Friday, August 22, 2008

Run Wrake

Animation by Run Wrake.



Rabbit

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Damn Channel

Wainy Days which is heading into it's third season of 10 episodes. It's described as "One man's absurdly hilarious quest for love in the big city." -Emphasis on absurd. You'll quickly decide whether this is your sort of humor after sampling the first episode. The cast includes a variety of funny people including Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Jonah Hill, and Thomas Lennon.


The other gem is Horrible People which is a parody of a soap opera that takes place at a cocktail party. I think the acting is awesome.


WARNING: Both feature adult humor and profanity. And both can be found along with other comedy programs at www.mydamnchannel.com

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Web Series: Foreign Bodies

I made it through about half of this series a couple of months ago from the producers of Prom Queen. It's kind of trashy but I enjoyed seeing Indian location shooting and girls in skimpy outfits. The series was made to promote Robin Cook's latest novel Foreign Body about medical tourism.

An Exotic Thriller:

A group of dangerous Indian beauties, brimming with hope and desire are brought to the sunny shores of Southern California and are promised the American dream. They are taken in by a group of young, cutthroat medical entrepreneurs who hope to train them and cultivate their nursing skills for their own mysterious ends. The women soon become seduced by the brash and ambitious charmer who lords over them, but for him, his lust for the one, mysterious, unattainable beauty threatens to unravel the very conspiracy he built.

But who is seducing whom and what exactly are the women really being trained to do? With freedoms in America they could never imagine, the girls discover they just might get what they want, no matter the consequences or the risks involved.

Take this trip into seduction, murder, and international intrigue. From the exotic streets of Delhi, India to the sun-soaked sands of Santa Monica, mystery, deceit, and romance are around every corner. Witness how this tale of illicit passion, murderous ambition, and the dark underbelly of medicine unfolds and how life will never be the same for everyone involved.


FIRST EPISODE:



Watch more at: www.foreignbody.tv

Web Series: Prom Queen

Another series I'd heard about but haven't checked yet is Prom Queen produced by Michael Eisner's web video studio, Vuguru. Apparently the series did well enough to warrant a second "Summer Heat" follow up.

It's senior year for the students of Edward Adams High and Prom season is beckoning, but so are mysterious and increasingly threatening messages that promise the Prom Queen will die. Over the course of the prom season the mystery will unfold until everything comes together on a truly unforgettable prom night.

FIRST EPISODE:

Removed the embed because it Auto-plays.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v349384PFJgJGaT

Watch on: www.promqueen.tv
If you find yourself hooked on sexy teens, the episodes premiere on MySpace.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Web Series: Afterworld

Afterworld is made by the same producers of Gemini Division. I haven't had a chance to check this out but apparently this sci-fi web series has earned itself a bit of a cult following.

Russell Shoemaker, an advertising executive on a business trip, wakes up in a New York hotel room the morning after a worldwide, catastrophic phenomenon wipes out all signs of life. Or so Russell thinks.

After finding fellow survivors, he begins a harrowing 3000 mile journey across the US in hopes of finding his wife and daughter alive. Along the way, Shoemaker meets and comes to the aid of other survivors. In this post-apocalyptic world, Russell Shoemaker becomes a symbol of hope, a modern superhero in search of what matters most, whose arrival is often-times eagerly anticipated by remaining survivors. This is one man’s odyssey of self-reliance, innovation and optimism.

Part graphic novel, part cinematic narrative, part primetime drama, AFTERWORLD is a fully immersive, scripted thriller engaging worldwide audiences via mobile, on-line and broadcast platforms.



Watch it at: www.afterworld.tv
You can also view it at the Afterworld YouTube channel if the official site drives you nuts.

Web Series: Gemini Division

I'm plunging myself underground soon with some time to kill and I'll be checking out some web series that have come out in the last couple of years or are just about to start up.

Starting today, Rosario Dawson stars in "Gemini Division".


Gemini Division is about an NYC detective investigating the murder of her fiance. During the investigation she uncovers a global conspiracy involving the creation of simulated life forms that have assimilated with the unsuspecting public.

Gemini Division also combines the first true convergence between internet based entertainment and advertisers creating a "launch pad" designed with the dissemination of product information as it's creative process. Acura, Cisco Systems, Intel Corp, and Microsoft Corp. are among the first brands involved with the development of the program.

-wikipedia


Seems a bit 'meh' but we'll see.

www.geminidivision.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

Rolled

Rick-rolled, Obama style.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Down the Coast

Two hitchhikers get picked up by a Maori in New Zealand. I thought this one was interesting because I actually got the Maori/Kiwi jokes. I even knew what this dude was talking about most of the time. But I wondered whether someone who hadn't visited NZ would quickly lose interest in something so colloquial.
View at NZshortfilm.com
Directors: Jeremy Dumble & Adam Luxton
Runtime: 11:24

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Drunk History

Derek Waters presents Drunk History, people getting drunk and discussing history, reenacted by the likes of Michael Cera, Jack Black, Danny McBride, and more.
[Warning: NSFW, language. Also scenes of vomit.]
Vol. 1: George Alexander Hamilton

Vol. 2: Benjamin Franklin

Vol. 2.5: More Benjamin Franklin

Vol. 3: Oney Judge

Director: Jeremy Konner

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Italian Spiderman

I caught this video on YouTube sometime ago and thought it was just some odd parody of Spiderman. I ran across it again today and found out there's a whole series of 10 episodes that follow. And they're pretty great (though the director admits you either love it or hate it). The trailer was shot on 16mm for a university project in Adelaide, Australia. It's popularity led the cast and crew to shoot an additional 37 minutes of material with financial assistance from the South Australian Film Corp. There's a whole backstory behind the Italian Spiderman film's origins involving an Italian orange grower company named Alrugo which also produced films. It's zany, you can try to make sense of it all via the links below.
Trailer:

Episode 1:

Episode 2:


Episode 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 [links open in new windows]

Director: Dario Russo
YouTube Channel
Official Site
Alrugo Blog

Advertising

I was perusing the I Believe in Advertising blog today and ran across two ads I enjoyed for reasons I can't really pinpoint. The first one just gave me fond memories of New Delhi (though I think it was shot in Mumbai) and, as it intended, moments we wish we could relive:

Director: Ringan Ledwidge

The next one is a nice piece of animation for what I believe is a French children's television channel called "Tiji":

Director/Animator: Yoann Lemoine

Friday, August 1, 2008

5:55

"Alex, a young photographer from Mexico City is hired by a fashion magazine to shoot their cover in Iceland. Ana the beautiful model he's brought with him disappears one morning, leaving Alex without a single clue as to where he can find her. Clearly intrigued, Alex decides to follow Ana, but quickly finds himself immersed in a mysterious game. A five level labyrinth that spreads across Europe but has no real way out." Basically a filmmaker's wet dream.

View at Undergroundfilm.com

Directed by: Javier Aguilera & Jorge Aguilera
Runtime: 8:32