Brütal Legend is a heavy metal-themed game coming out later this year which 'stars' Jack Black.

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  I thought that the idea for the theme was novel, where you 'rock stuff to death', I guess. It will be neat to see how they incorporate it into all the regular aspects of an action-adventure game. Aside from this though, what really struck me was the way that the trailer sort of uses the cutscenes in a way to make it seem like it could be an animated movie and as well as a video game. Because I just finished a university course on digital and trans-media texts, I thought it was really interesting how the game sort of 'stars' Jack Black, and that is a part of its marketing and its appeal. Despite whatever you think of Jack Black, he has come to associate himself with this kind of 'rock will save the world' attitude.
  I might be wrong (bring up any instances if you can think of them) but is this the first time where a videogame, as a unique text (ie not as a spinoff or adaptation of a film or whatever) has had a prominent and popular film actor in a starring role, and the game marketed as such? Do you think that we will see more of this (ie Morgan Freeman in System Shock 3?) in the years to come as the distinctive industries of film and video games continue to merge? Also feel free to post your opinions or thoughts on this game in particular.

I saw these guys on Conan the other day, in addition to hearing their songs on Rock Band and a little bit of radio play. I generally like their sound, but I can't quite place it aside from maybe the thick Iron Maiden influence. I haven't heard much about them, other than the fact that I saw that they have a whole fleet of singers, but I'm wondering what you guys think of this band.


This is the performance I saw. I think they might have something to do with Harmonix (the guys that made Rock Band) but I'm not sure how...?

I'm just putting out a line here and wondering if anyone is into the same kind of music I am. I am pretty into hardcore punk, stuff like A Wilhelm Scream, Alexisonfire, Propaghandi, etc. The thing is though, hardcore punk walks a fine line: bands like Protest the Hero and Dillenger Escape Plan getting too close to "wall of nearly-senseless noise" for me to enjoy it.  At the other end, bands like Rise Against and Strike Anywhere are sometimes too emotional for me to be able to really feel like the music rocking hard enough to satisfy. What I like would then be more melodic hardcore, I suppose.

A Wilhelm Scream is probably my favourite band of the last 10 years for the simple fact that they rock indescribably hard. Rarely does thier music cross into the sort of emotional flimflam of the emo scenesters and more often talks about the usual punk ideologies of how to fuck things up for those who are so proud as think they are above you or that there is room for improvement anywere in society. Both Mute Print and Ruiner are packed with enough shit to make your face melt. There have been bands in the past that I think wished they could've rock this hard, but it wasn't invented yet. Whenever I listen intently, I am always pleasantly surprised by unexpected structures, those little eclectic trills or cutting hammer-ons that sneak into them. I've not bought Career Suicide but if the rest of the tracks are as well built as "5 to 9" then I will probably never want to buy another album again. I'm going to go ount and get it tomorrow, I'll let you guys know what I think. With each new album, I hear more and more of a sweet, progressive freedom in thier music, and each time it cuts deeper and rocks harder than the time before.

A Wilhelm Scream's "5 to 9" (cool video too)

"I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz" (funny intro)

Alexisonfire is more melodic, with frontman Dallas Green's honey voice raking in the benjamins on the side, but the raw sinwaves of energy that pour out of the high-crunch thick-tempo licks in Watch Out! and the self-titled album (especially things like "Polaroids of Polarbears" and "Counterparts and Number Them") sound like seraphim to me. You've probably all heard it by now, but just because its six years old doesn't mean it stopped being awesome. Thier Moneen-Switcheroo is probalby one of my favourite albums, "Charlie Sheen VS Henry Rollins" is such a killer track, Moneen's rendition of "Accidents" or the mix "Bleed and Blister" just make me melt. I'm not really sure if I liked where Crisis was going, somewhere away from the binaries of foundational punk rythms and cooling melodies that existed in the first two albums (ie the single "This Could be Anywere in the World"), but I still think it keeps enough to there initial sound for me to enjoy it (especially "We Are The Sound", which I think is really killer).

Alexisonfire's "Waterwings (and other poolside fashion fauxpas)"

What I like about these bands is that they are real. There is no dressing up or putting on "the image" for the label or for the sake of it, or because they are sullen and angsty, even. I really identify with the fact that they're middle class working guys who know how to rock out and made a living out of it. There is a distance from the emo/punk-lite scene in attitude and composition that really makes all the difference, but a focus on the musicality and clarity of melody that is lacking once you start to go more hardcore.

But yeah, thats just me. What do you think?

The Questis a Cool Flick
Produced & Directed by Jean Claude Van Damme. Starring Jean Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore and James Remar



  Some of you may have actually seen this one, seeing as how its had broadcast time. The Quest (1996) is a tournament-fighter movie, written, produced and directed by Jean Claude Van Damme. Now before you huff at me for praising a man who many think is a hack of an actor, let me give you my two cents on this particular film.

Our hero Christopher, an acrobat, entertainer, pickpocket, foster-parent, and all around loveable tramp from 1920s New York, finds himself in a world of trouble when he gets mixed up in some crazy gang business. Escaping the city as a stowaway on a freighter, it turns out the smugglers he befriends aren't too pleased with his being there, and put him to work. Thankfully, he is "rescued" by British high-society gentleman and pirate hunter Lord Dobbs (Roger Moore), who promptly sells him into slavery. Stranded on a small island in Thailand, he learns the local art of Muai Thai kickboxing. Once Dobbs catches wind how well the boy is doing in the local underground, he buys Chris his freedom so that he can compete in the great Ghang-Gheng, a fighting tournament where combatants from around the world compete for a statue of a giant golden dragon. There is just one problem, Maxie Divine (James Remar), the American holding the title of Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, is already competing.

I know you're probably rolling your eyes, but bear with me: it gets a whole lot better. The spectacle of the Ghang-Gheng has alone enough worth to make this film enjoyable. The fights were surprisingly well choreographed and well shot. The film has such novelty, in the idea that you are watching fighting styles from all over the world. You have the Japanese sumo wrestler, the French prize-fighter, the Turkish pit-fighter, the Russian juggernaut, and the Scottish bare-knuckle boxer (who we unfortunately don’t see a lot of) and others. Some of the more interesting fighting styles are performed by the Brazilian Capoeira fighter, the Greek wrestler, and the Chinese kung-fu master, and other nationalistic stereotypes that were actually close to the way the world was seen in the 1920s. What's also cool is that its a period film, takes place in exotic locales, and builds a surprisingly varied cadre of characters. Jean Claude rides horses and elephants, pirate ships and there's even a blimp in there somewhere, perhaps at an attempt to pan out to a wide audience with the enticement of the glaze of an adventure film. Because of this, I find it has a charm that Bloodsport and other Western tournament-fighting movies lack, and a style that is more definitive and unique.

Yes, it is nearly B-Movie. Most of that is thanks to the wooden and kitschy performances of James Remar (who is just a really bad actor I don't know how he keeps getting work) and Janet Gunn (as the tagalong journalist/romantic interest for our hero Christopher). But there is a charm and a campiness that seems so innocent, that is trying so hard to be an A-list movie. In my opinion, it comes really close, but the fact that it fails makes it all the more endearing. The script isn’t phenomenal, but for what it lacks in narrative grace it makes up for in atmosphere.

I know the trope has been pulled before: a fighting tournament summons the bravest and best to compete is some faraway corner of the globe for fame and fortune. In this particular version, steeped in an aloof sepia wash of the 20s, with a dash of the elements of a high or serial adventure, taking place at the dawning of a new global era… I find the vision and execution was done passably. Especially if you consider this work in contrast to Van Damme’s other pulp action or fighting flicks, there really wasn’t anything like it before it, and afterwards Legionnaire came close but flopped on the execution.

The IMDB gives the film the tag of "blimp" but I really think this is misapplied. I know this is going to sound silly, but I thought that Van Damme did a really masterful job of directing The Quest. If you consider Van Damme an auteur (that is, the influential primary artist in crafting the film), this could be viewed as his most masterful personal work. He said that his vision of the film came in part from the adventures of our good friend Tin Tin (and his faithful dog Snowy). There is controversy over how involved Van Damme’s former writing partner Frank Dux was involved in production (that is, the same Frank Dux that Van Damme himself portrayed in the film Bloodsport). These controversies apparently ended their working relationship and friendship as well.

Still, I think it is a charming film with a great atmosphere and capable execution. If you’re a fan of Van Damme, or Western martial arts movies in general, I recommend you see it. One time I made my girlfriend watch it and she admitted to liking it, so it can’t be nearly as bad as your worst expectations. Its the kind of film that is comfortable in its familiarity, and because of that it didn't get much praise, but I still think that its pretty cool flick.

The Best Movies You've Never Seen
Part 1: Killer's Kiss
Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Frank Silvera, Jamie Smith, and Irene Cain


  A young Stanley Kubrick had so far been spending his cinematic career making short documentaries, and one other short feature he would later attempt to suppress. In 1955, he wrote, directed, produced, cinematographed, edited, sounded, and released what he would regard as his first professional-quality film, and it would prove to be his "calling card". The sheer quality of the film-noirish tale of a lovelorn boxer and his would-be sweetheart, produced on a tight budget, was a perfect execution of the genre: dark, exciting and visually stunning. It would earn him the attention of other film studios, serving as a launchpad for the rest of his career.

  Killer's Kiss revolves around Davy, a washed up boxer, living on a prayer and week to week in the New York City. His cross-the-alley neighbour, a young dancer by the name of Gloria, finds herself in the direst of circumstances and onlooker Davy rushes to her aid. They fall in love and decide to flee the city... If only Gloria's jealous ex-boss would let them leave so easily.



  The film is beautifully shot. High contrast black and whites, interesting angles, and well executed mise-en-scene show not only the daunting maze that is urban New York, but the camerawork of each scene reveals the underlying emotion of the event or characters. Peering from window to window into the young girl's apartment, you wonder if your own voyeurism is invasive. Subtle reminders of your own viewership like this, other calls to your attention, odd incidents of the ridiculous or odd amongst the banal, are a legacy of Kubrick's own photographic eye and surrealist film influence. The film ends with a surrealist tinge, reminiscent of a scene from Luis Bunuel: A battle to the death between hatchet and pike (and sometimes plastic and plaster limbs) in the macabre setting of a mannequin factory.



  Killer's Kiss is an excellent film, feeling both timeless and modern even though steeped in the 1950s dark urban-jungle setting and noir style that matches so perfectly with the characterization and plot. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Kubrick's style and storytelling, or film-noir more generally. Even then, the film feels accessible enough for anyone to be able to enjoy.

I have this RAW file I got off the FUJIFILM front end at the photolab where I work. That being said, its not like any particularly normal camera-sensor RAW file. I've tried a bunch of programs and I couldn't get any of my programs (PS 7, GIMP, etc) to open it properly. Please help a neighbour out and see if you can read this file, and then if you do get it open tell me how I can do the same. I know CS2 and CS3 have better RAW support, so it might be readable in one of those, but so far its been pretty impossible to get this thing open. I have a back up plan once I get to work tomorrow, but the odds that it will work are not certain.

Get the file here -> http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WNH29A40

Here's what I know about this RAW format:
- Its compressed. JPG files of the same image are the same size, which probably means compression similar to JPG compression but encoded differently.
- Its FUJI specific. Never designed to be used in any other software than FUJI lab software, so chances are general RAW packages may not support this format.
- Its OLD. Probably 7-8 years old at least. Software that only reads the newest formats is likely not going to be able to open this.

I've got to do a batch conversion job on about 200 of these to JPG for a customer and it needs to be done by Monday, so if anyone could tell me how to get these open that would be swell.

Lately I have been into the idea of fantasy filmmaking in the realist style. These kind of productions were pretty much dropped after the introduction of CGI in the early nineties. Before that, from about 1965 to 1990, there was a vast and thriving B-Movie industry, of which "low fantasy" films played a large part. Low budgets and pulp material meant movies would try to suffice with some of the most basic elements and tropes of fantasy with as little flash and dazzle as possible. Oftentimes this lead to great creative works of delightful pulp adventure, and others it meant horribly produced tripe you wouldn't watch for free.

That having been said, I want to expand my palette of mid-late 20th Century fantasy films, to examine their style and design, and of course for the swords-and-sorcery and pulp adventure. So please, if you could list me some of the b-list fantasy films you've seen (Red Sonja or Conan the Barbarian for example) from this period, and just a little something about it so that I know what to keep an eye out for next time I am at the video store, that would be swell.

So, today I didn't have anything to do but I was curious about the "water car" after watching an episode of That 70s Show, and I decided to do some research.

As it happens, there is lot of hullaballoo and heartache spent over the adverse costs and effects of the energy we use and the unrenewable fuels we are consuming. But as I see it, we have it well within our capacity to produce enough low-cost energy (and I don't just mean solar energy, wind energy, and other impractical and inefficient alternative resources) and to power it in such a way as to supply the world with nearly free/free energy with relatively few adverse environmental effects.

Part of why I am optimistic has a lot to do with using water as a fuel source...
Well, let me clarify, the water itself is not used as a fuel source, but when submitted to electrolysis under certian conditions, water can be made into oxyhydrogen gas, or HHO, also called "Brown's Gas" after Yull Brown, the inventor of a water-elecrolysis cell from the late 70s.

What the electrolysis process does to H20 is it separates it through the electric energy into its basic atomic compounds, hydrogen and oxygen. These gasses will pair off into their diatomic molecules (H2 and O2) then burn.

Brown's Gas is apparently amazing. HHO is 300% more potent than gasoline, entirely clean to burn (no CO or CO2 as waste, there is no carbon involved in the combustion process), and cheaply available. An electrolysis unit to create HHO can be developed for relatively cheap.

HHO has some pretty amazing and baffling properties. It ignites at around 250 some degrees Celcius, but it can sublimate Tungsten, which requires temperatures of over 10,000 degrees. How does it do this? Well, apparently, the materials it comes in contact with determines the nature of the reaction. In some cases, this violates a lot of what people had traditionally assumed about chemistry.

In my understanding, patents similar to this kind of technology date back to at least 1918, and experiments in elecrolyzed energy sources date back to the beginning of the Scientific Enlightenment (and maybe to ancient Babylon (but they would'nt have really known what they were doing (or did they...?))).

If you combine these theories of producing HHO in electrolysis with some of Tesla's now legitimated theories of ambient electricity and magnetism or theories of radioelectrics, it is clear that current applied engergy procurement methods of hydrocarbon combustion have been made direly obsolete.

For information on just one of the many practical applications of Brown's Gas (HHO, or oxyhydrogen gas) watch this neat little video on HHO in commercial/industrial/educational welding.


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If you're interested in learning more on free energy techniques, I reccommend this web site, http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/

So its clear that clean and cheap energy is right at our fingertips but for some reason I don't see it anywhere except on the internet. What do you guys think of this technology, where do you see it going in the future, and what do you think of the idea of free/nearly free energy for everyone?

Also I heard something about a honda car that ran on the same technology or something similar, ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PzAm1WKuOU ) but it was pretty vague, but idk lol discuss.

I am playing through Ultimate Spiderman for the PS2. Overall, I am really impressed with this game. The storytelling is rich and very stylish, and the cell-shaded cinematic/comic book style is a joy to watch. For someone who lived and breathed comic books for three years of his youth, it is a delightful and nostalgic throwback in a really neat style. I've had actual dreams about being Spiderman and swinging through Manhattan, but this game is the closest I have ever come to realizing that fluidity. I especially liked the cameos by Logan, Human Torch, Sable, etc, in the Ultimate style, which is something I am not familiar with (like that Nick Fury is Black), but I am learning to enjoy and appreciate.

That having been said, I'm stuck. I just watched Venom down some helicopters and now I have to defeat this Green Goblin character that was holding up at the Latverian embassy. After chasing him downtown for a while, I get put in this confined street area where I have to beat him up. This part is especially hard, because as far as I see it what you have to do is swing around for a while and keep your eye on him until the fire arond him goes away and then jump in really quick for a six or seven hit combo before he flames up again. This took me a long time to get done, and I was wondering if there was a quicker way. After I take him down to 1/2 of his lifebar, he grabs me and we leap up into the night sky and then crash back down into some sort of conference auditorium where he throws fireballs at me for a while. I tried the same strategy that I did on the street (swinging around and waiting until his fire-shield goes away) but the thing is that the fire just won't go down, and it turns into a dizzying swing in circles while Gobin jumps from one side of the room to the other.

So, talk about how nifty Ultimate Spiderman or related Marvel games are / tell me how to beat this guy.

Summer time for college/university students usually means four months of backbreaking or soul-exanguinating labour in order to make tuition and rent for the upcoming year. Over the past four years, I've had at least half a dozen summer jobs, only one of which I have enjoyed and gone back to. However, I've gotten fed up with this system, quit my jobs, and my last day of work proper is tomorrow.

Which leaves me with the predicament of what in god's gravy am I supposed to do for the rest of the summer. I have thought it over and I should probably get another summer job; something light and enjoyable, where good pay isn't important, I just want to have fun for the next few months until school comes back into the limelight. So, use this thread to suggest fun things I could do for a summer job, or talk about summer jobs you've had, or whatever it is you are doing this summer to make scratch.

  Don't know if this should go in Lit, but I think that writing and developing stories for film is different enough to warrant that the topic be kept here.
  I am writing a screenplay. It is supposed to be a traditional epic adventure, styled like a Star-Wars-steam-punk-western. The characters are so far fairly flat, and I haven't got much done except a couple different treatments and a few pages of action sequences that I think are otherwise pretty neat and kind of funny, and to some extent parody adventure movie cliches.
  I have other ideas for films: a science fiction film about humans invading an alien planet, trying to present a new way of looking at the invasion movie sub-genre (what if we were the invaders), and a couple ideas for spy movies based on what I've learned of espionage during the First World War.
  So tell us about the screenplays/treatments you've written and ideas for movies that you've had.