. Le Tout Nouveau Testament
20. Chappie
21. The Lobster
22. El Capital Humano
23. A Most Violent Year
24. Big Hero 6
25. American Ultra
Top 20 most anticipated 2016
1. Voyage of Time
2. The Revenant
3. Star Wars: Rogue One
4. Story of Your Life
5. Doctor Strange
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Captain America: Civil War
8. Midnight Special
9. Anomalisa
10. The Circle
11. Silence
12. Hail, Caesar!
13. Room
14. The Witch
15. Independence Day Resurgence
16. The Discovery
17. Passengers
18. Évolution
19. Colossal
20. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Richard Matheson, a Legend
Richard Matheson, sci-fi author, dies aged 87 | guardian.co.uk - IMDB
"I think we're yearning for something beyond the every day. And I will tell you I don't believe in the supernatural, I believe in the supernormal. To me there is nothing that goes against nature. If it seems incomprehensible, it's only because we haven't been able to understand it yet."
"I think we're yearning for something beyond the every day. And I will tell you I don't believe in the supernatural, I believe in the supernormal. To me there is nothing that goes against nature. If it seems incomprehensible, it's only because we haven't been able to understand it yet."
September 20, 2015
The controversial science behind "immortality"
In the SXSW accepted film "The Immortalists" two eccentric scientists struggle to create eternal youth in a world they call “blind to the tragedy of old age.” As they battle their own aging and suffer the loss of loved ones, their scientific quest ultimately becomes personal.
I am hoping that the documentary focuses on more than just telomerase and instead takes a look at a more complete picture such as described by the SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) approach cause otherwise I am afraid it will prove to be a quite dumbed down and simplistic vision.
By the looks of it The Immortalists should provide a balanced view as the cast is about evenly divided between those who think that fighting aging is a good idea and those who say it isn't feasible or that we shouldn't bother.
Those last few shots of de Grey and his missus... It's always refreshing to see someone own what lesser beings might wrongly choose to hide in shame. Good stuff! :) It's obvious that this documentary will try to infuse the rather depressing topic of death with a dose of lighthearted humor.
Aubrey de Grey is probably one of the most famous biogerontologists alive and has been trying to get the fight against aging on the agenda for a long time. Before he co-founded SENS he was one of the main drivers behind the creation of the Methuselah foundation, named after both the biblical figure who supposedly ;) lived to be 969 years and the very real 4845 year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine which is still alive and kicking today somewhere in the White Mountains regio of eastern California. He was the main instigator behind the Mprize (Methuselah Mouse Prize) which has awarded various teams for achieving preset life extension and rejuvenation milestones in mice. Check out this TED talk from 7 years ago if you want a small primer on his work.
Alternatively you can check out this hour long lecture for a more detailed look at why he thinks that SENS will help us conquer aging - Aubrey de Grey, "Ending Aging" | Talks at Google
If you really want to start digging into the science behind aging you might want to take a look at the SENS foundation's site and their archive of lectures. The SENS conferences regularly attract huge names who run some of the biggest labs in the world. For example, last year's keynote, SENS6, was opened by George Church and SENS5 was opened by Caleb Finch. - http://www.sens.org/videos
And finally, if you are looking for a spicy debate, just last week he was featured on the BBC show HARDtalk where he had to defend his views from one of journalism's bulldogs; Stephen Sackur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah_(tree)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_gerontology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomerase
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategies_for_Engineered_Negligible_Senescence
I am hoping that the documentary focuses on more than just telomerase and instead takes a look at a more complete picture such as described by the SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) approach cause otherwise I am afraid it will prove to be a quite dumbed down and simplistic vision.
By the looks of it The Immortalists should provide a balanced view as the cast is about evenly divided between those who think that fighting aging is a good idea and those who say it isn't feasible or that we shouldn't bother.
Those last few shots of de Grey and his missus... It's always refreshing to see someone own what lesser beings might wrongly choose to hide in shame. Good stuff! :) It's obvious that this documentary will try to infuse the rather depressing topic of death with a dose of lighthearted humor.
Aubrey de Grey is probably one of the most famous biogerontologists alive and has been trying to get the fight against aging on the agenda for a long time. Before he co-founded SENS he was one of the main drivers behind the creation of the Methuselah foundation, named after both the biblical figure who supposedly ;) lived to be 969 years and the very real 4845 year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine which is still alive and kicking today somewhere in the White Mountains regio of eastern California. He was the main instigator behind the Mprize (Methuselah Mouse Prize) which has awarded various teams for achieving preset life extension and rejuvenation milestones in mice. Check out this TED talk from 7 years ago if you want a small primer on his work.
Alternatively you can check out this hour long lecture for a more detailed look at why he thinks that SENS will help us conquer aging - Aubrey de Grey, "Ending Aging" | Talks at Google
If you really want to start digging into the science behind aging you might want to take a look at the SENS foundation's site and their archive of lectures. The SENS conferences regularly attract huge names who run some of the biggest labs in the world. For example, last year's keynote, SENS6, was opened by George Church and SENS5 was opened by Caleb Finch. - http://www.sens.org/videos
And finally, if you are looking for a spicy debate, just last week he was featured on the BBC show HARDtalk where he had to defend his views from one of journalism's bulldogs; Stephen Sackur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah_(tree)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_gerontology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomerase
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategies_for_Engineered_Negligible_Senescence
April 11, 2015
2014's Best Films
Top 10 2014
1. Under the Skin - review
2. Her
3. Interstellar
4. Only Lovers Left Alive
5. 12 Years a Slave
6. Guardians of the Galaxy
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. The Grand Budapest Hotel
10. Fury
11. Les Combattants
12. Nightcrawler
13. Zulu
14. A Most Wanted Man
15. Snowpiercer
16. Gone Girl
17. The Homesman
18. Mommy
19. Magic in the Moonlight
20. Tracks
21. X-Men: Days of the Future Past
22. Nymphomaniac
23. Une Nouvelle Amie
24. Boyhood
25. Dallas Buyers Club
If you ask me 2014 was one of the best years in film of all time! 2015 brings with it the return of many aging franchises but hopefully it too will have more than its fair share of yet unknown wholly original surprises up its sleeve. If it manages to deliver even half as many good flicks as 2014 I'd be more than happy. :)
Top 10 most anticipated 2015
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Inherent Vice
3. Midnight Special
4. The Martian
5. Chappie
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. Tomorrowland
8. Ex Machina
9. Birdman
10. Self/less
Some other noteworthy 2015 releases; Ant-Man, The Hateful Eight, Spectre, The Lobster, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Blackhat, Big Hero 6, Silence, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Good Dinosaur, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Revenant, Mission:Impossible 5, Terminator: Genisys, The Fantastic Four, Pixels, Inside Out, Black Mass, The Imitation Game, Nailed, High-Rise, Pride and Prejudice and zombies, Absolutely Anything, Spielberg's Cold War Spy Thriller, Eye in the Sky, That’s What I’m Talking About, Far from the Madding Crowd, In the Heart of the Sea, Poltergeist, Still Alice, Unbroken, Jupiter Ascending, American Sniper, Force Majeure, Elle, Crimson Peak, Whiplash, Mortdecai, A Most Violent Year, Knight of Cups, Joy, The Salt of the Earth, While We're Young, Regression, The Visit, Selma, Macbeth, Big Eyes, Jane got a Gun, The Walk, Demolition, The Little Prince, Victor Frankenstein, Friday the 13th, The Sea of Trees, Furious 7, Foxcatcher, The Theory of Everything, The Jungle Book, Into the Woods, Grimsby, The Interview & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
1. Under the Skin - review
2. Her
3. Interstellar
4. Only Lovers Left Alive
5. 12 Years a Slave
6. Guardians of the Galaxy
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. The Grand Budapest Hotel
10. Fury
11. Les Combattants
12. Nightcrawler
13. Zulu
14. A Most Wanted Man
15. Snowpiercer
16. Gone Girl
17. The Homesman
18. Mommy
19. Magic in the Moonlight
20. Tracks
21. X-Men: Days of the Future Past
22. Nymphomaniac
23. Une Nouvelle Amie
24. Boyhood
25. Dallas Buyers Club
If you ask me 2014 was one of the best years in film of all time! 2015 brings with it the return of many aging franchises but hopefully it too will have more than its fair share of yet unknown wholly original surprises up its sleeve. If it manages to deliver even half as many good flicks as 2014 I'd be more than happy. :)
Top 10 most anticipated 2015
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Inherent Vice
3. Midnight Special
4. The Martian
5. Chappie
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. Tomorrowland
8. Ex Machina
9. Birdman
10. Self/less
Some other noteworthy 2015 releases; Ant-Man, The Hateful Eight, Spectre, The Lobster, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Blackhat, Big Hero 6, Silence, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Good Dinosaur, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Revenant, Mission:Impossible 5, Terminator: Genisys, The Fantastic Four, Pixels, Inside Out, Black Mass, The Imitation Game, Nailed, High-Rise, Pride and Prejudice and zombies, Absolutely Anything, Spielberg's Cold War Spy Thriller, Eye in the Sky, That’s What I’m Talking About, Far from the Madding Crowd, In the Heart of the Sea, Poltergeist, Still Alice, Unbroken, Jupiter Ascending, American Sniper, Force Majeure, Elle, Crimson Peak, Whiplash, Mortdecai, A Most Violent Year, Knight of Cups, Joy, The Salt of the Earth, While We're Young, Regression, The Visit, Selma, Macbeth, Big Eyes, Jane got a Gun, The Walk, Demolition, The Little Prince, Victor Frankenstein, Friday the 13th, The Sea of Trees, Furious 7, Foxcatcher, The Theory of Everything, The Jungle Book, Into the Woods, Grimsby, The Interview & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
2013's Best Films
Top 10 2013
1. The Congress
2. Gravity
3. Oblivion
4. Mud
5. Cloud Atlas
6. Don Jon
7. Elysium
8. The Iceman
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Europa Report
11. Star Trek: Into Darkness
12. Riddick
13. Django Unchained
14. Borgman
15. Zero Dark Thirty
16. Man of Steel
17. Upstream Color
18. The Master
19. Thor: The Dark World
20. L'ecume des Jours
21. The Counselor
22. Flight
23. Seven Psychopaths
24. Trance
25. Ender's game
Note: Most of the oscar contenders have yet to hit theaters here so that's why you won't find heavy hitters like; 12 Years a Slave, Saving Mr. Banks, American Hustle, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers Club, All is Lost, August: Osage County, Fruitvale Station & Philomena
Top 10 most anticipated 2014
1. Voyage of Time
2. Interstellar
3. Transcendence
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Her
6. Midnight Special
7. Godzilla
8. Inherent Vice
9. The Monuments Men
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Some other noteworthy 2014 releases; Noah, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Jupiter Ascending, Robocop, The Zero Theorem, Nymphomaniac, Jodorowsky's Dune, Snowpiercer, Oldboy, Poltergeist, Guardians of the Galaxy, Edge of Tomorrow, Knight of Cups, Ex Machina, Young Ones, Our Robot Overlords, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I Origins, Chef, Jersey Boys, Autómata, Monsters: Dark Continent, The Labyrinth, The Signal, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Gone Girl, Parts Per Billion, Mad Max: Fury Road, Space Station 76, Passengers, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 300: Rise of an Empire, Under the Skin, Maleficent, Into the Woods, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Homefront, Big Eyes, Big Hero 6, The Giver, 47 Ronin, Anchorman 2, Birdman, Grace of Monaco, Far from the Madding Crowd, How to Catch a Monster, Jane got a Gun, Every Thing Will Be Fine, The Raid 2, Dumb and Dumber To, Predestination, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Divergent, Dracula Untold, The Maze Runner, A Most Wanted Man, I Frankenstein, The Lego Movie, Tusk, The Imitation Game, Fury, Unbroken, Frank, Before I Go to Sleep, Exodus, The Little Prince, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
1. The Congress
2. Gravity
3. Oblivion
4. Mud
5. Cloud Atlas
6. Don Jon
7. Elysium
8. The Iceman
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Europa Report
11. Star Trek: Into Darkness
12. Riddick
13. Django Unchained
14. Borgman
15. Zero Dark Thirty
16. Man of Steel
17. Upstream Color
18. The Master
19. Thor: The Dark World
20. L'ecume des Jours
21. The Counselor
22. Flight
23. Seven Psychopaths
24. Trance
25. Ender's game
Note: Most of the oscar contenders have yet to hit theaters here so that's why you won't find heavy hitters like; 12 Years a Slave, Saving Mr. Banks, American Hustle, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers Club, All is Lost, August: Osage County, Fruitvale Station & Philomena
Top 10 most anticipated 2014
1. Voyage of Time
2. Interstellar
3. Transcendence
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Her
6. Midnight Special
7. Godzilla
8. Inherent Vice
9. The Monuments Men
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
Some other noteworthy 2014 releases; Noah, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Jupiter Ascending, Robocop, The Zero Theorem, Nymphomaniac, Jodorowsky's Dune, Snowpiercer, Oldboy, Poltergeist, Guardians of the Galaxy, Edge of Tomorrow, Knight of Cups, Ex Machina, Young Ones, Our Robot Overlords, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, I Origins, Chef, Jersey Boys, Autómata, Monsters: Dark Continent, The Labyrinth, The Signal, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Gone Girl, Parts Per Billion, Mad Max: Fury Road, Space Station 76, Passengers, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 300: Rise of an Empire, Under the Skin, Maleficent, Into the Woods, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Homefront, Big Eyes, Big Hero 6, The Giver, 47 Ronin, Anchorman 2, Birdman, Grace of Monaco, Far from the Madding Crowd, How to Catch a Monster, Jane got a Gun, Every Thing Will Be Fine, The Raid 2, Dumb and Dumber To, Predestination, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Divergent, Dracula Untold, The Maze Runner, A Most Wanted Man, I Frankenstein, The Lego Movie, Tusk, The Imitation Game, Fury, Unbroken, Frank, Before I Go to Sleep, Exodus, The Little Prince, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
April 10, 2015
2012's Best Films
Top 10 2012
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Shame
3. Prometheus
4. Take Shelter
5. Dans La Maison
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7. Argo
8. The Avengers
9. The Dark Knight Rises
10. Jagten
Note: Most of the oscar contenders have yet to hit theaters here so that's why you won't find heavy hitters like; The Master, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln or Cloud Atlas on this list.
Top 10 most anticipated 2013
1. Gravity
2. Voyage of Time
3. Elysium
4. The Zero Theorem
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
6. Oblivion
7. Man of Steel
8. Her
9. Star Trek Into Darkness
10. Ender's Game
2013 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for sci-fi!
Some of the other big upcoming films of 2013; Pacific Rim, Evil Dead, The World's End, After Earth, World War Z, Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, Thor: The Dark Worlds, 300: Rise of An Empire, Mad Max: Fury Road, R.I.P.D, Riddick, Sin City: A Dame to Kill, Identity Thief, The Great Gatsby, Oldboy, Mama, John Dies at the End, Trance, Only God Forgives, The End of the World, Nymphomaniac, Movie 43, Twelve Years a Slave, Stoker, 47 Ronin, Side Effects, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Upside Down & Upstream Color
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Shame
3. Prometheus
4. Take Shelter
5. Dans La Maison
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7. Argo
8. The Avengers
9. The Dark Knight Rises
10. Jagten
Note: Most of the oscar contenders have yet to hit theaters here so that's why you won't find heavy hitters like; The Master, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln or Cloud Atlas on this list.
Top 10 most anticipated 2013
1. Gravity
2. Voyage of Time
3. Elysium
4. The Zero Theorem
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
6. Oblivion
7. Man of Steel
8. Her
9. Star Trek Into Darkness
10. Ender's Game
2013 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for sci-fi!
Some of the other big upcoming films of 2013; Pacific Rim, Evil Dead, The World's End, After Earth, World War Z, Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, Thor: The Dark Worlds, 300: Rise of An Empire, Mad Max: Fury Road, R.I.P.D, Riddick, Sin City: A Dame to Kill, Identity Thief, The Great Gatsby, Oldboy, Mama, John Dies at the End, Trance, Only God Forgives, The End of the World, Nymphomaniac, Movie 43, Twelve Years a Slave, Stoker, 47 Ronin, Side Effects, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Upside Down & Upstream Color
December 20, 2014
Finding touch with reality
Apologies for the bait and switch tactic. I am just using the below video of the built for VR FPX game Adr1ft to reel you in. What I am actually trying to sell are the technologies being developed by Nimble and 13th Lab, the 2 companies Oculus just bought. Trust me when I say that the fruits of their labors are worth checking out!
► Nimble VR was founded in 2012 and since then they’ve been developing machine learning and computer vision capabilities to enable high-quality, low-latency skeletal hand tracking.
Nimble VR Kickstarter
► The 13th Lab has been focused on developing an efficient and accurate real-time 3D reconstruction framework. The ability to acquire accurate 3D models of the real-world can enable all sorts of new applications and experiences, like visiting a one-to-one 3D model of the pyramids in Egypt or the Roman Colosseum in VR.
Rescape - Reality Gaming Platform
13th Lab - Visual SLAM
Visual SLAM Car Navigation
It's been a while since I've raved about the coming virtual reality revolution but these clips really speak for themselves. The potential here is simply staggering. I have my doubts that the first consumer version of the rift will come equipped with features like these but we can all look forward to the kind of experiences they will enable in a very near future that is hurtling towards us at breakneck speeds.
What VR could, should, and almost certainly will be within two years
What VR could, should, and almost certainly will be within two years - http://goo.gl/v67LnS
Facebook's Oculus Acquisition, the Future of VR & the Coming Creative Explosion that Will Birth Our Magnificent Metaverse
More information on Adr1ft
http://www.polygon.com/2014/11/28/7303899/how-first-person-shooter-fatigue-led-to-the-serene-beauty-of-adrift.
► Nimble VR was founded in 2012 and since then they’ve been developing machine learning and computer vision capabilities to enable high-quality, low-latency skeletal hand tracking.
Nimble VR Kickstarter
► The 13th Lab has been focused on developing an efficient and accurate real-time 3D reconstruction framework. The ability to acquire accurate 3D models of the real-world can enable all sorts of new applications and experiences, like visiting a one-to-one 3D model of the pyramids in Egypt or the Roman Colosseum in VR.
Rescape - Reality Gaming Platform
13th Lab - Visual SLAM
Visual SLAM Car Navigation
It's been a while since I've raved about the coming virtual reality revolution but these clips really speak for themselves. The potential here is simply staggering. I have my doubts that the first consumer version of the rift will come equipped with features like these but we can all look forward to the kind of experiences they will enable in a very near future that is hurtling towards us at breakneck speeds.
What VR could, should, and almost certainly will be within two years
What VR could, should, and almost certainly will be within two years - http://goo.gl/v67LnS
Facebook's Oculus Acquisition, the Future of VR & the Coming Creative Explosion that Will Birth Our Magnificent Metaverse
More information on Adr1ft
http://www.polygon.com/2014/11/28/7303899/how-first-person-shooter-fatigue-led-to-the-serene-beauty-of-adrift.
March 16, 2014
Halo Legends
A collection of seven short anime films set in the Halo universe.
The Babysitter
A squad of four Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, also known as Helljumpers, is sent into a Covenant zone under the cover of a meteor shower to eliminate a Prophet.
The Duel
Accused of heresy, an alien known as an Arbiter who does not want to follow the Covenant religion is sent into a trap when his wife is endangered.
The Package
A group of Spartans, including John-117, must infiltrate a Covenant fleet of ships in order to retrieve an important "package".
Origins Pt1
Origins Pt2
This two parter details the history of the Halo universe.
Homecoming
The story of Spartan II Daisy-023 and how she learns to deal with her beginnings.
Prototype
A demolition team known as the Hades Squad, led by a marine sergeant nicknamed Ghost, is tasked with the mission of carrying out the Cole protocol.
Odd One Out
Spartan 1337 finds himself stranded on an alien planet after falling out of his transport ship. There he must battle dinosaur inhabitants along with the latest Covenant weapon known as Pluton.
The Babysitter
A squad of four Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, also known as Helljumpers, is sent into a Covenant zone under the cover of a meteor shower to eliminate a Prophet.
The Duel
Accused of heresy, an alien known as an Arbiter who does not want to follow the Covenant religion is sent into a trap when his wife is endangered.
The Package
A group of Spartans, including John-117, must infiltrate a Covenant fleet of ships in order to retrieve an important "package".
Origins Pt1
Origins Pt2
This two parter details the history of the Halo universe.
Homecoming
The story of Spartan II Daisy-023 and how she learns to deal with her beginnings.
Prototype
A demolition team known as the Hades Squad, led by a marine sergeant nicknamed Ghost, is tasked with the mission of carrying out the Cole protocol.
Odd One Out
Spartan 1337 finds himself stranded on an alien planet after falling out of his transport ship. There he must battle dinosaur inhabitants along with the latest Covenant weapon known as Pluton.
Halo 4 adds history
Wake up John
Scanned
UNSC Infinity
Comissioning of the Infinity (Live action)
Opening Cinematic
Final Cinematic
Halo 4: Infinity - Spartan Ops
Scanned
UNSC Infinity
Comissioning of the Infinity (Live action)
Opening Cinematic
Final Cinematic
Halo 4: Infinity - Spartan Ops
The fall of Reach
Based on the excellent novel, Halo: Reach chronicles the loss of one of mankind's most important planets.
E3 2009 Teaser
The Birth of a Spartan
Deliver Hope
E3 2009 Teaser
The Birth of a Spartan
Deliver Hope
Halo Wars, ODST & Forward Unto Dawn
Halo Wars Announcement Trailer
Halo Wars Cinematics
We are ODST
Halo Waypoint: Heroes never die.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Trailer
Halo Wars Cinematics
We are ODST
Halo Waypoint: Heroes never die.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Trailer
March 15, 2014
Halo: Believe
Microsoft's truly epic "Believe" marketing campaign for Halo 3 featured this stunning diorama. The fly-through is set to Frédéric Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude, Op 28, No. 15
In the live action Museum short retired Major Pawel Czernek, a UNSC veteran that fought in the Battle of New Mombasa alongside SPARTAN-117, shares his memories of the inspiring hero.
In "Enemy Weapons" Major Roland Huffman and sergeant Tomas Navarro reflect on their past contact with the covenant when confronted by their weaponry.
In "Hunted" Lieutenant John Tippett is taken to the a location where he once fought the covenant and remembers how they had to go dark and hide from them until dawn.
Lieautenant Niraj Shah recollects how the chief once told him that no soldier should be honored for doing what is expected Gravesite short.
The in-universe making of the John 117 monument.
In the live action Museum short retired Major Pawel Czernek, a UNSC veteran that fought in the Battle of New Mombasa alongside SPARTAN-117, shares his memories of the inspiring hero.
In "Enemy Weapons" Major Roland Huffman and sergeant Tomas Navarro reflect on their past contact with the covenant when confronted by their weaponry.
In "Hunted" Lieutenant John Tippett is taken to the a location where he once fought the covenant and remembers how they had to go dark and hide from them until dawn.
Lieautenant Niraj Shah recollects how the chief once told him that no soldier should be honored for doing what is expected Gravesite short.
The in-universe making of the John 117 monument.
Deus Ex - Sarif Industries
Sarif is the industry leader in augmentation with a fierce commitment towards providing the most advanced products and developing the most advanced technologies while remaining independent from large corporations that would compromise our ideals. For more information, visit www.SarifIndustries.com
This next test may involve trace amounts of time travel.
Glados tries her best to explain what the testing initiative entails and below Cave Johnson clarifies how Aperture exploits other universes to make sure they never run out of new tests.
Aperture Investment Opportunities
A love letter to Hλlf-Life
Hλlf-Life, the best game ever made (average rating; 96%), showed the world how to do it right. The hero in this game, Gordon Freeman, is a recent MIT graduated theoretical physicist who is tricked into unleashing a "resonance cascade" when something goes horribly wrong during the routine mass spectrometry of a fixed sample. The entire game, from its title to the setting, is a love letter to science and to physics in particular.
The name itself not only refers to an early death, but also to the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing radioactive decay to decrease by half. The lambda sign in the tile, λ, confirms this because although it points towards the Lambda core, an experimental reactor that plays a large part in the later half of the game, it's also the scientific symbol used to denote the radioactivity decay constant in nuclear physics. This constant is very simply related to the half-life of any radioactive material.
Valve director Gabe Newell himself has confirmed that the name of the character; Freeman, is a homage to the physicist and philosopher Freeman Dyson.
"If anyone can handle this catastrophe, it's the science team in the Lambda Complex"
It portrayed scientists as heroes, out to save the world. Sure, at first sight Gordon might have looked like an unlikely action hero; he has a PhD, wears glasses, wasn't trained in combat, nor did he have the physique to take a beating or the muscles to deal it out... What he does have is brains! Any dumb-ass can swing a crowbar and wear a hazardous environment suit (armor), but it takes a physicist to activate reactor cores, launch intercontinental missiles, clean up radioactive waste, ... It took brains to save the planet.
It's worth noting that all its expansions folow a naming scheme similar to Half-Life; Opposing Force deals with a military strike team that is sent in to silence the science crew, while Blue Shift deals with the late night shift of a security guard. Looks straightforward but both refer to scientific concepts in physics as well. Half-Life's follow up took this love for physics to the next level by introducing a revolutionary physics engine that allowed you to interact with the game world through the use of physics based simulation! Valve really loves physics.
The following is a tribute to the game's opening, and even after 14 years, it still touches upon my heartstrings! I am pretty sure that it helped fire up my interest in physics and for that I will be eternally grateful. It looks a bit dated, but you will forget all about that after 5 minutes of game-time. It's a real classic! If you haven't played it yet, you should give it a shot.
The name itself not only refers to an early death, but also to the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing radioactive decay to decrease by half. The lambda sign in the tile, λ, confirms this because although it points towards the Lambda core, an experimental reactor that plays a large part in the later half of the game, it's also the scientific symbol used to denote the radioactivity decay constant in nuclear physics. This constant is very simply related to the half-life of any radioactive material.
Valve director Gabe Newell himself has confirmed that the name of the character; Freeman, is a homage to the physicist and philosopher Freeman Dyson.
"If anyone can handle this catastrophe, it's the science team in the Lambda Complex"
It portrayed scientists as heroes, out to save the world. Sure, at first sight Gordon might have looked like an unlikely action hero; he has a PhD, wears glasses, wasn't trained in combat, nor did he have the physique to take a beating or the muscles to deal it out... What he does have is brains! Any dumb-ass can swing a crowbar and wear a hazardous environment suit (armor), but it takes a physicist to activate reactor cores, launch intercontinental missiles, clean up radioactive waste, ... It took brains to save the planet.
It's worth noting that all its expansions folow a naming scheme similar to Half-Life; Opposing Force deals with a military strike team that is sent in to silence the science crew, while Blue Shift deals with the late night shift of a security guard. Looks straightforward but both refer to scientific concepts in physics as well. Half-Life's follow up took this love for physics to the next level by introducing a revolutionary physics engine that allowed you to interact with the game world through the use of physics based simulation! Valve really loves physics.
The following is a tribute to the game's opening, and even after 14 years, it still touches upon my heartstrings! I am pretty sure that it helped fire up my interest in physics and for that I will be eternally grateful. It looks a bit dated, but you will forget all about that after 5 minutes of game-time. It's a real classic! If you haven't played it yet, you should give it a shot.
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