Zune “The Masks”
This commercial is the best thing to come out of the Zune product. It is more visual parable than a commercial. Maybe Zune seeks peace with the iPod?!
Watch it - via transbuddha
Schwarzenegger Shills for Cup o’ Noodles
Old commercial featuring “Governator” enjoying a healthy helping of instant ramen after a musical work out.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Halo 3 Ad - “Believe”
Videogame ads are so cliche. There are usually two types: 1) Noisy ones that throw everything and the kitchen sink down your throat at once, more is good mentality 2) Suspense thrillers that look and feel like movie trailers, deep baritone voices with a lot of fades to black.
The Halo ad is striking because there is not much kinetic action, only potential energy. Long cuts with little or no movements from the action figures. Instead the camera floats around the stillness of action. Mid-explosions in their ball-like ready-to-blow-everything-to-pieces stage is always a cool effect. The detail of the scenery only sells the game even more. The music and the “character’s” faces are extremely powerful. Dare I say, even more heroic than human faces.
Watch it - more info on ad - via HD for Indies
Update: Interesting Wikipedia entry on the marketing. (Thanks Morey). Directed by Rupert Sanders.
Don’t Call it a Game!
With all the money and the effort that Sony, Microsoft (and perhaps Nintendo?) are putting in them, they’ve become the new big thing in the promo industry. (Ok, looks like I’m repeating myself)
On the Microsoft side, we got Halo 3 and Bioshock. The former is being pushed by Neil Blomkamp’s short movies inspired to the series, which are also aimed at supporting his feature film.
WATCH: Halo Combat, pt. I - Arms Race - More stuff
As for Bioshock, which looks like a good reason to update my PC, there are some nice commercials and trailers, realized at Eyeball NYC. (via Lola)
WATCH: Bioshock X06 trailer - 60 sec spot - More stuff
If you follow No Fat Clips!!! you certainly know of Sony’s efforts to push Heveanly Sword as their killer application for the PS3. An animated series by Ben Hibon, a series of making of featurettes, dozens of design studios, music by Nitin Sawhney, dramatic direction by Andy “Gollum” Serkis, motion capture by Weta Digital… I hope that the game will at least be fun to play…
VISIT Heavenly Sword website. (Downloads available on NFC)
Last but not least, an honorable mention for Tabula Rasa.
WATCH: Tabula Rasa Intro - More stuff
Robot Chicken, Season 3!
The new season of Robot Chicken rolled out this week-end on Adult Swim. In the first episode, “the Defenders of the Earth accept their limitations. The Decepticon Soundwave discovers he’s a little dated. People can lose at The Game of Life. Governor Schwarzenegger investigates the illegal immigration issue with Speedy Gonzales and Dora the Explorer.”
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Short attention span theater: Return of the Living Dead - Adam and Steve
Decepticon Soundwave Spy - Sleestaks at the Library
Die Hardly Working
Just a little office drama. Directed by Zach Lipovsky.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Family Guy’s Star Wars
Ten minutes sneak peek to the upcoming one hour special.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Minority Report: Car Factory Scene
Hi there! Here’s a new installment in our cross-blogged features. The other half of this post can be found here!
Chased by the police but innocent, our hero’s blind folded. He’ll find salvation in a car factory by being embedded in a brand new car.
This famous scene from Spielberg’s Minority Report (nothing to do with the eponymous short story by P.K. Dick, despite what the credits say…) is a magnificent example of product placement.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
If you’re wondering why, jump to the cross-blogged post on No Fat Clips!!! and find it out…
WASTE
There is no other word to describe Mission Zero.
You pick up Uma Thurman directly from her Kill Bill role. You get Kathryn Bigelow to direct the flick. You let money flow in the budget like it’s raining… And all you can come up with is one of the lousiest scripted action movies ever? C’mon…
Also: somebody is not very familiar with the concept of viral video. What’s the sense of having the film avaiable only on Pirelli’s website?
Watch it. (Flash Video, Winmedia or Quicktime)
Haloid
Despite not being a great fan of machinima, this short by Monty Oum, mixing Halo and Metroid, was pretty brilliant.
Don’t look for a concept. What you’ll get is a series of romping action sequences with some fan service in the end.
Watch it. (Quicktime - Hi res)
Watch it. (Flash - Lo res)
Read the director’s rant!
Aachi And Ssipak: Shootout Scene
“Nice camera moves, plenty of decapitations, explosions, b-boy headspins, and gunplay. All within the course of 6 minutes.”
A juicy excerpt taken from the Korean feature film Aachi and Ssipak, set in a future world where the only source of energy is… poop!
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Favorite scenes: The final gunplay in Heat
One of the best shoot-out scenes in film history. I seriously can’t remember anything else in the movie, partly because the rest of the movie was mediocre and partly because this scene is so outstanding. The scene doesn’t have anything in particular that propels the whole scene towards greatness. However, the sheer length and the photographic realism provide an experience unlike any other.
Another thing to notice is the acting. I understand that acting has little to do with a scene that is all action but none of these characters/ actors express any over-the-top expression. There simply isn’t any time to think or feel, it is all business.
Why this the worst fight scene EVER!
This scene is from the movie Cui hua kuang mo (Undefeated), Watch it first (also available at the bottom of the post) and then come back here for the blow by blow.
At 00:01 - The stench starts pretty early. The Bad Guy (BG) brings a knife to his face and licks it. Not really scary but what makes it worse is that when he brings the knife to his face, the actor takes a quick glance at the knife to guage its distance from his face.
00:06 - What is that sound? Is he supposed to be spitting.
00:08 - Good Guy (GG) looks confused, not like “what is this crazy guy going to do?” but more like “what do I do to not look so stupid?”
00:22 - GG saves some spit for the second punch to his face.
00:29 - BG doesn’t see the week back-punch coming. BTW, who is he looking at?
00:32 - This move is called “I twirl around, scratch your back and two layers of clothing tear off.” Most awesome move ever!
00:34 - The screams become more incessant.
00:37 - GG looks at the shreds of BG’s shirt in his hand and then decides to take his off?
00:43 - Inspired by GG, BG takes his shirt off.
00:47 - They are all oiled up for the occasion.
00:47 to 01:03 - Nothing significant. Just your normal b-movie screaming in e-v-e-r-y shot.
01:03 - This seems like a general problem with movies. The characters forget they have TWO hands. If one hand is grabbed, you can still use the other.
01:08 - BG regains his memory. Realizes he has hands AND legs.
01:24 - BG thought ticker: “Oh yes! The big-ass knife on the floor. Maybe I should use it.”
01:33 - BG tries to stab GG. GG stops that by grabbing BB’s arm. But these guys are so lubed up that GG’s hand slides to BB’s wrist. This sounds like gay porn.
01:36 - GG puts a claw grip on BB’s face. Again, what is BB’s left hand doing?
01:51 - Wait, wait. Let me get this straight. GG’s Girl arrives, sees the two men fighting. Happens to look down, see wet towels, picks it up and then attacks BG with it. What a woman!
01:59 - Now instead of two people incessantly screaming, we have three.
02:02 - None of the punches seem to land. But BG is sent reeling into the wall where he gets stuck to the wall. When he finally pulls his head out, he bleeds heavily. Be careful of those sticky walls children!
02:10 - The actor playing GG is generally bad but the expression here is priceless.
02:22 - Hahaha! BG is supposed to lift the girl onto a box. But the whole effect is lost because we can clearly see her actually stepping up onto the box.
02:25 - That’s a big stunt double.
02:33 - GG’s expression is supposed to read “I’ve taken a beating to my stomach” but instead it reads “I got to barf!”
02:39 - Girl in sling takes the softest punches from BG. One such move is a two hand push.
02:49 - What the…? Never mind.
03:01 - Of course, BG forgets that he has two working hands while he gets lifted off the ground by his eye-socket.
03:15 - Girls says “we will keep an eye out for you, Stingray!” Alright, not bad. It is what it is. Then GG says “Yea, (pause) see ya!” Hahahahahaahh!!!!!
Update: I stand corrected (funniest Ticklebooth comment ever)
Recycle Bein’
Dust, our hero, is floating on a landfill with his balloon. When the airship is damaged, the adventure begins.
Recycle Bein’ is another great animated production made by students of the Supinfocom school, and dating back 2001.
The authors: Dominique Boidin, Fabrice Garulli, Fabrice Rabhi and Yann Tambellini.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
(Try to) download it. (DivX and Quicktime)
Super Santa in: Vegetation
Who’s stealing all the fruits and vegetables from all over the world?
Another adventure for Mike Bell’s Super Santa.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Previously: Jingle Bell Justice.
both stolen from Frederator!
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