A simple search on google will help you understand what Mark Azali is all about. He loves talking with random people at conventions, Google Plus, and twitter. Besides entertainment, he has an unusual obsession with starchy foods. Follow him and discover just how crazy he is: @notjohnlee (Yes. That's a reference to The Replacement Killers)
We’ve talked with a bunch of steampunk fans that should probably be excited about Tai Chi 0. The movie poster shows a steampunk yin-yang and clearly states the theme with a tagline: A Steampunk Kung-Fu Throwdown. The film stars Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Shu Qi and is directed by Stephen Fung. The action is directed by legendary Hong Kong actor Sammo Hung.
Synopsis
In legendary Chen Village, everyone is a martial arts master, and uses a powerful form of Tai Chi in all aspects of their life. Yang has arrived to try and learn it, only to find that it’s forbidden for the villagers to teach their secret style to an outsider. But when a mysterious man comes to town with a frightening steam-powered machine and plans to build a railroad through a village, the villagers realize they may have no choice but to put their faith in Yang, who has a secret power of his own. With action directed by the legendary Sammo Hung (Ip Man 1 & 2), Tai Chi 0 is a full-on steampunk kung-fu throw down that will knock you out of your seat.
Titled “BECK HANSEN’S SONG READER”, Beck’s newest effort truly embraces the user generated content era. The album, which will arrive the end of this year, catalogs 20 songs presented a colorful hardcover case.
We should really be excited about this album. This release will surely spawn covers by both amateurs and professionals offering their own interpretations. I can’t wait for an explosion of renditions on YouTube.
Even if you can’t read music, the release offers more than just notes by the inclusion of illustrations by Marcel Dzama, Leanne Shapton, Josh Cochran, Jessica Hische, and others truly raises the bar.
I have seen some of Lena Dunham‘s work via Netflix (Tiny Furniture) and became a fan of her HBO show, Girls (I can hardly wait until the new season starts in 2013!). With movies and a show already under her belt, she now has a new achievement: creating a promo ad for the New Yorker iPhone app.
The promo video shows a very confused Jon Hamm as a late night TV host talking with Lani Darham (Lena Dunham) about the app. It cuts to a demo of the app by her to a Alex Karpovsky (also from Girls/Tiny Furniture). If you think you’re having connection issues while watching this video, think again. The late night TV portion is shot/edited to look like it was recorded decades ago or very low budget.
Jon Hamm is best known for portraying a mysterious, marketing director, Don Draper, on AMC’s Mad Men but he’s no stranger to comedic roles (e.g. Bridesmaids, SNL, 30 rock). He makes a bunch of unchallenged comments like “what’s an app?” and “you can’t watch TV on an iPad”.
Take a look below. I LOVE the awkward handshake at the end and the poke at corporate hype of apps.
But we just have one question: What about Android?
00:00 – SF-A2 Miki (Vocaloid) is known for having a voice similar to Miku.
01:34 – Kaito (Vocaloid) is known for singing and being a computer person tells us how her aunt played a big role in her cosplay efforts
03:13 – Derpy Hooves (My Little Pony) is known for derping and works for a moving company
05:32 – Sister Tender Shall is nice and white but a very evil person. She also cosplays Zombie Miku
08:10 – James (Team Rocket) is missing a wig. He chose this character because it’s fun playing a bad guy. He’s seen many boobs over the weekend and even had some hands-on time. He server for the marines and now works for the cable company
10:04 – Frank West from Dead Rising has a great vented mask. His costume is very impressive for a first time and it’s good to know he’s a caregiver
12:38 – At first, I thought I was dealing with a girl… because of the outfit… then I realized this fellow had just put in lots of time to perfect this look of a death knight night elf from World of Warcraft. He shares the agony of focusing on building his costume
16:27 – Battle Bunny Riven (League of Legends) likes cosplaying different video game characters and beating a game a week
18:59 – John Egbert (Homestuck) is known for being silly and aloof and talks about his first experience with anime
21:25 – Fans of the japanese harajuku talk about crazy fans asking for too many pictures and wanting to be a sex slave
23:36 – Sheryl Nome (Macross Frontier) has been working on her outfit for a year and it really shows. She gets energy from anime and explains she can learn so much from anime. She even did her thesis on cosplay
28:03 – Censorship is a group of guys capitalizing on fans trying to see some skin
30:20 – Some Avatar cosplay fans discuss his method to maintaining his fit body
31:58 – Once again, the Pokemen put on a show
33:34 – Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin (Ouran High School Host Club) are known for the twincest. They talk about the anime scene in Chicago being much smaller. They mention running into some wild fans with interesting requests
37:08 – Gingerbread man doesn’t want anyone seeing his face38:50 – Some swimmer guy is known for swimming and catches me off guard with questions of his own. We discuss Ninja Scroll
00:00 – Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony) is known for parties and ball-breaking and discusses the challenges of standing out as in the overly saturated vlog world. Check out his youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RandomEncountersEnt
03:34 – Moka Akashiya (Rosario + Vampire) is sweet and has a split personality and is slightly crazy like most women. She’s going to school to become a veterinarian and is big fan of venomous reptiles. She traveled all the way from Utah to be at the convention and is also going to the San Diego Comic Convention. Stick around and watch her get proposed to by a horse head fan
08:06 – A group of cosplayers show off their very well crafted Alice in Wonderland costumes and talk about their first experience with anime. Their name is The Antics, but I can’t seem to find them on Facebook
10:28 – Seong Mi-na (Soul Calibur) shares a great story about how she got into playing the game (hint: it all started at a laundromat). She’s a Japanese tutor and shares her experience of being around during the earthquake. She also talks about a hidden ninja village
14:47 Harley Quinn (Batman) gives an intimate explanation of why she likes her character and why she chose her major in college
17:25 – Panty (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) is known for being an angel that uses her panties to fend off bad guys. She loves cosplaying and hopes to travel around the globe
19:37 – Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas) isn’t much of a chatter but I definitely recognize the group from other conventions
20:57 – Harle (Chrono Cross) is one of the bad characters of the game. Her costume is amazing and she traveled all the way from Quebec and decided to pack costume for her vacation. Her red eyes scare me.
23:12 – Samus (Metroid) loves the complexity of her costume. I don’t remember the character having a Monroe piercing though. She’s a big fan of the red power ranger because he embodies the spirit of the conventions
25:29 – The anime expo dancer shares some time telling us how she got into anime.
26:54 – the infamous red ranger tangos with another cosplayer. Watch out for the bulge
28:38 – Hurcule (Dragon Ball) embraces his character. Once I find out he’s a chef, we talk about his experience with strange orders and the beauty of food trucks
31:15 – Frederic Chopin (Eternal Sonata) loves cosplaying Mega Man and plans to watch a soccer match for the 4th. He really wants to cosplay Voldo from Soul Calibur
34:09 – Katrina (League of Legends) plays a lot and discusses her gaming tactics. She dualed with the Fiddlesticks. She is studying pharmacy because she loves health care but hates dealing with blood
38:15 – Asagi (D) finds the vocalist to be creative. She is studying costume design and wants to create her own fashion brand
39:47 – Facebook profile is funny and getting lots of laughs. You can even place your face in his window and be his friend. I ask him about his history with anime and he discusses the joys of fansubbing. He prefers old anime.
Anime Expo has wrapped. We’ve been out all weekend covering as much of the convention as we can. Stay tuned for the usual good stuff: interviews, panel news, and reviews.
Did you like what we did last year? Here we go again! Check out what this years anime fans.
00:00 – Pink castle crasher is known for throwing rainbows everywhere.
00:53 – this guy is a nameless character from the Monster Hunter series gets his armor from a slain Congalala. He took 3 months making his costume and hasn’t slept in 2 days.
03:18 – LeBlanc from League of Legends has definitely put some time into her costume and has plans to design them for a living.
04:40 – Porco Rosso was a flying ace but avoids planes himself. He’s a video editor that shares his thoughts on 3D.
05:49 – An announcer from an upcoming steampunk webseries, Tinker, is out trying to promote their work. Check them out at on facebook. Their gear was provided by Wonderland Studios (Anaheim)
07:12 – I catch a special rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody performed by some guys and Master Chief.
08:19 – Static Shock is known for putting a shock to your system and shares his suggestion to story tellers of ending things on a high note rather than dragging them out.
10:20 – Gender bender Ran Yakumo from Touhou has a very complicated background as being a boss. She’s a middle child of the Yakumo family. His outfit has amazing stitchwork. You definitely want to go full screen HD for this guy. He also talks about the difference between the Los Angeles convention versus Sakuracon.
13:24 – My Neighbor Totoro is one of Miyazuki’s most noteable works. Her mom helped her with this costume and also helps a lot for Halloween. I express some concern and she tells me she feels like she’s in a sauna but about to take a break. She mentions getting very excited over seeing some no-faces.
15:37 – Madame Red from Kuroshitsuji is known for killing whores and loves her character’s depth and awesomeness.
17:13 – Lulu from Final Fantasy X loves her character’s costume and is seriously warm in her costume.
19:17 – Rikku from Final Fantasy X has taken years to create her outfit.
20:55 – One of the most talked about costumes, Fiddlesticks from League of Legends, bouts with another champion.
21:29 – Morgana from League of Legends isn’t a big gamer because she’s busy studying nutrition. She hasn’t heard about the proposed big soda ban in New York but thinks it’s a good idea. Check her out on facebook
22:54 – Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII is known for looking cute and being the main character’s lover. She talks about the logistic challenges of living far away from a convention.
25:01 – Mumbo Jumbo from Banjo-Kazooie is a magical character.
26:26 – The Green Ranger from the Power Rangers loves that his character took on all of the rangers and the ability to summon his monster on his own. He shares his thoughts on rebooting the series and the joy he had living in Japan.
28:40 – I can’t make out who this character is. She’s known for being pretty and also cosplays Black Rock Shooter. She loves anime because it’s fun to watch.
00:00 – Jinbei (One Piece) spent 3 months working on his outfit because he has no sewing skills.
01:08 – Genderbender Marissa (Tohou) is a jerk and has me looking at myself through his glasses. He notes the weekend is super packed since the X Games were going on at the same time. I ask him how he’s celebrating the 4th of July and without missing a beat he shows me his patriotic undergarments. He’s a civil servant.
02:14 – Dr. Kawashima from Brain Age has plenty to say and is very passionate about the game.
04:14 – Hetalia: Axis Powers represented by Italy, Prussia, Germany, America, England, and Hungary. They say the worst thing they’ve seen is ugly naked people.
07:28 – This version of the Cheshire Cat has a few tattoos recently graduated with a drawing and painting degree that she thinks is useless. Check her out anyway: facebook / jentakeda.com
09:29 – Majora’s Mask (Legend of Zelda) is Japanese and feels a strong connection with Anime. I ask her where the best place to get ramen and she says there’s a great place in Fullerton
12:29 – Axe Cop is a web comic that Fox recently picked up and talks about a few people mixing him up with real security. He’s an actor that’s done some commercials in Miami
14:19 – Who says Twilight Sparkle My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic can’t have a goatee? He loves seeking out knowledge.
16:47 – A steampunk couple explain why they love the genre.
18:32 – Rick Grimes loves killing zombies and cosplaying other zombie killers like Chris Redfield
20:02 – Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece) and Splicer (Bioshock). Tony Tony Chopper is holding cotton that she wishes was cotton candy
22:00 – Batman (cubecrafting edition) is a bit of a mashup and likes everything about anime and is studying criminal justice
23:20 – Reggie “My body is ready” Fils-Aime is a meme that has trouble seeing
24:54 – Thor finished her costume in 3 months because she got lazy. She explains that she likes gender bending because she’s not a big giant strong man but still loves the characters
26:36 – Pico (Boku no Pico) / Yuki (Tsuritama) are having a dangerous amount of fun and probably scaring children away. His water gun is definitely rated mature
28:20 – Jenova (Final Fantasy 7) definitely recognizes me. She talks about the challenges of making a costume being in your head and where she buys her materials. Check her group, SAUCEtown Cosplay. They are one of the best cosplayers out there drawing cameras towards them constantly at conventions. And how does one from SAUCEtown cosplay celebrate the 4th? Eating a trifle, of course!
Video game movies are a sore subject. When’s the last time you loved an adaptation of a video game? A few searches in IMDb might even help you to discover Street Fighter movies you wish you had forgotten. These are movies that look so awful in trailers you refuse to invest a fraction of what you paid for the actual game just to rent it. Let’s face it, the imaginative fantasies captured in video games weren’t mean for live action.
Disney decided to skirt around the genre by creating an original character that interacts with real video game villains in its new CG animation movie, Wreck-It Ralph. It will be produced by Disney’s own animation studio (i.e. Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt).
Take a look at at the trailer below:
Cameos include:
M. Bison / Zangief (Street Fighter)
Clyde (Pac-Man)
Bowser (Super Mario Brothers)
Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
Gamers should love the 8-bit style of the Wreck-It Ralph and the movie looks like it falls under the things-that-happen-behind-closed-doors formula (think Toy Story).
Mark your calendar. Wreck-It Ralph comes out November 2, 2012
The mobile gaming market continues to grow with a new game that caters to fans of the highly successful Draw Something.
Let’s Sing follows the same collaborative spirit of Draw Something by challenging friends to guess what song the other is singing. It is currently only available for iOS, but we’d expect makers Lex Friedman and Marco Tabini to come out with a port for Android if they truly want to reach critical mass.
It will be interesting to see how folks record themselves singing in public.
With video services like Hulu and Netflix now offering exclusive shows of their own, it’s no surprise that Amazon is also giving content makers a chance to bring their show to the masses via the web. All the specifics, including financial compensation rates, are outlined on Amazon.
Amazon’s approach appears to be open to anyone, which could make reviewing entries a mixed bag. As far as length goes, Amazon is only looking for 11 or 22 minute pilots that are “smart and character-driven”. Is it possible to develop characters in such a short time? The requirements also note either a comedy series or children series.
As far as hints as to what Amazon is looking for when it comes to comedy, the shows Archer and Curb Your Enthusiasm are cited as examples and says the show must fall “within the normal television standards for content and language”.
Whatever series is selected will surely contrast Netflix’s first original series, Lilyhammer, which doesn’t hold back any punches when it comes to vulgar language suited for mature audiences only.
We should continue to expect Amazon to expand its video service offerings, especially since they recently gained more viewers in the living room now that Playstation 3 owners can watch
I decided to try out the Walmart/VUDU Disc-to-Digital service. The experience turned out to not only be a first-time for me, but everyone involved.
I went to my local Walmart (Porter Ranch, CA) and brought 2 DVD’s: Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction. I knew Pulp Fiction was not a valid title but decided to bring it anyway just to see how well the folks at Walmart handled curve balls.
I went to the photo center and asked about the service. The associate confessed this was the first time he had been asked about the service and brought out a manual with steps to assist me. I was then given a form and after closely inspecting the instructions, I realized the form was supposed to be used by Walmart associates, not the customer.
After completing the form, I handed the associates (a team of two now) my DVD’s and they used a computer to validate my information (email/phone number). The associate noticed Goodfellas was already in a work queue (probably from my conversion movie list I setup on VUDU.com).
Once confirming Pulp Fiction was not available and quoting me $5 for Goodfellas, the process took a few clicks and the associate rang me up. Before I could escape, the associate said he needed my Goodfellas DVD and went back without notifying me why. When he returned, I opened up the DVD case to see he had stamped the discs (reads “WALMART ENTERTAINMENT”). He even stamped disc 2 although that was just extras. He noted the step was necessary because of licensing. Luckily the marking can easily be removed with a little rubbing alcohol (I’m guessing your mileage may vary depending on the image print type on your disc).
I came home and the title was added to my collection as expected. An overall easy process that will surely be quicker once the folks behind the counter get some experience.
Have a bunch of DVD’s you bought before the glorious HD DVD vs Blu-ray war ended? Surely, you stopped buying DVD’s once Blu-ray won, right? Either way, Walmart and VUDU are teaming up to bring your movies to the cloud for a small price: $2 for same video format streams (DVD to 480p or Blu-ray to HD) or $5 for the high definition stream of your DVD movie.
I can’t think of any arguments why you would want to convert your DVD’s to the same quality cloud version since that’s already possible to do on your own with tools like HandBrake. While VUDU has arguably the best streaming format for high definition AND surround sound home theaters, there’s no reason to watch a streaming version of a title if you already own the Blu-ray. Streaming video and audio quality pales in comparison to Blu-ray quality. The $5 fee to gain access to the high definition stream sounds like the most appealing service to me. If you’ve watched a lot of high definition content in the recent years and try to watch even a minute of those DVD’s you own, I’m sure you’ll cringe.
Naturally, since the service is new, not all studios are signed on although many of the major ones are: Paramount Home Media Distribution, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Bros, and just recently, DreamWorks Animation.
The service starts today at 3,500 Walmart locations.
So is it possible to borrow a friend’s DVD and get the VUDU HD stream for $5? I hope to test out the process as soon as possible and report back!
So this post should have been up much sooner but I was busy doing other things.
00:00 – Joker and Harlequin loves that his character is so sporadic
01:27 – Captain America loves his character’s love for America
03:18 – A Underworld death dealer has very convincing fangs talks about a gender bender cosplayer that will scar her for life
05:55 – Peter Pan loves never growing up and cosplaying other Disney characters
07:10 – Ariel (Little Mermaid) claims she is not a hoarder but wants you to visit her under the sea
08:50 – Skull kid (Zelda) is a mini-boss is older than he sounds and supports PETA
10:35 – Kato (Green Hornet) thought Jay Chow did a great job as Kato even though he didn’t like the movie much.
12:13 – Talon is way into his character says the craziest thing he’s seen is his creator nerdgasming over him
14:07 – this original character is a steampunk/rogue warrior is very impressive looking. Check out her cosplay page on Facebook
15:47 – Kromp is known for stealing, drug deals, putting children on sex trade, and thinks elmo is a unic. He gives indispensable advice for surviving the ghetto. Check out more kromp at puppetmayhem.com
18:30 – The pedo bear thinks we’ll believe he is a pokemon player. He’s studying child development and knows kids love candy
19:59 – storm trooper escorts Chewbacca
20:18 – Scarecrow’s outfit has gone through several redesigns
22:05 – Red Robin doesn’t care for the new Batman movie. He doesn’t like the look of Nolan’s versions of the Batman
23:18 – Star Wars cosplayers gives a special message to George Lucas
24:33 – The Ice King loves his character’s swag
25:25 – Yuna (Final Fantasy) loves her kickass character
