Doomsday predictions and observations are often met with large amounts of skepticism and are sometimes even rejected outright (and for good reason. History has shown us time and time again that one cannot exactly predict the future without proper evidence, even if their visions are “interpreted” to fit the events of today). Yet there is something about the calls of attention to the Gaming Industry’s eventual fall that is…well, right! Here’s a video that explained how the gaming industry would fall due to it’s bad habits:

Now I used the word “explain” in past tense because the video was made about a year ago, and it didn’t recieve many views as oppossed to, say, countless videos made about big hits like Call of Duty and teasers about Bioshock 2. Yet it makes a startling connection between the crash of the American Comic Books industry and the impending doom of the Gaming Industry. More people will be paying attention to this now, and for good reason.

Now, I like violence (simulated, of course) and sex as much as the next guy, but the Gaming Industry is cannibalizing itself, trying to have the “best graphics”, “best sound”, “most blood” and the “most succulent boob physics engine” without even considerig the outside world. The industry even went so far as to create it’s own awards shows, sealing the vacuum with a bandaid of “prestige” and “critical acclaim” not unlike that of The Golden Globes and Oscars.

(Cool (and cute) girl, but ugh, can we get any more pretentious and desperate>)

Meanwhile, Nintendo is often the only one targeting the groups that can truly determine the future of a business: the younger generation and women. Gaming isn’t just for 20 year-old males anymore. Now, there are more people playing. Yet it is Nintendo and other companies like it that are truly realizing this, while Microsoft and Sony are just trying to play catch up.

However, since the video has covered the demise of the American Comic Book Industry along with the demise of the Gaming Industry, I will soon use the knowledge of those markets, combined with my own knowledge, to tell of a demise of the industry that I am getting into: The Film industry.

One often hears good news about the film industry. Movies left and right seem to be prospering in the box-office  (With exceptions), from District 9 to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, there seems to be wealth to made for everyone, while indie flicks like 500 Days of Summer and Moon get lots of critical acclaim and word-of-mouth. Times in the film industry seem so great, despite the recession…at least, for now.

Yeah, sure, I attack the critics, and I bash mediocre to terrible products, but that’s because I see most people working in the industry bowing down to them due to their delivery of money and good reputation, without considering the element that keeps business going: the audience that exists outside of the industry. The Gaming Industry is destroying itself by ignoring it, and so did the American Comic Book Industry. While movies like Transformers 2 and 500 Days of Summer prosper, they seem to be leaving out the outside world for one of two short-term elements: The prestige and the current box-office rating.

Firstly, there’s one thing to get out of the way: Film is entertainment. It doesn’t matter how indie or mainstream it is, or whether it’s a documentary or a biography, it’s packaged entertainment. It doesn’t mean that entertainment shouldn’t have a message, be well made or that the makers shouldn’t strive to make their film a financial success, but if the film isn’t made with the goal of Entertainment being foremost and primary, it will fail in the long run. It doesn’t matter if the film is a box-office hit or a Oscar-winning flick, because when all of the dust has cleared, when everything is done, people will look at the film alone, and they will see the truth. Whether they will still be happy or react like a person who had a drunk night at a bar and did something very wrong…well, that depends on the individual worth of the film, and nothing else.

Also, the key thing in entertainment is longetivity, about whether the subject in question is crafted with enough care that it will last in value even when the awards shows end, when the release party is over, when people are sober from the hype of a specific season, and even when the makers have moved on. Sadly, I don’t see much effort from anyone in the film industry to do this, whether in the bottom (Indie)  or the top (Mainstream). Very few people are making, and doing, radical things from the bottom up, and they do so because they are driven.

Sasha Grey is moving up from the Adult Film Industry to star in more mainstream cinema. This seems like a controversial thing to do (And it is, which is why whenever her name is mentioned in any message board or comment section, you usually get a mix of admiration and disdain), but people who have seen her in Adult Film will follow her as she moves to the top, and she will get more and more people with each movie, until she finally topples the existing mainstream and changes the game completely. This is a move supported by the Blue Ocean Strategy and Disruption. The same applies to directeors Guillermo Del Toro (The Hobbit) and Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight). By moving up from the arthouse cinema community into the mainstream, they create longtime fans, and thus will create greater impact when they create their more “mainstream” projects.

Grey, Del Toro and Nolan do not, and will not, sacrifice their visions because they know that by working from the bottom up that they will make greater change and greater movements in the long run, and if they play their cards right, those movements will be immortalized. Future generations of filmmakers will have them to thank because it is their courage that revitalized film, whether the traditionalists like it or not.

Now, who else in the Film Industry is making this sort of radical change? Who else is looking outside of the current trends, and instead makes film to not just suceed, but to change film, to be brave? Who else is seeing the Oscars and the current box-office as red herrings to a much larger goal of a full scale movement? Who else is willing to defy the critics and make the films that will give birth to new concepts and subjects that will improve film and even storytelling in general, or at least create films that touch on timeless themes of heroism, life and death?

There are only a few people doing that, and when shit hits the fan, thus affecting film festivals, theatrical runs, indie film companies (Most of which are made by huge corporations to exploit the indie film market) and overall market health, there will be ashes everywhere. No one else will be there except for the few who saw past the Awards shows and the trends. That’s the scary thing about all of this. People in the film industry may be singing praises now, and with the current audiences and the critics who hand out the awards, but they will soon witness the industry die a slow and painful death, having looked no further than the pragmatic philosphy that dominates both the prestige and the mainstream.

i couldn’t possibly be more excited about this movie. i know it’s typical and very scene kid of me to say i love quentin tarantino, but oh well. i love him.

august 21st.

get the latest info on the IB imdb page.

-inglourious grizzlies

As same as you i am also waiting to watch the sarvam movie, see this page for more updates.

I’m not saying that its not a good movie, I’ve had the screener for about 5 months, I’ve seen it multiple times. It has it’s place in a credited movie collection. Maybe the Oscar’s Judges didn’t watch the entire movie, finishing at the end with a retarded stereotypical choreographed “music video” style dance with all it’s outsourced call center telemarketer looking actors who seem to speak much better english, then… well ummm outsourced call center telemarketers. If you haven’t seen the movie, then you’ve probably heard of it. The movie was under budgeted, and almost didn’t make it to the movie theaters, possibly going straight to DvD, but here it is, winning 8 oscars.

“Slumdog” also earned Oscars for best cinematography, sound mixing, film editing, original score for composer A.R. Rahman and best song, “Jai Ho” for Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. Only seven other films in the 81-year-history of the Oscars have won eight or more awards. -Reuters

In case you forgot, last year, during the 80th Annual Academy Awards No Country for Old Men, and There will be blood, had seriously in my opinion, some of the most awesome and prominent acting delivered by its lead and supporting actors. My complaint, my gripe here folks is simple, Slumdog Millionaire did not come anywhere close with competent acting. The plot is decent, the ending is ok (though typical, with his brother going out in a barrage of gunfire) but I’m sorry, this is not a movie worthy of sitting on the same shelf as “Saving Private Ryan” , “Forrest Gump”, “There will be Blood”, and “No Country for Old Men”.

What I think happened here, is that Slumdog Millionaire got a pity fuck…there I said it. It’s America’s retarded way of giving the underdog a pat on the back. It’s Hollywoods way of saying, “maybe next time you won’t shoot a decent movie down without a good look over”….but sorry, this movie was just, “Ok”.

So if you want to watch this “ok” movie, I’ll point you where to download it for free, that’s my way of balancing the scales of justice… just leave a comment post with email info.

Image Source

The being called feeling good “Slumdog Millionaire” movie has earned nearly $100 million worldwide. The movie is part-triller, part-musical, part-romantic comedy that sets million’s of viewers to make the movie as the most big time movie of the year, second to  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. The film goes with the story of Jamal’s life (Dev Patel), an 18 year- old orphan from Mumbai who made as a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, he’s just one question away to win the 20 million rupees, but before he answered the final question- he is arrested and accused of cheating. Who would have known all those answers when the contestant is from slums of Mumbai? The chief of police including the fat police officer forced and shoved him to confess, admit and accept that he was cheating.

There, Jamal Malik unfolds his story from chidhood adventure towards finding Latika (Frieda Pinto) . When he’s being intorragated, he narrates his life history as to explain why he knows all the answer from the set of “Who Wants to be A Millionaire”

The rags-to- riches film of the year, directed by Danny Boyle reached havoc in some part of India, partly because the word “slumdog” is a hybrid term of the word “underdog” and considerably, Jamal Malik comes from the slums. It cause protesters to raise their voice as to why there’s  a “dog” in the title. It becomes an insult, especially to Mumbai’s urban poor. It becomes the subject of controversy because it’s illustrates the portrayal of India and according to protesters it become a cultural lightning rod.

“As I was sitting and concentrating on the screen when the movie was being played together with my group of friends, I was aghast as to why the children were the subject of such cruelty and punishment. Child trafficking was much shown on this film. Religion issues and inequality were evident as well. But, I was more focus on the children. What happened to the children of Mumbai, or as shown in this movie is happening in the other part of the world as well. Not only in India but all over the world–people are basically cruel to use such innoscent young ones to work for their own needs”

yes, the title of the movie is supposed to be spelled that way. this is a hype post for the upcoming tarantino (masterpiece, no doubt) flick, inglourious basterds. the hype for this movie is slowly building, and will eventually lead up to the tentative aug. 21 release date.

everything tarantino has ever released is a gem. and for the record, death proof was miles better than planet terror. suck it, rodriguez.

anyway, entertainment tonight premiered the trailer last night, and ahhhhhhhhhhhh shit, is all i have to say.

view the trailer here. high quality here.

get more information on the movie here and here.

-inglourious grizzlies

The teaser trailer is out in full HD glory HERE!

Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen Teaser Trailer

Ok, so it’s only 30 seconds long but boy does it tease. Already you can expect so much from the sequel. At 0:10 you will see a new canine looking robot (I’m thinking it’s most probably a Decepticon), at 0:16 the Audi R8 Decepticon makes an appearance and people are saying there’s a glimpse of what could be Arcee in the background, at 0:21 Optimus gets clobbered big time and at 0:23 you see a massive new Decepticon that makes Optimus look like Frenzy (the Decepticon radio robot from the first movie).

TFW2005 breaks down the trailer into pictures HERE.

The next big date is 02-13-09, Friday the Thirteenth. This is when the full length teaser trailer will be released. 26 June cannot come any sooner!

More Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen stuff on Amin Ashaari.com:

• 6-26-09: Mark Your Calendars Everyone!
• Transformer 2: More Cool Stuff!

Imagine this in its full CGI full motion glory on ROTF. Picture credit Transformer Live Action Blog.

I can’t stop digging up stuff about Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF).

One of my favourite Decepticons – Devastator – will appear in the sequel! Here are the details. True to the cartoon rendition, Devastator will consist of 7 construction vehicles. Though some quarters are saying that it could all be a rumour.

Whatever it is I don’t care. I just want to see Devastator in action. Here’s a thought, in the cartoon series, Devastator always battled the Dinobots – could this mean the Dinobots will be in the sequel as well?

Hmmm.

In addition, MovieTome has put out a list of Autobots that will be joining the battle against the evil Decepticons. Again, it’s too early to confirm anything but the site’s list looks convincing.

Returning characters:
Safe to expect Optimus Prime coming back as leader of the Autobots in the sequel, though no one can tell if he’s getting any upgrades.

Lots of sites are saying that Bumblebee will be getting upgrades to make him more manly but MovieTome is saying that the pictures you see HERE could very well be a bizarro Bumblebee.

Ratchet, the cool looking Hummer will also come back for the sequel though apparently he will be watered down to a standard Hummer H2 rather than the decked out Search and Rescue Hummer in the first Transformer.

Ironhide. No change to the big badass GMC Topkick C6500 pickup

Many will be happy to know that Jazz the smooth, cool Autobot in the form of a hardtop Pontiac Solstice GXP is making a comeback for the sequel.

New for Revenge of the Fallen:
There’s Arcee the movie’s first female Autobot in the form of a pink/purple Buell Firebolt sportbike. Originally slated for the first movie, she was canned because the makers thought it would take too much time to explain her gender.

Stinger, an all new character in the form of a Corvetter XR1.

Wheeljack which originally appeared as a Lancia Stratos in the cartoon serieswill make his silverscreen debut in the form of the prototype Saab Aero-X.

There will be a new Decepticon in the form of an Audi R8!

Check out the toy.

Unconfirmed
Chevy’s new line of city cars the Beat and Trax will play a group of Autobots that can join together to make one giant robot. Or they could just be the Twins.

Apparently there’s also an Autobot disguised as an ice cream truck. Again, no one can confirm this yet.

There are so many rumours and reports on the movie that I’m blowing my mind! Amin’s geeking out on Transformers 2!

More Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen stuff on Amin Ashaari.com:

• 6-26-09: Mark Your Calendars Everyone!
• Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen Teaser Trailer OUT!

OMG! OMG! ZOMG!

Sequel to the best movie ever is coming this year! Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen will hit theaters June 29, 2009! I really hope this will be a worldwide release.

The official trailer will make it’s debut on Superbowl Sunday, February 1 which is this weekend! Looking forward to that but I reckon it’s going to be a teaser trailer rather than a full on mouth watering one. But hey, I’ll take whatever comes my way.

Empire! got the scoop on and showed the first official pictures of Soundwave. Obviously this movie’s rendition of the faithful Decepticon servant of Megatron is totally different from the ones that we’re familiar with (i.e. It’s no longer a boombox). Though I’m hoping in spirit, it will be – just like how Bumblebee was in the first movie! For the sequel Bumblebee gets a shot of robot testosterone to bulk him up a tad.

Official Soundwave pictures. Looks different, see HERE for comparison from the original Soundwave. Picture Credit: Empire!

Rumour has it Megatron will be making a comeback as Galvatron but no one can confirm this as yet. In one form or another the Decepticon leader has to make an appearance in the sequel. Else, Soundwave has no purpose! There’s also apparently a new robot that will be key to the plot, it’s the one you see on the official poster.

I didn’t expect the sequel to arrive so soon. Definitely THE movie to watch for 2009. I can’t wait! Maybe in the meantime I’ll browse through the leaked movie treatment found HERE.

Thank you Narisha for pointing this out. I love you!

Ask her how she found out about the movie

More Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen stuff on Amin Ashaari.com:

• Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen Teaser Trailer OUT!
• Transformer 2: More Cool Stuff!

I’m getting ready to do my annual “Top Movies of the Year” blog and have bumped all of the films that came out in 2007 to the top of my Netflix list in an attempt to see as many films that I missed as possible before the deadline next week.

This weekend Sarah and I watched a movie neither of us knew anything about but, thanks to a rave review in “Entertainment Weekly,” it didn’t slip past us. Actually I probably shouldn’t speak for Sarah because I don’t know if she really liked it as much as I did. So I’ll just say that I loved Sunshine.

The premise of the film is a little laughable: It’s the future and the sun is dying so a crew of folks have been sent into space to shoot a bomb into the sun and jump-start it. I know, I know, I thought the same thing. No wonder I’ve never heard of it. Sounds like something on the bottom shelf at the video store that my Dad would bring home.

I was wrong.

I’ll start off by saying I was grateful this film avoided the familiar trap that so many “a-team-of-scientists/explorers/adventurers-are-sent-into-space/the jungle/underwater” films fall into. Sure the personalities on the team are varied but there isn’t the usual Tough Lesbian or Macho Jock or Sniveling Coward or Black Guy in Camouflage character that seems to populate every other film in this genre. And I gotta say, it was refreshing. They were just a bunch of people on a spaceship doing what you would assume people would do on a spaceship. No one chomped on a cigar while holding a machine gun and no one did chin-ups every morning and no one–no one–sported a tough New Joizey accent.

MMmmmm, I’m enjoying the freshness already!

Without trying to sound to punny, there was a lot of space in this film; a lot of time to breathe and some of the scenes that were the strongest were those without words. The director (the same guy who did Trainspotting) let the visuals speak for themselves without feeling the need to over-explain everything to the audience with needless exposition.

The film will no doubt be compared to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey and I don’t think that’s fair. Mostly because I thought 2001 sucked. Big time. I know it’s a classic, I know it’s on every critic’s must-see and best-of list, and I know I’m supposed to like it. But I didn’t. In my opinion (which happens to be the one I prefer) it’s a long, drawn-out, overrated piece of space poop. If you haven’t seen it, let me break it down for you:

Monkeys in the middle of the desert find a big stone…thing. Then suddenly we’re in a spaceship and the spaceship gets a mind of its own and decides to take over and kills the crew. The last crew member dies–I think–but then suddenly isn’t dead and instead is transported to a big white IKEA showroom and has dinner with some dude. The End.

Confused? Yea, me too. Consider yourself lucky. I sat through the entire 7-hour snoozefest telling myself Ok, this HAS to get better….At some point this will all make sense. Surprise!!! It doesn’t and it won’t.

Where was I? I got sidetracked a bit but my loathing for the 2001 hype actually makes me angry.

Oh wait, I remember….

Sunshine, though, is good. You’re not quite sure what is around the corner and that’s a good thing. I had never seen any trailers for it, which any more love to give away everything about the plot whether or not it ruins it for you. It was nice to be in a situation for once where I could relate to the characters because I didn’t know what would happen next. And by the end of the film, I had answers. Whether I agreed with them or not or whether I liked them or not, at least I had them.

Here, a few days after seeing the film, I still find myself thinking about it, contemplating the characters I met along the way and the decisions that were made on their journey. And it’s been a long time since a film did that. And that’s the true test of a good film, I think. Not only did I enjoy the couple hours I spent watching it, but it also provided residual enjoyment. And that’s something a group of apes grunting at a stone monolith can never do for you.

In a surprising move, the academy has already nominated Bill Belichick’s, “Spygate” as Movie of the Year.

The New England Patriot’s front office was obviously elated by the news and released a statement to the AP. “2007 was a banner year for scandal, none of which was a bigger scandal than Balco, baseball, and barry bonds. We are so happy that Bill’s filming of every team’s defense has led to so many Super Bowls and an undefeated regular season. It is a joke to think that even if Belichick got caught cheating, that such minutia would mar an other wise perfect season. We gladly accept trophies, and winning film of the year in 2008 is no different, thank you to our fans, friends, the academy, and all the muscle that made a superbowl victory in 2008 that much more special.

“This is the first time that an unfinished film has been granted a decision, albeit a unanimous one so early in the year. Some protest come against this call, in what many insiders are calling against, “physics.” and “rules of the game.”

Cloverfield director, J.J. Abrams, is reported as saying, “I’m stunned, the identity of my villain, in my next project wasn’t even outed yet, it’s almost as if this were rigged, and if so, this is an outrage.”

J.J Abrams has not been able to be reached since two NFL sized men wearing dark glasses, trench coats, and cleats were seen banging on Mr. Abrams door shortly after his comments aired on cable’s Talk Soup. No quotes were retrieved as neighbors were told to return to their houses unless they wanted to know that identity of Abrams villain, and the unimaginable that could happen to them.

The AP has since contacted other sources to substantiate the AP’s integrity, such as Millwaukee Brewers baseball player, J.J. Hardy. He is quoted as calling the academy’s decision, “More David Stern and his Republican Bull-<expletive>!”

Other Academy categories are still not being released until after the Super Bowl is played, and the film is completed in time for November’s Fat Tuesday and a ” surprise presidential candidate”. Analysts at the Dow Jones Corporation have forecasted the surprise contender as “the ultimate Patriot” code named, “Man-i-churiate” at the AP, and “The Payback Kid” for those in the Republican party perhaps miffed at new EPA regulations brought on by the Academy’s decision to award former presidential elect, Al Gore, “That dum*** with f***ing anything.

Planen var å legge dette prosjektet litt på is. Ta det litt kuli som kidsa sier. Men så ser man en film, eller sju, og så er den ene av de tretten filmene årets film i sin sjanger, og da kribler det i fingrene, samme hvor syk man er.

Bender´s Big Score

Så ble det altså mer Futurama. Skaperen av The Simpsons sin sci-fi tegneserie om Fry som ved ett uhell blir frosset ned, våkner opp 1000 år senere og finner en verden veldig ulik den han er vant til, men samtidig med flere likheter enn han ønsker seg. Til sammen ble det fire sesonger av denne geniale serien, som vi kappes om her i redaksjonen; er dette bedre enn The Simpsons? Den diskusjonen lar vi ligge, men vi er alle enige om dette:

Det som slår oss først og fremst er hvor mye bedre denne filmen er enn Simpsons The Movie. Animasjonen er den samme, men det er overgangen fra serie til film som er så mye, mye bedre. Der Simpsons til tider ble litt for lang, litt for kjedelig er Futurama en festforestilling fra ende til annen. Det kan nesten virke som om Matt Groening har kunnet nyte stillheten rundt Futurama, og lagd den filmen han egentlig ville lage med The Simpsons. Men der Simpsons må være politisk korrekte, passe på hva som blir sagt og gjort, så tar han all sin genialitet, kreativitet og ondskap over på ett sideprosjekt som har fått fritt spillerom. For det er ikke typisk amerikansk dette. Bender, den alkoholiserte, kleptomane og til tider stormannsgale, roboten er så langt fra den amerikanske drømmen man kan komme. Mens Fry på den andre siden er en typisk amerikansk, giddalaus ungdom som kun gjør ting for sin egen interesse, og stort sett ikke mer.

Når vi plusser på med en eldgammel, gal professor. En byråkratisk rastafari. En enøyd dame med mer hjerne enn de andre sammen, og en lidenskap for små, nusselige dyr. Ei selvopptatt, styrtrik asiatisk jente, stormforelsket i en pusling av en alien. Samt en fullstendig ubrukelig hummer av en doktor. Så har man det komplette galleri. Vi skal ikke røpe for mye av handlingen, til det er vi for late. Også tildels for at det er ikke historien i seg selv som er viktig.

Når alt dette er sagt, så er dette en film for fansen. Har du ikke sett noe Futurama før, så vil du kanskje føle deg utenfor. Man blir ikke introdusert ovenfor personene som i en vanlig film, det taes for gitt at man kjenner dem fra før. Serien ligger som ett bakgrunnsteppe over hele filmen, og trekkes inn flere steder. Her finner vi også klare referanser til andre filmer, uten at det blir overdrevet. Gjesterollelista er noe svakere enn man kanskje kunne håpe, men Al Gore fikser også dette. Er det en gjesterolle vi ikke hadde tenkt på, så er det nettopp Al Gore sin. Bare den i seg selv er nok til å kunne se filmen.

Så vi kan glemme Simpsons, vi kan glemme Pixar og vi kan i alle fall glemme Shrek 3. Bender´s Big Score er årets animasjonsfilm, og en av våre soleklare valg når topp 10 for 07 skal oppsummeres om litt.