DreamGiver By Tyler Carter

This beautiful blend of 2D and 3D animation was directed by Tyler Carter and created by a team of students at the Brigham Young University Center For Animation. The short gives a really cool take on how dreams are formed, or 'delivered' by a Sandman of sorts. The dream takes a turn for the worst when one of the sleeping kids knocks one of the Dreamgivers 'dream eggs' onto a mythological tale about Chantico, the Aztec goddess of fire and volcanoes who takes the shape of a serpent. Its a beautiful blend of animation techniques, with a wonderful cinematic score to boot. Check out the making of the short after the break!

Insomniac Gives Us A Glimpse Into Their Canceled Pinball IP

Captain Starlight, intended to be one of the Pinball tables you'd play.

In this day and age, Insomniac has been best known for their Resistance and long last Ratchet & Clank series. While browsing Facebook recently though, Insomniac decided to share some images from a 2007 IP that never quite managed to get off the ground, 1080Pinball (1080P for short).

 The project was supposed to be the equivalent of what Rockstar did for Table Tennis back in 2006, creating the most realistic simulator of that sport on any system yet. I'm guessing Insomniac had that same mindset after releasing the first Resistance on PS3, but for whatever reason we're guessing other projects got in the way. We've gathered a bunch of images from the canceled IP, so take a look at them after the break!

Google Maps Drops An 8-Bit Bomb

We're on the eve of April fools at this point, but I think Google has already won the war for best prank product I actually would love to have. According to Google, the NES will finally be getting Google Maps, themed to the likes of Dragon Quest and complete with crunchy 8bit music. Remember, blow on the cartridge to get rid of bugs! Absolutely amazing.

Game of Ponies - A Mashup

I think I may have just hit an Awesome-Robo trifecta: Game of Thrones, My Little Pony, and a mashup. You should know this already, and I've reminded you a millions times myself, but remember, Game of Thrones Season 2 premieres tomorrow. So just in time, is this adorable My Little Pony-inspired mashup. Sure does put a twist on the usual Saturday cartoon...

Studio 4C's GLOBAL ASTROLINER PILOT

A couple of years ago, while trying to sate my regular quota of anime I came across an interesting pilot/proof of concept short by Studio 4C called Global Astroliner. It was pure eye candy to me; A stylized scifi world that seemed to incorporate the distinct styles of Jamie Hewlett, Shinichiro Watanabe and Michael Arias together, with colorful scenes set to various catchy tunes. This was a project that you could clearly see doing well, and being aired on a channel like Adult swim or something similar. Sadly though, the show never made it past this conceptual stage.

The pilot was the brainchild of Daisuke Nakayama and was produced in conjunction with Studio 4C, that awesome animation studio we've covered many, many times before on the blog. Despite the 2009 pilot failing, it looks like the idea wasn't completely abandoned, as I recently stumbled onto an updated pilot with the same premise and style from the studio. I would really love to see this idea brought to full fruition someday. Studio 4C, have you tried Kickstarter?

Anyways, check out the pilot for 'Ultra Ghost Attack Team' after the break. Enjoy!

Mega64 Talk Mass Effect 3

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Mega64 - Mass Effect 3's New Ending HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

We talked about the Mass Effect 3 ending on our amazing podcast this week, but I don't think ANYONE has captured our opinions like Mega64. The Mega64 guys, on the ball as they are, give us a look at the 'next best Mass Effect 3 ending ever' and the gift Bioware has promised discontented fans. Unlike the ending, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

How To Literally Throw Yourself At Men: A Photo Series

Hey there, sailor. (Via)

We all know at least one person who tends to go overboard in their romantic pursuits, and throw themselves at their interest. But we don't know people who tend to do it quite so literally. At least I don't; I don't know what kind of crowd you run in. Anyways, photographer Lilly McElroy decided to do a little social experiment and do just that: Throw herself at men in social places, namely bars. While I could go into deeper detail as to the purpose of her social experiment (stereotypical gender roles, etc..), it's Friday so I'm gonna keep it lighthearted. Not only do her over-the-top jumps crack me up, but the reactions from the guys are priceless. I love how some instinctively hold out their arms to catch her, while others just kind of freeze.

6 more after the break! You can also check out the rest of the photo series on McElroy's website.

The Boss

You ever have that power tripping, micro managing boss that would sit there, stare over your shoulder and keep you on edge? That one boss who seemed to get off on making people uncomfortable? Yeah, we all hate that guy.

Well this charming little action short narrates the story of an employee standing up to the man and taking him down with the tools at her disposal: Paper clips. The short, directed by Alex Emslie channels 70's low budget style over substance martial arts flicks, complete with terrible voice overs, hilariously dramatic editing and campy action sequences. If you're in that type of situation right now, you'll probably find this short cathartic.

Chris Gerringer's 'I Know That Feel, Bro' Series

Can't stop eating. (Via)

Chris Gerringer's absolutely genius illustration set simply titled, 'I Know That Feel, Bro' explores different protagonists from all kinds of different series commiserating over that common thread that ties them together. Chris' awesome concept works perfectly thanks to the overlapping themes that most videogame, film and comic book characters share.

 I had a ton of fun trying to guess what the common theme was with each of them. I'd recommend you check out more of his work because he's got a ton of amazing, appealing work covering different internal 'series' he's created for himself, this just being one of them. 15 more images from the set after the break!

Rise of the Guardians - Trailer

While DreamWorks Animation films can be hit or miss, I had some faith restored with 2010's How To Train Your Dragon. There's even a sequel in the works, and though I'm usually a sequel-skeptic, I'll most definitely give it a watch. That said, this trailer for the November 2012 release of Rise of the Guardians looks really interesting to me.

When I initially read that it was a film surrounding our childhood folklore characters (Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc...), my first thought was that they were going to be generic, over-the-top caricatures. Thankfully, they didn't go full Shrek on this one.. There's an Eastern European-sounding, tatted up Santa, a peacock-adorned Tooth Fairy, and many more. I'm not quite sure about the style just yet, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this project.

WAR: THE ART OF WAYNE REYNOLDS

Beholder has some crazy dreadlocks! (via)

Wayne Reynolds is one of the most prolific contemporary fantasy illustrators. Ever since the introduction of D&D 3rd Edition rules and the infamous d20 universal system, Wayne has been a central piece in the visual transformation of the RPG fantasy setting. Along with Brom  and Todd Lockwood they refreshed the looks of not only a 40+ year old world of dices, character sheets, and geekdom, but the general appeal and tone of the fantasy illustration of that decade; gritty, stark, dark and anti- epic.

Mr. Reynolds is maybe the more active of the trio, with prominent works on the alternative and popular fantasy setting Pathfinder, where he seems to be the lead artist.

After the break a selection of really awesome illustrations, the right dose of inspiration to get you up to remove the dust of those long forgotten rulebooks. Enjoy

Hoodie Allen : No Interruption

When Hoodie Allen landed on our music radar with his excellent 'James Franco' track sometime last year, I saw an up and coming artist with a ton of potential, doing it all by himself without the help of a label. He refused to be molded into something he wasn't, which is something I think anyone can admire. Fast forward a few months later, and I found this piece de resistance sitting in my inbox.

This is it, the track that will probably make him explode. The Long Island based artist has managed to refine his sound, create an insanely catchy track that works both in the realm of mass market and the same niche audience he's built for himself (Myself included), and most important: He's managed to stay himself. With a wicked hook and a fantastic music video, it looks like all the hard work is finally going to pay off big time. This track is from an upcoming EP coming out April 10th called 'All American.' Show the man some love and pick the single up on iTunes.

Vlad the Impaler Pt. 1

Alright folks, it's history lesson time. In case you didn't know, the fictional character Dracula was loosely based off a real dude nicknamed Vlad the Impaler. Recounted as one of the more brutal figures in history (duh, nickname), this funny short has a chill, tongue-in-cheek narrative style that offers a playful take on a truly terrifying historical figure. The animation/art style is a bit rough, but it definitely adds to the charm. If only most history lessons were this cool. We're on the lookout for Part 2.

AwesomeRobo : Podcast #7! The Return

Hey guys, after a month of being MIA we finally return with our newest installment of our podcast, and we'll be back in our normal groove this time. Clad in our jumpsuits, eye patches and LED shirts we discuss all the weird mishaps and time consuming activities that befell us this month: Nearly losing eyes, evil bugs, exams, various exotic ailments and more.

In this episode we cover the following topics: The reveal of the new Awesome-Robo project like our 'Up and Coming' Tshirt line, the aftermath of Kony-rama, Kickstarter madness, Breath Of Fire IV, the Mass Effect 3 fiasco, John Carter, 21 Jump Street, Prometheus, faux movie posters and quite a few other topics! On a side note, is this your first time watching the Podcast? If so, check out the archive for the last six episodes.

A Look Back At Retro Gaming In Japan

This 14 minute video from the Japanese Youtube user/archivist known as Soikll3 covers over a decade of amazingly retro videogame adverts, covering everything from crude handheld LCD games, imported American systems, and glorified calculators up to the advent of the groundbreaking Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) and Super Nintendo. I honestly had no idea what the pre-Nintendo gaming landscape was like in  Japan till I saw this, so I can definitely appreciate the historical value of archiving and compiling these ads together.

As a bonus, I threw in another amazing compilation I found randomly while browsing Soikll's massive archive last night, featuring half a decade of hilarious ads that Arnold probably assumed the West would never know of.

Google's Self Driving Car Is Truly Incredible

I had heard of the Google self driving car prototypes that were supposedly in development, but I had no idea we'd see such an impressive field test so soon. We've come a long way. After about 200,000 miles worth of testing the vehicle, Google felt confident in conducting a test featuring the unlikeliest of candidates for 'driving,' a 95% blind man called Steve Mahan.

Using a preprogrammed route, the car safely, and smoothly drove Steve to Taco Bell and dry cleaners, using advanced sensors and a rapidly spinning camera (Situated on top) to rapidly map out the surrounding environment to ensure the passengers safety. It really cheered me up to see Mr. Mahan being given the opportunity that a blind man would probably never have otherwise, and the potential for such a program to improve people's lives. We're probably still years off from seeing a mass market version of such a scifi concept, but its inspiring to see the progress made since the program's debut in 2010.

Childhood of a Circle

This French-made, English-language animated short is simplicity at it's finest: From the story to the art. I love the art because it feels clean, and not overly complicated. It's retro, 70's feel (regarding both the art and the audio) reminds me of old-school Disney shorts they used to show on the Disney Channel back in the early-mid 90's. The story is about a Archibald, a nondescript creature who stumbles across a fallen circle. Curiosity gets the best of him, and as he follows it, he watches the circles transformation. It's kinda trippy, but the kind of story one should probably not read too much into.

THE ART OF JOVAN VELKOSI

Hipster yoga in effect (Via)

Jovan a.k.a. Jovove, is a Macedonian born illustrator/artist based in Sweden. Whimsical compositions, sexy hipster girls and that bright monotone pink are all part of Jovan's characteristic style.

His portfolio is rich with colorful illustrations, but that only covers one facet of his work. He also does art direction for different brands and institutions, which constitute the less playful, more serious side of his artistic spectrum. With clients like Ikea and Shift magazine under his belt, mr. Velkosi has proven himself to be a very well rounded and versatile designer with many different flavors. Check out a small selection of his graphic work, after the break. Enjoy!

Ferrari 458: Eye Candy

There's something about watching an exotic car, presented beautifully in its natural setting, the road. In a way its kind of the same feeling you get when watching documentaries about beautiful, rare animals. White Tigers come to mind. The $220,000 vehicle shown in this 2 minute video is a veritable beast, with an output of up to 562 horsepower and an intense V8 engine that holds the world record for power output per gallon. Gotta love the eye candy. As a bonus, check out the obscene video for the gull doored Pagani Huayra after the break!

The Awesome Phuzzy Comics Of Monica Ray

Gamer peer pressure. This is my daily nightmare. (Via)

I recently stumbled onto Monica Ray's awesome slice of life webcomic through the awesome power of Twitter, which led me to Phuzzy Comics, home of her webcomic. Monica has been working on her autobiographical series for at least a year or two now, covering the everyday misdadventures/awesome times of herself, her roommate Cece and close friend Yuj, along with a whole other miscellaneous cast of people in her life.

What I absolutely loved about this comic were the sheer amount of relatable characters, who kind of closely resembled the type of people I went to college with just a short few years back. The idealists, antagonizers, friends for life, trolls, that friend obsessed with cats (Wait, that was me) and the other, typical ecclectic group of people you encounter during those years.

This webcomic has well developed personalities, a charming art style, and doesn't take itself too seriously..Which is a key ingredient in the formula for developing a feelgood webcomic. It was hard to not smile while going through the strips, so I'd highly recommend checking this out if you're looking for a comic to bookmark permanently. I've picked a small selection of sample webcomics after the break for you guys to check out, including her awesome Skyrim and Ico strips. You can find a ton more on her website!

Hotel Transylvania : Teaser Trailer

Less than two weeks ago, we brought you a sneak peek at the art of the upcoming animated flick, Hotel Transylvania. A teaser trailer was released short thereafter, but because it was in Russian (and I believe many of the uploads were immediately removed), I decided to hold off. But just yesterday, Sony released their English language trailer for us to take a gander at. First impressions are that the animation seems a little on the stiff side, but I'll wait for a few more trailers to really draw a proper conclusion. The art style seems rather appealing, and the premise seems fun enough that it might warrant a watch. With Genndy Tartavosky at the helm, I'm still very optimistic that this will be a solid entry for Sony's animation studio.

The Spectacular Fantasy Art Of Yang Qi

Niu Mowang, the Bull Demon King (Via)

Yang Qi recently made quite a blip on our concept radars by dumping a ton of his amazing work online at once on Deviantart. It never ceases to amaze me just how many 'uncharted' concept artists there are out there, and how much beautiful work is sitting on peoples hard drives, or country specific art websites like PixIv.

Yang really caught my attention with his beautifully detailed concepts from 'W Game' and 'Asura,' two relatively unknown MMO's here in the west. The 'W Game' concepts are definitely noteworthy, as they are themed after the classic epic Chinese tale of 'Journey To The West,' revolving around Sun Wukong, aka The Monkey King. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the Shenzen based artist, as his attention to detail and rendering style truly is excellent. Check out more of his work after the break!

The Penelopes : Sally In The Galaxy

Parents ignoring you? Siblings bullying you? Well its time to summon The Penelopes and their most excellent power to bring your bedroom posters to life, before delivering that sweet revenge beating on everyone who messed with you. This excellent London based group comprised of Axel Basquiat and Vincent T deliver lovely electro tinged, chill indie-pop that really hits all the right notes. I can just smell the upcoming success lingering around these guys, its just a matter of time.

Advertisement or not, I want a pet Elephant

While this is quite obviously an advertisement for Samsung's new Phone/Tablet/Hybrid thing, it's still damn awesome. What amazes me is the precision of the Elephant's trunk, I truly had no idea. Hell, Peter the Elephant has more touchscreen precision than my Grandma, and she has opposable thumbs. Screw getting a puppy this Summer, I'm getting an Elephant.

Indie Game : The Movie RECUT

We sometimes post the work of Mega64, but this one truly hit home with me. As a parody of the Kickstarter funded documentary called 'Indie Game Movie,' the Mega64 crew recut the footage of that to give it a little more 'spice' by making it an action movie, with hilarious results. On a related note, the muttonchopped creator of Fez in the trailer just looks extra arrogant to me this time around, considering the controversy he's been embroiled in lately. Will you guys be picking up Fez?

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Looking for a good time? (Via)

Okay, you know the drill. I procure cute fluffy things, and you look at them. You take a quick break to just sit and look at warm, soft things before getting back to your other internet browsing-- I mean, work. Alright guys, Happy Tuesday! P.S. Today's edition is, coincidentally, almost completely canine. Save for the Council, of course.

6 more after the break!

Music Video Roundup: Com Truise, Simian Mobile Disco, Royksopp

Today we've got a DOS-centric music video for 'Terminal' from the ever excellent Com Truise, a simplistic visualization of Cerulean from Simian Mobile Disco's upcoming album called 'Unpatterns,' and an excellent visualization of a classic Royksopp track (So Easy) from back in the day by Emmanuelle Walker. Check out Cerulean and the Royksopp music video after the break!

Explore Your Dual World

As part of a promotion for a new Samsung Galaxy phone with dual SIM cards, the company put together this project to explore the concept of duality. This is probably the first time we've seen 3D projection mapping techniques (Typically seen on environmental projects) used on a human subject this extensively, and the results are pretty damn impressive.

Tenacious D : To Be The Best

When Tenacious D formed in 1994, Jack Black was an unknown star who was better known as 'that leather jacket guy from that Never Ending Story sequel.' The band, comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass that I'm sure most of you have heard of at some point.

The band ended up getting an HBO comedy rock show, album deal and even a multi-million dollar movie, 'The Pick Of Destiny.' But once that movie flopped and the stars broke down, people thought the band would fade into complete obscurity, never to emerge again. Thing is, failure is for losers. Tenacious D unexpectedly returned with the music for 'To Be The Best', a star studded self parody music video that proves that even the biggest mistakes can be laughed at, and that the scars can be healed over time, even if it cost major studios million of dollars! This music video proves that there just might be a little light at the end of the tunnel for these guys.

Paul Weller : Green

I'm going to classify this music video as the perfect 'mental bootup' video for those sluggish Monday mornings. The jolt of patterns, pixelation, flashes and other glitch visuals in this visualization were the equivalent of a jolt of double shot espresso getting injected directly into my eyes. The former Jam frontman just released his brand new solo album called 'Sonik Kicks,' which is already topping UK charts and is set to release this week in the US. Keep your eyes peeled for the release on his website.

The Beautiful World Of Bravely Default : Flying Fairy

I recently found out about this incredibly oddly named Square Enix title recently while browsing Famitsu for some information on another game. Upon further inspection, I discovered a 3DS exclusive that all of a sudden brought back a warm, fuzzy feeling that I hadn't had in years from a Square title.

After getting alienated by Final Fantasy XIII, which pushed a visual style that was just too unrelatable and nonsensically quirky (a problem Nomura has increasingly had with his art direction over the years in my opinon), I kind of found myself longing for the more old school titles which had fantastical worlds still grounded in a reality that was somewhat familiar. I mean, good for you if you could relate with a cast of brightly colored metrosexuals with names like Hope, Lightning and Snow.

The old school revolution.

The game is being developed by Takashi Tokita, who is most known for his work as the director of the timeless Chrono Trigger and various other titles unrelated to the recent Final Fantasy installments. Visually though, the game is being art directed by Akihiko Yoshida, one of my favorite artists at the studio behind the visual look of memorable classics like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre. His incredible art direction for this title delivers beautifully epic, vast vistas with a watercolor flair within the confines of a small 3DS screen.

DIY Japanese Candy Hamburgers : Be Very..Afraid?

We're no strangers to the wonderfully bizarre world of Japanese candy food, as I remember us featuring the Japanese candy sushi/pizza sets a few months back. Youtube user Marimo Marshmallow's videos blew people's minds recently with his demonstrations of his fast food themed sets. I just get the feeling that there's a whole market abroad to satiate the needs of people fascinated with candied tiny food. And to be honest I wouldn't mind giving one of these kits a shot myself, having been that kind that never got the chance to get a Creepy Crawler set back in the day.

The Art Of Gabz

Battlefield overload. (Via)

Grzegorz Domaradzki a.k.a Gabz, is a graphic designer/illustrator from Poland with a strong eye for graphic illustration. A while ago we showed you the work of fellow Polish designers Studio Kxx, but after some research it turns out that both the Studio Kxx creative head and Mr. Gabz share the same last name. Brothers? Cousins? Some bizarre coincidence within the Polish art community?

Beyond the similarities of their style, Gabz seems much more focused in creating awesome illustrations  rather than the editorial/branding work that his Kxx counterparts engage in. Check out a few more illustrations from Gabz after the break!

Metalheads By Jörg Brüggemann

Jorg Bruggerman set out on a worldwide journey to capture the more international aspects of the heavy metal phenomenon, tapping into scenes as far away as Egypt to see how the music brought people together. Using nothing but an analog camera as an exercise which he explains and justifies in the video, he captured portraits of people from the metal fandom around the world over the course of three years for a recently released book, 'Metalheads: The Global Brotherhood.'

Eat Your Broccoli, Kids

I'm still trying to figure out what I find more adorable, Dr. Brock's cry of dismay at :47, or the fact that we get some Dr. Brock wiener action throughout the entire short (it's adorable, god dammit). Vanessa Tam created this short for her thesis film at Sheridan College, and I admit that it's one of my favorite shorts I've seen in a while. I'd love to see more adventures of Dr. Brock, so I'll sit here quietly waiting for the next installment. Check out some of Vanessa's work here while you sit and wait with me. You're not going to wait? Oh... Okay.

Joo Jaebum's Pixelart

(Via)

All of these works of art are very famous and recognizable, and certainly very beautiful in their original state. But we occasionally like a good spin on things, so why not go 8-bit? Artist Joo Jaebum decided to go the pixelated route, and turn these iconic images into something I'd expect to see in a super old-school game.

5 more after the break!

The Dreamy Art Of Kumaori

Frozen in time. (Via)

A lone girl traverses a silent world frozen in time accompanied by strange creatures, with an introspective, puzzled air surrounding her. Kumaori, also known as 'Net' is a 23 year old artist from Kyoto that captured my attention with her beautiful, painterly work. Her style mixes elements of the modern and classical realm, with anime characters inhabiting worlds bordering on impressionism. I saw hints of Monet, Gustav Klimt and other classical artists while browsing her extensive portfolio. The style lends itself well to her subject matter, giving each piece a dreamy, hazy feel that draws you in and evokes a sense of wonder.

I absolutely loved going through her portfolio, as each piece told a little story in itself of somebody's experiences in a distorted mirror image of our world. I could easily see this being turned into a beautiful comic or animated film with an art style like this, similar to a modern day Alice tale. Check out more of Net's gorgeous work after the break!

Horror Vacui - Iconic Characters In Their Later Years

Come find bargain deals with us. Forever, and ever... (Via)

Every once in a while, we as movie-goers become curious as to what becomes of certain iconic characters after the story ends. There's no shortage of character re-imagings, or character follow-up concept art and photographs on the net. Some are amazing, and fairly believable, some are downright silly. When thinking about what happens to some of the most notable horror characters and villains in their twilight years, Italian photographer Federico Chiesa came up with this small series called Horror Vacui. It's rather lowkey, and a bit depressing, but an interesting take on the subject.

See the rest after the jump!

Game of Thrones: You Win or Die - A 22 minute Featurette

In just about 1 week, Season 2 of HBO's Game of Thrones will premiere. I suppose you could call me a fan. I've covered the subject a time or two. Yeah... Anyways, HBO has just recently released this awesomely thorough 22 minute featurette, the perfect video to help you recap Season 1, as well as take a peek at Season 2.  The creators and a few select cast members also discuss the story, as well as the individual, complex characters. On April 1st, I know where I'll be.

Cardboard Superheroes By Jared Cain

(Via)  

I've talked about my love/hate relationship with cosplay before, but there are times when the ingenuity of the creators is just plain out worth admiring. Jared Cain is an artist of many talents, having had the chance to apply his artistic chops in a few fields. But what really fascinated me was his cosplaying idea of taking papercraft to the next level (Move over Minecraft).

Over the last two years, Jared has created two sets of cardboard costumes for Dragoncon. In 2010 he created a set of Avengers costume, and in 2011 a pair of Hellboy flavored cardboard costumes. What made these cardboard costumes stand out was that they were designed in autocad and created using a table top laser cutter. So much for using a box cutter, huh? A ton of care & effort has been put into these costumes and the amount of detail is stunning. I highly suggest you check these boxy masterpieces out after the break!

The Art Of ThreeBar

Found in the darkest depths of Pixiv (Via)

ThreeBar is a Tokyo based artist that caught our eye, thanks to his pushed compositions, dynamic poses and ecclectic approach to designing his characters. In a way some of Threebar's characters really brought me back to the work of Bhead, the custom toy maker who gave his creations a very colorful, tacked together feel. The artist also does plenty of tribute pieces, paying respect to classic series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dragon Quest, heck..Even Ghostbusters!

Threebar allows his lineart to shine through, usually applying simple washes of flat color with little shading to help give it a somewhat raw look. His detail on some of these pieces is absolutely sublime though, bringing back mild memories of the likes of Katsuhiro Otomo (The artist behind Akira, Domo, Steamboy, etc.) Check out 11 more pieces from his portfolio after the break!

Cosmopolis : A Descent Into Madness

After reading up more about Robert Pattinson, I kind of realized that he wasn't half bad. Considering the disgusted stance he took to being considered a Twilight hunk, his involvement in this new Cronenberg flick might be a chance to prove to the world that he's got more up his sleeve than just being a glittery vampire and shed that entire stigma. David Cronenberg showcases his trademark surreal, sexual and hyperviolent notes full force in this minute long teaser.

The plot follows Eric Packer, a 28 year old Wall Street star dreaming of a luxurious future when his world gets turned upside down by an all in bet gone wrong. The movie follows Packer descending into a world of paranoia, madness and revelations over the course of 24 hours. The madness begins on May 24, 2012. On a side note, whats Stephanie Meyer up to? And a poster for Cosmopolis, after the  break.

8 Disgusting WeightWatchers Cards from the 70's

Whoever made these didn't understand the concept of 'presentation.' (Via)

If you want to lose weight, there are a bunch of programs out there that might work for you. WeightWatchers is one of the better known programs, and rumor has it, it can definitely be successful. Back in the mid 70's, they came out with these recipes cards, something to have on hand to help a dieter create the perfect dish. And I'm sure it worked wonders. That's assuming that dieter wants to go the way of starvation, because these dishes make me want to vomit just looking at them.

7 more after the break!

Ed

Hype Studio's first animated film, Ed, is looking to be something pretty special. Anthropomorphic bunny rabbits aside, Ed is looking to be a dark and gritty ride that I'm excited to see unfold. I'm always down for more Mobster movies! Unfortunately, we're stuck waiting over a year for the films release. We'll keep you updated as the film gets closer!

Panache: Bouvier Bernois

I wish my French was better, but despite the language barrier I can still appreciate this music video for other reasons. Number One: The poppy sound which is rather inoffensive. Number Two: The awesome pixel music video, featuring a bizarre mashup of 8bit games and a Bernese mountain dog traversing, and annihilating everything in its path nonchalantly. If you're into French Canadian groups, check out Panache's bandcamp right here!

Unnamed Soundsculpture By Daniel Franke

The limits of the Kinect's unintended uses are explore again in this beautiful experimental piece by Daniel Franke. Using three Kinect's, Daniel recorded a dancer going through a routine before feeding the point data into a visualizer, adding sound distortion, random seeding of frames and post processing. The final performance is an uncanny visual spectacle, featuring a flowing form attempting to maintain a solid shape with every reset.

Mad Men : The 8Bit Game

Now I realize that I'm kind of late to the Mad Men game, but we recently sat down and started watching the show about 60's marketing execs. Despite the synopsis being rather bland sounding, we discovered a drama about soul crushing personal demons, challenging social issues and characters dealing with their dark pasts. I found it to be a very heavy, yet excellent show which would leave me feeling nothing short of depressed during its more poignant moments.

On a lighthearted note, the pixel smiths known as The Fine Bros decided to create an awesome 8 bit Mad Men tribute parodying some of the quirkier aspects of the show in a 'choose your own adventure' format. If you've ever wanted to hear a crunchy, lofi cover of the excellent opening (A Beautiful Mine by RJD2) this will fulfill that need.  Put the scotch down, Don Draper.

Mind Spiders : Wait For Us

Prepare for a slow, pulsating buildup leading to an amazing finish for this fresh music video from the Texas based indie rockers. These guys definitely made the damn best out of what they had, crafting a short scifi thriller over the course of 5 minutes with an awesome twist, suitably narrated via the lofi garage sound (Perfect fit for the retro scifi theme) which picks up nicely towards the end. If you dig the Mind Spiders, get their newest album, 'Meltdown' here.

Vertigo Inducing Photography By Vadim Mahorov

My knees feel weak. (Via)

Well if there's one thing that Vadim Mahorov has going for him, its his utter disregard for any sense of self preservation. I recently ran into the Russian photographers work on his blog, and was stunned by the sheer insanity of some of the angles that he managed to capture, sans harness or restraint. The end result though is nothing short of stunning, and he's among a very small percentile of photographers who'd be willing to risk that single most important asset, their life in order to capture that perfect shot. Now that's passion.



On a related note, remember that video that went viral sometime late last year? It featured a few kids with Gopros and Canon cameras climbing the guide wires of a bridge to the top illegally with no care in the world? Well due to the fact that the video has been circulated and reposted on Youtube a million times (Making the original source impossible to track), its quite possible that this is the same group that Vadim has in some of his shots filming themselves getting to a viewpoint for taking pictures (Check at 10:30). That aside, check out more of his incredible shots after the break!

UkinoJoe's Bite Sized Animations

I recently came across the above King of the Hill spoof, where Bobby is portrayed as a brony (why are we not surprised...). Considering how much some of us here at Awesome-Robo hate King of the Hill with a passion (For destroying Adult Swim), it made watching this quick animation all that more pleasurable. Upon further exploration of the animator who created and uploaded this fitting parody (Jonathan Gran, aka Ukinojoe) we found a crapload of other equally fun, and at times tongue-in-cheek, shorts.

Behold a plethora of shorts after the break! Keep fighting the good fight, Ukinojoe.

RIP Noburo Ishiguro : An Anime Legend Passes On

(Via)

For some reason upon hearing the news, the name Noburo Ishiguro didn't ring any bells immediately. Well, it turns out that Mr. Ishiguro was the director of many classic animé series from the eighties. I felt pretty ashamed for not having known that beforehand, considering his body of work.

Mr Ishiguro died at 73 yesterday leaving an incredible opus as chief director of canonical anime works like the first color Astroboy series, Space battleship Yamato (Starblazers), and of  course, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (aka Robotech), which many of us that grew up watching in the 80's and 90's. The series gave many of us our first taste of Japanese anime, opened us up to a vast world of mecha and brought the east to our shores.

2012 hasn't been a good year for talented people in the illustration/ visual/ entertainment industry so far. The recent passing of Moebius comes to mind. As a tribute, one of the coolest cartoon openings of that decade. 

THE WAVE, MIIKE SNOW'S SECOND SINGLE

A while ago we showcased this video clip as the new single for Miike Snow upcoming album.
This second installment continues with the same protagonist in a sort of ''Lynchean'' world where young skinny models hang out in rusty playgrounds and cops dance altogether to the beat of Gerard Depardieu's young cousin.

Pretty weird huh? Anyways, the music rocks. Enjoy.

My Family and the Wolf - Teaser Trailer

With summer just around the corner, this looks like it could be an awesomely fun summertime animation. This European animation, made together by Headless Productions (Barcelona based) and Nectarious Films (Paris based), is about a young boy's summer vacation, and all of the wonderful things he did. This is a teaser trailer, so not much is given away, so all we know is that at some point, his grandmother tells him a story about a wolf. How that wolf will play into the story, I don't know. We'll be on the lookout for a full trailer! All I can say at this point, is that it looks like a fun story, and the simplistic animation is beautiful.

The Art Of Herman NG

Oh my. (Via)

Herman Ng is an amazing concept artist that worked his way from Australia all the way to Redwood Shores, where he currently works as a concept artist at Trion Worlds, the guys behind Rift. I really loved his stylistic versatility, painterly style and the ability to simply have fun with some of his concepts, not limited to the image above. Over the course of an 8 year career (So far), Herman really came to be a well known figure in the concept communities with his excellent work done on a SEGA project called Stormrise, which ultimately didn't get very good reviews. We will feature that art in a separate article, because Herman did an insane amount of work for that project. Check out 12 more pieces by the artist after the break!

Satan Takes A Holiday: Who Do You Voodoo

Today we rocked out to Satan Takes A Holiday's excellent new track from their debut album, Who Do You Voodoo. I was kind of wondering why any band trying to go big would call themselves Satan Takes A Holiday, but I then realized they were Swedish. Swedish people don't give a sh** about what people think, and that's awesome, so it makes sense.

The band is set to make a splash with a distinct sound that take a page out of rock history, melding retro garage, punk and pure rock in their various tracks. I gave them a listen on Spotify and like a fine wine, tasted notes of Queen, the White Stripes and a ton of other hints of awesome bands sprinkled in this album. These guys definitely have something great going on, so check out their album here!

The Phantom Menace's Fights Totally Made Sense

We've been pretty harsh on George Lucas in the past, but let's face it, he deserves every bit of flack he's gotten within the past 15 years. Being the blind optimist that I am, I've always remained adamant at admitting that I enjoyed the fight sequences from the most recent Star Wars films. YouTube user FirstManOnTheSpoon has smashed all my hopes and dreams in this single 3 minute video, proving once and for all that there isn't one f*cking redeeming quality in these films. I'm going to go rewatch the movies and hope I can find something to put me back on track.

The Other Brothers

So, I'm not quite sure what to expect from The Other Brothers. While it's definitely playing direct homage to the Mario Brothers, I haven't quite figured out what the game is. Still, gameplay aside, The Other Brothers is looking to be a sharp sidescroller, with a sleek retro style. Color me intrigued! The above trailer definitely helps cement my interest in the game. I look forward to seeing more in the coming future. Check out the game's website here!

Hit the jump for some awesome screens from the game.

The Art Of Clearly Wrong

Clearly awesome. (Via)

I had the opportunity to talk to Clearly Wrong, aka Daniel Bressette recently after running into his work during an artists livestream. The Atlanta based artists work caught my eye with his usage of retro cartoony aesthetics mixed with a contemporary flair. In a sense it kind of reminded me of some of the thematic notes McBess has going on, but with the addition of some really awesome, muted color palettes. Among some of his influences, Daniel mentioned Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Raymond Pettibon, Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Bill Watterson and Genndy Tartavosky. Looking at the piece above (Titled Space is the Place0, you can definitely see the Calvin & Hobbes-esque feel mixed with a little pinch of Astroboy. Eastern and Western aesthetics combined in the best way possible!

Daniel is currently working his way up into the spotlight, and I feel that his style will be loved by many when he finally gets the widespread recognition he deserves. We're doing our part to get the word out about his work. On that note, check out a few more pieces from his portfolio after the break! If you'd like to purchase a print of his work, you can do so on his Bigcartel.

15 James Bond Pinup Prints By Michael Gillette

  

While James Bond has been on a slight hiatus due to the studio's financial woes (surprise, a new movie is due out very soon!), Michael Gillette has been hard at working creating some amazing prints. This set of sexy Bond ladies spans across 15 of the 22 Bond Films in an extraordinarily classy fashion. If I had no understanding of financial stability I'd be purchasing them all now. Pick up the set for yourself over here. Them give Michael Gillette's website a go over here, he's got some amazing stuff.

Hit the jump for a closer look at all 15 prints.

Red Moon

The downside to being Captain Alexei Ovechkin, an otherwise awesome, super Soviet submarine admiral is his unfortunate werewolf condition. This tongue in cheek, red tinged short by Sirocco Research Labs (directed by Jimmy Marble) chronicles the tragic tale of a crew at odds with their shapeshifting commander. Turns out that a Russian werewolf's only weakness is the bullet of capitalism.

100 Yen : The History Of Japanese Arcades

Who wouldn't want to watch a documentary about Japanese arcades? 100 Yen goes into the history, evolution and cultural impact of Japanese arcades. Ever played Street Fighter? A side scrolling shoot em up? Space Invaders? Sometime in your life, you've probably had a chance to play one of the countless games that originated from an arcade, in one iteration or the other. Despite it being a dormant form of entertainment (I see a second golden age coming somewhere down the line), you can't help but appreciate what arcades have done for the gaming industry as a whole. Japanese arcades are still going strong, and some of the machines they have would be nothing short of mind blowing to someone used to simple stand up machines.

100 Yen is reaching the end of production, and is currently running an Indiegogo campaign (Similar to Kickstarter) to raise the final funds required for post production. Contribute if you can! Check out the teaser trailer for the 75 minute documentary after the break!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

The best cuddle friend. (Via)

Happy First Day of Spring, and Happy Tuesday! The weekend is almost here, f*cking finally. Yeah, maybe not so much, but the new season has given me a new sense of optimism. To cure the not-quite-midweek blues, take a pup/kitty break.

More after the break!

Retro Bladerunner Polaroids

Yes, that's obviously a wax model of Harrison F-...Wait. (via)

Its kind of strange how something as trivial as a bunch of old pictures taken during a regular day at work can turn into some sort of historical document. That's definitely the case for some of the pictures Sean Young ( aka Rachael the replicant ) took backstage during the making of the groundbreaking scifi flick.

Most of the shots are hand held pictures taken by Young herself, with assorted cast members and filming crew. Imagine how viral these would have gone if Twitter or Facebook was around back in the day. Check out 5 more Polaroids by Mrs. Young after the break. Enjoy!

The Art Of Dmitriy Khristenko: Steampunk Insects & Other Clockwork Creations

Steampunk: In a nutshell (Via)

Steampunk is a fantastic movement that has achieved ever increasing popularity over the last few years. In case you've never heard of the genre, its a visual style that embraces victorian era aesthetics and technology powered by steam. These statues, made by Deviantart user Dmitriy Khristenko, are a mixture of mythical creatures, extinct beasts and mechanical insects made from gears and various other mechanical parts.

You'll be amazed at how detailed each piece is! I took a few minutes on each one trying to figure out where the different parts came from. Some of my favorite pieces that he created are a variety of motorcycles made from various pieces of watches. They are visually amazing and I'd absolutely love to have one of these gracing my art shrine shelf. The complete collection is viewable after the break!

Lollipop Chainsaw Looks To Be everything I Want From A Video Game

Suda 51 is punk as f*ck, and this trailer 100% confirms it. Grasshopper Manufacture, the folks that brought you Killer7, No More Heroes, and No More Heroes 2 are at it again, this time bringing along the help of James Gunn (writer of Super and Slither). I was fully expecting insanity from Suda51's next entry but was a little disappointed when it was announced to be Lollipop Chainsaw. Yes, a chainsaw wielding cheerleader is a bit over the top, but it still seemed a bit tame for the studio. This trailer has me fully on board, though.

While I expect plenty of mindless Zombie killing throughout the game, it's the bosses I'm most excited for. Grasshopper Manufacture has always created some of the coolest and most inventive bosses in modern gaming(seriously, if you haven't played the Handsome Men Showdown in Killer7, you're missing out). The fact that one of the bosses (voiced by Mindless Self Indulgence's Jimmy Urine) yells out c*cks*cker while you avoid the massive letters is enough for my day one purchase.

Lollipop Chiansaw releases June 12th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. If you miss big titles being wacky and fun, rather than the overwhelming entries of gritty shooters, this game might be the one for you.

Sunshine : The Modern Mad Men

I absolutely loved this slice of life documentary by Doug Nichols, taking a look at the world of exotic fast food marketing through the eyes of a freelance American ad producer. In fifteen minutes it gave us an intimate, well rounded look at the frustrations, cynicism and optimism of an artist conflicted by a job that pays the bills but ultimately clashes with his innermost beliefs.

Its a fascinating, and very true look at how most artists ultimately come to a crossroads at one point or the other during their career. One that either leads them to pursuing their own self expression and style, or pursuing a route of financial stability at the expense of their identity. Which direction would you choose?

Uprising By Pierre-Nicolas Bayle: Color Coded Teaser

This teaser for an upcoming short by the relatively unknown Pierre-Nicolas Bayle is looking pretty interesting, with its incredibly angular, colorful style..Somewhat reminiscent of Tartavosky's Samurai Jack. The premise (From what we understood) of Uprising revolves around female heroines searching for light in a world plunged into darkness. Its kind of cool that Pierre color coded the different protagonists into different colors from the spectrum (RGB), which ties perfectly into the whole light theme.

We're going to feature Uprising when its released, as we're definitely expecting it to cause some waves. Check out more of Pierre's preproduction work for Uprising after the break!

6 Star Wars Identities : What Forces Shape You?

Stormtroopers: Quantity, not quality (Via)

As part of a new exhibit taking place in Canada, specifically Montreal and Edmonton starting April 19th, 'Star Wars Identities' will explore the forces that made us all into what we are today. The posters explore that theme, using objects and settings that defined the most iconic Star Wars characters to create these portraits (With my personal exception of Queen Amidala, who had as much personality as a toaster). Check out the promo video below, and 5 more posters after the break!

The Mill VFX Showreel

The London based VFX house just recently released a fresh new reel featuring choice cuts from a vast repertoire of the work they've created recently for movies, videogames and advertising. I recognized at least 6 different projects from the studio that we've featured over the last year or so, including the awesomely fun Carrot Vs Ninja short from last May. The Mill is celebrating 22 years of innovation and visual excellence this year, which is nothing to scoff at.

Wizard of Oz Posters from 1902

You're getting a little too touchy-feely there, Scarecrow. (Via)

As much of a Wizard of Oz fan that I am, I had no idea there was a stage adaptation just a few years after the book was released in 1900. It was also a musical; one the preceded the iconic 1939 MGM film. This version was certainly different from both the book, and the film. One of the biggest differences being the downplayed role of the lion (which is evident from his lack of presence in these posters, one of the first things I noticed). This first poster... Can we say nightmare inducing? Okay, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but it's still pretty damn creepy.

Check out the rest after the jump!

Red: A Dark Red Riding Hood Retelling

Not only is this short retelling one I haven't seen before, but the animation is absolutely beautiful. I love the simplicity of the use of silhouettes, and the stark contrast between dark and red (blood). The music at the very beginning really adds to the narrative, with the dueling good versus evil sounding music. This is a great example of how something doesn't have to necessarily be outrageously over the top visually in order for it to be effective in telling a story.

Hotel Transylvania : The First Peek

We're always on the lookout for a great animation here at Awesome-Robo (in case you haven't noticed...). As of late, we've been finding that most full-length features can be pretty hit-or-miss (the most recent hit being The Secret World of Arrietty). On the horizon is this old school monster inspired flick, Hotel Transylvania. The vocal cast is rounded out by Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and David Spade, among others. While I worry about this past-their-prime (in terms of talent) cast, I'll try to reserve judgement until the film comes out in September (or at least until we get a trailer). Hey, it does have the redeeming factor of Steve Buscemi, after all.

The general synopsis of the film is this: Dracula runs a monsters and ghouls only hotel, and invites the crew over for his daughter Mavis' coming of age birthday (which is 118, BTW). The motto of the hotel is "Human Free since 1898", which all changes when a backpacker named Johnny stumbles upon the hotel, and falls for Mavis. Dracula finds out, and instead of kicking him out, decides to disguise Johnny as a monster, and gives him the moniker Johnnystein. All of this is done to ensure the comfort of the other ghoulish guests, who wish to party and vacation human-free. This could be a fun near-Halloweentime flick. We'll keep you posted!

Journey's Journey Between Two Strangers

Play this game ASAP

Judging from Thatgamecomapny's track record, it shouldn't be much of a surprise when I say Journey is fantastic. The small studio has managed to push out some of the most refreshing and overall engaging games since I started gaming, yet Journey manages to surpass all expectations I had for the studio. In a recent article by Jim Sterling, a plea was made to refrain from using the word experience when describing “art” games, but to do so would simply detract from from the overall explanation of just why Journey is so damn good.

Yes, Journey is a game, a very good one at that, but as a whole, it's an experience. It's the kind of experience where you set aside a portion of your day to do nothing but play the game, only because you enveloped yourself so deep within the world of Journey that you forgot what time it was. It's the kind of experience where nothing around you matters, even if your dog is being an asshole and taking a massive sh*t in front of you, only because Journey is capable of such deep immersion that nothing around you matters anymore. It's also the kind of experience where you find yourself feeling such a deep level emotion that you end up connecting pieces of the game to your own life without even realizing it.

Journey is the full package, providing enjoyment on so many levels that it becomes near impossible to pinpoint each and every one. Although, one level manages to stand out more than the rest.

Prometheus Trailer Gets Leaked (Updated)

Update #1 3/17: The full 2:32 trailer added
Update #2 3/18: The viral video about androids has been added


Ridley Scott's new trailer for Prometheus leaked  prematurely (Much to our dismay), which was set to premiere at Anaheim's Wondercon this weekend. This breathtaking new trailer gives us an even bigger taste of just some of the madness that the unfortunate Prometheus crew runs into. This includes some sort of parasitic, mind controlling entities, a hostile environment, crash landing alien ships and possibly some Weyland Yutani flavored androids if we're lucky. Considering how godawful this year has been so far movie wise, this trailer is the equivalent of the light at the end of the tunnel, an escape from overwhelming mediocrity. Save us, Ridley Scott.

Parov Stelar : Jimmy's Gang

Parov Stelar, the founders of the musical subgenre known as Electro Swing just released this lovely animated music video for their new single from the upcoming 2012 release, 'The Princess.' The track uses a generous dose of rotoscoping (pretty much tracing over real life footage) and hand animation to deliver a colorful, eclectic visual experience. The Austrian group plans on doing their first North American tour this year in correlation with the release of the new album.

Art of Claire Wendling

(Via)

Just recently, I came across the work of French artist Claire Wendling. I was blown away by her expertise, especially her clean, flowing lines. She has a real knack for animals, with cats being a favorite of hers. Her style is similar in all of her work, yet somehow there's still lots of variety to keep the viewer interested and hungry for more. Check out some of her other work after the jump, and don't forget to go over to her website!

RUIN By Oddball Animation

This fantastic proof of concept short was created by Oddball Animations as a means to showcase just how much talent/potential the studio has. Looking through their former work, I found a variety of odd jobs like creating minigames for movies, little commercials and miscellaneous shorts. On the side, the studio internally developed RUIN, created in collaboration with some designs by John Park over the course of a year or so.

The short delivers a fantastic chase sequence, set in a post apocalytpic world where nature has reclaimed what humanity has created. There are some hints at some form of plot about nanobots possibly gone wild, but that's really not the point of this short. Incredible, visceral action, beautiful visuals and a great score will probably guarantee that these guys will move on to work on some incredible movies next.