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Monday, May 28, 2012

Black Sabbath Never Say Die 1978 full concert video

Sunday, May 27, 2012

LYT Review: “MIB 3″ Proves Two out of Three Acts Ain’t Bad

by Luke Y. Thompson on MAY 25, 2012

Men in Black II is a good movie.

That’s right: II. The second one. You may now feel free to disregard what follows if you choose. But really: same comedic tone as the first, same characters thankfully stripped of the need for an obligatory origin story, equally creative creature designs (love that post office) and a genuinely moving twist. And yet it’s taken as a given that you must hate this movie, just as if it were Batman and Robin(which has certain lesser merits, but that’s a whole different conversation with a lot more words involved that don’t relate to this topic. Short version: if you look at it as a costume designer’s attempt to subvert the Adam West series on a massive scale, it succeeds). I had a reader respond to my MIIB review by saying that it would be better to find out I were on the take than actually had such suspect judgment as to like the film for real. Nonetheless, the movie still works. Maybe fans wanted a more disturbing villain, like cockroach D’Onofrio? Can’t say. But dislike of part 2 does not exist in this dojo (it may exist in comments below; we’re not really hardasses like John Kreese. I will merely imagine myself looking slightly askance at you as penalty). Though I’ll give you this: “Nod Ya Head” is not Will Smith’s best tune (I’m partial to “You Saw My Blinker, Bitch“).

So now we get to part 3, and along with it some gossipy tales of how it went over budget and they had script problems and blah

blah blah. Are they noticeable? Yes, but… it’s clear everybody knew how to begin and end the movie. The middle is a whole ‘nother issue, but one it seemed like hiring Josh Brolin to do a Tommy Lee Jones impersonation would 100% fix.

Close.

I don’t wanna say no cigar, but will state that it sure ain’t gonna be a fine Cuban. Brolin is very good at the mimicry, but despite what Will Smith and others may say about the chemistry being exactly the same, they’re wrong. Brolin’s K is a kinder, gentler version, which serves the story appropriately, but also necessarily waters down the dynamic between cranky old square and hip rebellious upstart. But we should probably back up a bit.

MIB3 begins with a prison breakout sequence involving a superbad alien named Boris the Animal, who angrily resents this nickname despite apparently not giving a single shit about the humans who gave it to him (general rule: if you really don’t care about something, it doesn’t annoy you. This nugget of info provided for the benefit of any high-schoolers that may be reading. Also: wash your face). The escape is nifty, as it piles on surprise mini-twists one after the other. It even had me briefly thinking Tim Curry played Boris, which was a happy thought. Then that ended.

If you’re fortunate enough not to know the name “Ronald Chevalier,” you will likely be less annoyed by MIB3 than I. In other words, you have probably not been subjected toGentlemen Broncos, a cinematic travesty that can best be described as “the making ofBattlefield Earth as told to Napoleon Dynamite (impersonated semi-effectively by Jemaine Clement in Eagle vs. Shark).” Unfortunately for Clement, it was the big breakthrough venue for his extremely mannered comedy accent that he now uses in all sorts of things. Think of it like John Travolta trying to play off dreadlock wigs as a gag in something else – it just doesn’t quite work for those who caught the obnoxious dress rehearsal. Though, yes, I did infamously give a positive review to Battlefield Earth (theatrical cut, let’s make that clear; there was some immediate retconning attempted), but that was primarily because it’s so much better than the book. Gentlemen Broncos invokes the memory of reading the book…and horribly so.

Since this isn’t Tristram Shandy, however, we should get to the movie at hand. MIB3 is in 3D (not shot in such, but very impressively post-converted to the point that I could not tell, particulate matter being conveyed exceptionally, if that doesn’t sound too absurdly pretentious once you know I mean raindrops, dust, goo droplets, etc.) and looks really good. Plotwise, it deals with the aforementioned Boris, who is missing an arm but has lethal skeletal crustaceans hiding inside his body, going back in time to pull a Terminator and kill K (Jones) before he can complete a signature achievement of placing a planetary defense system (think Ronald Reagan’s wet dream) in place to stop Boris’ people getting remotely close to Earth. Boris gets his way right off the bat, so J (Smith) has to go back even further via a time-lapse jump off the Chrysler building in such cool 3D that I’d call it bravura if hack critics before me hadn’t ruined that word. (Director Barry Sonnenfeld discusses his 3D choices in our exclusive interview; I wouldn’t necessarily agree with him in theory if not for the fact that every droplet of goo comes spraying out at the audience just as you’d hope.)

The set-up works, including a nifty set piece involving the most exaggerated monster sushi nightmare one could imagine. As does the finale, which involves a space launch and our heroes hanging off girders from great heights. But the bits in between, less so. A time-travel visit to Andy Warhol (Bill Hader) is wonderfully in-keeping, thematically, but then there’s a silly chase sequence involving space-bikes that look like Mr. Garrison’s “It” from South Park, and a pointless trip to a digitally recreated 1969 Shea Stadium that

serves no plot purpose other to inform us that someone involved in the production is a big baseball fan. If you’d guess that the middle part was the source of most of the script discord, you’d be right… and you might also note this is longer than the other MIB movies – unnecessarily so.

With that said, it’s still a lot of fun. Standby recurring gags like Zed and Frank the Pug are gone, and while Will Smith doesn’t try for another awesomely bad rap theme, he has used absence to make the heart grow fonder, without resorting to “Awww hail gnawww!” cliches. The 3D is outstanding, and I commend Sonnenfeld for it. So this works as entertainment – the slight sagging in the middle is to be expected of middle age, but doesn’t (and shouldn’t) make the one you love seem less than he once was by comparison. It’s fair to say that if you thought this was going to be a disaster, I got two words for ya – J/K.

Me, I still say part 2 has the edge. But this didn’t suck. I will ask, though – if you’re an alien looking to donate a planetary defense system to Earth, why not drop it into orbit along the way, rather than coming down to the surface and then making us launch it back up on our highly combustible ’60s technology?

Make Good Art: Neil Gaiman’s Advice To Graduates

by Diane M. Martin on MAY 24, 2012

It’s that time of year, many people of all ages participating in the pomp and circumstance that is graduation. Congratulations to all who have managed to complete another one of life’s milestones and receive a diploma.

To help celebrate the great achievements of Nerdist graduates all over the globe, here’s Neil Gaiman’s address to the University of the Arts, Class of 2012, about the trials and tribulations of both failure and success. It’s eloquent, funny and very inspirational.

No matter what your area of expertise, an artistic pursuit enriches your life, whether it be music, photography, writing, drawing, podcasting, cosplay, building a website… the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. These skills are never a waste of time; You’d be surprised how much they translate to your chosen career. In the wise words of Neil Gaiman. “Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.”

DC Comics Examines the “Darkness and Light” of Their Heroes

by Brian Walton on MAY 23, 2012

DC Comics recently moved into a new state of the art facility at The Pointe in Burbank, California. To celebrate the opening of the new west coast offices and create awareness of their “We Can Be Heroes” giving initiative, DC employees and a handful of outside guests were invited to experience an art show around the theme of “Darkness and Light.” We were on hand for the festivities and were blown away by some of the gorgeous interpretations of our favorite heroes.

Brian Deputy, Vice President of Worldwide Creative for Warner Bros. Consumer Products served as the curator for “Darkness & Light”

DC Entertainment Executives in attendance included Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing John Rood, President Diane Nelson, Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and Co-Publisher Jim Lee

DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee with his painting of Batman.

Jim Lee’s contribution to the exhibit was painted using African tones as inspiration. His piece will travel with the “Darkness and Light” exhibit for two years to promote “We Can Be Heroes,” DC’s initiative to raise charitable giving for humanitarian efforts in the Horn of Africa. The next stop for the exhibit is The Michael J. Wolf Gallery in San Diego during San Diego Comic Con International, specifically July 13-15. While many of the pieces are by independent artists, a number of DC employees were able to feature their work in the exhibit as well. Here is a sampling of what you’ll be able to see in a few short weeks.

Dustin Nguyen was on hand for the evening. He has several pieces in the exhibit, including this one, “Untitled”

Finally, since the event took place in DC Entertainment’s new offices, a white board was made available for everyone to participate in the show. Here are a couple selections from the board. Including a random “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” poster that now has a sketch by Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Diane Nelson on it. Someone is getting an awesome-yet-awkward decoration for their cubicle.

Want to get updates from events like this while we’re there? Follow Nerdist News on Twitter and see the cool stuff we see in real time.

Pickstarter: Our Favorite Crowdfunded Projects 5/26

by Brian Walton on MAY 26, 2012

This week offers up a nice balance of a cool zombie apocalypse game with a refreshing twist, an adaptation of a classic tale with a twist and a Matthew Lillard feature film with a twist: He directed it. There is lots of twisting to be done on Kickstarter this week.

Pick #1 - Zombie Playground (#ZPG)

At this point zombie apocalypse games are old hat. We’ve seen every angle on the genre you can possibly think of. Or have we? Zombie Playground is aiming to take the carnage out of the mall and into the school yard. Using third-person action RPG elements, the creators of ZPG want to immerse players in the apocalypse from a kid’s perspective. The game will include interactive environments, customizable weapons, and cooperative team game play. The game is coming from Massive Black, developers who have had a hand in several titles. They are being advised along the way by Erich Schaefer, one of the designers on the originalDiablo. The game will even include a player class system, so there will still be that one kid that gets picked last in gym class.

Pick #2 – Tokyo Wonderland

Another Kickstarter success story, Tokyo Wonderland is the tale of Alice in Wonderland told with a Japanese flair. They’ve reached their funding goal and the campaign ends tomorrow (Sunday, May 27th) at 10:45pm EDT, so if you want to pre-order this gorgeous looking adventure on the other side of the looking glass, you’ll need to make like the White Rabbit and hurry. The book is including every memorable moment from the Lewis Carroll classics but with an Asian bent. The White Rabbit as a spirit animal/companion, the Vorpal Sword as a mystical kitana blade, the Caterpillar as a dragon, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum as Sumo wrestlers all hit the spot perfectly to make Alice’s adventures in this Wonderland all the more surreal. Now if only we could get Square Enix to pick up the rights for a an epic RPG adaptation.

Pick #3 – Fat Kid Rules the World

Last year, Matthew Lillard went off and made a movie based on the novel Fat Kid Rules the World, his feature directorial debut. The film was selected to play at SXSW and received almost universally positive reviews. Now they are looking to release the movie to the rest of us and plan on touring it with the Vans Warped Tour this summer. The Kickstarter campaign is solely to raise money to market and distribute the film. Admittedly, asking to crowdfund a marketing campaign may seem like a marketing tactic in itself, but the film does look great and we hope as large of an audience as possible gets to see it. (No pun intended)