Category Archives: Video

TV teaser: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 2

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We’ve already been treated with a sneak peek into the second season of HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones, but that’s nothing compared to this 45-second teaser. King Robert’s brother Stannis Baratheon (who we haven’t been acquainted with yet) narrates here, claiming “the Iron Throne is mine by right.” Season 2 will consume what author George R.R. Martin wrote in his second book in his A Song of Fire and Ice collection titled A Clash of Kings. In the chilling teaser we are forewarned that many of our beloved and hated characters (I’m looking at you Joffrey) will indeed clash in the upcoming season.

The cold winds are rising and April 2012 cannot get here fast enough.

2011 Video Game Awards winners and exclusive trailers

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This past weekend Spike TV played host to the ninth annual Video Game Awards. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took home the Vector Monkey trophy for Game of the Year, besting Portal 2, Batman Arkham City, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Throughout the night, host Zachary Levi (Chuck) interacted with neat in-show augmented reality animations from the aforementioned nominees. Skyrim also won Best RPG and helped Bethesda get crowned Studio of the Year. Portal 2 was recognized multiple times throughout the night; it won Best PC Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Performance by Male and Female, and Best DLC. Arkham City also won multiple awards for Character of the Year (The Joker), Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Action Adventure Game, and Best Adapted Video Game. This year the Gamer God Award went to Blizzard Entertainment, and Shigeru Miyamoto was on hand to accept the first ever Video Game Hall of Fame Award for The Legend of Zelda. After the break you’ll find a list of all the night’s winners and losers.

Though the awards play a big part of the VGAs every year, it’s the world premiere footage from upcoming games that really gets gamers amped. Among the most celebrated were Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, Command and Conquer: Generals 2 from Bioware, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, Fortnite from Epic Games (introduced by Cliffy B. himself), Irrational Games’ Bioshock Infinite, and Blizzard’s introductory cinematic for Diablo III. And then were was the VGAs epic finale. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima stepped on stage to unveil the latest pulse-pounding trailer for Metal Gear Rising. This one took my breath away; it’s a must-see. Jump after the break to watch all of the world premiere trailers screened at the VGAs.

[Via Spike 1, 2] Continue reading 2011 Video Game Awards winners and exclusive trailers →

Trailer: ‘The Three Stooges’

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Here’s our first look at the The Three Stooges from the Farrelly Brothers. Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso are Larry, Moe, and Curly, respectively, and they star in this zany, slightly nostalgic trailer that places the trio in modern day. Originally enthused about this remake, now I’m not so sure how I feel. The slapstick comedy and classic sound effects are fun, but did they really have to resort to including the cast of The Jersey Shore? The Stooges return April 4, 2012. Here’s the latest synopsis:

Left on a nun’s doorstep, Larry, Curly and Moe grow up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way to uncharted levels of knuckleheaded misadventure. Out to save their childhood home, only The Three Stooges could become embroiled in an oddball murder plot…while also stumbling into starring in a phenomenally successful TV reality show.

Kid Cudi reveals WZRD album cover

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Kid Cudi can’t keep out of the news. After releasing two tracks from his upcoming collabo album with producer Dot Da Genius, Cudder jumped back onto Twitter to share with his followers the “official logo” for his band WZRD. He confirmed that the image embedded above will in fact serve as the album cover when the still yet-to-be-titled album drops January 30. Though now all signs point to it being self titled as WZRD. Cudi went on to describe the album art as “simple, classic, iconic.”

Bonus! The same day he posted the WZRD image to Twitter, he also shared a link to Dia Frampton’s YouTube channel. Embedded after the break you’ll find an amazing cover of Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” by The Voice runner-up. The two recently collaborated on Frampton’s new single “Don’t Kick the Chair.”

[Via @wizardcud] Continue reading Kid Cudi reveals WZRD album cover →

Trailer: ‘The Cabin in the Woods’

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At long last, Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods is going to see the light of day. The director of The Avengers teamed up with Cloverfield helmer Drew Goddard to produce a horror flick originally slated to release in 2009. Due to MGM’s filing for bankruptcy, the film was shelved indefinitely. Thankfully Lionsgate came to the rescue and agreed to distribute it.

The Cabin in the Woods involves a group of good-looking teens who decide to spend a weekend at a vacant cabin to let loose and party. And then bad things happen. It’s a situation we’ve heard time and time again, but as the tagline hints, “You think you know the story.” Yeah, I went ahead and added the emphasis. Whedon, who produced and co-wrote with director Goddard, says it’s “a straight-up, balls-out, really terrifying horror movie…it is not just a slasher in the woods. It’s a little more complicated than that…” And if you screen the trailer above, you’ll see what he means by that. Sure, these kids are getting tortured just like in the classics (and the awful remakes I must admit), but the story is twisted and elevated a few notches higher when it starts to involve creepy voyeurs and a honeycomb-like forcefield that’s keeping the gang from escaping the woods. Will it rise above the recent slew of crappy horror flicks? With Whedon and Goddard behind the words and direction, I have no doubt The Cabin in the Woods will be a suspenseful thrill ride worth the price of admission. I’ve only watched this trailer like ten times and I’m ready to wait in line!

The Cabin in the Woods, which can now be considered a horror/sci-fi mashup, makes its way to theatres April 13, 2012. It stars Dollhouse alum Fran Kranz and Amy Acker, along with Tom Lenk (Buffy, Angel),  Jesse Williams, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Brian White, and a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth. Want to know what else is intriguing about all this? Big-name stars Richard Jenkins (Let Me In) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) are no where to be found in this trailer. Chew on that for a while. Then take a look at the trippy movie poster after the break. Continue reading Trailer: ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ →

Short film: ‘Address Is Approximate’ (using stop-motion & Google Street View)

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A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can – using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.

Address Is Approximate is produced by director Tom Jenkins of London-based commercial production company The Theory. The stop-motion animation short, shot with a Canon 5D Mark II, quickly went viral and has garnered over 1.8 million views in fifteen days. The story it tells is so simple yet unbelievably captivating. And the idea of taking inanimate objects for a “drive” cross country in front of a computer monitor using Google Maps is utterly ingenious. In case you’re wondering, the soothing track that plays throughout is “Arrival of the Birds” by The Cinematic Orchestra.

The clip was a pet project for Jenkins who was recently signed to the talent agency WME with his partner Simon Sharp. Hopefully this means that we can expect more from Jenkins in the future, perhaps on the feature side of things.

[Via Deadline; Vimeo]

Sony turns on spectacular 3D projection mapping for marketing purposes

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Creative production houses Studio Output and Marshmallow Laser Feast collaborated on a series of videos for Sony Europe to help advertise the PlayStation Store. Three videos were made for the  “Great Films Fill Rooms” campaign and you can watch them right here! Part 1 of the “Most Insane Immersive Movie Experience EVER” is embedded above, and the others are sitting after the break.

What’s so neat about these videos–besides their spectacular visuals–is that they were all shot in one take in real-time with no post-production alterations and edits. The producers explain how they accomplished this. They took advantage of “‘Immersive Imaging’ which takes 3D projection mapping as its starting point, but gives the viewer a supercharged experience with the help of the PlayStation Move controller. In the past, projection mapping worked only from a single, static view point, and thus was very limited. By attaching the PlayStation Move to the camera, we can track projections to screens in real time, enhancing the effect of spatial deformation and false perspective on the projections and allowing viewers to look round (virtual) corners, bend walls, create a hole in the wall, or remove the walls altogether to reveal vast expanses of virtual worlds.”

Using a Steadicam, PlayStation Move controllers, EyeToy cameras, tangible props, and agile actors in spandex they were able to make the magic happen. Too bad this is all a marketing stint; hopefully it won’t be long before we see something like this promoting the next video game console.

[Via Engadget; Technabob] Continue reading Sony turns on spectacular 3D projection mapping for marketing purposes →

Music video: Lady Gaga – “Marry the Night”

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Every time Gaga releases a music video, you never really know exactly what you’re going to get. Like some other in her collection, the nearly 14-minute clip for “Marry the Night” plays like a short film. In fact, the music doesn’t start until Gaga pushes in an 8-track tape at the 8:47 mark. Before that happens all kinds of erratic scenes fill the screen. In the beginning Gaga is wheeled into a hospital ward that appears to be located inside a hotel, and during this part she narrates her inspirations behind the nurses’ wardrobe, among other things. Once the music kicks in so does the choreography; Gaga and her dancers once again show off their fancy moves and impress. Go on and grab some popcorn then mash play to experience another wild glimpse into the mind of Lady Gaga.

Music video: Dia Frampton – “Don’t Kick The Chair” (Featuring Kid Cudi)

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If you watched the first season of NBC’s music competition series The Voice then the name Dia Frampton should ring a bell; she was the runner-up behind winner Javier Colon. Falling to second place didn’t stop her from achieving fame. Frampton is preparing her debut album Red that’s expected to drop December 6 and for her new single “Don’t Kick The Chair” she managed to get rapper Kid Cudi to croon a verse. She shared the inspiration behind the track to AOL Music. “It started with my lyrical idea, ‘Don’t Kick the Chair,’ since my sisters and I throw that phrase around at home when we’re complaining about something when, on the other hand, it’s a beautiful day outside. In other words, ‘don’t kick the chair’ is another way of saying, ‘don’t give up,’ because you can’t have the highs without the lows, and there’s no use in getting down about something for too long. You got to start pushing forward at some point.” On working with Cudder: “It was a pleasure having Kid Cudi on this song. I’m a fan of his work and also am very happy with the positive lyrics he created. This song has a dark undertone, but overall, I wanted it to be optimistic.”

Watch the lyric video above and bop your head to upbeat track and Frampton’s sweet, crisp voice.

Update: The song, as well as Frampton’s album Red, is now available to purchase on iTunes.

Google news: New Google bar, YouTube gets a new look, and the evolution of search

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The folks at Mountain View are constantly working hard to bring new experiences to the Internet, as well as updating the ones we use most. You know that horizontal (recently painted black) navigation bar that rests at the top of every Google webpage, including the search homepage? Well, it’s going away to save screen real estate and unify all that Google has to offer. The new Google bar isn’t a bar at all, really. It’s comprised of three sections: Google menu, Search, and Google+ tools. All three of these sections will be found in the spot location across all of Google’s products. The Google menu is accessed by hovering your mouse over the Google logo in the left hand corner, saving you a click to reach Google’s other products like Images, Maps, and Gmail. Search sits in the top middle, and easy access to Google+ tools is on the right. Navigating Google, searching, and sharing links with friends is now a more streamlined and cleaner experience. The new Google bar is rolling out soon.

After months of testing a new layout dubbed “Cosmic Panda” Google has finally rolled out an updated look for YouTube. First off, the homepage is totally redesigned and built to be customized to your liking. To the left you’ll find a YouTube Channel line-up. If you’re signed in with a Google account the setup is like this: a list of your Subscriptions, including Google+ and Facebook social integration; From YouTube categories, including trending and popular videos; and Suggested channels for you. To add a channel to your list simply click the Add channels buttons up top to be directed to a listing of all video categories; subscribing to channels from there is a one-click process. Back on the homepage, when you click a channel from your line-up content will appear in the center of the page. Instead of navigating you to an entirely new URL, the new YouTube homepage keeps you in one place while you’re browsing content. Play a video and then you’ll be brought to the uploader’s channel so you can watch the video and comment on it. Speaking of channels, Google has updated those spaces as well with new templates and a sharper layout. And with inspiration from Cosmic Panda, Google has opted to stick with the trial’s consistent gray background, bigger video thumbnails, and a more streamlined watch page. The new YouTube is available to play with today; sign in with a Google account to customize.

Last, Google has produced an interesting video that tells the “short history of the evolution of search, highlighting some of the most important milestones from the past decade—and a taste of what’s coming next.” Watch it after the break. There you’ll also find videos highlighting the new Google bar and YouTube’s cosmetic transformation.

[Via Google 1, 2, 3] Continue reading Google news: New Google bar, YouTube gets a new look, and the evolution of search →