I wish this weren’t fake because it’s so deliciously awkward. You just know that Melissa is talking about her parents and that the science teacher is in the audience. I sincerely hope she got her box set. This isn’t the first time Melissa has given an awesome speech. Check out her fan fic of her encounter with Ashton Kutcher.
I thoroughly enjoyed Up. Gran Torino, not so much. But when you mix the two together, it’s freaking gold! This is one of the best trailer mashups I’ve seen in a while. It gives Up an emotional impact that’s unexpected. At some point, I’d really love to see Pixar tackle drama. The segment that depicted Carl and Elly growing old together was so powerful and touching that I really think Pixar could do a great full length 3D drama.
*deep breath*
AZM Ally Henry Marx sent along this trailer for the Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith Karate Kid. There are some nit picky things about this that I don’t particularly care for. “Pick up your jacket” is not as iconic a phrase as “wax on, wax off.” I also think Jaden is a little to young to work the romantic interest angle. Jackie Chan tooling a bunch of kid bullies seems off. But I can almost live with those little picky details. Ultimately, they don’t impact the story all that much. The thing that really turns me off? The Karate Kid.
I stand by my initial impressions when this thing was first announced. Saddling this thing with the original franchise is just plain lazy. Jaden and Jackie seem to have some really good chemistry. Why not build on that and create a new franchise? This thing should be called The Kung Fu Kid. It takes place in China. The new Cobra Kai junior team uses Kung Fu to kick Jaden’s ass. Jackie teaches him Kung Fu to defend himself. Fucking call it Kung Fu! You get a new franchise and you still pay tribute to The Karate Kid for those of us who grew up with the original. I’d be more willing to give this thing a chance if they changed the title. I mean, it’s like calling Memoirs of a Geisha, Memoirs of a Can Can Girl.
Kung Fucking Fu! FUCK!
Source: First Showing
So either the HP webcam is strictly in to chicks, or it’s horribly racist!
Here’s the official word from HP:
Some of you may have seen or heard of a YouTube video in which the facial-tracking software didn’t work for a customer. We thank Desi, and the people who have seen and commented on his video, for bringing this subject to our attention.
We are working with our partners to learn more. The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty “seeing” contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting. While we work on this, take a look here for more information on the impact of lighting on facial tracking software, and how to optimize your webcam experience: http://bit.ly/7HsZHD
We will continue to listen to you and work to deliver great experiences. We invite you to connect with us on the discussion boards and forums here on The Next Bench or on Twitter at @HP_PC.
I thought the contrast was pretty good when Desi went right up to the camera and the picture adjusted to focus in on his features. It just didn’t recognize what it was focusing on as a face. I think Desi’s good-natured attitude in the video makes this absolutely hysterical, but I want to know more about the testing process before the camera got on the shelf. Is skin color usually something that’s considered when developing face recognition software or are engineers more concerned with recognizing shapes and features like eyes and noses?
The Book of Eli stars Denzel Washington wielding a great big machete. I’m sold.
We’ve seen post-apocalyptic dystopian futures before and I’m sure we will many many many more times. But the fact that it’s Denzel and he’s cutting the shit out of fuckers really took me by surprise. Were it any other actor, I doubt it would grab my interest. We’ve seen Denzel shoot people plenty of times. And we even saw him running around with a bionic arm that one time with Russell Crowe. But this is the first time I can think of seeing Denzel opening up multiple cans of chop socky whup ass with a large bladed weapon.
I’m not much of a bible fan. But the idea that a mere book holds the key to mankind’s future is intriguing. I have many questions like why the fuck hasn’t Denzel used the book’s massive powers to save us already? Is it written in some strange language? Does the book need to be hooked up to a chosen one for it to work? Does it have a really great biscuit recipe? Or is it a religious text that will lead to salvation through faith? Many many questions. Unfortunately, the way things go these days I’m sure many of those questions will be answered as more trailers are released. Seriously, I want to see this now because I don’t know jack shit about what’s in the book. I hope they keep that aspect out of future trailers and focus more on Denzel chopping mother fuckers because I want to the mystery in tact when I go see this.
Angry Zen Minion Tyler Anderson sent along a Ustream red carpet interview in which Bryan Singer says he’s singed a contract to direct X-Men Origins: First Class (click on over to the 28 min mark). The first X flick was decent enough. But the second X flick really won me over. So when it was announced that Singer was doing a Superman film, I was giddy with geeky anticipation.
And then we saw Superman Returns. Blech. Super let down.
So on the one hand, we have a rather dull superhero flick. On the other hand, we have two pretty awesome superhero flicks. It’s more than likely that there was just no way for Superman to live up to the hype. The X-franchise had yet to be thrown up on the silver screen when Singer got to it. But Superman had at least two really awesome films under his belt. It was clear that Singer was trying to recapture the feel of the first two Superman films, but I think he played it way too subtle.
I’m also done with X movies. It’s gonna take a whole hell of a lot more than a geek friendly director to get me excited about another damn X movie. I say let the X flicks rest for ten years or more and move on to something new.
But that’s not gonna happen. So I’m in wait-and-see mode for this one.
There are few things in life worse than holiday travel. In fact, only a Showgirls marathon ranks below this annual occurrence (just barely). Thank the geek gods for podcasts. When I’m stuck in an airport for hours on end because the weather people mistook the blizzard for a light dusting, I bust out the ol’ iPod and listen to some podcast goodness. So here’s a list of six excellent and most geeky podcasts that should help make your holiday travel more bearable, unless you’re already traveling. Then you’re fucked.
These six were chosen for their geeky goodness and for the length. Yes, the ladies will tell you that size doesn’t matter, but it really does. The longer the podcast, the better to sooth your travel woes. So fire up those rss readers and subscribers and get to downloading!
Henshin Justice Unlimited Radio
With a rotating cast of tokusatsu fans and experts, HJU Radio is your source for geek talk and tokusatsu reviews. In their latest episode, the HJU Radio crew interviews Matt Mullins and Mike Moh from Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.
R5 Central
The geek fu is strong with Mike Dent who brings you the best in Japanese live action and Jpop with a sprinkling of original sci-fi radio drama.
Anime World Order
Self-proclaimed experts Daryl, Gerald, and Clarissa give you the dirty low-down on the latest Japanese anime and manga news, classic anime and manga, hentai/yaoi, and con reports. AWO, your one-stop shop for otaku culture.
Comic Geek Speak
Coming at you five days a week, a rotating cast of comicbook fans come together to talk about all the latest comic book news, upcoming issues, special events (I’m loving the Blackest Night review episodes), and general comic culture.
Sidebar
Dwight and Swain interview the hottest creators in comics, art, and pop culture. Their two part interview with Adam Hughes is freaking hysterical. I actually like the episodes where Dwight and Swain just geek out about whatever, but their creator interviews are some of the best I’ve heard. Definitely worth checking out for all you artists and comic book fans.
This American Life
Each week, This American Life chooses a theme for an episode and airs various stories based on that theme. Sounds like it should be a snore fest, and honestly, when I first heard about the show and listened to the nasally host, Ira Glass, for the first time, I was turned off. But I gave it a second chance and haven’t been able to stop listening ever since.
My most favoritest band in the whole fucking universe is back with another video, this time for their song “So Many Mike.” I can think of no better way to start your Friday if your name is Mike! Enjoy!
Fede Alvarez, a producer from Uruguay, uploaded his short “Ataque de Panico!” (”Panic Attack” in English) to the YouTubes last Thursday. By Monday, his inbox was filled with offers from Hollywood including a $30 million contract from director Sam Raimi. With check in hand and one of the most geek-friendly Hollywood directors at his back, Alvarez will make a new giant robot film to be shot in Uruguay and Argentina.
That’s right, people. This man landed a multimillion dollar gig with Hollywood thanks to his YouTube video. Which just proves my long standing theory that Hollywood is ready for giant robots! Oh sure, there are giant robots in Avatar and there were some in the Matrix Rebloated, but those aren’t really giant robot movies. It’s time for a real giant robot movie (Robot Jox was pretty close. But the mechs were horribly designed). And if this short is any indication, Alvarez can deliver!
Source: BBC
Storm Riders is awesome because one of the main characters rips off his arm to use his blood as a weapon. That’s awesome. When you look up awesome in the encyclopedia, you will find a description of that scene. It is fucking awesome. If this music video for Storm Riders 2 sent over by AZM Ally Kensei Dave is any indication, the sequel continues that tradition of awesome. I bet that’s what the lyrics say. I bet it goes something like, “Storm Riders was fucking awesome, la la la. The sequel is also pretty fucking awesome because we mixed it with super secret awesome sauce, shaba doo wap wap!”
Follow AZM on Twitter
