Embrace the Flux

SuperCar Challenge

// November 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Movies, Technology

SuperCar Challenge is a 3D-rendered short by Phil Shoebottom and his team of five artists. It is simply stunning how the cars – indistinguishable from real cars – seem to actually move and react to their surroundings. Completed in only eight weeks, SuperCar Challenge was produced using 3ds Max and Vray. The racetrack, completely digital, is based upon a real-life (location unknown) track, while all of the cars are original creations. You can download the short here, or view it below.

Trailer: The Messenger

// October 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Movies

Is it really fair to classify Oren Moverman’s The Messenger as something resembling a ‘heart-wrencher?’

In the story, Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) and Anthony Stone (Woody Harrelson) breathe new life into a classic juxtaposition of old military versus new. Harrelson portrays a hardened veteran who has resolved to deliver death notices. He trains Montogomery – recently back from service – in the methodical and robotic disposition necessary to carry out the job. He wants Will to remain – like himself – soulless. At first, Montgomery maintains a similar killing-machine attitude that allowed him to survive in the army. But widows are not insurgents–insurgents do not cry, shout, beg or plead. Montgomery is confronted with emotions he has ultimately been trained to push away.

And slowly but surely Montgomery’s job eats away at his stoic demeanor. Deprived of all emotional support as a soldier and still recovering from the shock of war, Will isn’t allowed to recover any semblance of his former self. As the death notices pile up, Will’s steely resolve begins to crumble. That is, until he meets Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton). Knocking a final dent in Will’s armor, The Messenger becomes a heart-wrenching sob story while maintaining valuable post-war commentary. Having made it past Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival, The Messenger will be hitting the big screens November 13th. Make sure to see this award-winning epic when the time comes.

Trailer: Inception

// September 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // Movies

Christopher Nolan is back with his first film since the epic that was The Dark Knight. And it seems that the eeriness we’ve come to expect from Nolan will once again be a driving force. Titled Inception, the trailer is marked by Nolan’s notorious slow zooms and dramatic chords. But all we really know at this point is that the story takes place in a city, Leonardo will be making an appearance, and something about a dradle. Interesting. July 16, 2010 is the date. Expect to be teased a bit more in the months to come.

Dexter: The Killer Show

// August 30th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // Movies

Paradox. Insanity. Gore. These words characterize Showtime’s longtime series Dexter quite nicely. But who ever said a serial killer can’t be good? Season number four is rapidly approaching (September 27), and we’re more than ready for a return to the infamous irony, gore, sex, eerie music, additional gore and soothing narration. The story’s timeline is fairly simple. Dexter was unofficially adopted by police officer Harry Morgan (James Remar) after a violent end to his mother’s life. Plagued by murderous impulses at a young age, Dexter would kill animals to relieve tension. To combat the urges, Harry trained the boy in the art of “justified compulsion,” thereby establishing the serial killer who targets only the evil and the corrupt. Now an adult, Dexter works as a blood analyst for the Miami Metro Police. During the night his bipolar tendencies breathe life—and a few unpunished killers welcome death.

The show couldn’t be the success it is if it weren’t for the man himself: Michael C. Hall. Hall is the perfect actor to play a covert killer. He’s made the transition from Dexter as a loner to Dexter as a family man – all the while trying to balance bipolar urges with family commitment – perfectly believable. Tune in September 27 to witness the madness.

Click here for a sneak peak of season four.

“Tonight’s the night, the night when a primal sacred need calls to me…” – Dexter

Inglourious Basterds: Back with a Vengeance

// August 23rd, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Movies

Storybook form, flashbacks abound, and certainly not lacking in your supernatural gore, Inglourious Basterds screams quintessential Tarantino. But aside from a return to the quirkiness that is Quentin, we think Basterds might indeed be Tarantino’s “masterpiece,”—as echoed by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) to precariously conclude the film.

Not too surprising, Basterds proved less action-packed than the trailers led us to believe. When there was action, it was Tarantino action. But as a whole, the film was oriented further towards its overarching story.  And unlike the Kill Bill series (some might disagree here), story is what propelled Basterds to potential “masterpiece” status.

The story’s characters, in classic Tarantino fashion, do purvey a hint of parody. But contrary to some of his other films, Tarantino models his characters this way not to poke fun at the peculiarity of mankind, but to force a mental reaction upon his audience. He takes our historical perception of “the other” – German perception of the WWII American, American perception of the WWII German, the Frenchman, the Englishman, the Italian,  etc. – and models such perception in a way that directly reexamines the global lack of humanity during the war. Ultimately, he spells out the irrationality of WWII through exaggerated character conduct. In so doing, Tarantino defies all odds by attaching humor to a point in history that couldn’t be further from the fact.

Inglourious Basterds might be fiction, but the fiction portrayed is ingenious allegory. Quentin’s message is clear: the Nazis have only themselves to blame for their undoing.  And this message couldn’t have struck with such force if it weren’t for the incredible performances of Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent (Shoshanna Dreyfus) and Cristopher Waltz (Col. Hans Landa). Intelligent art direction, witty humor, a loaded story and first-rate acting (all with a Tarantino cherry on top)—Inglourious Basterds passes with flying colors. Get to your local cinema quick! This one’s definitely worth the $10.50.

Trailer: Avatar

// August 20th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Movies

At just over $300 million, James Cameron’s Avatar is the most expensive movie of all time. And the long-awaited trailer speaks for itself. For you HD lovers (highly recommended), click this link.